Broad love without title limit
<Meet Jesus deeply>
Nothing in this world can completely satisfy the human heart. Is there any satisfaction in getting honor? no. There are many times when humans gain honor and become more lonely. Are you satisfied with getting riches? no. Since ancient times, it has been said, “The scoundrel has a thousand sorrows, and the master craftsman has ten thousand sorrows.” Are you satisfied with being popular? no. Marilyn Monroe, who had gained worldwide popularity and was able to satisfy all her fleshly desires if she wanted to, committed suicide, and the fact that many famous celebrities commit suicide today proves that popularity cannot quench the thirst of the soul.
People find rest only when they meet Jesus. The figure of the Suga-seong woman in the text clearly illustrates this fact. It was about the sixth o'clock when Jesus was not at the well of the city of Suga, when she came to draw water (verse 6). The sixth hour is today's time, noon. Why did she come alone to the well when no one was looking, risking the scorching midday sun? Abandoned by society, she knew that the ridiculed tongue of people was hotter than the midday sun, so she came to the well when no one was watching.
The world is a place where you experience more to lose than gain. Therefore, they feel bored with the world and take their own life, and sometimes isolate themselves from the world with alcohol and drugs. It is because of this feeling of loneliness that we cannot think of our home as a happy place, so we have an empty life of knowing the dark and the bright. Like the Samaritan woman, the modern society is sick and dying of fear and anxiety, feeling a deep sense of loneliness.
Jesus spoke to such a lonely woman (verse 7). That is the gospel. The voice of Jesus is more needed by modern people who feel the loneliness greatly. Listen to that voice. That voice can be heard through the Bible or from the pulpit. Even if you don't understand the voice at times, try to listen. The best way for modern people to escape from loneliness is to meet Jesus deeply and listen to His voice.
< Unlimited Broad Love >
The Suga-seong woman was “a woman whose heart was hurt by local feelings” (verses 7-9). Jews and Samaritans were originally of the same race, but at one time Samaria was occupied by Gentiles, mixing the blood of Gentiles. So the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. Because of the sense of victimization of such local emotions, she wondered at the approach of Jesus, a Jew who spoke to her. But for Jesus, there was no wall of local feelings. Jesus loved the lost souls of Judea and also loved the lost souls of Samaria.
Why did you have a local appraisal? Because of the human habit of liking to share. When money comes into their hands, people divide people into “haves” and “haven’ts,” and when they have high education, people divide people into “highly educated people” and “low educated people.” However, Christianity that rejects people cannot be established. God's love for people one day made God become the human Jesus.
Compared to selfishness, favoritism is a beautiful virtue. It is good to love your hometown and to work for the welfare of your hometown. But when compared to philanthropy, fraternity is also a major flaw. Favoritism can be an enlarged selfishness. When sympathy flows into local feelings that exclude others, it becomes a great injustice. How many crimes are committed in the name of love affair, and how often envy, jealousy, hatred, malice, revenge, etc. One of the most shameful legacy that we should not leave to our descendants is ‘local sentiment’.
A ‘me-centered thinking system’ reduces differences to discrimination, whereas a ‘we-centered thinking system’ raises differences into individuality. Now, break out of the narrow thinking system centered on “I” and establish a broader thinking system centered on “we”. Think deeply about Jesus' concern for the Samaritan woman. Jesus' compassion and concern were broad and unbounded. Be the vanguard of breaking down the walls of local emotions with such unrestricted, wild love.