John 4.4

Nik Hookey reflects on the limitations we put on ourselves and God in sharing the Good News.

Nik Hookey

"Now he had to go through Samaria." John 4.4

Where are the places in your life that you wouldn't take Jesus? Who are the people that you would not talk to about Jesus? It is easy to set up these boundaries without even noticing them. Think of the person that you would never mention Jesus to, because you are convinced that they would laugh at you, or think less of you.

The Bible quotation above is part of the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. John tells us that Jesus had to go through Samaria. If you've ever heard a sermon on this, you probably heard the preacher tell you that Jesus had to do nothing of the sort.

A quick look at a map is enough to confirm that this is the case. The journey that Jesus was taking from Judaea to Galilee should not have involved a detour through Samaria. The quicker, more obvious route lay elsewhere.

Then the preacher may tell you that Jesus did not have a geographical need to go through Samaria, but a missional need. Jesus' good news of the Kingdom had to be spread to Samaritans as well as to Jews.

The Jews hated the Samaritans. Racial tensions between the two groups were high. The Samaritans had a slightly different (and more abbreviated) Bible to the Jews. The Samaritans believed that the proper place to worship was at Mount Gerazim, the Jews said it was the Temple in Jerusalem. And each group believed that the other was utterly corrupt. There was no middle road.

Jesus and his followers took the route through Samaria, and they stopped at Sychar. It was the hottest time of the day. No-one was at Jacob's Well. So he sent his followers to the local village for food. Imagine their disgust! They would have to talk to Samaritans, maybe touch them. The food that they sold was almost certainly not kosher. How could Jesus ask them to do that? Obediently, they left him, and went in search of food.

Whilst they were away, a woman arrived to get water from the well. She was clearly avoiding being seen by anyone else who might appear at the well to draw water. She was not, perhaps, popular with her female neighbours. It is quite possible that she was dressed in order to attract male attention, as we discover later in the story that she was quite keen on that attention.

Jesus has already crossed the boundary into Samaria. Now he crosses more boundaries. He is a Jew meeting a Samaritan. He is a man alone meeting a woman. He is a Jewish teacher who engages in conversation with a Samaritan woman.

In crossing these boundaries, Jesus opens up the way to share the message with the woman, and she subsequently becomes an evangelist to her own people, as she runs to tell them, "Come, see a man who told me everything I've ever done. Could this be the Messiah?"

What about us? Think back to those boundaries that we looked at. Are there some that we can, and should, cross? In being brave and crossing boundaries, we can help to open up opportunities for God to use us to spread the message of the Kingdom.

So think about where they might be. Is there a department at work? A sports group at Uni? Or some guys at college that are just into very different things to you? Perhaps it's people of a different faith? Or a different lifestyle to you? Maybe they have a different social background to you?

Our society is very good at putting up boundaries between groups of people, but the Good News cuts across those boundaries. Advertising agencies will target particular groups of people to attract them to their products. Political parties want to know what different people think so that they can produce policies that will appeal.

But God's Kingdom is very different. It is for men and women, young and old, millionaires and refugees, professors and prostitutes, bikers and bankers. It is certainly not reserved for the people that live a good, upright, moral life. Instead it is a radical Kingdom, that cuts across age, race, gender, religion, sexuality, interests and economics. So let's ask God to show us where we are setting boundaries that mean that we are not in tune with the Kingdom of God. Then ask for His strength to cross them, in order to share the Good News about Jesus.