Meditation on This Sunday's Gospel in a "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church"

The readings for this Sunday:

1 Kings 1:  1-5, 11-18, 29-31

Psalm 90:  1-10, 12

Colossians 2:  9-14

John 7:  37-44

In today's Gospel, we see Jesus offering himself as living water, and we see the varying responses to him.  Some see him as an important prophet, and some go as far as to declare him the Messiah.  But others question his background: where he's from?  They hearken back to the teachings that prepared people to look for a Messiah that would look like the mighty King David.

By this time, they've forgotten about David's faults. David is seen, by them and by us, as one of Israel's greatest kings.  But Dr. Wilda Gafney's A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church shows us that while David had military strengths, that power came at great cost, particularly for women in his life.  In today's selection of readings, we realize that even the greatest ruler will be old and impotent eventually.  Jesus offers us a power that is more permanent.

A different Gospel, Matthew, begins with the lineage of Jesus, which includes David.  But this list of ancestors reminds us that being of the lineage of David means that Jesus comes from a line of not just the greatest rulers, but also outcasts, victims, and abusers.  In short, the humanity of Jesus means that he comes from the wide variety of what it means to be human--and Jesus shows us a different way to be human.

Again and again, Jesus tells us that he's coming to usher in a new realm, but it won't be what people have been hoping and praying for.  He's not there to overcome an earthly empire like Rome.  Again and again, Jesus reminds us that far greater powers than earthly empires hold us in a powerful grasp, and that he's here to break us free.  

Jesus continues to offer us living water.  How will we respond?