The Boundary Violator

This time Welch helps us understand even more how Jesus the King identifies with the shamed and destitute and actually became the shamed and destitute as it says in Psalm 69:7-9.

Welch begins by looking at Jesus' life verse:  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour  (Lk 4:18-19, quoted from Is 61:1-2).  The poor, the prisoner, the worthless and forgotten are Jesus' constituency.

Welch then uses John 4, the story of the Samaritan Woman to help us understand that Jesus came for the shamed.  Welch helps us imagine that we are the Samaritan Woman and reminds us of the cultural barriers between Jesus and this woman:

• men didn't talk to women in public!
• Jews didn't associate with Samaritans!
• Jews didn't contaminate themselves by eating or drinking with non-Jews!

This story shows how Jesus crossed social boundaries, spending time with the lowest of the low, even you cannot be any lower than this woman!!  We have to say "I believe you Lord"  before we go on to see how Jesus deals with her.

Just as the Samaritan woman did not expect Jesus to start talking to her, we probably don't expect Jesus to take the initiative to us either, but He does!!!  Just as Jesus invited the woman to ask for the living water He also invites us to ask for something, but in our shame we probably pull back, cringe as He continues to talk to her/us.  Finally she/we hear Him, shock has passed, hope starts to kick in = FAITH.  But then Jesus tells the woman to get her husband and she immediately feels the shame again, freezes in it, she and we get defensive.  She/we don't want to go to those dark and shameful areas but then Jesus says, Don't worry, I already know all about your past, your shameful spots, but I still want to give you the living water.

We don't have to go into all the shameful details of our past, Welch tells us, because Jesus already knows all about them. We don't have to get defensive but we often do, changing the subject from us to religion.  We might say something like, "With so many denominations and religions, who is to know what's true?" Somewhat of a dumb question but we're really trying to get the focus off ourselves because we still don't really know who Jesus is.

Jesus IS the one true God!  We simply have to worship Him!!  Stop trying to change the subject.  Jesus is a friend who knows all about you and me and we don't have to feel shame in His presence.  Just as Jesus connected with the Samaritan woman, so He is connected to you and me.  He WILL give us living water and His Holy Spirit to live in us.  We are no longer isolated, outcast.  Please hold onto that!!!!