Once upon a time a thief broke into a house at night. It was dark and quiet as he crept through the rooms. He froze upon hearing a voice, “I see you and Jesus sees you.” He swung his flashlight around but didn’t see anyone. He stayed still for several minutes and when we didn’t see or hear anything further, he went into the next room when the voice spoke again, “I see you and Jesus sees you.” The flashlight didn’t reveal anyone so after a pause he crept forward again. “I see you and Jesus sees you.” This time, much to the thief’s relief, the flashlight revealed a talking parrot. Only a bird, the thief thought until he noticed beneath the parrot’s perch was a ninety-pound pit bull with collar having this name tag around his neck which said “Jesus.” It was just then that the parrot said, “Sic ‘em, Jesus.”
The Samaritan Woman realized that Jesus saw her. She told the people of the town, “He told me everything I have done.” No doubt it was somewhat embarrassing to have her dirty laundry dragged out in public. But Jesus saw not only what she had done but who she was on the most basic, that is to say, most human, level. He not only saw her, he saw into her. He saw her as valuable and important without judging her. Most of the women in town would have avoided the noon day sun and would have come to the well in the cool of the morning or evening. She was there at mid-day so she could walk in the light. That Jesus met her as she was and talked with her freely doubtless made her feel the worthiness that Jesus saw in her. Jesus also saw her without the cloud of race and gender that can inhibit genuine interaction. That she was a woman and that she was of a different nationality was not a barrier to a genuine encounter. Meeting her as an equal was a liberating moment. Jesus also saw her beyond any religious categories. Yes, she did not worship as an orthodox Jew like he did. But he reminded her to see the truth of all worship – having a genuine connection with God. Jesus saw the Samaritan woman as connected to the same God as he was. Perhaps most importantly he saw that the Samaritan woman wanted more in her life, as thirsting for something beyond the daily struggle just to make it through each day. He saw that God was at work in her calling her into a deeper relationship.
We tell the story of Jesus encounter with the Samaritan woman every year as part of the preparation for those who will be baptized at Easter. It reminds all of us that the life of faith is a response to the way that Jesus sees us. We are only too aware of our faults, our limitations, our inabilities. We have hearts which are full of fear, anxiety, of worry. We are haunted by things that happened in our past and are at a loss to imagine what lies in our future. Jesus looks on each one of us in a way similar to how he looked on the Samaritan woman. Jesus loves us as we are. We might have messed up, we might have been mistreated, we might have different religions, backgrounds, nationalities or languages. Jesus looks on everyone with love.
The powerful lesson of the story is how the look of Jesus changed the Samaritan woman. She became the first missionary! She wasn’t the ideal candidate for the role given her history. She was, in all likelihood, illiterate since most women of her time were not educated. She was promoting as messiah someone who was traditionally viewed as opposed to her people. But she spread the message anyway. What Jesus saw into her gave her the confidence to share the message of hope and love which he embodied. The town could see the change that Jesus had worked in her and so they heeded her message and came to meet Jesus for themselves.
We tell this story not as a blast from the past about quaint people back then but as current events meant for us. Since Jesus sees us with eyes of love, we too are sent out to share the message of God with others. And not just any others but the people who are part of our lives. The Samaritan woman was a missionary to her town, her neighbors. We are called to be missionaries not by standing on street corners or knocking on strangers’ doors but in the providence of our daily lives. In the secularized world we live in, we are called to be missionaries foremost among our own circle, our relatives and friends. As St. Francis is supposed to have said, we should preach always and, if absolutely necessary, use words. We are most effective as missionaries when people see in us the evidence of God’s presence in our kindness, our compassion, our generosity, our forgiveness. We should act in ways that make people want what we have as people of faith. There is a scene in the Man of La Mancha when Aldonza is wondering about Don Quixote. “Why does he do the things he does, why does he do these things? Why does he batter at walls that won’t break? Why does he give when it’s natural to take? Where does he see all the good he can see?” It is his example that changes her from the kitchen wench Aldonza into the beloved Dulcinea. The Samaritan Woman was changed because Jesus looked at her with love. She wanted the closeness with God that he had. We are called to show by our lives how our encounter with Jesus has changed us … and that in turn will change the world.
