3/5/2007

John 4:27-42
27Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 28Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29"Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30They left the city and were on their way to him.
31Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 34Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, "One sows and another reaps." 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
39Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there for two days. 41And many more believed because of his word. 42They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world."


In today’s readings we continue the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. We begin to see Jesus’ ministry extending beyond his own people. Jesus’ message of salvation was not just for a select few, but for everyone – a ripe harvest to include all, even those whom we may have a difficult time accepting and loving. It reminds me of a television commercial produced by the United Church of Christ. In the commercial, a church is shown with velvet ropes across the doorway and guarded by bouncers. Individuals such as single parents, same sex and interracial couples are barred from entering the church while seemingly upper middle class couples are permitted entrance. While it is somewhat of an exaggeration, unfortunately it does have an echo of truth for some churches. Are they doing as Christ would have had us do? The same Christ who spent time preaching to the Samaritans?
As Christians, the Gospel urges us to go out and reap the harvest. We are to spread the message of Christ. However, this is not necessarily by proselytizing, but by our very actions. It is sometimes hard to summarize such an idea but I am reminded of a few lines of the Peace Prayer attributed to St. Francis. In it we read “….O Divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned….”. Perhaps during this season of Lent, we should strive to make an example of ourselves to others by proclaiming our baptismal promise of striving for justice and peace among all people and respecting the dignity of each human being, to love and to understand others, especially those for whom it is difficult for us, and reap the harvest by doing so.
Michael