We Can Be God’s Instruments to Change Lives

Homily for the Fourth Sunday after Pascha (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)

Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30 and John 4:5-42

Today’s Gospel story of the encounter of the Samaritan Woman with Jesus at the well gives us a dramatic example of how accepting Christ into our lives can change us completely.  This story also shows us again how God chooses unlikely or unexpected people to demonstrate how He wants us to live.

This woman has three strikes against her—she’s female, she’s Samaritan, and she’s an adulteress.  According to the customs of His time and culture, Jesus shouldn’t even talk to her, much less have a serious theological discussion with her.  In fact, He probably would have been expected to condemn her for her sins and possibly to berate her for her false religion.

But He recognizes her as a child of God, living in sin but seeking truth, knowing the ways of her people but willing to hear something new.  So He offers her Himself, the water of eternal life, the source of salvation.  At first, she doesn’t understand, so she asks questions based on what she has been taught.  When Jesus’ answers make sense, connecting with her beliefs, she understands and she accepts His gift.

She not only accepts Jesus’ gift for herself—she also goes and shares the Good News with her neighbors, thus bringing many more people to the Lord.

Although this Samaritan woman was an unlikely agent of God’s work, Jesus knew her worth.  He was willing to take a chance on her because He knew her true character; He could see beyond the barriers erected by culture and custom.

The same thing is true for us—from both perspectives.  Like the woman, we can be God’s chosen instruments to bring faith and salvation into people’s lives, no matter how unlikely or unworthy we seem to be.  Like her, we are all sinners.  There is no one who lives and does not sin.  But, like her, we must be ready to face our sinfulness and overcome it with faith.  And, like her, we then must share the joy and wonder of the true faith, confident that God has made us worthy for this work.

Like Jesus, we have to be ready to look beyond obvious barriers of gender and class and ethnicity and social convention.  Just as the disciples were astonished to see the Lord speaking to a woman, contrary to social and religious norms, people will be disturbed and even angry when we follow Christ’s example and seek all who worship in spirit and truth.  But we have to disregard their objections and see the true worth of people as children of God, created in God’s image and likeness, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

How can we do this?  By accepting Jesus, the Living Water, into our lives.  By questioning, like the Samaritan Woman.  By listening, like the Samaritan Woman.  By believing, like the Samaritan Woman.  By acting, like the Samaritan Woman.  Our lives, like hers, will be changed—and so will the lives of the people around us.

And so we give thanks and praise and glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever and to ages of ages.

Christ is risen!  He is truly risen!