To my fellow pilgrims on the way to the promised end
“What you have just said is quite true ….”
John 4:18b
This third Sunday in Lent, we meet in the Gospel of John a woman who is almost offensive in her forthrightness.
Jesus asks her for a drink of water and she points out that Jews don’t talk to Samaritans.
Jesus offers her living water and she wants to know how he will get it since he has nothing to draw water from the well beside him.
Jesus instructs her to fetch her husband and she speaks the ugly truth of her life in plain terms.
Jesus reveals his knowledge of her personal circumstances and she bombards him with questions that are both political and religious.
And when Jesus reveals that he is the Messiah, even as she hurries home with the good news, she is wondering, “Can he really be?”
At each stage of their conversation she is true to who she is – plain-spoken and prickly and rough around the edges. Yet, in return for sharing her truth, Jesus reveals who he truly is. (For those who are curious, have a look through the Gospels and see how rarely Jesus claims the identity of Messiah for himself). And when she shares his truth, many in her community become believers and are open to his teaching.
This week, may you know that God already knows what is happening in the hidden and sometimes desolate spaces of your life – but when you speak your truth, you will find a more intimate friendship with the Saviour of the world. He longs to sit a while with you.
Yours in Christ
Yvonne