An excerpt from a special edition of Encounter magazine, celebrating 40 years of Samaritans.
There are all sorts of folk wisdom. Some of it true and some not!
You might have heard the story about a stranger going up to a person on a street. The stranger whispers, “They know your secret” and the person gets very nervous.
Many of us have secrets. It might be a romance we had we hope no one hears about. We may be wary about mistakes we made when we were younger. We hope no one asks about the tattoo we got covered up.
There is a story in the bible about a woman who gets talking with Jesus. She has gone to get water in the middle of the day. Women, in those days, weren’t supposed to talk with men. She was a different race and didn’t normally mix with Jesus’ race. We never get to know her name.
When the woman describes the conversation with Jesus to her friends she says, “He told me everything I have ever done.”
Perhaps Jesus is a bit like the stranger talking to the person on a street. But only a bit. They talk about her romantic and intimate life. Jesus says to her “you have had five husbands and the one you have now is not your husband.”
Yet, in this conversation the woman doesn’t feel judged, denigrated or belittled. The woman recognises a kindness and holiness in Jesus’ conversation.
What would it be like for you to have a meaningful and purposeful conversation about your secrets with someone who truly cared for you? What would it be like if you shared some of the dark or difficult parts of your story but didn’t feel condemned or judged?
At a very early age we learn how to feel shame. We learn a rule that some things must be kept hidden. Shame can be used to coerce or control us. It can be used to silence us and harm us.
The woman in the story finds greater hope and acceptance when she can be fully herself and doesn’t need to hide away. We see that Jesus wants her to know freedom and hope. As the story goes on, she speaks about her experience with Jesus and others come to talk to him and learn from him.
In another story from the bible, we hear Jesus tell a crowd that has gathered “if you follow me, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Secret keeping, whether it be our secrets or the secrets of others, can be very destructive. Often it leads to a web of lies and deceit.
We make up stories to cover our tracks. We do not behave as our best selves. The alternative to secret keeping is truth telling. Truth telling is liberating. It builds hope and trust.
What would your life be like if you didn’t have to keep secrets? What if you could be your full self in front of others?
We don’t know the circumstances of the woman’s marriages, economic situation, or intimate life. Some scholars say she needed to get water in the middle of the day because she was regarded with suspicion.
What we do know is that Jesus broke down the barriers of exclusion she was facing.
He treated her with dignity and respect. When feeling empowered and supported she found her voice. Her impact was celebrated by word over many generations until it was written as part of John’s Gospel.
Jesus’ actions as a man were simple but life changing.
This story is a reminder to us all that we can break down the barriers that enslave and dehumanise others. We can act in simple, but profound ways, that make a difference.
I wish we knew the woman’s name. But we don’t. But we do know that she was a Samaritan.
Like the story of the Good Samaritan, she was a rejected person who made a powerful difference.
As we think about our welfare and social justice work through the Samaritans, we remember this woman.
We remember that gracious acts of empowerment have a huge and positive impact. We seek to do the same.
