A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (John 4:7 NRSV)
Several of you follow me on Twitter. Twitter certainly has its down sides, but the reason I like it is because I get to follow some of my favorite writers and theologians in real time. Some of you might have seen me respond to their posts on occasion. When I do, I’m always hopeful they’ll reply back. It’s like writing a letter to your favorite sports star hoping they’ll reply. Of course, rarely do I get a reply. My measly 140 followers fails in comparison to the 100,000+ most of them have.
If Jesus had a twitter account, do you think he would respond to every direct message? I won’t even begin to act like I have an answer to that question, but I’m always shocked by how Jesus responds to those he encounters. The only way I could ever get one of my favorite theologians/writers to talk to me is if I reach out to them. Imagine this woman’s shock, then, when she realized who she was talking to. Not only does Jesus come to her unasked, but he asks for her hospitality before she offers, even though she was a Samaritan.
Often we think God is like one those famous people we follow on Twitter. We think we ought to earn his acceptance in someway or another. But in Jesus we see a God who comes to us – a God who’s only request is for our hospitality. The only decision to be made is up to us. Will we or will we not welcome the God who meets us where we are with the offer of living water?
What will you decide?