Read John 4:1 through 5:47
One can only imagine the scandal in Jesus’ day. Here He was, a Jew, mingling with a Samaritan woman at a well. It went counter to the cultural norms of their times, and she told Him so.
But Jesus didn’t always go where others thought He should go. He didn’t always behave like they thought He should. He didn’t fit in their box.
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans) (John 4:9).
In a world full of conflict, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in man-made labels, and to play the roles called for by those labels. For example, Christians are not supposed to go there. They would never associate with those people.
But Jesus turned all the labels upside down by introducing a new cultural norm: love. He cared for that woman just as He cares for all of humanity today—even those who have a different label.
CHALLENGE FOR TODAY: Find someone with a different label and determine to show them Christ’s love.
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