The
world is divided into many regions of people with varying
characteristics,such as race,ethnicity,culture,religion,among others
which are different from one people to another.
In
this era that interaction is necessary,we cant afford to live in one
shell,we need to move out and relate to other people through
trade,sharing of intellect,learning,sports,etc.
Therefore,there
is great need to overcome the barriers that come with the variety.
In
other words, in the world today there is perhaps more interaction
between peoples, cultures and religions than in any period in human
history that calls for dialogue and mutual respect, tolerance and
understanding with one another. In a multi-cultural and pluralistic
society, we are invited and challenged to move out of our culture and
ideology to welcome and embrace the "other."
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
We
can learn some ways of dealing with this from Jesus in his
interaction with the Samaritan woman. It happened at a time when
Samaritans and Jews were customarily enemies who could not interact.
The
racial and cultural (not to mention the theological) barriers present
at this encounter were insurmountable. When Jesus asked this woman
for a drink of water, she was caught completely off guard, “…
Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (John 4:9).
- Dont let cultural and racial differences inconvenience you.
There
were two ways to travel from Jerusalem to Galilee – the high road
and the low road. The high road was the short road, but it went
through Samaria, and since the Jews didn’t like the Samaritans,
they usually took the low road, down to Jericho and up the Jordan
River valley. But decided to travel through Samaria. So already we
learn that Jesus was not a prejudiced as most Jews were – he was
willing to go to foreign territory.
Like
Jesus,we should not let prejudices inconvenience us due to
unwillingness to interact with others.
- Accept people from other cultures and teach others to tolerate them.
[Verse
8] tells us that His
disciples had gone into the town to buy food. Now,
as verse 9 tells us, most Jews would have nothing to do with
Samaritans, so it is pretty remarkable that Jesus sent his disciples
into town to do some grocery shopping. He had apparently already
taught them that it was OK to buy food from the Samaritans.
- Compromise some of your beliefs.
Jesus
did three things that were highly unconventional and astonishing for
his cultural-religious situation:He
as a man discussed theology openly with a woman. He as a Jew asked to
drink from the ritually unclean bucket of a Samaritan and he did not
avoid her, even though he knew her marital record in spite of
himself,being Christ.Therefore,we should be willing to lose some
ground of our own cultural beliefs and racial cocoons in order to
accommodate those of others and interact with them.
- Be open the the common grounds you find yourself in and use them to break prejudice.
In
this text, Jesus tears down the dividing wall of hostility and
prejudice that separates the Jews and Samaritans. He takes the
initiative to break this hostility and prejudice by requesting for a
drink from the woman (v. 7). Jesus meets this woman on a common
ground of simple humanity and makes his request.
His
conversation with the woman is a digging process of a well in her
heart, removing the strata of doubt and social prejudice that she
had. Systematically. Jesus leads her to a deeper level, using her own
feelings and psychological thoughts to capture her attention and to
win her over. He enters into her life situation, uses her very words
and thoughts to help her see beyond her imagination. Even though she
sees Jesus as a stranger, she is open to the dialogue
- Expect repulsion,but be ready to correct it eventually without creating friction.
The
woman’s response is based on their deep cultural differences. For
it was unthinkable for a Jew to talk to a Samaritan as the Jews have
no dealings with the Samaritans because they are considered unclean
(v. 9). To relate to a Samaritan entails defining one and going
against Jewish laws. Jesus took a risk and did not take these into
consideration. Despite the crudeness of her perception, she
willingly, trusted the stranger and made her petition with
confidence. This is became the beginning of understanding.
- Know the other people well so as to understand them for them to understand you.
Jesus’
foreknowledge manifests something profound in the woman’s life. Yet
what is needed is honesty, respect, and willingness to share one’s
views, relying on the intrinsic value. However, having been
confronted by her personal life situation, she makes a shift to
worship to avoid embarrassment!
Knowing
the sensitive parts of a people and the facts of what they believe in
gives one a dimension with which to start their interaction. The
other party will be sucked into it by the initial knowledge and
eventually appreciate you. Also,this knowledge drives your
interaction,that you dont overstep their emotional boundaries.
- Dont be outright in bringing out aspects that are touchy on them. Be candid.
The
need was to make the Gospel both relevant to this woman as well as
desirable. To do this, Jesus worked upon her sense of curiosity and
physical need. He said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and
who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have
asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (V.10).This
statement generated interest on 'what was He trying to offer? No
doubt this woman had heard a lot of approaches before, and yet it
appeared that this Man was trying to give, not to get. What was His
angle? Who was He? There had been no formal introduction.
We
should be candid in bringing out topics to people who are touchy
about them. In as much as we may aim at changing their
circumstances,we should be careful how we do it. If you sell
sunscreen,you cant tell a white person..”Hey,this is a product for
your white,nontropical face..”!Conclusion:
Ultimately,our purpose will have been realized if we set aside our socio-cultural differences. Furthermore,its not our cultures that we seek to promote,its our ideals.The racial and cultural barriers, I believe, have been hurdled. The woman is now willing to converse, paving the way for further penetration with the Gospel. Notice that Jesus neither defended Jewish bigotry, nor did He explain how He differed with them. His actions spoke decisively enough. Concentration on such issues would not convert this woman.
What an example to learn from?Jesus Himself!
Frankmwenda