Breaking Down Barriers

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give Me a drink,” Jesus said to her, for His disciples had gone into town to buy food. “How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked Him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. John 4:7-9 HCSB

I can remember when the Berlin Wall separated East Berlin from West Berlin. It also separated the democratic world from the communist world. In 1987 Ronald Reagan in his famous speech said, “Tear down this wall.” He was challenging the Soviet Union leader to tear down the wall and restore unity among the people of Berlin. Under great pressure, East Germany opened the gate and began the dismantling of the wall in 1989.

There was a cultural barrier between Jews and Samaritans and also between men and women in Jesus’ time. Jesus broke down both of those barriers by asking for a drink from a Samaritan woman. She was surprised He even spoke to her, but then for a man who was a Jew to ask a Samaritan woman for a drink of water would have been unheard of in her culture. Jesus was in the business of breaking down barriers and reaching out to the lonely, the depressed, the hurting, and even the worst sinners in the world with His love, compassion, and forgiveness. Your sin creates a barrier between you and God, but through Jesus Christ that barrier can be destroyed and you can restore a right relationship with God.

Challenge: Jesus is reaching out to you. Is there a barrier between you and Jesus? Accept His love and forgiveness. Is there a barrier between you and someone else? Be the hands and feet of Jesus by breaking down the barrier and offering forgiveness, understanding, and love to that person today.

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