John 4:3-6 (ESV)

…he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria.

The narratives surrounding the ministry of Jesus make for a great screenplay—especially when you plot his movements between Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. In many ways, it was like a game of chess, as Jesus goes about his ministry while the religious leaders plot and scheme. The verb left (aphiemi) in verse 3 conveys a sense of “abandon” and while the literal meaning (depart) is certainly the most preferred, Morgan (The Gospel according to John) makes an interesting comment that “We should not misinterpret the thought if we said He abandoned Judaea. He did go back, but very seldom. He had been to Judaea. He had gone to the Temple. He had exercised His ministry in the surrounding country with marvelous success; but hostility was stirring there, and He left Judaea; He broke with it.”

NOTE: I wonder if that is a part of our American story in these deeply troubled times? God is in the process of leaving us (America) to ourselves and our own devices. It’s just a thought I ponder these days.

Verse 4 states that Jesus “had to pass through Samaria,” but that was not the usual custom of pious Jews when they travelled between Galilee and Judea with Samaria wedged in between. The direct route from Judea to Galilee was about 70 miles, or two and a half days’ walk. But many of the Jews chose not to go through Samaria. They traveled the hot desert road from Jerusalem to Jericho, and up the Jordan valley. Thus, because of the terrible prejudice that prevailed against the Samaritan people, they journeyed almost twice the distance on a much hotter and more uncomfortable road. But Jesus cut right through that ignorant, narrow-minded prejudice and went through Samaria, probably causing a bit of a stir with his fledgling disciples. It wouldn’t be the first time.

We will spend the next few days unpacking Jesus’ encounter with “the woman at the well” but let is not leave this travel itinerary without being challenged to follow in our Lord’s footsteps. Are there people and places that you would rather not deal with for some reason? Is your main goal each day to be efficient…or effective? Perhaps like the pious Jews, there are situations and/or people that you will go out of your way to avoid. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul speaks of good works that God prepared in advance for us to do as we travel down the roads of this life. The more you are willing to go out of your way when the Spirit leads you, the more fruit you will bear for the Kingdom. As always…the choice is yours.