JUDGEMENT

“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.” ~Pema Chodron

Judgment! Don’t you just love it. JUDGMENT!  It’s kinda fun determining which people are so decidedly inferior. There are so many, come to think of it. White trash. Rednecks. Uneducated. Baptists (southern ones!). Liberals. Socialists. Conservatives. East Coasters  (Nobody measures up to a Midwesterner, you know!) Yeah, JUDGMENT. That feel good, bible thumping attitude that some (lots?) Christians love to adopt. Including me, by the way. I’m good at it! Are you?

I was thinking about that after reading this Sunday’s gospel story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. This theatrical marvel from the Gospel of John. I’m told it’s the longest single story in the whole New Testament. So, maybe that makes it somehow important?

Jesus is alone for once. He goes to the town well, desperately wanting to just sit, rest, get a drink of water. He is pleased to be alone! No people, please. No disciples for just an hour or so, please!

Enters a woman. A Samaritan woman. We don’t even learn her name. No surprise, she’s “just a woman”. She’s just a Samaritan woman! Jesus instructs her to give him a drink of water. “What, you a Jew want water from me, a Samaritan?” was her response.

Then Jesus launches into a very convoluted statement about water, about something he calls “living water.” The disciples return. They find Jesus with this low-life Samaritan woman, and the twelve are silent!

This five-time married, living with a man not her husband, outcast of sorts, one looked upon in her community as a slut finds acceptance, experiences respect, is touched by love. This outcast goes to her neighbors and testifies about this Jewish guy who appears to be a prophet.

That’s how it is most of the time. Faith rarely (if ever) is formed because of some sermon. More often it happens through incidents, accidents, totally unexpected encounters. These happen when we suspend judgment and see only humanity and the beauty in each person.

May we suspend judgment, and open our arms to those we encounter this week!