Mensa Otabil - Woman of Samaria Challenges Jesus (10/05/2025)
We are continuing our study of John chapter 4 as we see Jesus introducing the gospel to the Samaritan woman at the well. Verses 11 and 12: The woman said to Him, «Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do you get that living water? Are you better than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?» That’s an interesting conversation. I’m beginning to like this woman more and more. She’s very confident and assertive, and she is having a lively conversation with Jesus Christ.
But there are things to note about what is going on. Now, like Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman misunderstood the terms that Jesus is using. When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, He said a man must be born again. Nicodemus thought a person had to re-enter the mother’s womb to be born, so he misunderstood the terms and the language of Jesus. This woman also misunderstood the terminologies of Jesus. When Jesus talked about living water, she was still thinking about water in the literal sense, the water from the well. So she said to Jesus, «You have nothing to get water from this well, and are you better than Jacob who gave us this well?»
Instead of concerning herself with what Jesus is offering, she is thinking about Jesus’s method: «How are you going to get water out?» She is still thinking literally because many times people don’t grasp spiritual terminologies. This is a very important lesson we must learn when we present the gospel to people: the words and terms we use in the church that we are familiar with may be very unfamiliar to others, and their understanding of them may be quite different. For example, terms like «accept Christ,» «born again,» «the sinner’s prayer,» or «altar call» may be familiar to you depending on the church you attend, but to others, they may not know them at all. Thus, you may be at cross purposes communicating, and that’s what we see here. Jesus is talking about living water, which is God’s life, while she is thinking about literal water from the well.
The first thing to note is how to simplify your communication so people don’t misunderstand your terms. Well then, the second thing to note here is that not only did the woman misunderstand Jesus, but she also challenged Jesus. She actually challenged Him, asking, «Are you telling me that you are greater than Jacob who gave us this well and drank from it?»
Of course, Jesus is greater than Jacob, but the interesting thing is that she speaks back to Him, and even more interesting is that Jesus did not take offense. Remember, she’s a Samaritan, she’s a woman, and Jesus also knows she has a very dubious background. But knowing all of that, her confidence in responding to Jesus did not offend Him. You know, many times when we are sharing the gospel, we get offended when people ask us questions or say very nasty things. They may say nasty things about the Bible, about God, about Jesus, about Christians, about your church, or even your pastor. If we are not careful, we leave the sharing of the gospel and start trading insults with those who respond to us.
But Jesus is our example; He didn’t take offense. He was patient with her. He understood that this woman had something deeper crying out for God within her than what she was saying, and her seeming resistance was simply curiosity in having her questions answered. So when we share the gospel, we must be careful and mindful that we are dealing with the eternal destiny of a person. Because we are mindful of their eternal destiny and their life, we cannot be bogged down by little questions, rudeness, and misunderstandings. We still have to stay focused on sharing the love of God, and that’s what we learn from Jesus Christ: first, the terminologies have to be explained, and secondly, don’t get offended when people challenge you as you present the gospel.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, give me supernatural love for people. Help me not to be offended when they resist Your word. In Jesus' name, Amen and amen. I hope you are gathering the tools for evangelism and sharing the gospel well. As we share this story, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.