阅读经文 

谈到美国总统罗纳德里根，最令人难忘的就是他的柏林墙演说。在1987年，里根站在分隔东柏林和西柏林的围墙附近，向俄罗斯总统呼吁说：“戈尔巴乔夫先生，请拆掉这座墙。”

今天经文中的故事告诉我们，耶稣经过撒玛利亚，来到叙加城附近，祂感到疲倦，便坐在一口著名的井旁，有一个撒玛利亚的妇人来打水。那里也有一座有几个世纪历史的墙，这座墙是肉眼看不到的，然而每一个人都知道它的存在——一座隔在犹太人和撒玛利亚人中间的墙。

耶稣亲自拆掉这座墙。祂主动向撒玛利亚的妇人说话时，她简直不能相信：“祢怎么向我要水喝呢？”她不是说：“祢好大胆子啊！”她的意思是：“祢为什么与我沟通呢？”

耶稣的门徒回来时，也感到希奇呢！祂不仅与一个妇女谈话，祂更是与一个撒玛利亚人谈话啊！

这时，妇人回到城里，把这个拆墙人的事都告诉她的邻居：“你们来看！有一个人将我素来所行的一切事都给我说出来了。”她的邻居就跟着她亲自去见耶稣。当他们邀请耶稣到他们那里时，祂便答应了！好邻舍正是会这样做的。

U.S. President Ronald Reagan may best be remembered for his Berlin Wall speech. In 1987, standing near the wall that separated East Berlin from West Berlin, Reagan made this appeal to Russia’s General Secretary: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

Today’s story tells us that Jesus went through Samaria, that he came near the town of Sychar, that he was tired, that he sat down by a famous well, and that a Samaritan woman came to draw water. A huge, centuries-old wall was there too. It was invisible, yet everyone knew it was there—between Jews and Samaritans.

Jesus tore down this wall. When he spoke to the Samaritan woman, she couldn’t believe it: “How can you ask me for a drink?” She wasn’t saying, “How dare you?” but “Why would you reach out to me?”

When Jesus’ disciples returned, they were surprised too! Not just that he was talking to a woman, but to a Samaritan!

Meanwhile, the woman went back to town to tell her neighbors about the wall-breaker: “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did.” Her neighbors followed her to meet Jesus for themselves. And when they invited Jesus to visit with them, he did! That’s what good neighbors do.