I have to hand it to the woman—she is one very convincing
lady. I have no idea what she says. I do not know who speaks to. I do not know how many people turn her
down. All I know is that the narrative
simply states, “They came out of town and made their way towards him.” (NIV)
There again, this is not just an example of an incredibly
convincing woman; this is also a case of a town willing to take a chance on the
word of a marginalized woman. After all,
they come out of their homes to meet with a total stranger on no the basis than
the rants of a woman of questionable social fiber. What possesses them to leave their comfort
zone in the heat of the afternoon sun?
Is it pure curiosity? Is it just
a slow day in Sychar? Is the woman that convincing? Or is there a latent sense of need in their
hearts? Is there something in their
souls that resonates with the needs of the fallen woman? Did they long for the Messiah? Had their longing been beaten down over the
years of disappointments with false teachers and pseudo-spiritual leaders?
I have to believe that even the most ardent opponent of God
has a sliver of longing for something divine.
There is something in all of us that cannot be filled with anything or
anyone else other than God. Life can
bash and bruise it. Disappointment with
God because of ignorance, misinformation, or familiarity that breeds contempt
shows up in shades of virulent opposition and ritualism—even resignation to a
life lived in virtual and vicarious experiences with a feel-good deity of fairy
tales and horror stories. The result is
a need that remains unmet until the moment when we hear, feel, experience, or
otherwise encounter the Good News of Jesus.
Sometimes that moment is made possible through the mostly unlikely
source, even the personal testimony of an unlikely woman with a checkered past.
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