A CALL TO FOLLOW

The message of Jesus is for the ‘whosoever’. That is a slightly old-fashioned way of saying that no matter who you are, what you have done or where you have come from, Jesus calls you to know him, love him and follow him.

Today we will be exploring how Jesus calls everyone into a relationship with him, using the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well to help us.

ACTIVITY

Can you think of rival opponents to those in the list below:

Manchester United

McDonalds

Boris Johnson

Costa

Nike

Marvel

Coca Cola

Batman

Tesco

EasyJet

Mercedes

Question: Imagine you are living at the time when Jesus was in the middle of his earthly ministry. Who would have been the rival opponents for the people of Israel back then?

The passage of the Bible we are looking at today revolves around Jesus meeting a woman from Samaria. The Jewish people and the Samaritans did not get on because of political and religious disagreements that went back hundreds of years. We will be looking at how Jesus interacted with this Samaritan woman, and we will be asking ourselves what this teaches us about who Jesus.

Here is the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well, told straight from the Bible.

LORD YOU KNOW ME

Some things for us to think about:

The woman knew that there was something different about Jesus. He asked her for a drink even when he knew she was a Samaritan. What does this tell us about who God is?

Jesus was ready to share the message of God’s love for the world to a woman drawing water at a well. God uses some of the most ordinary circumstances to make something extraordinary happen. Has this ever happened to you?

Jesus knew that the woman was living a life of sin. How do you think Jesus feels when we sin?

The way Jesus interacted with the woman changed who she was. What can we do in our day-to-day lives and conversations that can help change people?

Jesus chose to reveal who he was to a Samaritan woman who was well known for having had five husbands. She was not living a good life. I expect the man she was living with in the story may have even been someone else’s husband!

The Jewish people would have not expected the Messiah even to speak to her, let alone choose to show her who he really is. But Jesus loved the sinner and identified himself with the outcast. He was a God for all people, even those who would have been considered his enemies.

AMAZING FACT:  Jesus loved this woman, and knew all about her. He had never met her in person beforehand, yet he knew all about her, would have known her name and despite her not living a good life, he totally accepted her.

A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE?

Not according to Jesus.

Here is a modern look at what the woman may have been thinking:

SONG

Let’s quietly listen to the words of this song.

"Lord, you’ve told me who I am, I am Yours"

PRAYER

Jesus, we are yours, not because of anything we have done, but because of your grace. You know our name, you know all about us, and yet with all our failings you love us anyway. Help us to see you for who you are, the Lord of all the earth, the Lord of our lives. Amen