by Danny Woodall

dannywoodall@yahoo.com

 And upon this came his disciples, and marveled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, what seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? (John 4:27)

February is when women’s hearts turn to love, and hard core baseball fans hearts turn to their fantasy teams. Who will lead the majors in homeruns, or which pitcher will have the most strikeouts? These are the questions they go over as they fill out their rosters. In the fourth chapter of the book of John, we read about a woman that no one would have chosen to be on their church staff or all-evangelical team, yet Christ chose her to be a missionary to a small town in Samaria.

The Jews and the Samaritans had a long history of animosity toward each other. They each had their own place of worship, religious history, and both were convinced they were right. The band of Jesus’ followers was uncomfortable travelling through Samaria, but Jesus was on a mission. They arrived in Sychar around noon. Jesus was by the well while the disciples went to buy bread.

The woman at the well had managed to be an outcast of both societies. The disciples looked down at her because she was a Samaritan; her own people looked down on her because of her lifestyle. By going to the well at noon, she avoided the crowds. She wouldn’t have to deal with the fingers which other women pointed at her, or hear the whispers and see eyes dart toward her.

Today would be different; it was her spiritual high noon. She was willing to discuss spiritual matters. In the first century Palestine, there was political unrest, power struggles, and acts of terror, once the Samaritans had sneaked into the temple and strung dead bodies around, sounds like today. Our world seems out of control. People are willing to talk about religion. We only to show people how they can be plugged into the power that Christ offers.

The conversation went from the topic of water to her spiritual condition. Jesus didn’t go over the finer points of the Law; because she was having trouble with the Ten Commandments. When confronted with her sin, she didn’t try to hide it from God. She knew her way of doing things wasn’t working. But knowing something is wrong and doing something about are two different things. Many times we are honest enough to admit our shortcomings. But then we are too quick to make excuses. Christ wants us to overcome our sins, not hide them.

When we accept Christ, there will be a difference in our lives. The woman that avoided crowds was now ready to share the Good News with others. She brought people in the town to see the Messiah. She shifted the focus from herself to Christ. We do not need to be theologians in order to share the Gospel. We only need to tell others how Christ has made a difference in our lives. People won’t get excited about a dry dusty dogma that leaves their souls dry. They want to know about the life changing water which Christ offers.

How many of us have felt like number thirty on a list of twenty? We have the dreaded * by our name, meaning this player is unassigned, in other words, unwanted. People may look down on us, and overlook us, but God is not limited by the opinions of others. He sees the heart. When we feel like an outcast, we can follow the Samaritan woman’s recipe. Be honest with ourselves and God, listen and obey His Word, and tell others how Christ has made a difference in our lives. God’s grace reaches the rejects of the outcast.

Copyright Danny Woodall