Do you have a story that you would rather not tell? Are there
things from your past that are so painful that even the telling of them brings
back waves of pain and shame? If someone were to ever write the biography of my
life, I would definitely want editorial rights! There are in my life (and maybe
yours as well) memories that are so plagued with guilt and embarrassment, that
the simplest recollection of them causes me to cringe. The same seemed true of
a woman from the nation of Samaria that Jesus encountered near a well. One of
Jesus’ disciples named John recounted the story in his mini biography on the
life of Jesus. (John 4: 1-42)
I’ve heard many teachings over the years on this story, and
most (including a few of my own) have been pretty hard on this woman. I feel now that we have gotten her all wrong. The thought has been that when
Jesus revealed the truth of her past that she was shown to have been sexually promiscuous
and an adulterer. She was exposed to have had five past husbands, and was now
staying with a man without being married to him at all. The reality is,
however, that women who lived during that time period of the New Testament were
not allowed to leave their husbands, and divorce was completely out of the
question. If somehow they were miraculously able to be granted a divorce, no
Jewish man in town would dare marry her, because his reputation and standing
in the community would have been ruined. What seems to be more likely is that
this lady had experienced the death of five husbands. She had felt the heartbreak
of becoming a widow, the hope of a rebuilt family, and then heart-crushing loss
all over again. She was the center of attention and pity at five funerals. At the
end of all of her grief, she had become an outcast by living with a man that was not her husband. Whether it was she
who would no longer risk marriage, or he who refused to marry
her is unclear. What is clear is that the story of her life was
filled with blinding pain, doubt, and loss…
…at least until she met Jesus.
The story spins forward and we find this broken woman back
in her hometown telling her story to anyone and everyone who would listen. She
talked of her past husbands and of her current living situation with a strange
new hope that hadn’t been there before. The pain wasn’t gone, but now there was
optimism for the parts of her story that still lay ahead. The truth she found
is just as applicable to us today and comes in two simple pieces:
1)Time
with Jesus reminds us that our story isn’t over yet
And
2)With Jesus, the darkest parts of
our past are often just the beginning of our greatest joys in the future
So, if your story isn’t shaping up the way you had hoped don’t
give up just yet, the greatest parts may be just a few pages away…
Wow Michael! I never considered the fact that she may have lost five husbands. Guess it's easier to assume the worst about someone :( Thank you so much for this awesome perspective! ~Sandra
ReplyDeleteMichael, I so needed that today! Thank you. Wish we could sit and talk over a great latte or at Jason's Deli :) . Anyway, praying that the pages ahead will have the same effect as that dear woman who had lost so much. Blessings Michael,
ReplyDeleteKaren Weaver