I love the story of the woman of Sychar, found on page 1612. It is one of those stories in which Jesus ministers to another person without doing any miracles. With the exception of knowing this woman in ways that we cannot, Jesus ministers to her in ways that anyone of us can.
First thing is he shifts the conversation to spiritual things. She gives him a smart reply and then flirts with him, but he continues to draw her into a spiritual dialogue. Wherever the conversation goes Jesus draws her deeper into a dialogue about God.
And you know what, I can do this. I had a conversation once with a friend that followed a similar direction. He was showing me his poetry and I mentioned how I believed creative inspiration comes from God. Well he didn’t think that was the case, but we jumped right into a discussion about God that was very constructive. And it happened in the most unlikely of places, an Irish Pub. After that instance starting a spiritual conversation doesn’t seem so difficult.
Jesus knew that this woman was searching for contact with God. And so he worked to provide her with spiritual answers to her deeply hidden questions by engaging her with a spiritual dialogue that she could identify with. He talks about the well and the water flowing from it. He talks about the mountain and the worship that was once organized there. Concepts she can grasp because they are earthbound and then takes them into the heavens.
Well, I can do this. I remember talking to my children and trying to explain the Trinity to them. It’s a real hard concept to bring down to the level of kids. But then I thought of the old explanation of H²O. Water is a gas, a liquid and a solid at different temperatures, but the chemical formula stays the same. Therefore water is a three in one substance. An easy earth bound explanation of a heavenly concept. All it takes is some imaginative thought. Not as hard as it seems.
This Samaritan woman tries to steer the conversation away from the spiritual direction Jesus sets. But Jesus is persistent. He refuses to let go of the opportunity of ministering to her soul. And his persistence pays off with a revival that breaks out in that Samaritan community.
You know what, I can be persistent too. I befriended a woman who was home bound once. I remember trying to contact her a number of times, but had some trouble doing it. Persistence did pay off and we became good friends. If we want something bad enough, we will keep trying.
I love these stories, they teach such simple truths. Jesus spent most of his time on this planet doing the normal things that all of us do. Occasionally he did something spectacular, like a miracle. And even the writers of our Urantia Book don’t know exactly how he did them. And now Jesus is Michael of Nebadon, the ruler of a vast universe full of countless numbers of beings who are at various stages in their paths to God. And we read about all of this and wonder where we fit in, where we are in our own spiritual development, and how it all is going to come together. And in the meantime here we are with people placed in our path, right in front of our faces, who need to be ministered to. And it doesn’t take a lot of work. And it isn’t all that complicated. Just a little bit of love and caring and compassion. It’s all so simple.
I can do this. Anyone can do this.
God bless you,
William Whitehead
© 2002 All rights reserved