THE WORD 4 ev 1

Today’s reading is John 4 (click here for link)

It is my opinion life is more about asking the right question than having exactly the right answer.

The Samaritan woman is a good example. She immediately recognizes the societal barriers and boundaries that keep her in her place but at the same time she challenges Jesus' authority over and against the ancestors of the faith. Like Nicodemus, she first interprets Jesus' words on a literal level, but she is able to ask for what Jesus has to offer rather than question the possibility. She is not certain that Jesus is the Christ but she does not let that stop her from leaving behind her water jar, going into the city, and inviting the people to their own encounter with Jesus. She demonstrates what can happen when we actually engage in conversation and questions about our faith.

But notice, she has no doubt that Jesus had the needed answers, instead, the woman at the well shows us that faith is about dialogue, about growth and change. Yes he has all the answers… the right answers. But are we willing to ask the right questions? Or do we often ask the wrong questions—our questions—and expect him to provide the answer. Yet there is no right answer to the wrong question. Instead, walking and living by faith means struggling with the fact that It is not about always having the answers. If we think we have all the answers, if we believe more in our own convictions than the possibility of revelation and guidance from God, we will be left to ponder whether or not God will choose to be made known through us. We will have to wonder when and if we will ever feel confident enough, secure enough, and knowledgeable enough, to invite others to "come and see."

Rather, we learn from the Samaritan woman that in our own encounter with Jesus, not only are we changed, but that which God will reveal to us will change as well. After all, he only gives us that which we have faith enough handle. If you can handle things alone then faith is of little use to you.

Only faith changes us, not knowledge. It time to put down the water jug…
Pastor Aaron