WNC Worship: Meditation

Water is a major theme of this week’s readings. The Old Testament lesson is the story of Moses striking the rock to obtain water for the Israelites in the wilderness, and the reading from the Gospel of John is the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, where he offers her the Living Water. Yet, what I find myself drawn to is a different theme in this Gospel lesson: that of Jesus associating with outcasts.

In being both female and a Samaritan, the woman at the well is definitely considered an outcast by the Jewish standards of the day. Indeed, the passage has two places which refer to her status as outcast. Verse 9 states “Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans,” and verse 27 tells us that Jesus’ “disciples…were astonished that he was speaking with a woman.” And yet, Jesus doesn’t follow the norms of his society. He shows respect for this woman in his conversation with her and his offering her the chance to believe in him. This, then, is an example, one of many throughout his ministry, of how Jesus spent time with and even sought out the outcast and rejected.

I am a high school teacher, and, as you might imagine, I often observe teenagers who are rejected by others and those who take on a role as the odd one out (sometimes by choice, sometimes not). As an adult, it is easy to think that I’ve outgrown that clique-ishness and struggle for acceptance that can dominate life in high school. However, as I’ve been thinking about this over the last few days, I find that I am just as guilty as my teenage students. I, too, reject others through my actions (or lack thereof). My rejection may not always be as obvious as what one might observe among teenagers, but when I do not treat someone with the dignity and respect he or she deserves as a fellow human I make them an outcast.

Some ways in which I reject others include:

Not giving my full attention to someone who is speaking to me.
Dismissing the ideas or thoughts of another person solely due to their outward appearance or due to their “unpopularity.”
Being a little too willing to talk about others.
Being reluctant to stick up for a person when others are talking behind his/her back. When I reject the stranger or the outcast who is either not compelling or exciting—or merely different—Am I not really rejecting Jesus?

For me the challenge this Lent is one of discipleship, to become more Christlike. Lent is a time to slow down....to follow Christ’s example...and to embrace the person in front, regardless of who society says they are. May we all strive to see Jesus in one another.