Samaritan Lives Matter

"Come on John!" Peter huffed as he spun around and administered a friendly slap upside the back of the head. "The rug rat, ankle biters who come to play at this well, aint gonna steal him."

Jesus held a finger up to John and then pointed toward the town.

John gestured in acknowledgement.

"OK, OK; I'm coming." John continued to protest as he and Peter… 'nudged' each other up the path.

"Lord, would You have me go watch after Your cousin myself?" Michael asked.

Jesus peered behind Him at His angelic top brass general.

"You're worried about John; aren't you?" He replied.

"Well… admittedly; I'm…. worried about everyone." Michael hesitantly confessed. "The pharisees want to kill You and I know Herod is going to kill John."

"Trust the plan." Jesus let out a sober sigh.

"Yes Lord Sir; I'm rallying the reserves. Yet this civil unrest is hard to contain. The armies are on the move and it's spilling over into this here earthly realm." Michael paused a moment. "A little more…than I'm comfortable with." He sighed.

Michael peered hesitantly at his Lord. "I'm… afraid of losing a saint."

"Clear lives matter." Jesus replied.

"Clear lives?" Michael inquired.

"Maybe Gabe needs to give you another tour of the Vault of History." Jesus chuckled before issuing a reassuring declaration. "Fret not; my Father is keeping track."

"Yes Sir; I know." Michael nodded in affirmation, although more to himself. "The Spirit moves too." He sucked in a deep breath. "I see it; although I feel like I aint got the foggiest clue what's going on."

"Not all has even been revealed to me." Jesus laughed. "So try not to feel left out."

Michael sat for a moment as he rested the tip of his mighty sword on the ground and leaned on the hilt.

"So… are You OK?" Michael suddenly seemed to change subjects as he hopped up from where he was perched. "You're tired. Do You want some water?" Michael asked as he peered down the well.

"My… Jewish privilege comes up the path." Jesus smirked as He gestured behind Michael.

"Huh?" Michael turned around; only to see a lone Samaritan woman staring annoyingly at a pail she'd just dropped.

"Why you little…" She growled at its now broken handle. "How'm I suppose to get you on the winch?" She stood up, with her hands on her hips and let out a sigh. "Now I'm gonna to have to come back here a second time, 'cause I only got one bucket left." She murmured, before giving the broken cistern a firm kick. "Made in Galilee… My ass!"

Michel peered a bit tentatively at his Lord. Samaritan women with an attitude to boot. He nodded knowingly.

Jesus sat patiently as she approached; gave Him the 'once over' look and peered down the well. She attached her remaining bucket to the rope and commenced turning the crank.

"Give me a drink too." Jesus muttered just loud enough for her to hear Him.

The woman paused a moment glanced over at Jesus with one raised eyebrow. "He talking to me?" She mumbled to herself, before she shook the thought away and peered back down the well.

"Yes, I'd like a drink too." Jesus repeated.

The woman stood up and turned around again. "Thought that's what he said." She mumbled to herself one last time before she decided to address Jesus. She sucked in a deep breath. "How is it that you; a Jew, askin me, a woman of Samaria… for a drink of water?" She paused another moment. "You… Jew people… won't have anything to do with us Samaritans?"

Jesus answered: "Well if you have the ability to see what God freely gives; and who it is that lays forth this saying to you: 'Give me to drink'. You would be pleading and he would give you living water."

The woman took a step back and a moment to contemplate.

"Um….High Teacher." She paused another second to frame her thoughts as politely as possible. "You… have no bucket and this well is… reeeealy deep." She nodded as she peered one last time down into the abyss. "From where then, do you have this living water?"

She turned again to Jesus; somewhere between mystified and annoyed before she popped out with her next inquisition.

"No, you're not greater than our father Jacob, which gave us this well, and drank from it himself, as well as his children, and his cattle." She eyed him.

Jesus remained quiet a moment before He answered.

"Everyone drinking from this water will be thirsty again. Yet, whoever shall drink the water that I will give him, will never, in the coming age thirst. No, the water that I will give him, will become in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

The woman folded her arms, and began tapping her chin. This fellow's metaphors required more contemplation than passing answers of 'teachers' who concluded themselves to be smarter than she. After all, she'd heard rumor of a preacher whom people were taking serious consideration of. She furrowed her brow and wrinkled her nose as she studied Jesus a bit more.

Water and wells? She thought a moment about Moses and the rock.

"Teacher, give me this water, so I won't thirst; and don't have to keep coming back here…" She paused another moment as she peered one last time down into the dark abyss. "…to draw". She mumbled to herself. "…from an empty well."

Jesus sat another moment before He assigned her next 'mission'.

"Go, call your husband and then come back here."

The woman looked at Him a moment. "But I have no husband." She half confessed and then muttered to herself. "Junior don't even know who daddy is." She sighed.

"You've answered well; 'I have no husband'." Jesus continued. "For you've had five husbands and he who you have now is not your husband. In this you've spoken truthfully."

She stood studying Him.

"Teacher, I see you are a prophet." She paused another moment. "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; but…. you all say Jerusalem is the only rightful place to worship."

"Believe me." Jesus smirked and then let out a sober sigh. "Believe me…. betrothed. The hour is coming when neither on this mountain, or in Jerusalem; you…. all" He pointed at her and then around the encompassing geography. "…will worship the Father."

"You.." He continued as He pointed with each hand; one toward the mountain and one toward Jerusalem. "worship what you don't know." Jesus paused another moment pulling His hands in to gather the… "We worship what we know; for salvation…." He pointed toward Jerusalem, then… Ethiopia? Persia? and… Babylon? "..is of…" And finally He pointed to Himself. "…the Jews."

The Samaritan woman cocked her head and looked at Him. Then she turned and rehearsed the very areas He'd pointed to. She stopped short and turned back to Jesus.

"Moses married and Ethiopian woman." She blurted out.

Jesus nodded. "Rehab was from Jericho. Ruth was from Moab and Bathsheba was a Hittite."

"The Jews?" The Samaritan held up a questioning finger hesitantly pointing at Him.

Jesus nodded. "But the hour comes; and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in… one Spirit, and one Truth. And for this reason; the Father seeks out such to worship Him." He continued with a contented smile. "God is Spirit and they that worship Him find themselves compelled to do so in one Spirit and one Truth."

The woman let out a sigh in another moment of contemplation.

"I know the Messiah comes which is called the Christ." She said. "When he arrives, he will tell us all things."

"I Am. Speaks to you."

The efforts of Arch-angel Michael to control his mirth caught Jesus's attention. Jesus looked up. There in the path behind the woman stood a gaggle of bewildered disciples all standing around; looking…. stupid. Jesus cracked a giggle Himself.

The woman turned around.

"Ehh…" She held up a finger to Jesus. "I'll be right back." She said as she hurried off, neglecting her forgotten pail by the well. She ran by Peter and gave the broken container one last kick for good measure. Peter turned to John and shrugged; but John just started laughing.

Jesus sucked in a deep breath and stood up, ready to face the bewildered brood.

"Ethiopia, Persia, Babylon." Michael nodded in understanding. "Clear lives matter."

"Yes." His Lord answered. "Clear lives matter!"

For there is no respect of persons with God.

Romans 2:11