judging

Jesus didn't judge the Samaritan woman. But he did expose her brokenness and sinful past. How is that different from how many Christians respond to exposed sin? Let me rephrase that: how is that different from how I respond to exposed sin?

Contrast Jesus to the religious leaders in John 8. The leaders demanded that something be done, that a punishment be meted out. Jesus did not, either with the woman caught in adultery or with the Samaritan woman (in John 4 Jesus wasn't being pressured to exact a punishment). And the leaders' punishment involved hurting (killing, actually) the guilty person. Jesus responded to those seeking the punishment by forcing them to take responsibility for that hurt, not letting them hide behind righteous indignation.

The result in John 4 (and in John 8) was that the woman was drawn to Jesus, not repelled. The Samaritan woman then brought her whole village to Jesus. Notice her "testimony" didn't include a story of transformation. To be honest, its not much of a testimony in our current way of thinking. She's not even sure who Jesus is. But her testimony, such as it is, is honest and she is enthusiastic about talking about Jesus. Why the enthusiasm? She has found acceptance and a promise of living water, something no one else has offered to her.

Am I as enthusiastic about Jesus? Maybe I need to quit hiding behind my facade of transformation, embrace Jesus' forgiveness and drink more deeply of the living water. I need to quit trying to attract people to Steve, admit my brokenness, and tell people about Jesus because he has the living water.