In the first verses of John 4, Jesus travels from Judea to Galilee. John tells us, “Now he had to go through Samaria.” The thing is, he didn’t. Not geographically, anyway. But because of his detour, Jesus found himself tired, and sitting at a well at noontime. There, he would encounter the Samaritan woman who would become the most unlikely witness to his message and ministry.
Two weeks ago, Hans described the Samaritans as being like “that group of people you think of who makes your lip curl.” We are full of biases as humans. One of the most important examples Jesus sets for us is overcoming those biases of his own community— so much so that he went out of his way to encounter those who his followers and John’s readers see as wholly other.
On this Lenten journey, what are the places we can linger, the detours we can make, to make ourselves open to the “others” and strangers we encounter? Where is God calling us to dwell and pay attention in new ways?
With you on the journey,
Liesl
Three Holy Days
In our tradition, we make space on Maundy Thursday to remember central parts of our faith story. We hear about the...
