Blog
“The Woman at the Well”
Categories: Sermons
The world is full of teaching strategies and teaching experts, but as Christians, we should be taking our example from the One who is supposed to be our example in everything. Being a disciple of Jesus means believing that imitating Jesus is enough. That’s true in faith, it’s true in morality, and it’s true in teaching. Ph.D.’s in education are all well and good, but no man ever spoke like that Man!
Indeed, as we seek to reach the lost, Jesus must be our guiding light. It is not easy to imitate the Lord. In fact, I think that’s why there have been fad evangelism programs sweeping the brotherhood ever since I was a kid. We want the lost to be saved, but we don’t want to be personally involved.
However, personal involvement is the essence of discipleship. What was the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, if not Jesus personally involving Himself with mankind? As His example shows, this kind of personal connection is the only way to be truly effective in personal work. Let’s see what we can learn, then, as we consider the way that He instructs the woman at the well.
The first thing that we should take from Him in this story is the importance of CONNECTION. Look at how He connects with the woman in John 4:1-9. Jesus’ initial interaction with her reminds me of His initial interaction with Zacchaeus in Luke 19. In both cases, what you see on the surface is Jesus asking somebody to do Him a favor.
However, in neither case is that really what is going on. Instead, in both cases, Jesus is using His request to treat somebody better than they were expecting. Zacchaeus is a tax collector, the woman at the well is a Samaritan, and both expect Jews to treat them like dirt. When Jesus asks them for help, He shows them that He believes that they have dignity and value as human beings. That opens the door for everything else He says.
Today, whenever we want to teach somebody, we must begin by showing them that we respect and value them. This can be as simple as getting a child to pass out color sheets in a classroom. It can be as complicated as spending months nurturing a relationship with an outsider. Regardless, people who know that we value them are far more likely to value what we say. When we treat them better than they expect, we stand out to them.
Second, let’s notice how RELEVANCE is central to the initial part of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman. The story continues in John 4:10-14. Of course, Jesus knew hearts and knew everything about the woman before she opened her mouth, but everything He says here could have been based on keen observation and quick wits.
Apparently, this well is some distance from the village of Sychar, where the woman lived. We know from later in the account that people coming from the village were clearly visible to those at the well. As He was resting by the well, Jesus doubtless watched this woman lugging her heavy jar toward Him, and He knew that she would have to make the return trip with an even heavier jar. She does this not because she’s in desperate need of exercise, but because she’s in desperate need of water. So what does Jesus talk about with her? Water—the one thing it is clear she cares about and needs.
So too, if we want people to listen to us, we need to present the gospel in a way that is meaningful to them. Because it is universally relevant, there’s always going to be a way to do this. However, as Jesus observed the woman with her water jar, we have to observe those we teach. The more we learn about them, the better able we will be to present God’s word in a way that resonates with them.
Third, if we want to be effective teachers, we must have CREDIBILITY with our students. Look at how Jesus establishes His credibility with the woman at the well in John 4:15-19. Through the conversation to this point, Jesus and the woman really have been talking about two different things. She thinks Jesus is discussing literal water, whereas in reality, He’s been talking about the water of life. When she asks Him for water, then, He uses the opportunity to establish His spiritual bona fides by revealing His knowledge of her complicated marital history. She concludes, and rightly so, that He is a prophet.
Today, obviously, none of us are prophets. However, we can establish our credibility by referring to God’s prophetic word. If we want to accomplish this, though, we can’t rely on a series of half a dozen proof texts. Instead, like Jesus adapted His words to the life of the woman, we have to adapt our use of the Scriptures to those we are teaching. As we answer their questions and meet their needs with book, chapter, and verse, we show them that they can trust us as a source of spiritual information.
The final thing that we see in Jesus’ teaching style is CHRIST-CENTEREDNESS. Let’s see how this unfolds in John 4:20-26. Now that the woman has decided He is a prophet, she asks Him to settle the centuries-old religious controversy between Jews and Samaritans. Where should they worship, in Jerusalem or on the mountain? Jesus responds by telling her that the time is coming when the worship of Jews and Samaritans alike will be transformed, so that rather than worshiping in a place, they will worship in spirit and truth. She hears that and correctly concludes that the bringer of truth will be the Messiah, the prophet like Moses predicted in Deuteronomy 18. This allows Jesus to reveal Himself to her.
From the beginning, Jesus’ goal was to get her to accept Him as the Christ. This must be the goal of all of our teaching too. Brethren, if the time we spend teaching in Bible classes and kitchen-table studies doesn’t bring our students closer to Jesus, we have wasted our time. We’re supposed to be engaged in soul-winning, not academics, and if soul-winning is our aim, the more we talk about the Lord, the more we lift up the Lord, the more successful we will be.
