English Devotion - Witnessing to Strangers

John 4: 1-26

Witnessing to Strangers

Jesus had a divine appointment by Jacob’s well where He asked a favor from a Samaritan woman. It was completely unexpected.

The Samaritan women came to draw water, she came in an unusual hour and she came alone.

It was also very unusual for a Jewish person of that time to ask a favor or accept a drink from a Samaritan’s cup, but Jesus’ request surprised the woman.

Jesus did not diminish His glory by asking for the help and cooperation of the Samaritan woman. Rather, He opened up a conversation and turned it to spiritual matters she did not understand.

He created a spiritual thirst within her by pointing out her need for God.

Jesus knew that this woman had to come to this well daily to satisfy her natural thirst, so he used thirst as a picture of the spiritual need and longing that everyone has.

Jesus does not give a direct answer to the woman’s question. Instead, he makes a statement designed to make her more curious and prompt additional questions.

So, when the woman asked Jesus to give her the water, he then speaks of her sinful life and asked her to call her husband to come there.

He brought up this issue because her sinful life had to be confronted and she had to decide what she loved more, her sin or the Messiah.

He was truthful with her, but also loving, he did not condemn her. He treated her with grace and respect and revealed to her the hope she had always longed for.

Every Christian is to be active in sharing with others the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here we see how Jesus accomplishes it with a woman that would have been considered by the religious community of the time to be an outcast who was too far away from God to merit any attention.

We must demonstrate a true interest in others, be kind to those who don’t expect it and ask them questions and show genuine interest in their answers.

Even though Jesus spoke of eternal life, the woman still did not understand the nature of what Jesus was talking about, remember that Satan has blinded the eyes of the unbelieving so that they cannot see or understand spiritual truth (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Don’t be discouraged when those you talk to about spiritual things do not understand.

Let’s follow His example in reaching out to those scorned by a religious society, but still are being loved by God.

We need to tell them about the God they do not know.

We are to speak the truth to them in love by giving them hope they did not know they could have.


Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank You for this beautiful story of this woman and the lovely way that Jesus opened up the scriptures to her in order to reveal to her His person and work. Thank You that Christ has revealed Himself to us and that by faith in Him we can drink of His living water and have a well of water spring up into everlasting life. In Jesus' name, AMEN.