Diversity Training

Today marked Day 1 of a mandatory 3-day diversity training at work. As you may imagine this training is being approached from a liberal stand point.

Tonight I went to a different kind of diversity training. I've been attending a women's Bible study each week. Tonight's lesson focused on the book of John, chapter 4. It is the well known story of the woman at the well. 

My diversity training tonight came through a history lesson of the story. I hope I can re-tell it here in a way that makes sense.

The story in a nutshell is that Jesus made a special effort to travel through Samaria on his way to Galilee. He met a Samarian woman at the well and started a conversation with her. Through the conversation the woman came to understand and believe that Jesus is the Messiah. She went back into the city and told more people about Jesus and many more believed. 

Here is where the diversity training comes in.....
Jesus was a Jew.
The woman was from Samaria. Due to interracial marriages (Jews and Gentiles) Samaritans were considered impure and hated by Jews. 
The woman was a harlet...."married" 5 times and was currently living with a man who was not her husband.
She was even an outcast among other Samaritans.
In the worldly perspective Jesus had no business talking to this woman. She could not have been more different then Jesus. Even the disciples were shocked that he was talking to her.

But he did talk to her. He was focused on what God the Father wanted Jesus to be doing at that moment in time. Jesus was not worried about the customs or social norms. He wasn't worried about his energy level or his schedule.  Verse 34 is clear that Jesus is following the will of God and finishing the work God had for him at that time.

Salvation is for everyone. "and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." vs. 42

That is the type of lesson I want to spend three days learning more about. 



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