It was a long, well-established reality: Jews and Samaritans didn’t talk to one another. Jews and Samaritans shunned one another (cf. John 4:9). But the argument that “We don’t do things that way” didn’t deter Jesus. He saw a woman, and a city, ready to respond to his kingdom message of love. He was willing to change whatever he needed to change, if it meant reaching people who were “ripe for the harvest.”

• Jesus’ disciples saw Samaria and all of its people as a hopeless, ungodly place. Some of them probably wondered, “Why was Jesus wasting his time there?” As Jesus saw Samaritans making their way toward him, he said to the disciples, “Open your eyes and notice that the fields are already ripe for the harvest.” Are there any “harvests” you might be in danger of overlooking, in your own life or near your church, just because they aren’t as familiar or comfortable for you?
• “The woman” (verses 27-29) was the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well—she’d had five husbands and was thirsty for “living water.” The disciples were surprised Jesus talked to her at all; so was she, at first. But Jesus saw a different potential in her, and she became the first “preacher” of the good news in the gospel of John. Is there someone you see in a negative light who might be worth a fresh look through Jesus’ eyes?