He Needed to Go Through Samaria
In Jesus' time, Jews NEVER needed to go through Samaria. They avoided it like the plague. Samaritans were half-breed sell-outs who had their own temple and their own version of the Bible. And Jesus had need to go through there to sit at the well and minister to a woman of ill-repute.
For as blind as Nicodemus was, that is how passionately Jesus searched out the lost and lonely. The ones others avoided (like a woman coming to draw water at 12 noon in the beating Palestinian Sun) are the ones Jesus sought to save.
How different Jesus is from us. We would look at a rich and powerful man like Nicodemus and bend over backwards to impress him and capture his attention for our self-fulfillment - be it a sports star or rich friend, etc. Jesus instead confronts Nicodemus with difficult truth and then moves on to someone who has nothing to offer Jesus or His ministry.
Why is Jesus like this?
Because He knew His place with the Father. There was nothing Jesus needed from any person to make Him more of Who He already was. Nothing anyone could offer would make Jesus better or fuller. He knew Who He was and walked in step with the Father at all times. Jesus was the beloved Son. He didn't need to trust himself to man's testimony (see John 2:24-25). He did not need to appeal to the voices of praise and prominence. Jesus was busy doing His Father's work and finishing it (see John 4:34).
What an awesome way to live! Not dependent upon the praise of people or the acceptance of the popular or powerful! I want to live independently active in the service of my Father because I know His love for me is all that matters.
And this is the very life Jesus calls us to live! A life free from what people think or do for us or to us. A life that is so settled in heaven with the Father because of Jesus' finished work on the Cross that we can sit in the peace He gives and need nothing from anyone to make us "more" whole.
What is more... we can see and serve the Samaritan women/men around us. The people who cannot offer us anything are now people we can truly love without looking for benefit to ourselves in some way! We can truly serve others as Jesus served others because we know we are loved, accepted, adopted and forgiven forever.
Yet the most surprising result is this:
Nicodemus does not produce a convert after his conversation with Jesus (as far as we know).
This woman wins the whole city to Christ.
How amazing! The benefit of freely serving others out of the fullness the Father gives us is what enables us to unlock the unreached potential in others. Who knows what Samaritan women are in our communities and cultures right now waiting to be reached with limitless potential for the kingdom.
Give your time to those who can't show appreciation or make you feel good about serving them.
You'd be more like Jesus, and possibly very surprised at the result.
PRAYER:
Father, help me to see people through the eyes of Jesus. Help me to never ignore the ones who you NEED me to reach. Forgive me for showing favoritism to those who I think can get me somewhere. And free me from needing anything from people to make me what only YOU can make me.
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