Story: The Woman at the Well

John 4:1-30

  In John, we see the beautiful story of an interaction between Jesus and a Samaritan woman when he stopped to drink from a well. The woman was shocked to see that Jesus was speaking to her, since Jews were supposed to hate Samaritans (their heritage was half Assyrian and half Jewish). On top of this she had had 5 husbands and was now with a 6th man, and the town had outcasted her. Instead of rebuking her, Jesus ministered to her and she went out to the town and told everyone what had happened. Her testimony was heard by the entire town and many were saved, all because Jesus took the time to talk to her.

 God stressed loving others, it is the very reason why he made it the second commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39). However, we find ourselves often struggling to follow this every day. It’s hard to love others when we see so much negativity in the world… We see so much violence and pain in the news, jealousy in our social media, and stress in our careers. We all face those days where we just want to tune out the world and go home and nothing more. It is important to notice the world we live in and those around us. There is always someone who needs to be loved.

Think about it: Imagine if Jesus didn’t talk to the Samaritan woman. She would have continued to be lost, not ever knowing that she was beautifully and wonderfully made by God.

  Growing up I was bullied hard. Stories like this are heard all too often in a world of social media. I never had any friends to talk to, and so many people were against me. Despite this, when someone took the time to talk and just have a conversation with me, it made me feel like I was actually worth something. That’s what the Samaritan woman felt like when Jesus talked to her.

  Jesus ministered to all, even the outcasts of society because he knew that everyone is valuable to God. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” – Romans 5:8.