【双语灵修】被排斥的人OUTCAST
约翰福音 4:4-10
必须经过撒马利亚，于是到了撒马利亚的一座城，名叫叙加，靠近雅各给他儿子约瑟的那块地。在那里有雅各井。耶稣因走路困乏，就坐在井旁。那时约有午正。有一个撒马利亚的妇人来打水。耶稣对她说：“请你给我水喝。”那时门徒进城买食物去了。撒马利亚的妇人对他说：“你既是犹太人，怎么向我一个撒马利亚妇人要水喝呢？”原来犹太人和撒马利亚人没有来往。耶稣回答说：“你若知道神的恩赐，和对你说‘给我水喝’的是谁，你必早求他，他也必早给你活水。”
11月6日
被排斥的人
“有一个撒玛利亚的妇人来打水，耶稣对她说：‘请你给我水喝。’” - 约 4:7
若要深入明白这个故事，我们需要知道这个撒玛利亚妇人到底是谁。昨天我们已经看过，撒玛利亚人是一个与犹太人有远亲关系的少数民族。在耶稣那个年代，那些最“备受尊敬”的犹太人都认为撒玛利亚人“不是同路人”，所以会与他们保持距离。
此外，我们也需要看看这个妇人在她自己社区里的地位。前两天我们曾经指出，她在炎热的正午背着沉重的水瓶，来到水井打水，而其他人则会在早上较清凉的时间才这样做的。为了与人保持距离，她不计较辛苦，连被别人排斥的人，也在排斥她。
《约翰福音》第4章指出，门徒希奇耶稣和这个妇人说话（27节），这样说或许未能完全反映出这件事的严重性。任何体面的拉比（老师）都甚少会和妇人交谈的，更不用说是来自撒玛利亚的妇人了。然而，耶稣就是这样，在叙加井旁与这妇人交谈起来。
耶稣与这妇人的接触，表明一件重要的事，就是耶稣将要带来一个怎样的国度。在这个国度里，你不是只与那些跟你同声同气、能够帮助你成功的人交往的。耶稣似乎特别留意那些对他毫无益处的人。
神把那些对你毫无益处的人放在你的生命中，你又怎样呢？
祷告
主啊，求你帮助我们效法你，去寻找被忽视、被排斥的人。求你赐我们爱每一个人的心，又信靠你能使用这爱人的心去行善。阿们。
John 4:4-10
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6
OUTCAST
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” —John 4:7
To read this story well, we need to understand who this Samaritan woman was. As we saw yesterday, the Samaritans were a minority group that was distantly related to the Jews. And most “respectable” Jews in Jesus’ day kept their distance from Samaritans, having determined that they were “not their kind” of people.
Further, we need to look at this woman’s place in her own community. As we noted a couple of days ago, she was lugging her heavy water jug to the local well in the heat of midday, though everyone else did that in the cool of the morning. She was keeping her distance even though it made her life more difficult. She was an outcast among outcasts.
John 4 observes later that the disciples were surprised to discover Jesus talking to this woman (v. 27). And that’s probably an understatement. Any decent rabbi (teacher) would rarely talk to a woman, much less a Samaritan one. But here was Jesus, having a conversation with this woman at the well near Sychar.
This encounter reveals something important about the kind of kingdom Jesus had come to bring. This wasn’t a kingdom where you spent your time with only the people who were like you and could help you get ahead. Jesus seemed drawn to people who had the least to offer him.
What about you? Whom has God placed in your life who has little to offer you?
Lord, help us to follow your example of seeking people who are overlooked or outcast. Give us the heart to love everyone, trusting you will use it to do good. Amen.