Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Opening Scripture

 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19

Opening Prayer

Most Merciful God, blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed are those whose sins you do not count against them. When we confess our sin to you, you are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So, we give you praise for your unfailing love. Your mercies are new every morning, and our hearts are glad. May your face shine upon us this day. Help us to walk in your way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

John 4:1-14

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Reflection  

This is such a rich passage! We are going to spend the next couple of days considering Jesus’ profound interaction with this intriguing person.

The contrast between Nicodemus and the woman at the well could not have been sharper! Jew/Samaritan. Male/Female. Pious/Immoral. Respected/Disrespected. Leader/Outcast. Seeking/Indifferent. Literally, Night/Day. And yet, Jesus treated them both with dignity and compassion, addressing each one at their point of greatest need.

Jesus’ encounter with this woman was no coincidence. It was truly a divine appointment! Jesus “had to go through Samaria” because it was the Father’s will. And that was the thing that sustained Him (4:34). Besides, it was part of His mission. Jesus declared that “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Jews typically went out of their way to avoid traveling through Samaria because of their deep prejudice and hatred of Samaritans. Samaritans were “half-breeds” – part Jew and part Gentile – and as such, they were despised by both groups.

After walking all morning, Jesus sat down at the well while his disciples went into town to buy food. Defying all cultural norms, Jesus initiated a conversation with the woman when she arrived. That she came alone in the middle of the day illustrates her sad condition. Women typically came early in the morning to get water for their homes, and it was a time of lively social interaction. She was not welcome.

Jesus surely could have satisfied his own need for hydration, but in a gesture of humility, he asked her for assistance. Most Jewish Rabbis would rather die of thirst than ask a Samaritan woman they had never met for a drink.

Understandably surprised, the woman questions Jesus on his “breach of etiquette” and lack of prejudice. Now that he had her attention, Jesus quickly turns the conversation from the obvious physical situation to the bigger spiritual issue.

This well was an essential source of daily water for the town, but what they all ultimately needed was something much greater. The analogy here is reminiscent of Psalm 42:1 … “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

Later, in John 7:38-39, Jesus identifies this life-giving water as the Holy Spirit who would come to dwell in followers of Jesus. “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

Flourishing Habit

Character and Virtue

One of the most shocking things about Jesus was his complete disregard for historic prejudice and cultural bias. He ignored the social norms of His day and chose to engage each individual according to their need. He recognized everyone’s inherent value – made in the image of God – and viewed them as worthy of respect.

Leper, blind, lame, poor, Samaritan, tax collector, social outcast … all were important to Jesus. He touched the untouchable. He ate with the hated. He healed the broken. He even taught the self-righteous about the Kingdom of God with a story about a “good Samaritan,” turning their whole perspective upside down!

What historic prejudice or cultural bias do you carry?

Have you “written off” an entire group of people based on a past experience or particular interaction?

How shocking would it be for you to reach across social customs or generational bigotry to express respect and appreciation for someone?

Ask God to help you see ALL people the way He sees them today.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!