As we study the life of Jesus from the pages of scripture, we
find that His ministry had the perfect balance of ministering
to multitudes and individuals. While He often preached to
crowds of people, sometimes numbering in the thousands,
we also read of His many encounters with individuals. The
New Testament is filled with stories of people that Jesus
singled out for one on one interaction. There is Zacchaeus,
blind Bartimaeus, the lame man at the pool of Bethesda,
to name a few. Each of these stories is very instructive when
we examine how Jesus gave His time and attention to these
individuals.
John chapter four records another instance of Jesus taking
time to minister to an individual. We don’t know the name
of this person. We simply call her “the woman at the well.”
Among many striking aspects of this event is the statement
that the Holy Spirit makes in verse four: “And he must needs
go through Samaria.” You may have heard before that Jews
did not typically travel through Samaria. They did not like the
Samaritans and would rather go a long way around to avoid
contact with them. But Jesus had an appointment that day
that He would not miss. There was a woman there who
needed the message of the gospel to deliver her from a life
of sin and shame.
It’s appropriate that Jesus met her at a well. He is the Water
of Life that quenches our eternal thirst. That day she drank
from the Well and has never thirsted again. But not only her,
many people in the town believed on Jesus, some because of
her testimony and others when they heard Jesus for themselves.
You might say that Jesus’ visit to Samaria was Well Worth It.
Every time you take time to engage an individual and share the
wonderful story of Jesus with them, it is well worth it.