Summer Breeze, Week 2 of 6: Making Contact
Devotions for Mendakota friends, 2022
Rick Mattson (rickmattsonoutreach@gmail.com)
Week 1 on the Lord’s Prayer is here
Hi folks, “Summer Breeze” is open to anyone at Mendakota. I think we have around 38 subscribers.
The posts are designed to provide a short Scripture reading and, hopefully, encourage our spiritual lives.
Scripture excerpt from John 4:
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) . . .
. . . Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman.
Commentary:
Due to religious purity codes (and perhaps other reasons) male Jews of the first century, especially those living in Palestine, avoided contact with Samaritans, especially Samaritan women.
Except Jesus. In his travels, he walked directly through Samaria (north of Jerusalem) and was quite willing to “taint” himself by contact with its people – even females.
Jesus modeled acceptance of foreigners and women.
Devotional thought: How easy it is to draw a circle around our friends and protect ourselves from those we deem less desirable. I hate to admit that I can strategically manage my schedule for weeks at a time without significant interaction with someone — or some group — I don’t care for.
Jesus didn’t avoid. He connected.
Are we able to do the same?