Jesus was heading to Galilee, to home.

He was heading away from Jerusalem, away from controversy with religious people. In the process, he walked right into the middle of religious controversy.

He had to go through Samaria.

Samaritans were regarded by Jews as half-breeds, as spiritual wanna-bes. Jews were regarded by Samaritans as uppity, as arrogant, as holier-than-thou.

I tried to think of a way to imagine that trip. Here’s as close as I can get. It would be like a Catholic priest walking into Protestant bar in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and asking for a drink. Religion, politics, prejudice.

Jesus, of course, knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn’t looking for trouble. He wasn’t wanting to start a fight.

He was wanting to start a conversation. He went to Samaria and stopped by a well and sent his disciples into town for food because he knew a woman was coming to get water and he wanted to talk with her.

Ah, but that’s a problem, too. A Jewish man talking with a Samaritan woman. And a rabbi at that.

What would people think? What would people say? What would it do to his reputation if anyone found out?

Jesus didn’t care much about what people thought. He cared about people. And he cared about this particular woman that no one else cared much about. And he made the conversation simple by sitting at a well that would provide a common point of conversation.

This was Jacob’s well. The same Jacob that was called Israel. The same Jacob that the Samaritans and Jews went back to.

Jesus met her exactly where she was living. He didn’t make her come to where he was living. And he asked her for help.

I’m pretty sure he still works that way.

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Sorry to miss yesterday. I need to have a migraine post that shows up automatically when I can’t show up. But I’m all better now.