Family Life

A bit over a week ago I wrote about Jesus meeting the woman at the well, from John 4. The speaker at this weekend’s youth retreat concluded his series today with this same event. He used the story as a template for sharing the Gospel.

Here are my scribbled notes:

First of all, Jesus acted radically, stepped out of the box and broke taboos. He didn’t let cultural, racial or religious obstacles get in the way of presenting the Gospel. For us it could be sharing the Gospel with the big boss, with the bum on the street, with Muslim neighbours.

Secondly, Jesus acted naturally. He asked a favour: “Give me a drink of water.” He didn’t go all shy and fearful. He didn’t start beating her over the head with a 10-pound Bible. He just struck up a conversation. It’s an interesting contrast, a radical interaction (between Jew and Samaritan, between middle-eastern man and woman) over such a common every-day topic.

Next, Jesus proceeded creatively. He made an offer of living water that spiked her curiosity. She misinterpreted, wondering what it would be like to not have to come to the well to draw water anymore, but it got her interested, talking.

Jesus refused to be drawn into unnecessary questions and controversy. The woman tried to steer the conversation toward historical and religious differences, but Jesus stayed focused on sin and the personal need for salvation. Today it’s easy to get bogged down in debates over evolution, why does God allow suffering, and so on. We can talk endlessly about stuff that’s important in its own right, but not what’s most important. We must stay focused on the message of Jesus and the cross.

Jesus confronted her honestly about her sin, but He was very sensitive about it. He got her to admit her situation herself. There was no finger-pointing or condemnation. Now as well as then, a holier-than-thou attitude (whether real or perceived) can be a big obstacle to listeners of the Gospel.

Jesus also explained clearly. He sparked her curiosity, gently steered the conversation back on topic, got the woman to understand where she was spiritually, and explained clearly and briefly who he was. Sooner or later we have to stop beating around the bush and state the truth boldly and categorically. When presenting the Gospel we can’t avoid mentioning the lost condition of each of us, our need for God’s mercy, and Jesus’ complete salvation through the cross.

The woman responded directly to Jesus’ words. She immediately went and got everybody in the town to come out and see him. She, also, is a good example of personal witnessing. Her message to the town was immediate, it pointed directly to Jesus, and it caught people’s attention. Her statement was somewhat inaccurate, but that didn’t prevent her from giving her testimony. Nor did it hinder her listeners from coming to Jesus. (She said she’d met a man that told her everything she ever did. Jesus hadn’t really done that. She’d inferred from what he said that he must know all about her, even though he hadn’t actually said so.) This can encourage us to not worry so much about getting the message across exactly right the first time. The Lord can use our words of outreach despite our lack of understanding. If you’re stuck and don’t know what to say, tell your testimony, how you got saved. It’s your story. People will listen. And so point them to Jesus.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 16th, 2007 at 9:53 pm. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.