Jesus said,
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
- Acts 1:8 (NRSV)
I think Jesus deliberately included Samaria in the commission given in today’s quoted scripture. Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along. In fact, Jews of Jesus’ time avoided traveling through Samaria even if it meant a much longer journey. Samaritans were people Jews wanted to avoid. So it could not have been an accident that Jesus told the disciples to reach out to them.
Considering this, I ask myself,
Who are the Samaritans in my life?
We live in a fractious and hateful time, one filled with harsh language that often vilifies people who are on the other side of an issue. But Jesus demonstrated a different way. He went through Samaria, not around it. He visited with a Samaritan at a well (John 4). He held up a Samaritan as a model for being a true neighbor (Luke 10).
In other words, he looked for opportunities to build bridges of understanding and love rather than building walls of division. Where is my Samaria? That’s where I need to go. Am I building bridges of understanding and love, as Jesus calls me to do, or am I saying and doing things that help to build walls of separation? And what about you? Where is your Samaria? Read more from Dan on
The Upper Room blog today.
The Author Dan Johnson (Florida, USA) from the Upper Room
Thought for the Day Where is Jesus sending me?
Prayer Dear Jesus, help us to follow your command and reach out in love to those we would rather avoid. Amen.
