“Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he.’” John 4:26 ESV
Sometimes in life I can get a little puffed up. I may get frustrated about having to repeat myself. At times, I may feel undervalued at work or like I’m not respected for my talents or my earthly positional power. One of my biggest pet peeves is being the only one to cultivate a relationship (platonic, romantic, or familial) and doing the maintenance work to stay in touch. And the list goes on, and on…
Each of these things can contribute to a prideful spirit and even resentment for me.
I was reading the passage of Jesus and the Samaritan woman earlier this week (John 4:7-26). Throughout this encounter Jesus speaks to the woman eight times. This is HUGE for the cultural context of the day. Specifically, Jews and Samaritans were like oil and water — they just didn’t mix. Additionally, women were very much viewed as second class citizens making it uncommon for a man to engage in conversation with a woman.
In this conversation Jesus engages the woman with the singular focus of drawing her to Him and changing her life. Throughout the conversation, the woman makes it clear that she has no idea about the importance or relevance of Jesus. In verse 9, she questions why Jesus is speaking to her given their cultural difference. In verse 11, she calls Jesus out for not even having a bucket to get the water requested and calls into question if Jesus is greater than the ancestors. To put it plainly, she doesn’t know who she’s speaking to. While intrigued, she doesn’t really care who He is until Jesus begins to tell her about her own life.
Here we have Jesus who is The Messiah, the Son of God, the King of Kings breaking societal norms and not once getting annoyed by the fact that she does not know Him or respect His authority and position. In verse 26, Jesus simply says “I who speak to you am he [The Messiah].” Those words jumped out at me. I was reminded that pride comes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18), and I was in awe with both the patience and persistence Jesus displayed. If Jesus can repeat himself, graciously discuss thorny issues with people of a differing viewpoint, be patient, and reintroduce himself many times. who am I to become haughty and annoyed?
The truth is that we’re all human. And while we’re called to be Christlike, as long as we are on this earth we will always be striving and attaining to model the attributes of Jesus. Each of us has our own triggers. You know the behaviors and actions of others that make us think more highly of ourselves causing our own arrogance, building prejudice, harboring resentment, displaying irritability, etc. The good news is this doesn’t have to be our reality! Let Jesus’ model serve as an encouragement to stay humble. Afterall, every good thing we are and have is only because of God’s grace and mercy, not because of our self.
Reflection
What causes me to become prideful? How do those triggers impact my relationships? Whom do I disassociate with because of my haughtiness? How can I be like Jesus and demonstrate patience and grace in those instances?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to save me and to serve as a model of how to live this life on earth. Forgive me of the times when my ego inflates and I become annoyed. Help me to live my life in a way that shows I know you by displaying love, grace, gentleness, and patience to everyone I encounter. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Photo by Filippo Ruffini on Unsplash
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