John’s story of Jesus’s trip through Samaria has a lot to teach us about what it looks like to “take time” for others.

John 4:4 says, ⁴ Now he had to go through Samaria.

John 4:4 is the shortest verse in the fourth chapter of John. It’s easy to miss the significance of this verse.

Jesus On A Mission

The truth is that Jesus didn’t have to travel through Samaria. Most faithful Jews did everything possible to travel around Samaria. Jews and Samaritans were hostile toward each other. Faithful Jews did what they could to avoid interacting with Samaritans. Not only were Samaritans racially impure, they practiced a distorted form of Judaism. And Samaritans weren’t friendly with their neighbors either. Luke tells us of a time when Jesus sent his disciples into a Samaritan town to prepare for his arrival. Luke says, “but the people did not welcome him.” Two the disciples are so offended that they ask Jesus for the permission to call down divine punishment. Luke 9:54 says, ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”

James and John (Jesus called them the sons of thunder for obvious reasons – Mark 3:17) were likely more interested in punishing Samaritans than in protecting Jesus’s honor.

In spite of these hostilities John 4:4 says, “he had to go through Samaria.” So why did he have to?

Maybe Jesus was in a hurry? It was the shorter route. But if he was in a hurry, then the details of the story don’t match up because at the end of his conversation with the Samaritan Woman we are told that he stayed in the village for two more days.

A Divine Appointment

The only conclusion that we can draw is that Jesus had to go through Samaria because he had to have this particular conversation with this particular woman. A woman who would have been ignored by every other faithful Jews. She was even was shunned and ignored too some extent by her own people.

• She didn’t come the well when the rest of the women came. She came alone. Most of the women came in the morning. She came in isolation.
• Later we find out that she has a checkered past. She has been married 5 times and is living with a man who is not her husband.

Time Well Spent

The conversation that Jesus had with the Samaritan woman was life-changing for her. For the first time in who knows how long, she was acknowledged. For the first time in a long time, she was cared for. For the first time in a long time, she was able to talk to a man who treated her a real person instead of an object to be used. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she had value. She felt seen.

Jesus went out of his way to meet the Samaritan woman. He sought her out. He listened to her, which in many ways was the first time in a long time that she had been listened to. What was true for the Samaritan woman is really true for all of us. Jesus pursues us in the same way he did the Samaritan Woman. He left heaven for us to meet us in our need.

So, what does this teach us about healthy relationships?

Take Time for Others

Jesus took time for a Samaritan Woman, we take time for others. What does it look like to take time for the people around you?

Take a moment to think about your family, friends, co-workers, and even acquaintances. Who could you “give some of your time.” How many of them don’t know Jesus? You may not have the permission now to share about Jesus now, but what would it look like to “take the time” to be the presence of Jesus to them.

1. Who might you call?
2. Who might you have coffee, tea, or dinner with?
3. How can you “take time” for your spouse, children, a close friend, or a new friend?
4. Now think about the when. When will you “take time?” Schedule it today or you will forget.

Prayer Prompt

Jesus, thank you for leaving heaven and giving me your time and attention. Help me to take time for others.