[7] A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” [8] (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) [9] The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) [10] Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:7-10)
Jesus had a practice of making intriguing statements to engage people in discussions about faith and life. We can do the same.
In this week’s Gospel, Jesus tells a woman he just met: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
Talk about an intriguing statement! What a blessing to have living water. It’s no accident that, by the end of the conversation, Jesus shares that He is the Messiah.
In John chapter three Jesus makes a similar statement, telling a man named Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.” Consider Jesus claim in John chapter six where he tells religious leaders, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
We can also engage people in conversations about faith and life by making intriguing statements. For example:
- At one time, Jesus’ family thought he was crazy.
- Jesus trashed the temple in Jerusalem.
- There was a time when all people were vegetarians.
- The earliest Christians didn’t call themselves Christians.
- People who go to heaven won’t stay in heaven for eternity.
It is our prayer that such intriguing statements will lead to conversations such as the one Jesus had with the Samaritan woman. Conversations where we ultimately get to share about Jesus.
(A Second Look devotions are written for the congregations of the Ohio District LCMS.)
Kevin Wilson 360 