"Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?'" John 4:28-29
The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well is one of the most heartfelt in Scripture. Though she lived a life that was less than exemplary, Jesus choose her to become one of the earliest evangelists in Christian history. After a brief conversation with Jesus she returns to town and rallies them all to come meet the messiah. Meanwhile the disciples have returned from their mission to get lunch--likely from this very same town! They couldn't see what Jesus saw when he entered into Samaria and saw a lone woman sitting by a well. In most cultures women go together to get water, for safety's sake and fellowship's sake. It would have been highly unlikely for a woman to have a private conversation with a man not her husband. But this woman was different and Jesus saw her as the gateway to reaching an entire community. Jesus was constantly looking for where the hurt was wherever he went. So should we. In our human wisdom we often think we should begin ministry with the person who could run for mayor and win. But Jesus choose the outcast, the "sinner", the lone woman at the well. He choose her because she knew who she was, and she knew she needed a savior. When Jesus looks at a person he sees not just an individual with a past, but a saint with a future as bright as the love of God. He delights in the person no one else has any use for, because they are all his kids, all made in his image, and he loves them with a love so deep, they can't help but tell the whole world.
Heavenly Father, may your undying love for the lost capture our hearts and arrest us with a passion for their homecoming.
The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well is one of the most heartfelt in Scripture. Though she lived a life that was less than exemplary, Jesus choose her to become one of the earliest evangelists in Christian history. After a brief conversation with Jesus she returns to town and rallies them all to come meet the messiah. Meanwhile the disciples have returned from their mission to get lunch--likely from this very same town! They couldn't see what Jesus saw when he entered into Samaria and saw a lone woman sitting by a well. In most cultures women go together to get water, for safety's sake and fellowship's sake. It would have been highly unlikely for a woman to have a private conversation with a man not her husband. But this woman was different and Jesus saw her as the gateway to reaching an entire community. Jesus was constantly looking for where the hurt was wherever he went. So should we. In our human wisdom we often think we should begin ministry with the person who could run for mayor and win. But Jesus choose the outcast, the "sinner", the lone woman at the well. He choose her because she knew who she was, and she knew she needed a savior. When Jesus looks at a person he sees not just an individual with a past, but a saint with a future as bright as the love of God. He delights in the person no one else has any use for, because they are all his kids, all made in his image, and he loves them with a love so deep, they can't help but tell the whole world.
Heavenly Father, may your undying love for the lost capture our hearts and arrest us with a passion for their homecoming.