Most of us like to hang out with people who are a lot like us. We know that differences exist in the world, but we're a tribal people. We're northsiders or southsiders, democrats or republicans, Cub fans or Cardinal fans. When we enter a room, we gravitate to people who look like they may be one of us. We watch TV programs, even networks, that affirm what we think because we feel "at home" with them. We attend churches where the people are likely to worship God like we do, and we make sure to sit on the "right" side of the stadium when we go to a watch a game.
The North going Zax and the South going Zax don't talk much because they don't think they have much in common. There's no doubt about that, but the circles we draw isolate us and make others... the targets of our fears. The circles we draw to keep others at bay... give us a distorted view of what's really going on, and they create unnecessary fears and prejudices. Thus, people who are different from us...become people who are dull-witted, mean-spirited, even evil. And so it was between the Jews and the Samaritans in Jesus' time. They despised each other. The Jews considered Samaritans to be deplorable and they would go out of their way to avoid them. But the Bible says that Jesus and his disciples journeyed through Samaria one day, and that they stopped at the site of Jacob's well. According to John, while his disciples went into town to buy food, Jesus waited by the well... and a Samaritan woman came alone to draw water at noon. "Can I have a drink?" Jesus asked, and his question took the woman aback. "How can you, a Jewish man, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" she replied. It was a good question because Jesus had transgressed the social boundaries that were in place at the time. But the Jewish rabbi and an unnamed Samaritan woman talked on. They talked about religious differences and other things, but their dialogue ended with the woman saying, "I know that God's Messiah will make all things clear when he comes"... and Jesus said, "Ego eimi, I am!" I am the Messiah, the One who can meet your needs... for water, acceptance, forgiveness, and love. It is to this woman that Jesus reached out and offered both grace and opportunity!
It was not uncommon for Jesus to cross boundaries that kept others from being all that they could be,
Jesus was a "boundary-breaker," and he calls us to consider the circles that we draw. In light of the run-away tribalism and the pervasive fears that seem to be consuming us, it is important to ask ourselves some important questions. We can shake our heads and our fists. We can roll our eyes and condemn others, or we can ask ourselves some important questions and become part of the healing. 1) Would we cross a road to give aid to a man who was not like us? 2) What people do we avoid? 3) What kinds of people are deplorable to us? 4) What sort of people do we walk out of our way... not to see? 5) Who are the Samaritans in your world? 6) Are there people who make us "anxious" simply because they are part of a group... that falls outside of our circle of love? 7) Do we have preconceived opinions about black people? Jewish people? Muslim people?Tattooed people? Loud people? Gay people?
How wide is your circle of love? Christ lived in a world that was filled with boundaries. He knew that. He knew that he wasn't supposed to welcome children, let Mary sit with his disciples, eat with sinners, or converse with those who were leading unsavory lives. He knew all of these rules and ignored them... because love demanded it! His circle of love included everyone who was willing to be included. It still does! God's love is like that. It's inclusive and welcoming. Love demands that we reach out to others as children of God. Love demands that we ignore boundaries that divide us and walk with people of all sizes, ages, colors, and sexual orientations. So, let's draw circles that include people who root for the same teams as we do... and also those who don't. May our circles of grace be so large that they include anyone who wants to be in... even Samaritan women should we meet one at the well. Amen!
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