Participating in Mary’s belief and hopeful expectation for what’s to come.

Jesus doesn’t choose his travel plans on accident. He takes the way through Samaria, the way others avoided.

Perhaps Jesus knows there’s no better way to teach than by example. When he shows us how we can grow and transcend our human biases, his example turns out to be quite surprising.

Jesus famously teaches his followers not to condemn. But this teaching goes further. Jesus invites us to learn what keeps us from seeing ourselves and our world as it truly is.

Jesus challenges his disciples not to retaliate–not even when slapped, sued or commandeered. But Jesus does not make his disciples into doormats. Something else is going on, something easy to miss and life-changing to embrace.