Unlikely Evangelist

The woman said to Him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will explain everything to us. Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am He.” Just then His disciples arrived, and they were amazed that He was talking with a woman. Yet no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They left the town and made their way to Him. – John 4:25-30

Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of what He said. And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.” – John 4:39-42

Life-changing moments are contagious. I remember when my best friend got his first vehicle: A black Ford Ranger. I’m not sure who was more excited, him or me. I remember the anticipation as I waited for him to pick me up for the first time, the pure joy as I imagined riding around town together, and the freedom that comes with finally having some wheels for ourselves. A simple phone call and I was itching to experience what he had already experienced as he drove off the lot.

Now, it’s not hard to figure out why he would be excited. He got to sit behind the wheel of this brand-new gift, feeling the A/C blow on his face and changing the radio station at will, but why would I, sitting at home, be so excited by someone else’s life-changing gift? It’s simple, really. It’s because he told me all about it. He described it to me in a way that made it sound irresistible. I heard the joy in his voice as he explained how this simple gift had and would forever change his life. He talked about exciting future possibilities, adventures, and memories that we would make. So I waited until he came to pick me up.

In John 4, famously referred to as the story of “The Woman at the Well,” we see Jesus interacting with someone culture rejected. Very quickly we learn that this woman had three strikes against her in the eyes of the good, God-fearing Jewish people of the day.

1. She was a woman. The sad but true reality is that in Jesus’ day, women were not valued. In fact, they were not even allowed to begin a conversation with a man without being addressed first.
2. She was a Samaritan. Jews and Samaritans had close to what one would describe as a “blood-feud.” There was deep-seated hatred stemming from past conflicts. Looking into this cultural divide deeper reveals a sort of racism that made it completely inappropriate for a Jew to give a Samaritan the time of day.
3. She was alone in the middle of the day. What seems like a random detail actually tells us that this woman was an outcast, shunned by the other women of her town who would be gathering water early in the morning in a group instead of the hottest hour of the day alone.

Woman, Samaritan, and outcast. And yet, Jesus approached her, asked her for a drink, then began talking with her. Through their conversation, Jesus confronted her life with the truth of who He is: The Messiah, come to save people from their sins.

Think back to when God changed your heart and you realized Jesus was the Savior of the world, the Messiah who came to save us from our sin. Think back to the joy, the freedom, and the excitement of the days to come, walking in step with Christ. The life-changing gospel of Jesus is contagious. It certainly was in John chapter 4. The woman in our story, having just encountered Christ, left her water, and sprinted back into town to tell somebody about who she just encountered. She said, “Come and see!” Her testimony of what happened to her was contagious. It piqued the interest of the town and the entire town came to see what had gotten this woman so excited. We even see many of those Samaritans believe in Christ because of the woman’s testimony.

I remember the anticipation as I waited for my friend to pick me up in his new Ford Ranger. And don’t get me wrong, I had a blast riding in the passenger’s seat. Just like the Samaritans, I was thrilled experiencing someone else’s joy… but being a passenger is just not the same as driving the car.

The Samaritans, drawn by the woman’s testimony, encountered Jesus themselves and realized that they, too, could know Him. They asked Him to stay with them, drinking in as much Living Water as they could until finally they turned back to the woman and said something amazing. “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

I remember the day I got behind the wheel of my own car. And you know what? Everything my friend told me about owning a car turned out to be true. I was drawn in by my friend’s testimony, got to experience it as he brought me along for the ride, but eventually I got to experience the joy first-hand.

This unlikely evangelist in Scripture paints such a beautiful picture of what we are called to do as Christ-followers. When God saves a person, it is life changing. We are, as 1 Peter puts it, called out of darkness into His marvelous light. It is contagious, and when we realize this, the Great Commission, “Go and make disciples of all nations” becomes less of a job and more of a joy! Reflect on what Christ has done in your life, run to the people in your life who don’t know about the life-changing power of Jesus, and tell them about the one who rescued you and made you a son or daughter of the Most High God.

This is the lifeblood of the our method. We believe that every Christ-follower has a life-changing story of how God brought them out of darkness and into His marvelous light. We also believe that every Christ-follower has a “sphere of influence,” people around them who have not yet heard or truly understood the Good News of Jesus. The work we do is simple. We hope to remind believers of how they were changed by God, challenge them with the Great Commission, equip them with the tools necessary, and send them to share the good news with the people around them. It is a humbling process that keeps students, adults, leaders, pastors, parents, and us returning to the gospel and what Christ has done.