Taboo People!

Jewish Rabbi’s developed offshoots of the law which they gave equal standing with the law. One of those offshoots, or rules, stated that no man could talk with a woman in public, not even his wife.[1] To further this idea, the Rabbi’s considered it blasphemous to teach the law, in any degree, to a woman.

Knowing these ‘rules’ fully, Jesus purposefully met with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. Not only did he speak with her alone, but He discussed the gift of living water with her and initiated a revival in the Samaritan town of Sychar.

In human eyes, seen through the Jewish culture of the day, the Samaritans were un-savable and undeserving of God’s attention - the Jews considered them to be taboo and worse than animals. But Jesus broke the boundaries of their culture and purposely gave living water, salvation, to this Samaritan woman who’d had 4 husbands and was now living with a man.

A woman, an adulterer, and worst of all, a blasphemous Samaritan - someone that today’s religious mindset might put the ‘taboo’ sticker on. Someone who doesn’t agree with our doctrine. Someone who has been rejected because of our man-made rules. But God sent Jesus out of His way to meet with this woman and bring her salvation: He opened her eyes through the gift of prophecy in Jesus – a true example of how He gifts us for the purpose of extending grace to others.

Because Jesus went outside of the cultural and religious box, the Samaritans had living water and forgiveness given to them, and the schism of division between the Jews and the Samaritans began to close on that day. The town of Sychar was changed and revival broke out – their hearts were turned to God.

Man-made ideas sometimes sneak into our doctrine and are given equal standing with God’s Word. These mindsets cause us to reject certain kinds of people instead of rejecting ideas that don’t agree with the Word of God. Jesus separated the ideas from the person – He loved the person and rejected both the Samaritan and Jewish ‘religion’, but He stood strong in the Truth of God’s Word.

God help us to reject religion, live in Your Truth and take that Truth to those we’ve considered ‘taboo.’

1. (Baker’s NT Commentary, Jn 4:27).