The Samaritan Woman and the Disciples (JN. 4:27-38)
(especially for priests and religious...)
This gospel passage is very familiar to all of us. There we come across two main characters other than Jesus. They are the disciples and the Samaritan woman. They represent two categories of people. The Samaritan woman represents a zealous religious or even an outsider who has his/her own responsibilities in his family and society. And the disciples represent a passive religious like most of us.
The gospel passage deals with the incidents happened after the dialogue between the Samaritan woman and Jesus. When the disciples came back they saw Jesus speaking with a gentile woman. They were astonished. Because she was a Samaritan – a pagan. Very often we also get disappointed or jealous when we see Jesus intervening through laymen or outsiders. They perform miracles, they see visions, they predict future, they hear god’s voice…and we wonder just as the disciples did. There are a number of examples for this. Mario Joseph - a Muslim who became a zealous preacher, Benny Punnathara - a bank manager who became the manager of shalom… often we see them preaching gospel sometimes more effectively than priests.
Let us look back to the gospel again. We all know why the Samaritan woman came there to fetch water at noon. Since she was a prostitute, she was ashamed of or afraid to appear in front of anyone. But what happened? As soon as she experienced Jesus, she ran to the town and bought a big crowd to experience the Messiah. Actually, she forgot who she was! Otherwise, she would not have gone into the midst of a crowd in the city. Can you imagine a prostitute who was hiding from others, proclaiming Jesus in the town..? That is the real thirst/zeal of one who really experienced god. All that she wanted to do was to share her experience with others.
On the other hand, we see the disciples. If you read the passage carefully, there is only one dialogue that the disciples speak to Jesus: “Master, come let’s eat.” They are not worried about anything except that of food. See the contradiction. For many months, they were walking with Jesus, eating with Jesus, speaking and even sleeping with Him. Yet their Jesus experienced was not sufficient for them to do their part in his ministry. I am saying this because john, the one who has written this gospel gives no reference to anything that the disciples did before this incident. 35th verse of today’s gospel says why it is so. Disciples were always saying that there are 4 months more, then comes the harvest. But Jesus is correcting them. He says: look around you and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. Jesus might have said this showing them the crowd that surrounded them, who came there listening to the words of the Samaritan woman. He might have said this too: Friends, don’t wait for the time to come. See it is just before I sowed the seed of good news in her heart. Now see the harvest. And 36th verse is about the Samaritan woman: “The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruits for eternal life.”
Let us have a look at our lives. Sometimes or most of the times we are very passive in our religious life. Just like the disciples, we claim that we are in the lords tend, always with him, having all kind of ramsa, leliya, meditation… and everything of that sort. Still, the years of seminary experience or Jesus experience is not sufficient for us to do our part in the mission of Christ. Just as the disciples said that the harvest is after four months we are waiting for the day of our ordination after nine or more years.
Let us study from the Samaritan woman. In fact, her experience of Jesus was that of just a day. But that was strong enough for her to reap the harvest. How is my Jesus experience? Am I strong enough? To answer these questions, the easiest way is to check how zealous I am in my spiritual matters. May others – my own brothers- come to Jesus witnessing my selfless life and silent virtues. Let us not wait for the day to come for the great harvest. This is the day the Lord has made. In john-4:38 Jesus says: “I sent you to reap...” Like Samaritan woman let us gather fruits for eternal life.
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