An Appointment with a Discarded Woman

Part 1 of this story series …


He had an appointment.


He was on a trip home to Galilee.


His route could have taken him along the breathtaking western seacoast of Israel. He would have passed pretty Joppa, named so because the houses there reflected the sun. He would have gone by the Auja River flowing into the sea, where travelers saw the landscape change before their very eyes after crossing. Then He would have crossed the Plain of Sharon, noted for its flowery beauty.


Or, He could have chosen Route #2 … along the Jordan River in the Jordan Valley, rich with vegetation and wildlife galore. It would have been easy for food gathering, and the fresh water and coolness of the riverbed would have been a welcome sight for His weary band of travelers.


But He had an appointment.


And this required Him to choose the third and last Route … through Samaria.


Samaria.


It was home to Samaritans, half-breeds, despised by the Jewish people. Their society combined the worship of Jehovah with that of the many pagan gods. Hundreds of years ago when Israel had been conquered by invaders, the kings of old gave Samaritan land to people other than the Jews. Soon, they intermarried. Soon, they introduced other religions. Soon, the Samaritans were worshipping idols as well as the Jewish God.


Soon … they were reviled, seen as the enemy, by their brothers and sisters to the South.


He didn’t care about any of that. He had a mission in mind. And He had to choose a route through Samaria.



He had an appointment, you see,



an appointment ….



… with a discarded woman.



What does this have to do with a Christian safehouse discussion? Tune in for part 2 of the story …