Beyond Outward Appearances
Sermon
The Bible doesn't have too much to say about women, and those it does mention are very often there because of their notoriety. There are of course obvious exceptions such as the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, and those early Christian women barely mentioned in Luke and in the Acts of the Apostles. But throughout the Bible, as far as women are concerned, there seems to be a disproportionately heavy emphasis on prostitutes and sinners and other adulterous women. For instance, in Matthew's list of Jesus' ancestors only two females are mentioned, Tamar and Ruth, both of whom might be considered as having dubious sexual morals.
It's true the Bible focuses on unsavoury men as well as on unsavoury women, but the men are usually unsavoury because they're liars and cheats and full of selfish greed. None them are denigrated for their sexual habits. The women, on the other hand, especially in the NT, are almost invariably "fallen" women. Perhaps Jesus was especially drawn towards those generally considered by polite society to be the lowest of the low. Or perhaps there was an unhealthy fascination with these women, because they were held responsible for the sexual sins of men.
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman by the well at Sychar, he breached the conventions of polite society in several ways. She was a woman with an unsavoury reputation, as Jesus appeared to know. He was well aware she'd had five husbands, and was presently living in sin. Perhaps she was notorious in the region and Jesus immediately guessed who she was because the only reason she would be drawing water at noon in the heat of the sun, was because she was an outcast. The women traditionally drew water in the morning and evening when it was cooler, and the drawing of water would be an opportunity for a social gathering.
But Jesus flouted convention not simply by talking to her, but in other ways too. Samaritan women were regarded by Jews as ritually impure, and therefore Jews were forbidden to drink from any vessel they had handled, yet Jesus asked her for a drink.
The enmity between Jews and Samaritans was fierce, and continues today in the hatred between Jews and Palestinians. No self-respecting Jew would be seen talking to a Samaritan. Neither would any self-respecting Jew be seen speaking alone with a woman, so Jesus flouted convention on all counts, although in other parts of John's gospel Jesus' speaking with women occasions no surprise.
In her book, "Searching the Scriptures" (ISBN 0-8245-1424-6, published by The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1994) Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza points out that in meeting the woman at the well Jesus is following an OT biblical tradition, for his biblical predecessors Jacob and Moses both met women who had come to draw water. But unlike other examples of this type of encounter, says Fiorenza, the relationship established between Jesus and the woman he meets doesn't result in betrothal and marriage, but in the woman's conversion.
Interestingly, Jesus is not particularly concerned with the woman's sexual history, but appears to mention her five husbands only to demonstrate to her his intuition and understanding. The fact that the woman was clearly a sinner doesn't concern Jesus. He's not bothered about her sin, and doesn't even tell her to go and sin no more.
But the woman is hooked by the fact that Jesus knows her history, and immediately eager to talk more with him. This is exactly what Jesus needed. He had seen beyond the outside front which the woman presented to the world, into her heart. And he knew immediately that this woman, no matter what it looked like, was perfect for his plans.
It's difficult to think of a more unlikely disciple than this Samaritan outcast woman, yet just like the disciples, she has an encounter with Jesus which persuades her he is the Messiah she has been awaiting. And unlike Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night, she meets him in the middle of the day when the light was strongest.
This unlikely woman is perhaps the very first missionary, for without even being asked by Jesus, she rushes back to testify to all those she knows that she's met with the Messiah. And on the strength of her words they come to Jesus, and become believers themselves.
Her response to Jesus is quite tentative at first. She says to him, "I know the Messiah is coming, and when he comes he will reveal everything to us." It's as though she's feeling her way, trying to test the water to confirm whether or not Jesus could possibly be this promised Messiah. Jesus responds to her by applying to himself the name which God revealed to Moses in the desert thousands of years earlier, the name "I am." Jesus says, " I am he."
That was enough for the woman. She immediately left her water jar where it was and rushed back to the city to reveal this amazing news to everyone.
Earlier in the story, when Jesus spoke to her about living water, she had been very quick to understand his meaning. And her quick understanding is contrasted with the dullness of the disciples, when they return. The woman rushes back to town, but Jesus is still in the context of his conversation with her, he hasn't had time to debrief. And so he continues the conversation with his disciples, and begins to talk about spiritual food. They have no idea what he means.
It seemed the woman didn't want to understand him initially when he began to talk about living water, for she tried to make a joke out of it. "If that means I wouldn't have to come here to draw water in the heat of the day, give me some quick!" But Jesus won't let her off the hook. He makes his remark about her husband, inviting her to fetch her husband back to listen to him. The woman is very honest and doesn't try to pretend she's anything other than a sinner. And when Jesus accepts her exactly as she is, appreciating her honesty, she immediately begins to talk about worship.
She's concerned that it may not be possible for her to follow this man and to worship God fully, because she's a Samaritan. But Jesus puts her mind at rest by telling her that God must be worshipped in spirit and in truth, and that the physical attributes of worship are not particularly important.
The end result of the story is that Jesus stays two days with the woman and many people in the Samaritan town come to believe in him.
It's so easy to judge people by outward appearance, even when the best will in the world is to treat all people as equal. It's difficult to get beyond human behaviour, especially when that behaviour seems opposed to all that is good in society. For instance, most Christians would think twice before engaging in conversation a known football hooligan, or a prostitute, or a drunkard, or a thief. Yet these were the sort of people with whom Jesus spoke, and with whom he built up genuine friendships.
Sometimes blindness can be an attribute. Jesus was blind to outward appearance and behaviour patterns, and so he was able to penetrate to the core, to the essence of the person. That patient willingness to discover the real person produced an abundant harvest.
