The Bible (John 4) mentions a woman from Samaria who Jesus met at a water well as she went to draw water alone in the heat of day. Jesus knew she was a woman who had been married five times before and was now living with a man, and she may therefore have been considered a pariah of society, yet Jesus spoke with her and revealed Himself to her fully and she ran back to the village and told everyone about Jesus. 2000 years later and her story still sparks discussion.
This tale intrigues me because it was a real story, instead of a parable, and also because it shows how down to earth and full of empathy and compassion Jesus was. Jewish people and Samaritans, who were of mixed race, never associated, yet Jesus, who was Jewish, spoke directly to her and used her utensils. He gave her His time and treated her with dignity, a woman whom others may have shunned and she in turn dropped what she was doing and ran back and told the men back in her village about Jesus. It is interesting to me that the verses don't mention her telling other women and there are a few possibilities: she may have been shunned by women and she may have isolated herself based on what she thought others thought of her or she may have felt what she had to say was so important that she needed to tell the men first. Men of the time would ordinarily ignore much of what women said, yet these men listened to her news and went in search of Jesus. And most importantly, Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman and treated her respectfully.
Jesus saw each person as having value. We are all people, though we may look a bit different and have different colour skins and different backgrounds. Ethnicity doesn't mean much and it didn't mean anything to Jesus in the story above. In fact, it bugs me when people join together across countries based solely on their colour. Shouldn't we join together based on common values instead? For example, I live in Australia now but used to live in South Africa. Many previously tried to imply I didn't belong in Africa because of the colour of my skin. I will always be African. I was born African and now I am Australian, but I will always be an African too. No matter one's colour, one is an inclusive member of one's country of citizenship. I find it unfortunate that the word African is used to denote colour, because I therefore have to say I am a white African, but I am an African nonetheless. I've heard the word Australian used to refer to someone who is a white Australian, but yet colour means nothing. I hope all people who live in Australia and who may look so different from each other will all consider themselves Australians. People may have different personal cultures, but I hope they embrace the culture of the country where they live too.
I see that this principle applies in other facets of life, too. Do you feel unwelcome from society because of some thing, for example, maybe you look different or you just feel different. Maybe you feel others scorn you, and maybe some do. But, you do belong. Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise. Some of you may have been hurt by many people in the past, but leave your past behind. It's not about them, it's about changing the way you feel about you, and then you will likely forget there's a them. Treat everyone you meet with respect and equanimity. We all need relationships. And I hope you bump into Jesus along the way.
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