‘But He needed to go through Samaria.’ John 4:4 NKJV
The Bible says that Jesus ‘left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.’ (John 4:3–4 NKJV) Samaria was the short-cut to Galilee but the people were hostile and so there was unlikely to be lodging available. Yet, the Bible says Jesus ‘needed to go’. As a Jew, He wouldn’t be welcomed there because of a long-standing animosity between Jews and Samaritans. As for the woman at the well that He went to meet, women in that culture were forbidden to talk to men outside of their own family. Furthermore, this woman was the talk of the town because she had been through five marriages.
So, why did Jesus feel like He ‘needed to go’? Because He saw this woman as a diamond in the rough. While those around her talked about her past and her problems, Jesus saw her potential for His Kingdom. ‘And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified.’ (John 4:39 NKJV) To reach Galilee on God’s schedule, Jesus had to throw man’s schedule out the window. But the schedule didn’t control Him. What did? The will of God and the unmet needs of hurting people. And He was willing to go out of His way, turn tradition on its head, and break new ground in order to do it.
How about you? Can God interrupt your plans? If He can, then He can use you. Pray, ‘Lord, show me what I must do today in order to please You.’
SoulFood: 2 Ki 4:18–6:33, Luke 13:18–35, Ps 136:1–12, Pro 6:30–31
Renungan Hari Ini [The Word for Today] is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©