Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 5
Ethnocentrism
“ A tendency to view alien groups or cultures from the perspectives of one’ s own, the belief in the inherent superiority of one’ s own ethnic group or culture.”( dictionary. com)
A few thousand years ago Jesus was just starting out in His ministry. Back in His day, there was a group of people known as the Samaritan’ s. These were a sort of ethnic half Jewish person, and although they worshipped the same God that the“ true” Hebrew people did the Samaritans were despised, if not hated by the Hebrews. In John Ch. 4 we see Jesus going through Samaria. Historically, Jews would go to greater lengths to bypass Samaria because of a mutual disgust between the Jews and the Samaritans. But, being God Himself Jesus had a plan, and was on a mission. He met a woman at Jacobs well. She was a Samaritan woman, and one of ill-repute at that. In both a flash of humanity & a simultaneous blast of deity omniscience,“ There came a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus said to her,“ Give me to drink.”( John 4:7 NASB) And it wasn’ t like He really couldn’ t get water Himself. But he used this conversation, which started out in the physical realm to lead this woman, a troubled woman, to a spiritual conversation that would prove, among other things that Jesus was the Messiah.“ Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him,“ How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?”( For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her,“ If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you,‘ Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” She said to Him,“ Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” Jesus answered and said to her,“ Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”( John 4:9-14 NASB) This Samaritan woman in her discussions with Jesus brought up several excuses, mostly about the supremacy of Jacob. This was a historical heritage, a lineage of intrinsic supremacy. It was Ethnocentrism. Why are you talking to me, you’ re a Jew? Why should I talk to that person, their a( fill in the blank.) But Jesus smashed through these boundaries, starting off with a physical conversation with a stranger who was in need, and in showing loving kindness this woman came to know Christ. People are dying of thirst. Perhaps physically, but more importantly spiritually. Let us make haste to never allow any ethnocentric ideals from preventing us from having a spiritual conversation with someone who is thirsty.
Joshua Miles Tuscumbia, Alabama joshuarmiles1976 @ gmail. com