Christ is Risen!
The
world today has more than a little in common with the time and place in which
Jesus Christ ministered. Both in the first and the twenty-first century, people
easily divide up into groups that hate one another and view their enemies as
less than human. If someone is of the
wrong religion, political party, or ethnic group or stands on the opposite side
of some issue, too many respond simply with condemnation.
We may
wonder, then, how to demonstrate the new life of our Savior’s resurrection in a
time when severe disagreements and divisions are so common—both in our own
country and around the world. Christ’s
conversation with the Samaritan woman provides a challenging example of how to
interact with even the most unlikely people, of how to overcome the barriers
that exist between those who consider themselves simply enemies.
Remember that the Jews hated the Samaritans as
religious and ethnic half-breeds because they had mixed the ethnic heritage and
the religion of Israel with that of other peoples. No self-respecting Jew would have anything to
do with a Samaritan, much less ask one for a drink of water. The Samaritans knew that, but Christ did the
unthinkable by striking up a conversation and asking the woman for a
favor. As a result of this unlikely
conversation, a Samaritan woman came to recognize Him as the Messiah, to believe
in Him, and to lead many of her own people to the faith. She ultimately became Saint Photini, an
evangelist and martyr with the title “Equal to the Apostles.”
Not only
did the Jews look down on the Samaritans, but the gender roles of the day meant
that Jewish men simply did not speak with women in public. But this Messiah did not allow cultural divisions
to shut off the Samaritan woman from His saving presence or her calling as an
evangelist.
To make
things even more complicated, this particular woman had been married five times
and was then living with a man outside of marriage. She may have gone to the well at noon, an
unusual time to do so, because the other women of her village did not want to
associate with her. The Lord knew these
details, but did not condemn, judge, or ignore her as a result. Perhaps because He treated her as a beloved
child of God, she acknowledged to Him the truth about her life and they
continued speaking about spiritual matters.
Photini showed
bravery in telling the men of her village that Jesus Christ is the
Messiah. Not only would they have been
shocked for a woman, especially one of her reputation, to speak to them about
God, they would probably also be astounded to hear that a Jewish rabbi was a
Messiah for them as Samaritans. Being
inspired by the shocking ways in which Christ had reached out to her, she
reached out in surprising ways to her own people.
We will miss the good news of Pascha if we think that the
blessing of Christ’s resurrection is only for people we think of as being on
“our side” of any religious, moral, or political divide. As
sinners ourselves whose only hope is in the abundant mercy of Jesus Christ, we have
no right to exclude anyone from the possibility of embracing the new life of
the empty tomb, even if they presently believe and act in ways contrary to
God’s purposes.
St. Paul urged the Corinthians to hold the members of their
church accountable for grave sin, but said that it was no concern of his to
judge those outside. (1 Cor. 5:12) It is
one thing to acknowledge the truth about the behavior of people who are outside
the life of the church, but another to appoint ourselves as the judges of their
souls or to treat anyone as though they are beyond redemption. Remember that
Paul himself was a persecutor of Christians before the Risen Lord appeared to
Him and made him an apostle.
Jesus Christ Himself took the initiative in bringing the
blessing of His kingdom to a Samaritan woman with an immoral lifestyle. We learn from the Lord’s conversation with St.
Photini that we must not treat anyone as a hopeless case or as somehow unworthy of Christ-like love, no
matter what they have done or what they currently think, say, or do. Though it is business as usual in our corrupt
world, it is not genuinely Christian to isolate ourselves from those whose
lives seem especially broken and off course—or even perverse and godless. If we respond
with hatred, judgment, or stony silence to those we deem unworthy, we turn away
from Christ’s ministry of bringing new life to the whole world. For
which of us has the right to cast the first stone of self-righteous
condemnation at another? Our Savior
never condoned sin of any kind and neither should we. He told the truth even when it was
uncomfortable, as He did with Photini about her marital problems. But He did so
not to condemn, but to save. He came to
bring sinners to repentance, to heal the sick, to give sight to the blind. He died and rose again for the salvation of
all created in His image and likeness, of the entire world. He has made great saints of murderers,
adulterers, and idol- worshipers who have called on His mercy and ultimately changed
their lives.
So when we have the opportunity to show compassion or
friendship or encouragement to someone who seems very far from following Jesus
Christ, we should do so. We should treat
them as Christ treated the Samaritan woman.
To do anything less is to place our own limits on the power of the Risen
Lord to bring salvation to the world—and it is to refuse to follow in the way
of the One Who conquered death.
St. Photini is also a powerful example for each of us as
we struggle with our own sins, passions, bad habits, and weaknesses. Sometimes the burden of our sinfulness is
great and we are tempted to despair of ever finding peace and healing in our
lives. We can become obsessed with our own
unworthiness, perhaps viewing ourselves more as those condemned by a harsh law
than as the broken and weak whom Christ’s mercy can heal. If we are not careful, this way of thinking
can lead us away from the Church, for the guilt and frustration of failure are
hard to bear, and we often would simply rather not be reminded of it.
St. Photini was no stranger to such failures, but she
learned to keep her eyes on the prize of the new life in Christ. Perhaps her experiences had taught her
humility. She knew she was a sinner and must have been thrilled finally to be
on a path that would take her in a different direction. We do not know the details, but she surely faced
struggles, temptations, and reminders of the scandal that she had made of her
life. Some people probably continued to
view her in a very judgmental light.
Perhaps her own thoughts and memories threatened to condemn her at
times. For all of us, some things are
hard to forget.
Despite these obstacles, this Samaritan woman became a
glorious saint, an evangelist equal to the apostles and ultimately a
martyr. If she could pass over from sin
to righteousness, from death to life, in Christ Jesus, then we can, too. The great blessing of Pascha comes to us all,
and we have countless opportunities in our families, our marriages, our parish,
our friendships, and our workplace or school to participate more fully in the
Lord’s victory over sin and death.
No matter what we
have done in the past, no matter our present weaknesses and challenges, no
matter what anyone thinks or says about us, we must remember that the Son of
God has conquered death in order to bless, heal, and save us. Like the
Samaritan woman, we must acknowledge our brokenness and turn to Christ with
faith, love, and hope for a new life, and then continue on the journey of discipleship,
even when we stumble or are tempted to give up.
During this season of Pascha, we know that life eternal
has sprung from an empty tomb purely as the result of our Lord’s love and
mercy. The good news of Pascha extends
to the Samaritan women of our day and even to you and me. So let us treat them
as He treated her and, together with them, come to participate more fully in the
brilliant light of the Resurrection.
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