No Holding Back

John the Baptist captured the attention of Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem as he began his ministry of preaching and baptizing. As the number of disciples following John and his teachings grew so did the interest from the Jewish leaders. At some point after the start of Jesus’ ministry the number of followers that He gained was surpassing the numbers of those following John the Baptist. The “spiritual cops” (Pharisees), heard about this new wave of interest. In response, Jesus headed back north to the region of Galilee.

On His way north, the Gospel of John says, “He (Jesus) had to go through Samaria.” Here is where Jesus steps outside of the box. Most often the Jews would cross to the east side of the Jordan River to travel north in order to avoid going through the region of the Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed-blood people from marriages with Gentiles following the exile of the Northern Kingdom. Jews that were left behind by the Assyrians married Gentiles that were moved into the area. Out of necessity in Jesus’ mission, He “HAD TO GO THROUGH SAMARIA.”

Jesus grew tired and sat down by Jacob’s well while the disciples went into town to buy some food. A SAMARITAN WOMAN came by to draw water while Jesus was there. Jesus began a conversation with her. To give you an idea of the stigma that existed, John 4:27 tells us that when the disciples returned they were surprised. She was a Samaritan and a woman.

You can read the entire story in John chapter four. But the point that stands out as a challenge for us today is; where has the church, our society or just the people around us drawn the lines that keep us from reaching out with the love of Christ to those who are hurting? Whether it is social, racial, gender or economic lines, when we possess the heart and the eyes of Jesus those lines will fade away. We will not be able to hold back.

Prayer: Lord, help me today to have a heart that is willing to move outside of the box that others have tried to place me inside of, in order to effectively touch the deep needs of those that live around me. Amen