Peacemaking by Evangelism

Scripture: John 4:1–15 (NRSV)

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” ² —although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized— ³ he left Judea and started back to Galilee. ⁴ But he had to go through Samaria. ⁵ So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

⁷ A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” ⁸ (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) ⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common 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.” ¹¹ The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹² Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” ¹³ Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” ¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Meditation:

            Imagine my surprise when I came upon this quote on facebook today. “Evangelism is about being quiet and listening ~Bishop Sally Dyck Laity Convocation 2013” Just think that all we have to do to bring people into the kingdom is just sit quietly and listen. Amazing isn’t it.

            Quoted above is one of my favorite evangelism stories from the New Testament. Jesus and a Samaritan woman were at the well. But far from just sitting their quietly and listening to the sounds of the Samaritan countryside, Jesus strikes up a conversation with this woman. And in his own gentle way leads her toward faith.

            Not much later in the conversation the woman goes into the city and brings a crowd out to see Jesus. And as a result of her not so quiet evangelism many in that city believed.

            Evangelism that is quiet and listens may have a place in the world of the Gospel. But the fact remains that evangelism in its root meaning means to proclaim the Good News of Jesus with words. There is a false tale going around that is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi that states we are to proclaim the Gospel and if necessary use words. St. Francis never said those words or anything like them. The Gospel must be spoken to have and life changing effect on those around us.

            The Gospel will only be proclaimed when we use words. True our words must match our actions. When there is a need among those being evangelized we must meet that need.

            We should be proud of the Gospel and go and tell the world about what Jesus has done for us. Also we must encourage others to leave their quiet solitude and join in the love giving force of evangelism. Amen.