Some things to notice about Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well (John 4:5-42):
- The woman was a stranger to Jesus
- The woman was a socially and culturally different from Jesus
- Jesus initiated the conversation
- Jesus got right to the point of the gospel
- The woman didn’t just agree with him – she challenged him
- Jesus made a bold and startling claim about the gospel
- Jesus had a word of knowledge – just when he needed it
- The disciples couldn’t understand why Jesus would talk to the woman. She did not fit their view of one who would hear Jesus’ message.
- The woman spreads the message – she becomes the one who leads others to Jesus.
- Jesus tells them that “to do the will of the One who sent me” is his food, his life.
- Many people come to know Jesus through the woman’s story.
Is there something for our Challenge Groups in this reading? I think so.
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