Shame a Runnin’

No one else was around.  She knew there wouldn’t be.  She purposefully avoided them.  Well, that’s what she told herself at least, but the fact of the matter was that all the townspeople were much too willing to sidestep her.  So here she was again, drawing water in the heat of the day when everyone else had come in the cool of the morning. 

“Hmmph, who needs them anyways?” she muttered.  “Besides, I’ve got my man at home.  He loves me. . . I think.”

She stood staring at the well, her thoughts lost in the deep waters.  “Come on,” she said.  “Back to work.”  As she shook her head to break the trance, she noticed a man.  Not just any man.  A Jew.  That much was fully obvious just by his physical characteristics.  Great.  What does he want and why is he here?  Doesn’t he know that Jews don’t associate with us Samaritans?

Ahh, yes.  He knew alright.  He also knew many other things—things such as worship, salvation, God, living water and even about her five husbands and the man she was now living with.  And soon she knew something, too.  This man was Jesus.

The excitement within her was so great that she couldn’t help but leave everything behind.  Abandoning her water jar—and her shame—she ran full speed towards town shouting “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did” (John 4:29).

Can we just hit the pause button for a moment?  I mean, am I missing something here?  If I knew I were the talk of the town, the last thing I would want to do is broadcast the very events that gave everyone such liberty to talk.  Come to think of it, even if I didn’t think people were gossiping about me, I still wouldn’t joyfully announce my sins for all to hear.  It just doesn’t seem logical.  Nor does the result of that “illogical” action:

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did’” (John 4:39).

Seriously?  I thought my testimony had to be pristine in order to cause others to believe in God.  Oh wait, that’s just the common misconception I’ve bought into.

It still just doesn’t add up, but Romans 9:33 provides the key:

See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (emphasis mine)

The goal of the cross wasn’t just to take our sin.  Jesus also took our shame away.  Regardless of if we’re single, married, divorced, a Samaritan, Jew or Gentile, may we too drop our shame and loudly proclaim Christ.