“Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman.”­ – John 4:27

John 4 is the familiar story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus was on a mission, for verse four says, “Now he had to go through Samaria.” What intrigues me about this passage is the way the disciples seemed bothered by the fact Jesus was talking to a Samaritan woman. This woman was the wrong sex and living in the wrong country for them to feel comfortable. In other words, she definitely was not one of them! Apparently, the disciples still did not understand the mission and the purpose of Jesus, so His actions surprised them.

This got me thinking: I wonder how often Jesus might surprise me. I don’t think I’d be surprised if Jesus had a face-to-face conversation with Billy Graham, or maybe Mother Teresa or even the head of my denomination. Those are all people who are acceptable in my sight. However, would I be surprised if I walked into a room and saw Jesus conversing with someone I’m not sure about? You’ll have to use your imagination for this, but what if I came across Jesus talking to President Obama. (I can hear it now: “Jesus had to go through Washington, D.C.”) Continue Reading