People, all people, are hugely valuable. But unless we're prepared and able to discover the value of all people, the harvest will be skimpy. Perhaps as a church we should begin to train ourselves to discover the essence of those we meet, and of those we never meet because they are so different to us that they seem to inhabit a different planet. Perhaps if we can begin to accept them without judging, perhaps if we can begin to hear them, perhaps if we can begin to get beyond outward appearances, we might find that the kingdom spreads like wildfire.
It's true the Bible focuses on unsavoury men as well as on unsavoury women, but the men are usually unsavoury because they're liars and cheats and full of selfish greed. None them are denigrated for their sexual habits. The women, on the other hand, especially in the NT, are almost invariably "fallen" women. Perhaps Jesus was especially drawn towards those generally considered by polite society to be the lowest of the low. Or perhaps there was an unhealthy fascination with these women, because they were held responsible for the sexual sins of men.
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman by the well at Sychar, he breached the conventions of polite society in several ways. She was a woman with an unsavoury reputation, as Jesus appeared to know. He was well aware she'd had five husbands, and was presently living in sin. Perhaps she was notorious in the region and Jesus immediately guessed who she was because the only reason she would be drawing water at noon in the heat of the sun, was because she was an outcast. The women traditionally drew water in the morning and evening when it was cooler, and the drawing of water would be an opportunity for a social gathering.
But Jesus flouted convention not simply by talking to her, but in other ways too. Samaritan women were regarded by Jews as ritually impure, and therefore Jews were forbidden to drink from any vessel they had handled, yet Jesus asked her for a drink.
The enmity between Jews and Samaritans was fierce, and continues today in the hatred between Jews and Palestinians. No self-respecting Jew would be seen talking to a Samaritan. Neither would any self-respecting Jew be seen speaking alone with a woman, so Jesus flouted convention on all counts, although in other parts of John's gospel Jesus' speaking with women occasions no surprise.
In her book, "Searching the Scriptures" (ISBN 0-8245-1424-6, published by The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1994) Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza points out that in meeting the woman at the well Jesus is following an OT biblical tradition, for his biblical predecessors Jacob and Moses both met women who had come to draw water. But unlike other examples of this type of encounter, says Fiorenza, the relationship established between Jesus and the woman he meets doesn't result in betrothal and marriage, but in the woman's conversion.
Interestingly, Jesus is not particularly concerned with the woman's sexual history, but appears to mention her five husbands only to demonstrate to her his intuition and understanding. The fact that the woman was clearly a sinner doesn't concern Jesus. He's not bothered about her sin, and doesn't even tell her to go and sin no more.
But the woman is hooked by the fact that Jesus knows her history, and immediately eager to talk more with him. This is exactly what Jesus needed. He had seen beyond the outside front which the woman presented to the world, into her heart. And he knew immediately that this woman, no matter what it looked like, was perfect for his plans.
It's difficult to think of a more unlikely disciple than this Samaritan outcast woman, yet just like the disciples, she has an encounter with Jesus which persuades her he is the Messiah she has been awaiting. And unlike Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night, she meets him in the middle of the day when the light was strongest.
This unlikely woman is perhaps the very first missionary, for without even being asked by Jesus, she rushes back to testify to all those she knows that she's met with the Messiah. And on the strength of her words they come to Jesus, and become believers themselves.
Her response to Jesus is quite tentative at first. She says to him, "I know the Messiah is coming, and when he comes he will reveal everything to us." It's as though she's feeling her way, trying to test the water to confirm whether or not Jesus could possibly be this promised Messiah. Jesus responds to her by applying to himself the name which God revealed to Moses in the desert thousands of years earlier, the name "I am." Jesus says, " I am he."
That was enough for the woman. She immediately left her water jar where it was and rushed back to the city to reveal this amazing news to everyone.
Earlier in the story, when Jesus spoke to her about living water, she had been very quick to understand his meaning. And her quick understanding is contrasted with the dullness of the disciples, when they return. The woman rushes back to town, but Jesus is still in the context of his conversation with her, he hasn't had time to debrief. And so he continues the conversation with his disciples, and begins to talk about spiritual food. They have no idea what he means.
It seemed the woman didn't want to understand him initially when he began to talk about living water, for she tried to make a joke out of it. "If that means I wouldn't have to come here to draw water in the heat of the day, give me some quick!" But Jesus won't let her off the hook. He makes his remark about her husband, inviting her to fetch her husband back to listen to him. The woman is very honest and doesn't try to pretend she's anything other than a sinner. And when Jesus accepts her exactly as she is, appreciating her honesty, she immediately begins to talk about worship.
She's concerned that it may not be possible for her to follow this man and to worship God fully, because she's a Samaritan. But Jesus puts her mind at rest by telling her that God must be worshipped in spirit and in truth, and that the physical attributes of worship are not particularly important.
The end result of the story is that Jesus stays two days with the woman and many people in the Samaritan town come to believe in him.
It's so easy to judge people by outward appearance, even when the best will in the world is to treat all people as equal. It's difficult to get beyond human behaviour, especially when that behaviour seems opposed to all that is good in society. For instance, most Christians would think twice before engaging in conversation a known football hooligan, or a prostitute, or a drunkard, or a thief. Yet these were the sort of people with whom Jesus spoke, and with whom he built up genuine friendships.
Sometimes blindness can be an attribute. Jesus was blind to outward appearance and behaviour patterns, and so he was able to penetrate to the core, to the essence of the person. That patient willingness to discover the real person produced an abundant harvest.
People, all people, are hugely valuable. But unless we're prepared and able to discover the value of all people, the harvest will be skimpy. Perhaps as a church we should begin to train ourselves to discover the essence of those we meet, and of those we never meet because they are so different to us that they seem to inhabit a different planet. Perhaps if we can begin to accept them without judging, perhaps if we can begin to hear them, perhaps if we can begin to get beyond outward appearances, we might find that the kingdom spreads like wildfire.
