Mensa Otabil - Jesus Sits By The Well (11/07/2025)
John chapter 4 is about Jesus at Jacob’s well. So he came to a city of Samaria called Sika, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied from his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. John chapter 3 and John chapter 4 have a relationship.
In John chapter 3, Jesus meets a man called Nicodemus and shares the gospel with him. Then, in John chapter 4, Jesus meets this woman to share the gospel with her. So in the two chapters, we see how Jesus explains the gospel to different kinds of people. He explained the born-again experience to Nicodemus, who was a Jewish leader, and now he has to speak to a woman who is not a highly considered individual in society. But for both of them, Jesus ministered life. The Samaritan woman we will talk about today contrasts sharply with Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a respected leader; she is an outcast. Nicodemus is a Jew; she is a Samaritan. He is presumably seen as a moral person.
This woman, as we will learn, is presumably seen as an immoral person. Nicodemus was learned in religious matters; this woman was quite ignorant about them. Yet in spite of their differences, one coming from a more refined environment and the other from a more plain environment, both needed the same Savior. And Jesus made time for both of them. The place Jesus chose for this encounter with the woman is a well, the well that belonged to Jacob. At this time, the well had been there for over 1,800 years, and people still fetched water from this old well. Jesus sat there while his disciples went to town.
Why did Jesus choose this place? Probably he chose the place because it was a meeting place in those days. That’s where people would gather. The well is where the women of the city would sometimes be followed by men to fetch water. There would be people at the well. But at this time, it is noon, and Jesus chose to sit at the well. To preach the gospel to others, we must position ourselves where people are. And that’s what Jesus did. You can’t hide away from people and preach the gospel to them; you must be where they are. The well was a meeting place for the inhabitants of the area.
Today, what would represent a well for us, or the place where Jesus located himself, might be our office, where people gather, the marketplace, public transport, or, in the digital age, it could be Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. That is the well, the place where people gather, and in that place, God positions us to share His word.
So the first thing we note about sharing the gospel with other people is where we locate ourselves, how we position ourselves, and which platform we will use. Are we using a well? Are we using Facebook? Are we using personal contact in the office? There has to be a place where you adopt as the venue where you sit or stand to share the gospel with other people.
Can you imagine what Jesus would have done if he were living in our day and had all the tools we have? If Jesus were on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, or Twitter, what would he be tweeting about? What message would he be putting on his Facebook page? What would he be sending on WhatsApp? What would he be forwarding to people? Just think about it. As a Christian, consider whether you are using your well, your platform, effectively to present the gospel.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, put me in a place where I can share the message of your salvation with others, in Jesus' name. Amen. And amen.»