Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A Lesson in Evangelism (Part 2) - John 4:7-10

“There came a woman of Samaria to draw water,
Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’
For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him,
‘How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink
since I am a Samaritan woman?’
(For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered and said to her,
‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you,
‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him
and He would have given you living water.”
(vs 7-10)

Christ, the greatest evangelist, is making us privy to one of His evangelistic encounters. He is at Jacob’s well. He is weary and thirsty and up comes a Samaritan woman. He asks her for a drink – not so much to slake His physical thirst as to slake her spiritual thirst. In the previous post He had begun the conversation with great tact and providential prudence. In so doing He has caused this woman to enter into the conversation of a lifetime – the conversation of an eternal lifetime!!

The second thing we see in this conversation is just how willing Jesus is to give His good gift to the sinful, undeserving, and even to the uninterested. This lady doesn’t have a clue who she is talking to!! She’s not looking for the Messiah. She’s not looking for an epiphany. She’s gone to get some water. This is business as usual for her. This is an ordinary day. Well, it started as an ordinary day, then she met Jesus at the well.

“Give me a drink,” He asks. “What? YOU want ME to give YOU a drink. But you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan – you folks don’t do things like that!” Jesus answered and said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Christ has turned the conversation. They are no longer talking about wet, worldly water but about the living water that flows from heaven! She didn’t ask Him for a thing but He directs her thoughts towards the Thing of things! Oh friends, just as Christ initiated this conversation with this lost soul – so He still does with each of us. If you are in Christ it is by His doing – by His starting – by His interest in your soul. Both the apostle Paul and the psalmist David tell us that “there is no one who seeks after God.” Praise His merciful name that He is a sheep seeking Savior – He is a Samaritan seeking Savior – He is a sinner seeking Savior!! She wasn’t looking, neither were we – but Christ came to SEEK and to save that which was lost. Christian – He has sought you and has apprehended you!

“The infinite willingness of Christ to receive sinners is a golden truth, which ought to be treasured up in our hearts and diligently impressed on others. The Lord Jesus is far more ready to hear than we are to pray and far more ready to give favors than we are to ask them. All day long He stretches out His hands to the disobedient and the gainsaying. He has thoughts of pity and compassion towards the vilest of sinners, even when they have no thoughts of Him.” (J. C. Ryle)

And as we see in this text, when she had no thought of Him, He turned her thoughts to Him! “Jesus what a friend for sinners! Jesus lover of my soul!” Has the Lord Jesus Christ met you at some well and turned your thoughtlessness into thirst for living water? Has He so directed your heart and mind and will and affections that you now drink fully and freely of that water? Then His mercy has been great towards you! His purposed pursuit has born fruit in you. May He continue to reap a harvest in and through us as we meet others at that same well and point them to the great Giver of grace, mercy, peace and eternal pardon.

Go and tell others with tact of the beneficent God who has saved you!

In His glorious grace,
Lori

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