December 1, 2022
Bishop, W. F. Houston, Jr.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son.
In the time of Jesus, Samaritans were considered an ethnic defect, a blight that reminded Jews of a period in their past that they wished they could forget. Samaritans were a racial hybrid loathed by the ethnically pure, the product of interracial bloodlines forged during the forced exile in Babylon. Jews, particularly the more spiritual ones, who wanted to get to Galilee from Judea would cross to the east bank of the Jordan River and walk around Samaria to avoid being polluted by the blood of the wicked. The purpose of this was to circumvent the city of Samaria. This tradition-maintained norms of ceremonial cleanliness while also contributing to the perpetuation of racism. So, when we picture Jesus designing a route through Samaria, we see the God-man with a box of matches, ready to set fire to the norms of His day.

Look at how the Samaritan woman responded to the question that He asked. There is no doubt that she doesn't feel comfortable. "This isn't correct. "Shouldn't you fully understand?" Are you blind? A roadside bomb is waiting for you to step on it. Jesus immediately gets to the point and says, "I'm not your typical Jew." The "gift of God" that He's referring to is none other than the favor and acceptance that comes from God through Jesus Christ. She is attempting to drive a wedge between them while He is working to bring them closer together. In other words, she's working to divide while He seeks to unite.
When the disciples returned, they saw these two talking to one another and were shocked by the infraction of cultural and gender norms. They are pondering the question, "What the Sam Hill is He doing?" They are more worried about how people will think of them. Beloved, isn't this the exact issue we're facing today?
Here's Today's Prayer
Good Morning our Beloved Transcendent Father.
Father, we have trouble overcoming our cultural boundaries; please help us see things from Your point of view. With all sincerity, we pray, in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen. ✝️ ❤️😊
📣 Beloved, it is God's grace that has given us the power to do things that we couldn't do on our own. We give thanks to God for giving us the ability to tell others about The Gospel Message. We thank you for being a part of our social media community. We invite you to repost any of our messages and share them with your friends and family. And remember to reach out and tell someone you love that you love them, because telling them later might be too late.