The rebel template

John 4:21-26

            Oh I am such a rebel. I snatched verse 21 to go along with today's scripture passage because I thought it would be better that way.  Actually the real rebel was Jesus. He was the hippy for his day. He may have invented asceticism by heading out into the desert alone, communing with nature, with his Father the creator and the animals, eating honey and wild locusts. It's not just that he embraced what might eventually be called the life in a hermitage, his whole life was rebellious. Well, it may have looked rebellious. Jesus' life was actually a template and a passport to new ideas, new ways to look at things and most importantly a way to live...and die. He was a human being, fully alive, fully engaged.

           Jesus is enjoying his solitude as the Apostles head into town for provisions. Jesus is in an area essentially out of bounds for any good Jew. This is Samaria, the riffraff of the Jews, they are less than Jews.  The Samaritans, in spite of what we know now from the story of the Good Samaritan, were looked down on as worse than women. Women enjoying one of the lowest ranks of society. Perhaps it would be a toss up.  Here though, Jesus is enjoying the company of a Samaritan woman. What are you doing?? You will be unclean! You will perhaps give this woman a sense of false hope that she has some innate value and might say someting worth hearing. 

          This would be lesson one to anyone with ears to hear. Women do have innate value equal to men and some might argue (well) that they enjoy a higher wrung on the ladder of creation. Not only are we all equal, Jesus is preparing the world for the notion that women are equal, have equal thoughts, equal rights and equal rights to serve. This meeting with the samaritan women as well as the other stories of Martha, Mary, Mary Magdalene and others show what Jesus' intent really was.  That might be enough of a message but the rebel has more to say. (Jesus the rebel, not me the rebel).

           The idea that we would worship neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem and that those that worship him must worship in spirit and truth is quite telling too. While not negating the importance of communal worship ( He did after all install our eucharistic feast ),  Jesus speaks to the presence of God everywhere. Not just on a mountain, not just in Jerusalem and then not just in Church, in Rome or in a shrine. Further, what is it that we worship? rules and rubrics? Do we attend to ancient tradition and laws that give power to men and stiffle our spiritual growth? Laws and tradition are fine so far as they go but what God wants is our created spirit fully alive and engaged as Jesus showed us. If that is the spirit of a rebel then so be it. With love in his heart Jesus showed us what the spirit of living is all about. Jesus' life was actually a template and a passport to new ideas, new ways to look at things and most importantly a way to live. 

Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’