Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Tuesday, February 4, 2014 Read John 4:27-38 At this point in John’s story the disciples make an appearance. We were told as the story began that Jesus was left alone because they have gone into the town to buy food. Now they return. And their response is one of astonishment. They know the rules. Jews do not talk with Samaritans. Men do not talk with women. The woman knew that Jesus had broken the rules. The disciples know it too. The story implies that they are not pleased with Jesus’ behavior but they say nothing. What they don’t know is that Jesus knows what they are thinking. Was it the arrival of judgmental disciples that moved the woman to leave Jesus and run into the town to proclaim her news – “had she found the Messiah?” Perhaps it was mere coincidence that the appearance of the disciples coincided with her leaving. Or maybe there was something more going on. The conversation is now between Jesus and his disciples. And once again one of John’s favorite techniques comes into play. John loves to tell stories of misunderstanding! The disciples urge Jesus to eat – after all they went all the way to town and back for that purpose. Jesus refuses their food and says he has “better” food to eat. The disciples misunderstand. This time there is no word with a double meaning but the effect is the same. The disciples are talking about literal food and Jesus is talking about doing God’s work. The Jesus in John’s gospel does not tell parables but the next image is as close as one might come to a parable. Jesus points to the harvest. When the grain is ripe harvest comes. And now Jesus tells his disciples that they are in the midst of a ripe field ready to be harvested. Whether or not the disciples understood the metaphor Jesus is using is not stated in the text but likely they did. And certainly John’s readers do! The field ready for harvest is the Samaritans – the very ones who are despised and looked down upon by the disciples and all Jews. These second-class Samaritans who can’t get anything right are the mission field. At this point understanding just who Samaritans were in the eyes of Jews is what makes the story powerful. And, most importantly, there is a warning for all of John’s readers in this story. Tragically, some of the most judgmental people in the world are Christians. Tragically, there are many people in the world who “feel” the heat of their condemnation. Who are the Samaritans in our lives? Are we open enough to see them as the mission field? John’s story makes his readers squirm. John does not tell us how the disciples responded. But we do know that the early Christians were pushed outside their comfort zones. Samaritans were welcomed! We are called to do likewise.