Forgiveness (Exodus 17:1-7)
When Jesus tells the devil, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,” this event is what’s on his mind. At this point in the Exodus story, the Israelites have seen God, with Moses as his instrument, send 10 plagues on Egypt, lead them miraculously through the Red Sea, and provide bread from heaven in the form of manna, and quail for meat. As if to drive home the point, manna appears daily, Sunday—Thursday, just enough to provide that day’s food. On Fridays, they get a double portion, with no manna available for collecting on Saturdays, the Sabbath. They’ve been traveling with a pillar of cloud or fire to guide them. So why don’t they trust God to provide water?
On the other hand, their situation is potentially life-threatening. In their defense, they actually challenge Moses, not God, although Moses describes it as a challenge to God. Is God angry? Does God forgive their doubt? This story does not say, but other versions of this event provide an answer: God provides what they need, but there is a cost (Ps. 95, Numbers 20). This generation (and Moses—see Num. 20) will not enter the promised land.
Were the Israelites wrong to complain? One type of prayer found in the Bible is the lament, which calls for divine help and asks the question—where God? (See Psalms 22, 88 for ex.) Usually the complaint results in a reaffirmation of trust or repentance, but the people of Israel offer neither praise or repentance—their relationship with God is all about needs being met. What similarities/differences can you trace in your own spiritual journey? Is prayer for you more than a list of demands? How has the answer to prayer led to a deepening of faith for you?
God responds to their need, but has reconciliation occurred? The Exodus story is repetitive—this is only one of many incidents in this 40-year journey when the Israelites will show a lack of trust in God. But is it a one-dimensional story, or is there some development? God will bring them into a covenant, even though they have shown no ability to uphold their side of the deal. God’s forgiveness, while not named, is seen in God’s willingness to continue the relationship, all the time making more explicit what it means to be God’s holy people. How might this story describe our own identity as God’s people. Do we see ourselves on a journey of deepening holiness? If we were to tell the story of God’s forgiveness and our response, what would we say?
St. Paul refers to a Jewish tradition that the rock literally followed the people of Israel through the desert in order to provide the water they needed. Paul equates that rock with Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). He uses this story as a warning to the Corinthians who have what they need in Christ, but like the Israelites, seem to be unsatisfied with that revelation. What can we do to remind ourselves that we have what we need in Christ? How much of our spiritual life consists of recognizing our being blessed in Christ?
Jesus meets the Samaritan Woman (John 4:5-42)
Again, our story does not explicitly mention forgiveness, but reconciliation is afoot. The unnamed woman is not called a sinner, and Jesus does not tell her to sin no more or offer forgiveness. But she certainly has had a hard life, no matter how she found herself with a history of five husbands, and living with someone who is not her husband can’t be ok by any social standards of the time. She goes to the well at noon, so it is likely she is trying to avoid people—the busy time at the well would be morning and late afternoon. No matter what her reputation, she is certainly an outsider in her community.
As a Samaritan she is also an outsider to Jesus’ community. Jesus crosses several divides as he talks to her—Jews don’t talk to Samaritans, men don’t talk to women—but such restrictions are apparently irrelevant to Jesus. He talks to this Samaritan woman in the same way he spoke to Nicodemus, an educated leader of the faith. Just as in that conversation, he uses symbols which are taken literally by his conversation partner (living water, being born again). But the woman picks up his meaning quickly, and moves on to see the possibility that the theological divisions between Jews and Samaritans may have become meaningless with the coming of the Messiah. She then becomes the first evangelist, bringing her community (from which she seems to have been previously estranged) to meet Jesus, the possible Messiah. Maybe this is why she meets Jesus at midday, in contrast to Nicodemus who comes out in the dark.
Notice that her invitation to come see Jesus is phrased negatively: “He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” It is as if she needs confirmation from the community in order to believe. This invitation demonstrates how she has been changed from avoiding people to actively seeking them out. What in the conversation with Jesus makes the difference, do you think? Do you have a parallel experience of acceptance in your own life?
Although forgiveness is never mentioned, reconciliation has occurred: the woman with her community and the Samaritans with Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. These outsiders have become insiders—members of the faithful community. We usually think of forgiveness as a private transaction between two people, or between a believer and God. But reconciliation has public consequences. How might our understanding of God’s forgiveness for us impact our participation in society? Are there specific examples of ways we can practice reconciliation?
Jesus talks to his disciples about reaping, but it is easy to imagine that he’s not really addressing them (they don’t get to work building on his message here), but future disciples who will be able to take advantage of seeds sown by others. How might we recognize these words as addressed to us? Do we see any opportunities in our world that have been created for us that can be used to share the Gospel?