A Voice from the Edge
Can be listened to here
Gate Pa – Year A 3rd
Sunday in Lent,
Readings:
Psalm Psalm: 95
First Reading:
Exodus
17:1-7
Second Reading:
Romans
5:1-11
Gospel:
John
4:5-42
What
I want to say:
I want to compare Nicodemus, part of the
in-group and yet unable to get it, with the unnamed Samaritan women, not even
part of the out-group, who gets it enough to be a “reaper”. In what ways are we
reapers?
What I want to happen:
who
are the unnamed people on the edge who live out the gospel for us and invite us
to be people of compassion, generosity, justice, love
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
Last week we heard the story of Nicodemus
Jew
man
educated
Pharisee – knows law Moses back to front
lives
his life seeking live that law
in
way that encourages others live that law as well
He is so part of the in-group
very hard to be any more in than him
he is in the in group of the in group
he could come to Jesus at anytime
comes to Jesus at
night
in a very private
place
è some discussion if that is a good thing or bad
thing
and he has no idea what Jesus is on about
in response to Jesus saying he needed to be
born from above, in spirit and truth
he replies –“what, I have to climb back into
my mother’s womb?”
he is taking Jesus literally
can’t seems to get beyond the words to the
meaning
to hear Jesus say
-
need
to let go every marker of your identity (family born into to)
-
need
to embrace new family
o marked not by honour, station, wealth and
privileges of family born into
o marked but by God’s compassion, generosity,
justice and love
2. Unnamed Samaritan woman
This week we hear story of Samaritan woman
we do not know her name
or
much about her
just that she is a Samaritan
a
woman
who
has had 5 husbands
so
has to come to the well in the middle of day
as a Samaritan she is so not part of the
in-group from Jesus point of view
very
much part out-group
as a woman she is on the edge of that out-group
she is not even part of that group on the edge
of the out-group
she is on the edge of the edge of the edge
in the middle of the day
in a very public place
and we don’t even know her name
3. Jesus speaks to her
In this very public place
Jesus speaks to
her
unaccompanied
woman
Samaritan
with
something dubious going on
that should shock us
she replies
she replies
we should be scandalized
she should take her water jar and leave
she is unaccompanied by a male
she is in a public space
this man is not a member of her family
not even a Samaritan
but she replies
“Why do you, a Jewish man, ask for something to drink from me, a
Samaritan woman?”
conversation continues
like Nicodemus
she
takes what he is saying literally
“Sir, give me this water, so that I will never
be thirsty and will never need to come here to draw water!”
Then Jesus invites her to bring her husband
person
who defines her identity
to which she responds that she has had 5.
we are a little shocked at this
ok celebrities to have multiple husbands/wives
not ordinary Samaritans
assume that something really dodgy about this
because
she is at well at noon.
even commentators encouraging us to take her
much more seriously
still hooked into her dodgyness
maybe
into serial relationships
like women had power to choose their
relationship style
quite possible widowed and or divorced
possible first husband had died and each
younger brother had married her as per custom to provide and heir for brother
not like she would have much choice
reality is that without husband life becomes
very very difficult
she has no place stand without a husband
not dodgy
woman pushed edge in patriarchal world
trying to survive in this world
courage breaks the rules of that world
engage the man from Galilee in conversation
as a result
in answer to her question
“I know
that the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he
will teach everything to us.”
she is the first the hear the great I Am
statements of John
“I Am—the one who speaks with you.”
Unlike Nicodemus
the man
the Jew
whose name we know
She gets that Jesus is offering her a new
identity
and new place to belong
this group
she leaves her water jar
her means of getting water with Jesus
and she is also the first to go out and be a
missionary
the first
so while Jesus is teaching his male disciples
about mission
being
reapers of the harvest
she is simply doing it
living
it out
she needs no instruction
she gets what this is about
and goes out to tell others
risking all by standing in the public space
with no male chaperone
telling all who will listen
in a very middle eastern way
that Jesus is the long awaited messiah of the
Samaritans
Nicodemus the male Jew, the Pharisee
did not get it
new identity
new
family
new
way of seeing herself
new
way seeing the world
the Disciples – the inner group did not get it
but this Samaritan woman got it enough to go
out and begin the work of the reign of God
wow!
and we don’t even know her name.
this woman of courage
this woman of insight
this hearer of the first I Am statement
this first missionary
there should be icons and statues to her all
over the place
instead we constantly try to push her back to
the edges
we ignore her in this story
we dismiss her
make her invisible.
4. This Lent
This Lent who are the people
like Samaritan woman
living out God’s generosity,
compassion, justice and love to us that we do not see
May this lent be a time when we learn to pay
more attention and to give thanks for these people?
Who are the people we live out God’s generosity,
compassion, justice and love for even though we are not seen, not thanked, not
acknowledged at all?
May this Lent be a time when we let go of our
need for acknowledgement and gratitude.
know
like Samaritan woman it is enough to be God’s image for them.
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