Lent 3 A + Change + 3.8.26
M. Campbell-Langdell
All Santos Oxnard
(Exodus 17:1–7; Ps. 95; Romans 5:1–11; John 4:5–42)
In her
Parable of the Sower series, Octavia Butler shares her theology of change. In
this theology, I see God as changing with us, alongside us.
Butler says:
“All that
you touch
You Change.
All that you change
Changes you.
The only lasting truth
is Change.”
― Octavia
E. Butler (2012). “Parable of the Talents”, p.7, Open Road Media
While not all change is from God, there is a truth here about
the dynamic relationship between humans and God. In the Sacred Resistance
meeting this week, the Rev. Sally Howard reminded us that we live in a
nonlinear world, and as such, we never know how close we are to a pulse point,
a change that will push us forward into a new era.
I see Jesus and the Samaritan woman as embodying this moment of change or
launch forward in today’s gospel. As they interact, each is open to change,
particularly the Samaritan woman.
They meet in the heat of the day by a well, both thirsty but
also eager to share faith. And they speak on so many levels. We need to be
cautious about reading this text completely literally. We know they need water
as human beings, but they speak of living water, or that which sustains our
spirit. They also address what on the surface seems to be the woman’s personal
background, but when you look deeper, it may be discussing her Samaritan
heritage.
I learned something new this week. When Sandra Schneiders
teaches about this text, she states that the five male partners to whom Jesus
refers when speaking with this woman are probably not literal partners. He is
speaking to her as a Jewish man addressing a Samaritan woman. In this passage,
the woman at the well is not just a woman from Samaria, but also represents the
Samaritan people. In the age-old tradition of the prophets (think Hosea),
Samaria has been seen as an “unfaithful spouse” to Yahweh because it had
honored the gods of five foreign tribes. Thus, it is Samaria who has no
husband, and whose “husbands” or gods are not true partners. So, Jesus does not
shame the woman at the well. Rather, he asks her to see past her Samaritan
experience of honoring multiple gods so that she can be drawn into the love of
God again and become a follower of the Jesus way.
The woman at the well recognizes Jesus as communicating at that
level because she first recognizes him as a prophet. And then, during this
exchange, Jesus says I am he, referring to his role as the Messiah. In Greek,
this is the I AM pronouncement, a sign that he is divine. This is not lost on
the woman at the well. She is not an outcast but shows us a female version of
the response to the call to discipleship. She leaves her water jar at the well,
momentarily forgetting her physical needs to respond to the urgency of the
gospel message. She shares the good news about Jesus to her community, and here
we see a parallel with the disciples leaving their fishing boats and more to
follow Jesus.[1]
In the process, the woman moves from isolation into community
and shifts into a clearer leadership role.
The Rev. Naomi Gardom says of this passage: “This is an
immensely rich encounter, in which [Jesus and the Samaritan woman] are both giving
of themselves and each other, over and over, in different ways, to deepen their
understanding of who the other person is. Finally, with all these identities in
the air around them, a new possibility wells up for the woman … she is
empowered to name Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ. She is to become a prophet
and a harvester in the fields of the Lord.”[2]
The woman at the well is open to change. Jesus sees her as
open. He uses this time to announce himself as the Christ and empower a new
disciple, an unexpected one! And through her, a community is changed. By the
end, a community member says he believes not just because of what the woman
disciple has shared, but also because of his personal experience of Jesus.
How is God calling you into a new conversation this season? Last week, we saw
Jesus and Nicodemus’ encounter at night, and we considered the questions that
we bring to God at night. This week’s gospel takes place in the heat of noonday,
and there is a different intensity to the exchange. Sometimes we are like that,
in the middle of the day, interacting with Jesus more intensely, and sometimes
we bring him the questions that come to us at night. Wherever you are on your
journey, will you be drawn into dialogue with Jesus? There is certainly a lot
to discuss. War in Iran, the loss of children, and continued fears in our
community. He wants to accompany us through it all. How are we called to change
in this season into better followers of Christ? Just like this unlikely woman
apostle, God can use all of our gifts for good and to inspire others’ faith.
Maybe you are being called into a deeper relationship with Christ, or to share
the good news with others? Good news that they can reaffirm when they build
their own relationship with him.
Amen.
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