The Samaritan Woman

The Samaritan Woman

 

 

As a woman I often find myself wearing mask of excuses for the sin in my life. Those things I want or need and justify to myself. If I truly dig deep I know the root of my excuse is shame for something I see lacking in my life.  I suppose a good example would be spending time on social media and longing for the, clean home, perfect family, ability to stay home, and perfect vacation. Those are just pictures posted of the good things. What if the poster was honest in their post and said, threw everything in the closet before the in-laws get here or maxed out our credit cards, again this year to take the kids on the perfect vacation?

At the begging of 2016 I was reading in the book of John, chapter 4. This is the story of the Samaritan woman. This was a woman that I would have liked to have seen her social media post! Living it up with my man! Who needs a husband? This one is a keeper! Or, Heading to the well in heat of the day, about to get my tan on! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. The Samaritan woman is the inspiration for this blog. The Lord spoke to me on January the 1^st and said that I should write a blog and talk about her first. I researched blogging and gave up, but my Lord never stopped whispering in my ear. This week He gave me the name, Morning Coffee at the Well. I love coffee and mornings are my favorite quiet time, so it could not be more perfect. Let us take a look at Samaritan’s conversation with our Savior.

Jesus tired from his journey stopped at Jacob’s well for rest. The disciples had gone to buy food and Jesus was alone. It was late in the day, much later than the other women came to get water. A woman approached and Jesus ask her to get him a drink.  Her response is not unique to how people of other races would react today. You see, Jesus was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. Two races that did not interact. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” Oh and she was just a woman, another no no in the world at that time.

Jesus did not miss a beat. “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying t you, ‘Give Me a drink’, you would ask Him and He would give you living water.” 

Now, this is the Samaritans chance to find out what Jesus is talking about, but instead she responds this way.

“Sir, you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”

Boom! Man with no bucket! How does that feel, you have not bucket, exactly how do you expect to get “living water”. She was sassy! She went on to ridicule Jesus by saying, what you think you are greater that Jacob…I don’t think so! He gave us this Well and by the way he drank from it…something you will not be doing because you have no bucket.

Okay, let’s slow down and talk about this. How many times have you felt so inadequate in your life and the first opportunity you get to slam someone in a harder situation, do you take it. It probably felt good to finally release shame on someone else. Well, that is until the words actually fell from your tongue. I wonder if Samaritan woman felt guilt as she finally was able to feel like the better person. She was not at the well at 6 in the afternoon because it was the best time, she was there to avoid the other women. She had been married multiple times and divorced. It did not matter that she had no voice in the divorce and that any of the other women could just as easily be in the same boat due to Jewish law. She was still shamed. She probably convinced herself that she preferred getting water alone and that 6 in the evening was great for her.

How many times do we convince ourselves that something in our lives is okay, when it really isn’t? Justifying sin does not make it right. I don’t want to bring out her actually sin. We will briefly mention it because Jesus does, but I know that in God’s eyes, all sin is sin. I don’t want anyone reading this, to feel like I am pointing fingers. So, let’s talk about me. I have a weight problem. I have a friend that is trying to encourage me. I make excuses, even now, I feel I need to point out that I take an inhaled steroid every day for asthma and I did put on a lot of weight when I started that medication. However, I also indulge in things I should say no to, like chips and salsa or cheese covered fries, when we go out to eat. I hide and eat junk food, because I want it, but I don’t want anyone to know I am eating it. I try to convince myself that I eat healthy, by telling others I do, but the scales don’t lie. I see the Samaritan woman and think about the food I hide and the lies I tell myself and I understand her walk at 6 in the evening to the Well. I am sure that not a day went by that she did not long to be in the fellowship of the women at the Well, but justified her lonely walk in the evening.

Now, let’s listen to the Savior, as he dismisses her mockery and sees the pain and offers her a new life.

“Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again.” (Speaking of the Well water) “But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again – ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him foe eternal life.”

Now she is interested. A way to avoid the Well all together, means she no longer has to deal with her shame. She still doesn’t get it.

“Sir, “Now she addresses with respect, “give me this water so I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.”

Jesus understand that she is not getting it. This is the reason he then ask her to go get her husband. He needed her to open her eyes and see who she was talking with. By revealing that he knew about her, He was able to help her understand who she was talking to.

Oh the shame and void she must have felt as she said, “I don’t have a husband.” I imagine her head bowed and he smirk from earlier was gone in a face of sorrow and grief. God does not want us to feel shame. His son died so that our sins are no more. That doesn’t mean we will not sin, it just means that when we do, they are forgiven. We must still acknowledge these sins and ask the Father to forgive, but after that, we have no shame to bear.

Jesus spoke again, “You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’. For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

Jesus did not say these things to point out her sin, instead he was saying. I see you, I love you, I see your pain, your shame, your sin, yet I sit here without judgement, talking to you. Offering you everlasting life, if only you will put your shame aside and listen.  This is how our Savior loves people He sees past our sins and loves us where we are. How wonderful a world if all of those that follow Christ, could put aside others sin and just love people where they are. We could all walk around with no mask of hiding on. We could post pictures of dirty houses, screaming kids, selfies of our overweight faces, staycations because we just don’t have the money this year, and real life.

There is more to this story but I will save it for another morning. My prayer for all who find my little blog is that you are able to unmask the sin in your life, and realize that flesh can never be perfect. That is why we required a perfect sacrifice to atone for our sin. God our Father knows we are unable to be perfect and He never expected us to be. He just wants us to accept His love and forgiveness. He is not interested in our sin, He forgave that a long time ago on an old wooden cross. Reach out to the Savior today. Take off your mask and just have a real conversation with the Savior at your Well. Whatever or wherever that Well may be.

Father God, use your message to unmask our shame. To build women and men into mighty warriors for your kingdom. Let us love as you did and leave all judgement …..Out of our lives.