Outsiders?

Now [Jesus] had to go through Samaria. — John 4:4 The story at Sychar is all about outsiders. Samaritans were racially mixed former Israelites who had intermarried when Israel was conquered and exiled (2 Kings 17). To the Jews, then, the Samaritans were no longer really God’s people. They were more like the embarrassing family secret that people didn’t like to talk about at get-togethers. Yet they lived next door to the Jews in Jesus’ day, so occasional run-ins were inevitable.In those days, most Jews traveled around Samaria to avoid going through it. But Jesus led his disciples right through the land of compromise as he traveled from Judea to Galilee. No hiding for them!Who are the “Samaritans” in your world? Perhaps they are people who live across some border near you? Or they align with another political party? Or they have a lifestyle that contrasts with yours?How do you react to your “Samaritans”? Often we bristle against them. We stiffen inwardly if we see them going against our convictions. Or, at times, we may feel intimidated and try to get them to like us. Sometimes they can also begin to change us, leading us to become more and more like them, for better or for worse. In Jesus’ day that kind of compromise was the religious leaders’ worst fear for Israel.How do you tend to respond to the “Samaritans” in your life? Lord, give us courage to cross boundaries without fear or compromise. Help us to reflect your truth and love among people whom we might otherwise avoid. In your name, Amen.