Wednesday, April 12, 2023 – John 4
Whataboutism wasn’t just invented a few years ago. This technique of distracting attention from the real problem to something less important or pertinent has been going on at least two millennia. Jesus confronts it when he encounters the woman at the well.
The Samaritan woman had a chaotic life with a string of husbands. We must remember that in biblical times, women could not divorce their husbands, only men had that power. In fact, many rabbis taught that a husband could divorce his wife for any reason, including if she burned his dinner! Women who didn’t live under the protection of their father, husband, or son had very few resources for putting bread on the table or a roof over their heads, so marriage was often crucial for a woman’s physical survival.
We don’t know the quality of the Samaritan woman’s relationships. We don’t know what part she played in the failure of her marriages. We don’t know what trauma she experienced that impacted her ability to have healthy relationships.
But Jesus did.
Instead of blaming the Samaritan woman for her messy life, Jesus spoke directly to the issue. And the Samaritan woman defected with a theological question – “Yea, but what about the right location for worship, Jesus?”
Jesus patiently explains that location isn’t the issue (sorry realtors!) but how you worship (in spirit and truth). The woman attempts to deflect again – “It’s complicated Jesus, let’s just wait for Messiah to figure it all out.” Then Jesus replied “Sure, great! Guess what, I’m the Messiah!”
The only time Jesus specifically says he’s the Messiah before his trial in Jerusalem isn’t to his chosen disciples, but to this broken woman in unfriendly territory!
And this broken woman becomes the first evangelist to the Samaritans! Hurt people, hurt people. But people who are healed, become people who heal people.
Let’s not let anything distract us from this amazing mission – become like the Samaritan woman, one of the healed, who heals!
Questions for reflection
- What tends to distract you from your relationship with Jesus? What do you need to do today to decrease that distraction?
- What tends to distract you from your relationship with the important people in your life? What do you need to do today to decrease that distraction?