You Talking to Me? – Part 26

“You talking to me?” often comes in fleeting moments, even in bunches.

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Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 21, 24, 26, & 28 – And God said . . .

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Before delving into today’s Second Miler, take a few moments to read John 4.  It is the story of Jesus ministering to the Samaritan woman at the well.  I’m sure you know the story, but are you aware of the multiple “You talking to me?” moments?  Let’s consider some of them today.  The first one comes in verse 4.  There we read that Jesus realized He “must” go through Samaria.  Here is a “You talking to me?” moment for Jesus and His disciples.  Jews and Samaritans had nothing to do with one another, yet Jesus is obviously directed by Holy Spirit.  While we can be certain that Jesus never entertained the thought of disobeying His Father, knowing that He was sent only to the house of Israel, yet He “must” go through Samaria would raise questions as to why.  It is in the 4^th chapter of John that we see why.  It was for the encounter with the Samaritan woman.

You see, when we read the events of John 4, the events of John 3 had already occurred.  And it was there, in John 3, that we read the words, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  There is the reason for this trip through and stop in Samaria.  God “so loved the world,” not just the Jews.  Still, try to imagine the thoughts that rushed through the mind of Jesus and His disciples when a group of men who were devout Jews, and Jesus Himself being perfect, never violating any law, find themselves being directed by the Lord to go through Samaria. 

This is just the first of several instances of “You talking to me?” moments in John 4.  We will pursue some of them in the days ahead.  But today, we look at this one.  Imagine a love so great, so deep , so profound, that Almighty God, Jehovah Himself, would send His Only Son into a place and situation that would, without a doubt, be highly questionable to the people of His Own nation.  This would be especially true for the religious leaders of the day, not only those of the Jews, but those of the Samaritans, too.  In their minds, neither side wanted to have anything to do with the other side.  But “God so loved the world.”  There it is again; that indominable reason for anything God does.  GOD IS LOVE.  It’s Who He is, what He does, how He works, and who He expects us to be as His genetic children.  OH, and yes, I’m talking to you.