Right now, is an interesting time to go to the store.  Normally, I like going to the grocery store and buying groceries.  I am one of those guys who hunts the best deal using coupons, paper and digital.  I read labels checking for sodium amounts, saturated fat content and the like.  Its like a safari.  But not anymore, it is an anxious sprint to get in and out with as little contact, even eye contact, as possible.  To go in you feel like someone didn’t get the memo about social distancing, as a matter of fact it looks like the place to gather for escaped hospital patients and wannabe bank robbers, you know all those masks!  I get in the store with all these people and my sanitary wipes and all I see is inconvenience to me completing my store agenda with little impedance.  I survive wondering what is wrong with all these people.

Jesus walked in a challenging time as well.  Anywhere he went he faced challenges to who He was, the Messiah, a King, a farce?  He also encountered lots of people continuously making requests for healing and other miracles.  There is one encounter that causes me to seriously reflect upon my humanistic and egocentric perspective of people.  Jesus had been ministering in Judea where he departed and started toward Galilee, but this time He had to travel through Samaria.  Jews didn’t do that during this time, Samaritans were lesser people, mixed breed they could bring defilement.  Jesus following the Father’s plan led the disciples onward.  They reached a place called Sychar near Jacob’s well.  Jesus was tired from the journey and sat down there in the middle of the day.  The disciples went to get something to eat.  A woman came to the well at midday, which wasn’t the normal time women would come to get water.  The encounter continues with Jesus asking for drink and engaging in a conversation about her spiritual need and her life and how He could meet her need.  It even had some theological discussion as well.  The bottom line is that the encounter of the woman with Jesus was life changing for her.  It is what happens next that I want us to see.  The disciples come back from town pretty confused about what Jesus was doing with this Samaritan woman, after all she was an inconvenience to their agenda.  She goes and tells the townspeople about Jesus, then all these Samaritan people come out to see Jesus and then believe that He is the Savior of the world.  Jesus did not see people as inconvenience to Him, the scripture says, “…open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest.” John 4:35b Jesus had the right perspective, he saw the fields of people ready to be harvested, that is brought into the Kingdom of God.

How incriminating can it be to look at the fields and see inconvenience, like me in the store, when like Jesus I should see the harvest and if nothing else, pray for every person I pass by that their spiritual eyes would be open to the Savior of the world.  It is all a matter of perspective., His perspective!