DAVID'S EMAIL BIBLE STUDY:
Surprise RACISM
A. BACKGROUND
... We’ve been walking (slowly!) through the Gospel of St. John. In the opening three chapters we ran into vital topics: creation, the Trinity, the Incarnation, Baptism, being “Born Again”, and the famous John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” .
B.
TODAY...
John 4:1-26 .
C.
SUMMARY.
To avoid growing opposition, Jesus and his disciples head back to their home turf. The shortest route went through Samaria, a despised and almost enemy territory within Israel. Samaria was populated by foreigners who colonized during a conquest. Over the years they adopted a version of Judaism that furthered the mutual animosity. Jesus arrived at high noon, went to an historic well, and asked a Samaritan woman for water. She’s stunned by several boundaries being broken: a man talking to a woman, a Jew talking to a Samaritan. They end up debating theology, worship, and morality. Despite Jesus’ offer of “living water” that would fulfill her, she says, “When the Messiah comes he’ll sort it out.” Jesus declares, “I am the Messiah.” When she brings other Samaritans to meet Jesus, they believe!
D. KEY POINTS
1.
Two old quotes. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. And, a rose by any other name is still a rose (“would smell as sweet”). Racism, by any name, any kind is racism. In our age racism is a black/white issue. Sadly, the idea of an “in group” vs. “out group” is as old as the Bible. The Jewish people spent centuries as “the other.” Once established, they turned the outside world, Gentiles, into “the other.” The rest of the world was doing the same. Castes in India, tribes in Africa, language, skin color, religion, nation all became opportunities to define in vs. out, pure vs. impure, believer vs. infidel, good vs. bad. The Jewish/Samaritan skirmish, featuring Jesus and the woman at the well, is a Biblical stand-in for facing racism.
2.
JESUS and the SAMARITAN. JESUS and the WOMAN. Both were taboos Jesus broke. The Samaritan as a lesser being; the woman, too. Not to be trusted. Don’t get close. Usurper, illegitimate, dangerous. They challenge each other, provoke each other. But they allow the opportunity together to play out. Each speaks their mind. Each listens. Each goes the extra mile. Each put aside countries of bad blood and cultural obstacles and ugly history. As children we are taught to “STOP, LOOK, LISTEN.” Jesus and the Samaritan woman do all three. This creates an opening for a new relationship.
3.
JESUS’ approach. Head on. He could have avoided Samaria. America has bad apples on both ends of the spectrum. But the vast majority don’t want any trouble. Just avoid it. Head in the sand. Hear/see/speak no evil. A church I pastored in NYC allowed another church to use our facilities Sunday afternoons. That other church soon had a huge split. I got the sides together to find reconciliation. After a useless evening, the elder pastor said, “in our culture, if you walk down the sidewalk and see dog poop in the middle, you walk around. You want us to pick it up. No.” Jesus chooses to clean up.
4.
America and Racism. I am a consumer of news, left and right. Since George Floyd’s death it has been stunning to see, read, and hear such disparate voices agreeing on much: the murder of George Floyd, the presence of systemic racism, the need for police reform, the calls for respect, the desire for common ground. So you won’t miss the point, I’m talking FOX News and CNN, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell, police chiefs and protesters, NASCAR and NFL, evangelical Christians and mainline. Yes, we can all critique some outrage from the opposite side. We can avoid the problem. We can finger point. We can take offense. Or, we can head into the heart of the matter with the full faith of Christ.
E.
UP AHEAD.
At our church we’ve laid a foundation for confronting racism. Sermons, book studies, discussion groups, strategic partnerships. Even last summer’s “Outdoor Worship” led by our lay people offered three or four services focused on racism and faith. A foundation is something to build upon. We need to start building. Our Adult Ed Board is proactively moving on this.
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P.S. Bottom line?
Jesus offers the woman a path beyond historic conflict. After arguing about misunderstandings that divided, he promised a time when people would honor God “in spirit and in truth.” Prejudice is the opposite of truth, by definition. Jesus calls us to seek truth led by a Godly spirit.
