John 4 (The Samaritan Woman at the Well)
Much is said today about proclaiming the truth. How does that look in our modern world? If telling people the truth looks (and often is stated from a judgmental point of view), how do we do it the right way? How do we proclaim the goodness of God and what He has to offer humanity in humility that comes from knowing that we have just as much of a need for Him as the person with whom we are speaking. A good place to begin our search is to look at how Jesus approached controversial topics of the day. If we can follow His method, maybe we can avoid judging others but still proclaim the truth.
In the beginning of this encounter, notice that Jesus was tired. So.....wait for it....wait for it......he sat down. Imagine that. We expect Him to rip into this woman with the zeal of evangelism fire....instead he sat down because He was tired. The best type of witness is an HONEST one. The best encounters happen as we do life. When we are congruent with the situations that life presents, we encounter moments to help people SEE JESUS. He was thirsty so he ASKED HER for a drink of water. She had the bucket. He had no bucket. Sometimes we think that we have the bucket that everyone needs to drink from. No so. He wanted to drink from HER BUCKET. This is significant because she was a Samaritan. She was an outcast to Jewish society of which Jesus belonged as a Jew himself. He cut through the judgmental stereo-types of His time. It was perfectly acceptable to "shun" a Samaritan. After all, they were "less than" in the eyes of the religion of the day. But He took a more HUMBLE position than her in a sense setting her up in the encounter to be greater than Him (after all...she had the bucket). He asked her for water. Sometimes, we need learn something from those that we encounter. Sometimes, we are the one with the need and we don't even acknowledge it. What they know is important. Sometimes it's more important than what we know. When we approach life as a "learner" and a "giver", we are often surprised by the wisdom and insight of others. When Jesus broke the "Samaritan" barrier, the woman also acknowledged the situation by saying, "But I am a Samaritan.....you don't want water from me." Then Jesus talked to her about her situation. Most witnessing "programs" that I have been involved with focus on telling who He IS but we miss the part that leads to that. We miss the part of meeting people where they are. Jesus talked to her about her current situation and need, then he revealed who HE IS. So often we focus on the sensational and the dramatic when so much of the life-changing encounters are very subtle and "quiet." I remember when I attended Bible college, I had several classmates whom I admired very much. They just wanted to go out and "witness". They were excited and they wanted to share their excitement. Oftentimes, this excitement translated into the following "testimony": "You are on your way to Hell and Jesus wants to save you. Will you turn to Him as Savior today?"
Notice that Jesus did not walk up to this woman, tell her she was living in Sin and on her way to Hell, and then tell her that he was the only way to heaven. Instead he met her where she was. He approached the conversation with her in terms she could understand. Then and only then did He tell her who HE IS.
This encounter at a simple well with a simple witness presented an opportunity for this woman to change her entire life. Notice we are not told what happened subsequently. Did she trust what Jesus said about being the Messiah? Did she go home and make changes that demonstrated true repentance? We don't know. We only know that she was presented with the authentic Jesus. What happened next is a private matter between her and God.
