I love walking. It is one of my favorite hobbies and pastimes. So you can imagine my delight last week as I had the opportunity to take afternoon strolls through the lovely, picturesque, city of Strasbourg, France. I spent the past several days in France at the Strasbourg Seventh-day Adventist Church as the preacher for an eight-day sermon series called the “Awakening Series.” The aim of the Awakening Series was to summon the members to wake up and find the missionary spirit to evangelize their town. So I thought it would be only fitting to get to know the town as I aimed to inspire intentional and exponential evangelism.
We went on a number of walking tours throughout the city. But it was the charming, little Medieval town of Obernai, Alsace, that brought to mind memories of a mighty missionary spirit. Obernai was first mentioned as a village in the 8th century. Yet by the 13th century it had evolved into a free imperial city. One of the featured attractions in this ancient city is the “Puit à six seaux (“six sealed wells”), dating from 1559. This beautiful renaissance well, with its three Corinthian style columns supporting a canopy, features biblical passages of the New Testament. We went out of our way to be by that well and take pictures. Then I remembered how Jesus went out of his way to be by a certain well too. He did not take pictures but what he did at that well is forever etched in our memory.
The apostle John tells us that Jesus walked three days from Judea to Galilee. On his way, he stopped at Jacob’s well in Samaria. On arriving there Jesus sat down, because he was weary. It wasn’t long before a Samaritan Woman came to the well at noon, the hottest time of the day. When Jesus saw the woman coming to draw water, he knew that she was a Samaritan. He also knew she felt wretched and unworthy. So Jesus began to converse with her. This was something that other Jews would never do. She came to the well because she was thirsty. So Jesus offered her a fountain of living water. One conversation with Jesus was all the Samaritan Woman needed. She went to the well lost in her sins. Yet Jesus would help her to regain her soul. When Jesus revealed that he was the Messiah, the Samaritan Woman could not keep the good news to herself. She ran out and with a mighty missionary spirit immediately evangelized her town. She would forever remember her encounter at the well. It was a moment with Jesus that changed her life!
Today, we may no longer need wells to draw our water, but we certainly need the Living Water that Jesus Christ can offer. Let’s remember we can all be like the Samaritan Woman at the well. Our daily encounters with Christ can empower us to find our missionary spirit and evangelize people in our towns who need.