John 4:
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 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.)
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
When we lived in Brazil, one of the first phrases I learned was “Nao entende”. It means “I don’t understand”. I used it a lot.
I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of things that I don’t understand. I don’t understand some small things (Why is there not always Bluebell® Ice Cream in my freezer? Why does the other line always move faster?). I don’t understand some technical things (How does the Wii know where the controller is and what it’s doing? How does it know that I don’t like to lose?) I don’t understand some silly things (How can two cats eat so little and need so much litter? Why do rabbits lick your head?) I don’t understand some spiritual things (How can Jesus love me enough to die for me? Why does there have to be such an evil nature in humans?) And most recently some philosophical things? (Why do people have to learn so many things the hard way? Why do bad things happen? What’s the future going to bring now?)
I’ve come to realize that just because I don’t understand doesn’t mean that things are not happening exactly like God wants them to. In our scripture today, there are three examples of people being puzzled at what Jesus was doing, and that’s our “Don’t” for today: Don’t expect to understand all that God is doing with you and around you.
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