Burning Strength Homilies

Jesus is breaking down the cultural norms of 1st century Jewish life But he is showing us another way to look at scandal – Jesus shows us that scandal can be a good thing Here we have Jesus going to Jacob’s well at midday He sits down next to a Samaritan Woman and asks her for something to drink From her response, I imagine this woman giving Jesus a very strange facial expression here She wonders why a Jewish man is there at noontime speaking with her The Jews never went to the well at midday because it was very hot But the Samaritans went to the well at this time… it was the cultural norm Jesus enters into scandalous activity right from the beginning as he starts talking to a Samaritan woman. Not only was it culturally unacceptable for Jews to interact with Samaritans - It was very scandalous for a Jewish man to speak with a woman who was not his immediate relative Even Jesus’s disciples enter into the scene and begin to ask questions to themselves … why is Jesus doing this &