HEROES
September: The Samaritan Woman
Heroes...Searching the Scriptures of our Parish Theme
Last year’s hot TV hit was entitled Heroes. The basic premise of the series is that living in our midst are individuals endowed with special gifts that have the power to change things. “Save the cheerleader, save the world” became the mantra of the first few episodes. Scripture declares that we live in the company of individuals endowed with special gifts as well, and the one gift that unites them is that of faith. These individuals are Heroes and their mantra, “Cheer the Leader who saves the world.”
She would not have been identified as a heroine in the beginning of the story. In fact, she was an outcast. She was to be avoided. She was well known, not for valiant deeds but rather for her vices. Knowing the above, read John 4:1-42. How many times did you find the word know, or a derivative thereof, in the text? The word used by John doesn’t refer to mere abstract comprehension but a true understanding of the mission and the One who is sent to undertake it.How does Jesus prove He knows the woman? vs. 17 & 39
What, at first, does the woman try to show that she knows? vs. 20
In the end, what is it that she comes to know? vs. 28-30
As a result of her ‘knowledge’ what do her fellow citizens claim to know? vs. 42
In the end of the event, the outcast, dangerous, loathsome woman became a hero. She was endowed with the gift, the gift of knowing the Leader who saves the world. There is a pattern here: the first step in Heroism is being known by God; the second step is knowing Him, the third is making Him known.
In the end, we must admit that we know little about her. We never learn her name. To my knowledge there is no congregation named Samaritan Woman, insert denomination here, Church. I’ve never seen a stained glass window that honored her. While I’m sure there are a few paintings, perhaps even a sculpture they are probably intended to tell the story rather than to highlight this heroine. What does this mean? Being a hero doesn’t mean your name will be known throughout church history, and that isn’t the goal anyway; it simply means that heroes are those through whom others come to know that He is really the Leader who “saves the world.” (Jn. 4:42b)