vv 40-41 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe.
What would any self-respecting Jew think of that? Here was a respected itinerant Jewish preacher staying in a Samaritan town! Even the disciples were shocked (v 27) to find Him talking to a Samaritan woman. You can almost hear their comments and tone of voice when you read about it!
Surely this says something to us about the love of God reaching out into Communities – any kind of community.
The whole concept of Community is vital in our understanding of God in the life of the 21st Century. I feel much the same about Church life, where we can reach out to and serve a local community. I appreciate The Message bible translation that renders John 1:14 as ‘The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood. ‘ rather than the more staid ‘So the Word became human and made his home among us. ‘ The notion of God in the neighbourhood is something worth struggling for – just as Jesus was God in that Samaritan neighbourhood for a couple of days.
With our lives today so disintegrated, travelling to work, travelling to school, travelling to shops, travelling for sport and leisure, and then travelling to a Church as well …. How much we need to encourage community! (Forgive a social rant) And perhaps we as Christians can do much to encourage community in our area in a positive and helpful sense.
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