Making the Invisible Visible

John 4:29 – Come see a man who told me everything I ever did!  Could he possibly be the Messiah?

Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well is the longest recorded conversation of Jesus in Scripture.  This is also the first time he confirmed he was the promised Messiah in the book of John.  He revealed himself to a woman who some may have labeled an outcast or immoral.  This woman gathered water alone in the midday heat, while the other women of Sychar would have collected water earlier in the day when it was cool.  We don’t fully know her story, but something made her want to be invisible.

Jesus and his disciples ditched the normal route from Judea to Galilee and traveled through Samaritan territory instead.  On this day Jesus paused to rest at the well by himself, which set up a divinely orchestrated encounter.  It was unthinkable that a respectable Jewish man would speak to this woman for a multitude of reasons, yet Jesus interreacted with her anyway.  He could see her past, present and future and told her as much.  He saw her, but he saw her without shaming her.

Jesus also wanted her to truly see him for who he really was.  To this unlikely person he revealed his identity and promised that God seeks those that worship in spirit and truth.  The kingdom of Heaven was for people just like her.  This invisible woman, now seen in love and acceptance, told the whole town about Jesus.  She urged them to “Come and see!”  Some scholars credit her with being the first evangelist.

When we pause and rest, it invites an opportunity for unexpected encounters.  We can notice someone that we might normally overlook in our busyness.  I invite you into this prayer.

God, please help me see my need to occasionally pause.  Help me let go of the busyness in my life so that I can be centered in the moment.  Help me be attuned to what I need but also present to see those around me.  Help me connect with them with openness and without judgment.  May I be visible.  May they be visible to me.  Ultimately, may You be visible in the interaction.

—Mitzi Myers