May the mumbling commence!
How many times have we passed up the opportunity to witness for Jesus? We have our excuses – like rejection aversion or not knowing what to say. You and I are broken after all, right? Well, God uses broken people. God has used broken people since the beginning of time.
We may have our excuses like the ones mentioned above or more like them – I don’t want to stick out – but none of the excuses are legitimate. Think about the Samaritan woman at the well. Read some from John chapter four:
"I haven't got a husband!" the woman answered.
"You are quite right in saying, 'I haven't got a husband'," replied Jesus, "for you have had five husbands and the man you have now is not your husband at all. Yes, you spoke the simple truth when you said that."
"Sir," said the woman again, "I can see that you are a prophet! Now our ancestors worshipped on this hill-side, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
"Believe me," returned Jesus, "the time is coming when worshipping the Father will not be a matter of 'on this hill-side' or 'in Jerusalem'. Nowadays you are worshipping with your eyes shut. We Jews are worshipping with our eyes open, for the salvation of mankind is to come from our race. Yet the time is coming, yes, and has already come, when true worshippers will worship in spirit and in reality. Indeed, the Father looks for men who will worship him like that. God is spirit, and those who worship him can only worship in spirit and in reality."
"Of course I know that Messiah is coming," returned the woman, "you know, the one who is called Christ. When he comes he will make everything plain to us."
"I am Christ speaking to you now," said Jesus.
At this point his disciples arrived, and were surprised to find him talking to a woman, but none of them asked, "What do you want?" or "What are you talking to her about?"
So the woman left her water-pot behind and went into the town and began to say to the people, "Come out and see the man who told me everything I've ever done! Can this be 'Christ'?"
So they left the town and started to come to Jesus. (Verses 17-30)
Though Jesus did know the woman’s history, there was a deep theological discussion about proper worship of God – a point of vehement disagreement between the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus answered the proper worship question in a way that opened the Samaritan woman’s eyes to the remembrance of the teachings of the coming Messiah or Christ.
And Jesus revealed himself as the Christ to the woman. What a thing to talk about! Divisions between the Jews and the Samaritans would become history in the proper worship of God in spirit and reality.
But what did the Samaritan woman say to her neighbors? Come out and see the man who told me everything I’ve ever done. That is not exactly eloquent gospel witness. It misses the most important part of their conversation. It made Jesus out to be some magician.
So the people did not come, right? Why would they come to see a charlatan who could read minds and appearances quite well…? But they did come.
The Samaritan woman was broken. She had no fear of rejection – something she most likely faced every moment of every day. She didn’t allow any fear of saying the right or wrong thing stop her from speaking. She did not let the fear not wanting to stick out stop her either.
And the whole neighborhood came. And they learned for themselves at Jesus’ feet. They welcomed Jesus to stay – unlike the people of Gerasenes, where Jesus healed the man with a legion of demons in him. Read another passage from John chapter four:
Many of the Samaritans who came out of that town believed in him through the woman's testimony - "He told me everything I've ever done." And when they arrived they begged him to stay with them. He did stay there two days and far more believed in him because of what he himself said.
As they told the woman, "We don't believe any longer now because of what you said. We have heard him with our own ears. We know now that this must be the man who will save the world!" (Verses 39-42)
What a testimony! Why doubt again the power of the Spirit of the living God to work through us? It is our brokenness that makes the testimony great. Let us go out and testify to all who come along our path. Let us be in sync with the Spirit and bring the Good News to everyone.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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