By: Obed Pineda
The Golden Gate is a narrow strait in California where the Pacific Ocean enters to meet the San Francisco Bay. This aquatic body spans approximately two miles with Marin County to the north of it and the city of San Francisco to its south. San Francisco was separated from its northern neighbors by the Golden Gate Strait, and for several decades the only means available to be able to travel across this narrow strait was via ferry. The dream of connecting Marin County to San Francisco began to materialize in 1933 when construction began on the renown Golden Gate Bridge. The famous 1.7 mile long structure that today provides passage over the narrow strait took four years, thirty-five million dollars, and several thousands of workers laboring over open water, in dangerously treacherous conditions to be completed. The bridge was engineered to be able to withstand winds up to 90 mph and an earthquake of an 8.0 magnitude on the Richter Scale. Indeed, this International Orange colored marvel of engineering is a testament of the great, essential value bridges provide in uniting two neighbors separated by the obstacles of life. Because bridges are structures that have been known to be used since ancient Mesopotamian civilization to create pathways where valleys, rough terrains, or bodies of water make it nearly impossible to cross, it is a no wonder why a bridge is commonly used as a symbol of a mediator or peacemaker. This is evidenced further by the expression, “to bridge the gap” between two individuals. There is no question that the vast majority of society believe that to “get involved” in a dispute between two people is highly inadvisable. This is true if “getting involved” refers to escalating the argument by making unwise comments that only stir up the fire. Yet, it is important to comprehend that standing idle and doing nothing to help end the quarrel, is similar to allowing oxygen to feed the raging fire. For this reason, it is valuable to accept that in certain unfortunate situations, one must “get involved” and become the bridge that brings together the two sides toward peace. The Holy Spirit reveals that to successfully bridge that gap, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness” (Proverbs 15:1-2). Observe that God is not advising for a person to remain silent before the confrontation, but rather to use meekness wisely, to guide the passageway to peace. Of course, this Scripture is also not saying that one must always step into an argument, since sometimes silence can also be the “soft answer.” Undeniably, mediating a volatile situation with the hope of brokering peace between opposing sides is no simple task, and thus it makes greater sense why the Holy Spirit promulgates “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). This beatitude becomes more radiant when we realize that He who spoke these blessed words, “He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14a). In our previous article, we learned that the “gift of God” Jesus alluded to in His conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well is referring to the grace of God (cf. John 4:10, Ephesians 2:4-9). It was also established that God’s gift is without question the gift that keeps on giving since Paul rightly assures that God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). It was also revealed that during the Master’s lifetime, to share a drink with another person communicated friendship or an alliance between those sharing a drink together, non-verbally. Furthermore, witnessing a person offer a cup of water to a bitter rival made the bold proclamation that the rivalry was officially over, and the enmity between the two was no more; peace had been achieved between foes. Therefore, when the Lord said to the Samaritan woman, “Give Me a drink” He had begun to bridge the gap over the centuries long feud between Jews and Samaritans (John 4:7, 9). Behold the manner in which the “Prince of Peace” had begun to give mankind the gift of God (Isaiah 9:6)! Verily the prophet Micah, many centuries earlier had already prophesied about Jesus, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel…and this One shall be peace” (Micah 5:2-3, 5). Upon asking for a drink of water from a Samaritan, Jesus (a Jew by birth) was being the bridge of peace between these feuding brothers. He was proving that truly “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” which was undeniably true of the lost house of the northern tribes of Israel (Luke 19:10). Let us recall that the Samaritans were the blended bloodlines of the Israelite’s with the foreign nations that their conquerors, the Assyrians, had brought into their land so that they could inhabit it as well (cf. 2nd Kings 17:24-41). This regrettable assimilation led the northern kingdom of Israel astray, and tragically eradicated their identity as God’s holy people. Thus, reading that the Son of God came to Samaritan lands, because Samaria “also is a son of Abraham” (like He proclaimed of Zacchaeus on that occasion, Luke 19:9), confirms that Jesus had intentionally asked for a drink of water from she, whom society labeled as His enemy, to become the bridge of peace and reconciliation. The apostle Paul espouses, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Ephesians 2:14-15). It is true that the apostle in the periscope is speaking to the Ephesian Christians who came from the Gentile world, yet the reality that they, too, like the Samaritans were despised by the Jews because of their erred interpretation of the Law of Moses further proves the Savior’s grace is universal, which He accomplishment on His cross (cf. Romans 3:9-26). This also explains why Jesus responded to the Samaritan woman’s skepticism of Him being greater than Jacob by unveiling, “whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:12-14). The Christ was exposing the limitations of Jacob, by illustrating the infinite and limitless blessings found only in Him! It is imperative to note as well that Jesus was explaining to this woman that Jacob could not provide spiritual water, for only He could do so (cf. Acts 3:19-21, 4:8-12). Thus, the Savior began His mission to bridge the gap of enmity between man and man at Sychar, but at the same time was becoming the ladder “set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven” (Genesis 28:12). To be continued…