Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "Go, call your husband, and then come back here." "I have no husband," replied the woman. "You are right in saying you have no husband!" Jesus exclaimed. "The fact is, you have had five and the man you are living with now is not your husband. What you said is true." "Sir," answered the woman, "I can see you are a prophet."

She’s sweet but a psycho. At night she’s screamin’ I’m out of my mind. She’ll make you curse, but she’s a blessing; you’ll be coming back, just can’t help it. You’ll play along, let her lead you on. You’ll be thinking, ‘No, no,’ then saying ‘Yes, yes. Yes’ ‘cause she’s messin’ with your head. She’s poison but tasty. People say, ‘Run, don’t walk away.’”  

It is clear over and over again in the Scriptures that Jesus knew human nature. He could easily read what people were doing and thinking. So, as he visited with the person that we have come to call the "Samaritan woman," Jesus knew that she had problems. Not only were there moral problems with multiple love relationships, but He determined that she was hurting herself with the way she was living. Consequently, in an indirect way, He told her that things should change in her life even if she did not admit that things should change.

Ava Max would translate the situation of what happened to the Samaritan woman as "poison but tasty" as she described a situation in her song "Sweet But Psycho." The man in the relationship had felt that the love he had was something that felt good at the time, but it only hurt him in the long run. Like a poisonous drug, her love felt good up to a point and then it began to destroy him. His friends tell him to get out of the situation, but do not do it slowly--"Run," don't just walk away.

It is good advice. As people study the various love relationships of their lives, they must pay attention to what might be called the "important" parts of love. Apparently, the Samaritan woman in the Gospel had not taken the time to do it, and Jesus gently reminds her that she should look carefully at what she is doing. Couples who are discovering love in their lives too often turn to the things that "feel" good to study their relationship. They neglect to look at the important things such as how each one cares for the other, how well they are communicating and whether or not they truly understand each other.

It is no secret that many marriages fail for one reason or another. Most of the time the reason may be defined as "they did not realize what love was all about." Young people interested in marriage in the future must look deeply at the relationships that they have long before they say "I do" to one another. It may very well be that the relationship seems "sweet" or "tasty" and it is really poison, and should be avoided.

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Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America