The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that
you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share
things in common with Samaritans.) –John 4:9 (NRSV)
Samaritans
were part of the Northern kingdom of Israel defeated by Assyria in 722
BCE. Assyria moved in other peoples and
over the centuries they intermarried with the Israelites making an “impure”
people, according to the Judeans (Jews) who made up the Southern kingdom of
Judah. As one might expect, they
developed differing customs, theology, and worship practices (see John 4:20).
They
both descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they weren’t exactly the same...so there was a
‘family’ dispute...kind of like the one between Christians...or between LCMS
and ELCA.
Jesus’
take? God is bigger than your
differences. Let the truth of the Spirit
guide you. “Love one another as I have
loved you.”
Lord Jesus, help us to set aside
differences to follow the Spirit who leads us to the common bonds of love...in you...for
each other.
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