Just a Well woman

A woman at a well. Sounds simple enough, huh? What if that woman was a known drug dealer and prostitute? Would you talk to her?

No?

Jesus would. In fact, he did. Turn your Bible to John 4 and read verses 1-26.

In this passage Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman. The Samaritans were shunned by the Jews. Jews believed that their religion was the one true religion of the day, while the Samaritans thought that they had the one true religion of the day (gee, where have I heard that before?). The pretext: it wasn’t common for a Jew (Jesus) to talk to a Samaritan (the woman).

And yet, Jesus offers her eternal life.

Wait. He’s not saying Samaritans do have the true religion, is he? He’s not denouncing his own religion, is he?

Let’s throw down all religious pretexts right now. Let’s assume that neither religion is completely right, but neither is completely wrong. In fact, let’s assume that Jesus didn’t come to start a religion (crazy thought, eh?). Let’s assume that he came to give eternal life, a life more full (John 10:10). If we look at it this way we see Jesus’ gesture as an act of love. We see Jesus offering life (and life to the full) to a woman that his counterparts shun. We see him doing the unthinkable.

How does he do it? Splash holy water on her? Invite her to a church service? Tell her she’s wrong?

None of those things, actually. He works from where she is. He acknowledges her life and her sin. He acknowledges what she believes (and doesn’t cut it down). He also acknowledges that she’s missing something. A piece to the puzzle. But the key thing is he meets her where she is. He doesn’t ask her to go anywhere before he offers life (eternal life) to her. He gives (such an interesting word “give.” It suggests it’s free) it to her. Nothing needed; just accept it, he says.

This is love.

Love (like life) to the fullest:

To share with someone the message of Christ without requiring them to move. To tell them they can be saved by just accepting it.

Why is that Agape?

Because you have to humble yourself. You have to submit (that word again…) to the fact that you are not any better than the person you’re talking to. We have done nothing to earn our salvation, our life, and neither do the people we share the gospel with.

It is love because we tell the person that we are no better than them.

It is, after all, what Jesus says in the passage. Is it not?