John 4:27-42
27 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?” 28 Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They left the town and made their way to him. 31 In the meantime the disciples kept urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” 33 The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?” 34 “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work,” Jesus told them. 35 “Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest. 36 The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.” 39 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.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of what he said. 42 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.”
I like it when somebody gets excited about something. It’s nice. -J.D. Salinger
If you’re anything like me, you struggle at being an effective witness for Jesus. I’ve prayed about it, I’ve read many books, gone to training seminars, and even been to seminary, but still I often fail at being a good witness. Sometimes people stick around and grow and become followers of Jesus, and others just don’t want to stay.
We often focus on the harvest as opposed to the tilling, sowing, watering, all that must occur before we reap. In other words, we want to see the end result and not have to do the work that comes before. This can also bring discouragement when we don’t see quick results in our ministry.
But yet this Samaritan woman was a great witness, and I think the main reason that this woman’s witness was effective was that she was excited about Jesus and these men who knew her could see the change in her. Prior to this she would not have spoken to any of them. She didn’t even want to speak to the other women in the village, which is probably why she was getting water at noon, when no one else would be at the well. But here she was, willing to bring up her own notoriously sinful past, excitingly telling about this man whom she had met. The change and her excitement about Jesus were contagious.
So here we have a woman who knew far less than Nicodemus did and she had a far worse background than his. But she was bold and did far more good than he did because she was excited about Jesus and she shared about her own experience with Jesus. God will use your witness if you’ve had a genuine encounter with the Lord Jesus and you’re excited about Him. And if you’re not excited about Him, you need to figure out why not.
This Samaritan woman was an unlikely prospect for evangelism if there ever was one! You never know how God may use your witness with someone whom you consider to be an unlikely prospect for the gospel.
Family Questions:
If you’ve lost your excitement about Jesus, how do you get it back?
What are some practical ways that you can sow the seed of the gospel with people you know?
Meditate:
Read the passage: John 4:27-42
Pray:
Father, I ask that you give me the wisdom and the strength to share my faith and be a great witness for You. I pray this in the name of Jesus, AMEN.
About the author:
Jose Aguilar Jr. is an Associate Pastor at FBC Weslaco and has served in this capacity for the last 12 years. He and his wife Blanca have served faithfully at FBC Weslaco since 2001. They are the proud grandparents of Lilyana Faythe and Trinidad Esperanza Aguilar.