Day 2 – Deflection
“The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
John 4:19-23
It seems odd that in the Samaritan woman’s interaction with Jesus, she suddenly mentions worshiping on a mountain other than Jerusalem. I think it may have been an attempt at deflection. Jesus is talking with her about things that others wouldn’t, most wouldn’t even talk with her.
She gets overwhelmed and then tries to deflect. By bringing up the mountain, she is trying to introduce an argument to hide and deflect from what is going on in her heart. She thinks that if she can get Jesus talking about this controversy between Samaritans and Jews, then she can avoid what is developing.
But Jesus doesn’t take the bait; He side-steps and brings it back to knowing the Father, to knowing the one who truly satisfies.
Inward: Jesus, what do you want me to know? What are some ways that, like the Samaritan woman, I try to deflect conversations? In what areas do I get squirmy when confronted with Your truth?
Outward: Jesus, what do you want me to do? Please help me not to get distracted by politics or arguments that are just deflections from talking about what truly matters. Would you help me be patient, just as you are/were, and stay with people who are weary?
