02/24/2008 - What's Your Story?
Nana always had a story … & it always topped whatever story someone else had, especially if the story involved personal illness or hardship. (Do you know anyone like this?)
The typical phone conversation Nana had with Deb went like this:
“Hello, Nana!”
“Oh, hello, Debbie. How are you?” her grandmother said, dejectedly.
“We’re just fine,” Deb responded, “but I have a touch of a cold. You know, a runny nose & all.”
“Me, too!” Nana would say, suddenly becoming quite animated. She would then proceed to tell how long she suffered with her cold, how many tissue boxes she’d gone through, & how the doctor didn’t do anything to relieve her condition, which by now is nothing short of walking pneumonia, or regular pneumonia, or maybe, if she got lucky, ‘er, I mean, didn’t get the medical attention she needed, double pneumonia! (Do you know anybody like this?)
Our favorite incident was when one of the family’s great uncles was describing to her some of the medical problems he was experiencing, issues uniquely common to senior men.
After hearing him out, & without missing a beat, Nana announced, “Oh, yes, my prostate has been giving me problems, too, but let me tell you…!” She, then, itemized in minute detail her considerably worse tale of woe!
Some folks find it so easy to communicate their personal bad news & suffering. Complaining about their lives comes naturally.
In vivid contrast, & from today’s gospel lesson, we have a woman who is a model for sharing the good news of her life & Jesus. And it is all done naturally & sincerely.
2000 years after Jesus walked the earth, we take for granted that he regularly spent time with persons who were traditionally defined as outsiders & enemies. After all, we know him as the original “Love your enemies” man. Of course, in his day, when Jesus did & said these things, they were shocking & scandalous. We often don’t realize how radical he was.
In today’s incident, Jesus speaks with someone who for three reasons is socially unacceptable. How do we know that? 1) The person is unnamed. 2) The person is a woman. And, 3) She is an enemy of the Jews. Let me explain each one.
The fact that the woman’s name is not recorded is not a good sign. Presumably, she was held in derision. Her unnamed status reflects that sorry sentiment. Not reporting the name was probably a deliberate oversight in order to highlight her unacceptable nature. It was not merely a matter of forgetting.
Second, men in that culture just didn’t converse with women the way Jesus did. As a societal rule, women were lower-class citizens to be dismissed, not persons with whom to initiate meaningful dialogue. Think of how Archie rudely barks at Edith. Jesus, though, engages the woman in hearty discussion.
The third reason this woman is socially unacceptable is because Samaritans, of which she is one, are the avowed, centuries-long, sworn enemies of every Jew. Although at one time they were one people, Samaritans became the “black sheep” of the family for reasons too numerous to cite today. Suffice to say, the rift separating these spiritual siblings, remained alive & well in Jesus’ day.
An unnamed (1) Samaritan (2) woman (3). 3 strikes. You’re out. Jesus, though, is unfazed by all of these cultural negative. Plus, he has a simple need: water. He’s thirsty as he travels north through Sychar to his hometown in Galilee.
His need becomes the opportunity which puts Jesus in conversation with the woman, whom he discovers, also has a need. He wants a drink. She wants this special, life-giving spring water he talks about. He’s speaking metaphorically (symbolically), & she doesn’t realize it. (She takes Jesus literally, even though his words are laden with double meanings.) The woman interprets his words to mean that he has access to a potable source of running water that is superior to Jacob’s well from which she draws. Sounds good to her. She wants some.
As the two continue to talk, the woman of Sychar, turns the conversation to matters of faith & worship when remarking about Jesus being a prophet. Notice: Jesus doesn’t go there. She’s the one who gets into matters of religion. He respects her enough to follow her lead & talk about what she wants.
As the conversation progresses, the woman learns that Jesus has something which she really needs, namely, meaning & purpose in her life. And she feels comfortable with him. It isn’t just the spring water, anymore. She has an intense personal thirst of a different kind. The traveler & his message draw in the woman, as Jesus ends up meeting this deep well of a need in her life.
The conversation ends up so well that when they part, the woman excitedly dashes off to tell others about the encounter. They, too, are profoundly affected by what they hear from her witness.
So many church-goers are highly uncomfortable talking about their faith, especially with strangers. This story from Matthew teaches us about faith-sharing & lets us know that many strangers, even presumed antagonists, are more receptive to Jesus & hearing about him, than we think. Jesus & the woman, both, provide us with ways to talk about our faith. How so?
First, Jesus. Jesus as the one possessing faith, doesn’t start by quoting scripture. He doesn’t look at the woman (objectify her) as a potential convert - a notch in his “Win-another-one-for-God” belt. As he encounters her, he lets the exchange develop naturally. As part of the conversation’s normal give & take, she assumes the lead & shapes the dialogue. Jesus respects her direction & flows/goes with it.
When she does get into matters of faith, he doesn’t ignore it or steer the topic elsewhere, but follows her lead & responds appropriately. (It’s not a “How ‘bout them Phillies? moment!) And his response is not long & overbearing. He doesn’t even provide all the answers to her musings, but as they depart, actually leaves her with questions.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t say all that he can verbally. He lets his gentle demeanor & the encounter, itself, speak for him & make an impression. It works! He wins her over.
We know that because, what does the woman do? She immediately finds other persons whom she invites to find him. “Come & see!” she says. “Experience this man for yourself.”
First, Jesus models faith talk. Now the woman does.
The woman briefly tells her story to the listeners gathered around her. She relates personal experience, not a memorized, forced, stilted, artificial, boilerplate speech peppered with scripture verses, but relates what she encountered, believes, & feels. Her words come from the heart. Very convincing!
Finally, & what I find so intriguing, is that the Samaritan woman confesses that although she, herself, has questions about Jesus & what happened during their encounter, there was something in the experience that profoundly transformed her. That comes through as she speaks with others.
Jesus understands her human need, a need all persons have. The woman can’t explain how it all works & can’t get into the theological details. The power of her testimony alone ends up attracting others to Jesus. This brand new “believer” (without all the answers) gets other persons to consider Jesus. He takes it from there. And the story that gets others to him is replaced by their own life-transforming story with Jesus. She gets them there. He takes it from there. They personally come to realize: Jesus “is truly the Savior of the World.”
We, too, are afforded opportunities to naturally communicate our personal faith story. Today’s lesson gives us an outstanding, easy-to-use model. Just as Jesus asks those of us who know him to be his hands & feet, so he asks those of us who know him to be his voice. We are to invite & welcome others, so the people to whom we speak will find Jesus to be their Savior, too.
In the Name…. Copyright 2008 by G.D.Knerr at Lansdale, Pa. All rights reserved.