- Welcome back to the show.

I'm Roberto Torres-Cedillo and we're back

with another round of Q&A with Gordon.

- Boy.- All right.

(laughs)

- All right.

- You're gonna throw a hard one at me.

- Yeah, well, we'll see.

No, I don't think it's hard

but just in light ofcurrent events, I notice

that a lot of people are arguing

and they have argued I think, in the past

and it pains me to say this

but they've argued thatChristians are judgemental,

intolerant and even racist, right?

So, they'll judge, they'll seethe bad example of Christians

and they'll say I don't wantanything to do with Jesus

but if we turn to the source,to the gospels, to Jesus,

what does he say, what is hedoing when it comes to issues

of inequality and racism?

- Well, let me handle thefirst part, judgemental,

Jesus said judge not andyou will not be judged.

And that's certainlytrue in the Church today.

I think the Church has been known more

for what we're against asopposed to what we're for.

And as a result it'slost some of it's savor,

it's lost it's saltiness, if you will.

And the preservationthat the Church brings,

the gospel brings andthat's salt and light.

So, can we resolve thatwe'll be salt and light

and not be so reactionary andbe known more for our love

than what we're against.

Specifically on racism, thestory that comes to mind

is the woman at the well.

And here's a Samaritan womanand in today's modern culture

there's still Samaritans in Israel

and they're consideredoutcasts to this day.

They are half Jewish and so aspart of the nation of Israel

they were excluded becausethey were half Jewish.

And they actually createdtheir own religious observance

and had their own specialmountain to go worship the Lord.

And so here's Jesus, he'sgoing from Jerusalem.

He's going from the Jewishholy city to Galilee

and he stops at a well andhe's very human in this moment.

He, the Bible records,number one he's hungry.

He sends his disciplesinto the Samaritan city

to get meat which iscurious, will it be kosher?

So he sends his disciples to get meat

and he's tired and it's clear he's tired.

And he sits down by the well and he turns

to a Samaritan woman and says

can you give me something to drink?

That is taboo for a rabbi to ask a woman

to do anything is taboo,let alone a Samaritan woman

and a Samaritan womanwith multiple husbands.

So, here he is saying I am willing

to be ritually impure for you

which is a phenomenaltheological statement

by Jesus the rabbi for him tosay I will take a cup of water

from a woman.

A rabbi can be ritually impureby just touching a woman.

So, here I will be rituallyimpure from not just anyone

but a Samaritan.

And here's the amazing thing,the son of God, the Messiah

is asking for a favor.

And how beautiful that is.

- Wow.

- And how enlightening that is.

He approaches her not as I'm your messiah,

you should bow and worship me.

He approaches her as aperson in need, I'm thirsty,

would you give me a drink.

He asks her for a favor.

And then he reveals to her

and it's the most directrevelation in the gospels,

other than the revelationto doubting Thomas.

It's, he reveals I am the Messiah

and he's very specific with her.

He affirms the truth,salvation is of the Jews.

She's into who's right,are the Samaritans right

and is our mountain right,is our temple right,

is our worship right?

And he's very direct with that.

Salvation is of the Jews.

And then he says, I cangive you living water.

If you knew who was asking.

And then she says, shereveals some of her truth

but she's still hiding it

and he says, no I'm seeing all of this.

I see who you are, I seeexactly what you're doing.

And she goes back to the village

and says he told meeverything about myself.

You've got to come meethim, he is the Messiah.

Here's something that Ithink you can read this

and not really understand.

All of the disciples ofJesus went into that city.

They were seeking foodbut they didn't share

that the bread of life isright outside. (laughs)

- Wow.- They don't preach the gospel

they aren't missionaries.

Here the Samaritan womanbecomes a missionary

to her entire community.

You have to come hear him.

And the Bible recordsthat the entire village

believed on Jesusbecause of her testimony.

Now apply that to todayand how many communities

do we see as separate andapart or they're not one of us

or just the list goes on andon of the number of things

that we can use to separate one another.

What if we went around that and said,

we'll start asking each other for favors

and just see what happens.

And then in that realizeyou can preach Christ

and have people who are notof people become of people

and we can become one,for in him we are one.

There's neither Jew norGreek, slave nor free,

male or female, we are one in Christ.

So let that be a lesson for all of us.