2 Days Off for Jesus; John 4:39-45

Rev. George Miller
Oct 8, 2017
John 4:39-45

2 Different Worlds.

When anyone moves to a place like Florida they will become aware that they are living in at least 2 different worlds.

South and north. Conservative and progressive. Coastal and inland. Retired and working. Transplants and 4, 5, 6 generation.

If you are lucky and willing to move from world to world, you become enriched and learn how others live.

For example, I think of a house party I went to hosted by a family from the Caribbean.

You learn that a 4 pm invite does not mean you arrive at 4, but means “We’re gonna start thinking about getting ready around 4 but we won’t actually start cooking until 5 so don’t come until 6.”

Then the world of the hunters, in which trucks, chewing tobacco, blue jeans, plaid shirts, country music, polarized sunglasses and guns take the forefront.

And if a hunter tells you to be ready at 6 am, they are parked in front of your home at 6 am.

I’ve been to a few gatherings hosted by a couple from Puerto Rico in which the main event was dominoes.

Not dominoes as in old men sitting in the park or young kids at Vacation Bible School, but dominoes as a sport, in which each man brings his own custom-made domino table complete with a picture of the Puerto Rican flag.

You learn there’s a whole way of talking when playing dominoes- talking big and saying smack is an art form, and no one just places their pieces gently on the table, but presents them with passion, as bones are slammed down and counted up.

I love all these worlds and am thankful for every one I’ve been welcome to.

My own world was shook when last week our planning committee met and worked over slices of pizza.

There, in front of my eyes, Sam Darley ate her pizza with a fork.

The horror! Pizza is to be folded and honored, not cruelly cutlery-ized!

2 different worlds.

That’s what we witness in today’s readings. Jesus a Jew, hanging out with Gentiles.

Jesus, a good ol’ boy from the southern kingdom hanging out with a bunch of Samaritans in the north.

Shocking. Scandalous. Something that simply was not done.

Back in the day Jews and Samaritans were mortal enemies, total opposites:

Crips and Bloods. Jets and Sharks. ISIS and the US. Fox News and CNN.

That’s how people saw Jews and Samaritans.

So to have a story in which Rabbi Jesus is not only in Samaria, but socializing with the Samaritans is not only controversial it is boundary-breaking revolutionary.

The fact that the Samaritans come to Jesus and invite him to spend 2 days with them is mind-blowing, and the fact that he said “yes” and stayed in their homes, ate their meals, and entered into a relationship with them is beyond comprehension.

This reading is about radical hospitality in which the Hatfields have invited a McCoy over for a weekend retreat, and the McCoy has graciously accepted.

Jesus, the Son of God, is invited to spend 2 days in Samaria, and he says “Yes.”

And you know what- I am so grateful that he did.

This scripture gives us a brief glimpse into Jesus, the man.

Part of me is sad that the Gospel Writer didn’t think it was important enough to tell us what Jesus’ 2 days off were like.

We’re told of his baptism, his teachings, his healing, his miracles, the people who didn’t like him and the threats he endured.

But we’re not told what these 2 days off were like, almost as if what Jesus did doesn’t matter unless if he’s giving giving giving to others.

Another part of me is thankful we’re not told what the 2 days off were like because it gives Jesus some much deserved privacy.

It also allows our imagination to have some fun.

What do you think it was like for Jesus to be away from Judea and all the work waiting to be done there, and for Jesus to just be…Jesus…one of us.

What do you think Jesus did during those 2 days off?

What do you wish he got to do?

I like to think that Jesus had his own Jimmy Buffet, How Stella Got Her Groove Back experience.

I like to think that he was given the most welcoming guest room with 1,000 thread count bed-sheets and a big comfortable quilt.

I like to think that Jesus got a chance to catch up on his ZZZ’s; that his hosts allowed him to sleep in that morning.

I imagine Jesus waking up late the next day to the aroma of freshly made coffee and the sounds of someone singing in the kitchen as eggs are frying on the stove.

Imagine Jesus sitting down to a breakfast of fresh buttermilk biscuits with all kinds of jams and jellies and a big bowl of fresh fruit at his side.

Imagine Jesus eating his fill, not having to turn water into wine or loaves and fishes into a banquet.

Picture Jesus going for a long, uninterrupted, peaceful walk along the shore, his skin getting tan from the sun, his toes in the water, exhaling and breathing in the air.

Imagine that during the 2 days off, the women of Samaria take him to the local beauty shop where he gets a deep scalp massage, a hot oil treatment for his hair, and a soothing manicure/pedicure.

Imagine the kids of the community coming to play hop scotch, or double-dutch, or duck duck goose.

Imagine at night the men of the town take him out to the local tavern where Jesus is able to throw back a few beers, play some pool, talk sports and brag about the biggest fish he ever caught.

Do we ever think of Jesus this way?

Could you see him at a cook-out, or grilling a steak, or playing Spades and blackjack?

Do we ever allow Jesus just to be…not as someone who has to teach, or heal, or fix, or save, or die for our behalf?

You know what I hope Jesus got to do?

I hope he had a weekend romance.

Wouldn’t it be nice to think that there was a time in Jesus’ life in which he had a special girl (or a special guy) in which he was able to share secrets, hold hands, and sit beside while watching the sun set…

…Jesus lived during such a complicated time filled with natural disasters, political unrest and religious warring.

It would be nice to know that for 2 days he got away and was welcomed into a different world in which Jesus could just be Jesus.

In conclusion, I’d like to invite us, for this week, to reevaluate our relationship with and our view of Jesus.

Is he someone who is only of use to us when we cry out for help, when we seek healing, and we need hope, or is Jesus someone we can welcome into our lives to simply be there, as a friend, a companion, a guest?

Do we love Jesus only because of what he can do for us, or do we love Jesus because he is loveable, likeable and willing to walk beside us?

Does Jesus always have to be about results, sacrifice and salvation, or can Jesus also be about relationships, celebration and simple joys?

In the midst of a chaotic world, Jesus was given the chance to take 2 days off and just….be.

And sometimes just being is the loveliest thing one can achieve.

For that, we can say amen and amen.