Life Spark: Be a distributor of free life in Jesus. John 4:1-10
Jesus was led by the Spirit to take the unorthodox route from Judea to Galilee. I believe “he had to go through Samaria on the way” (John 4:4, NLT) because He had a gift to deliver to a person he’d never met. The gift was deep, unending aliveness.
On the way to Galilee via Samaria, Jesus and the disciples came to a well and the disciples went into town to buy food. Jesus was tired from the long, dusty journey. The God-man was weary. That intrigues me. Jesus the Christ, pure eternal energy, cloaked Himself in an earth-suit and became susceptible to weariness.
After a time, Jesus lifted His eyes and saw the designated recipient. A Samaritan woman was coming to draw water. Jesus, a master of meaningful dialog, used a question to draw her into a life-changing conversation, “Will you give me a drink?”
She stopped in her tracks. “Wow. Here I am a woman and a Samaritan. Where’s your Jewish prejudice? How can you associate with me and ask me for a drink?”
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10, NIV
“The gift of God.” Jesus will offer her, and she will accept the gift of deep, lasting life. The gift, God-aliveness, is available in and through the person to whom she is talking.
These verses are packed with lessons for would-be distributors of God-aliveness:
Sharing life starts with following the Spirit’s lead. (“he had to go”)
Sharing life often happens while I’m “on the way” to something else. (Galilee)
Sharing life begins with intentional association. (“How can you associate with me?”)
Sharing life starts with finding a common interest or need. (water)
Sharing life is ultimately about a person, not a religion. (Jesus)
A life-action: Find a common interest with one person you’ve never met, and ask that person a question about that interest. See where it leads.