JESUS DISREGARD FOR SOCIAL CLASSIFICATION New

MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2025

A Model of Inclusive Love

BIBLICAL FOUNDATION:

• TEXT: John 4:1-10 (NIV)

1: Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—

2: although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.

3: So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

4: Now he had to go through Samaria.

5: So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

6: Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

7: When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”

8: (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9: The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10: Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

MESSAGE:The Social Hierarchies of the First Century

Social classification, which categorizes people into groups based on factors like wealth, race, gender, and social status, has been a reality in almost every human society. This classification creates a social hierarchy, ascribing different levels of privilege and value to different groups. Jesus conducted His ministry within a socially stratified society, where racial, ethnic, and gender prejudices were rampant.

The Jews of the first century, for instance, had a deep-seated animosity toward the Samaritans. They viewed them as a mixed race of people—half-Jew and half-Gentile—who had corrupted the worship of God. Jews would often go out of their way to avoid traveling through Samaria, taking a longer, more arduous route. The prejudice was so strong that to be called a “Samaritan” was a grave insult.

Similarly, women faced significant social isolation and exclusion. They were generally not seen as credible witnesses in a court of law, and a rabbi talking to a woman in public, especially a stranger, was a social taboo. Sinners and those with questionable moral reputations were also treated like outcasts, shunned by society.

Jesus’ Radical Act of Inclusion

Against this backdrop of prejudice and division, Jesus performed a radical act of inclusion. The text states that Jesus “had to go through Samaria” (John 4:4). This “had to” was not a geographical necessity; it was a divine one. He had a divine appointment.

He arrived at Jacob’s well in the town of Sychar and, being tired from the journey, sat down. It was about noon, the hottest part of the day, a time when most people would avoid drawing water. This was an unusual time for a woman to be at the well, suggesting that this particular woman was likely a social outcast, a person who chose to avoid the crowds and the gossip that would come with them. Her reputation was likely known throughout the town.

When this Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus initiated a conversation with her, saying, “Will you give me a drink?” (John 4:7). This was a groundbreaking moment. A Jewish man, a rabbi, was talking to a Samaritan woman in public. The woman, shocked by this breach of social etiquette, immediately pointed it out: “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (John 4:9). She was astonished not just by the request but by the very fact that he was talking to her.

Jesus’ disregard for social classification was a powerful message to a world steeped in prejudice. He saw beyond her race, her gender, and her moral reputation. He saw a person, a soul in need of living water. He saw her worth not in her social status but in her created identity as a child of God.

The Call to Change Unhealthy Cultures

This powerful encounter at the well speaks volumes about the unhealthy cultures and traditions that still exist today. In many societies, including some in Africa, social classifications continue to dictate who is valued and who is not. For example, some traditions exclude women, the poor, or the voiceless from certain privileges or positions of power. The exclusion of women from eating certain choice cuts of meat or participating in certain rituals is a small example of a larger issue of systemic prejudice.

Jesus’ approach to the Samaritan woman serves as a powerful critique of any culture that negates the fundamental equality and worth of all people. His actions speak loudly about the areas of our own cultures that must change. The Apostle Paul beautifully captures this revolutionary truth in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This is the foundation of a true Christian culture—a culture of radical inclusion and unconditional love.

The challenge for us today is to examine our own hearts and the cultures we are a part of. We must ask ourselves: How do we treat the downtrodden, the marginalized, and the voiceless in our own communities and in our churches? Do we inadvertently promote unhealthy traditions that contradict the teachings of Christ? Jesus’ ministry was a constant dismantling of the social barriers that people had erected. As His followers, we are called to continue this work. We are to be a people who see beyond the external classifications and see every person as a valuable soul created in the image of God.

PRAYER:

Have mercy on us, Father, for inadvertently promoting unhealthy cultures and traditions that negate Your teaching in Galatians 3:28. Grant us the courage and the grace to follow Jesus’ example, to disregard all social classifications, and to extend Your love and grace to all people. Amen.