Owning the faith

This week's goodness comes from John 4:39-42:

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

The woman being talked about here is the famous woman at the well. If you haven't heard about the Samaritan woman at the well, you should really sit down and read the first part of John 4. It's a great story about how Jesus seeks out even the doctrinally-challenged, disobedient, unwanted folks, and a good testimony to his grace. Think of any condemning terms you'd have for women who are sexually immoral, for cultists, etc, and that's who Jesus went and got while his disciples were out shopping. But that's not the story we're talking about today.

When Jesus reached this woman, she left everything and went back and talked to all of the unwanted, cultish, rejected people in her village. Because of what she said, they all wanted to know more about Jesus. So they went and found him for themselves. They asked him into their lives, and made a decision to spend time in his presence.

This is the point where the story could get really ordinary, or really cool. Luckily our Jesus takes it full throttle towards cool, and doesn't park it in ordinary like most of us would. At the point where the Samaritans went to get Jesus for themselves, Jesus could have been all ordinary, like "Sorry folks, my speaking schedule is full. You can buy some copies of my book though. Maybe that'll solve you dirty Samaritans doctrinal problems at least." Or he could have just been like "Hey, you can't generalize like that. I was just trying to reach that one specific woman in that one specific place on the one specific day she was there. Samaritans are going to hell! I mean, I won't even eat off dishes you guys have touched. The tramp is one of us, because she makes for a great story, but the rest of you guys might as well start slathering yourselves in barbecue sauce because you're going to roast for a very long time."

Instead, Jesus was like "Hey, you guys want to get to know me? I'd like to get to know you too. Let's hang out." That's what's supposed to happen when people like each other. It's totally authentic for a God of love. They spent two precious days together. It doesn't say what they did, but there was a lot of talking, and when he left to go on his way, the Samaritans had become Christians. The woman's Jesus was now their Jesus too.

That's what's supposed to happen as we become Christians. When we first start off, maybe our faith is the pastor's faith, or our parents' faith, or our friends' faith, or the sleek-haired tv preacher who asks us to mail him the green paper's faith. We're borrowing it, trying it on for size, but it isn't really ours. We saw them with it and thought it might be a good fit. But then we spend time in prayer, with the Bible, with Jesus, and it becomes our faith. No matter what happens to those people we got it from, it's part of us now. You no longer believe because of them. You believe because of Jesus.

If you're still sort of delegating your faith, try making it your own. Reach out to God. Don't make others do the praying and the studying and the worshiping and all of that stuff. Don't make Christianity a show you watch once a week so you can win the quiz show that keeps you out of hell. Make it your life. Take ownership of your faith.