02 He Engaged the Woman's Story
Relational Evangelism — Learning from Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
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What Does It Mean to Engage Someone's Story?
Relational evangelism is not only about sharing a message. It begins with understanding the person in front of us.
Jesus demonstrated this when He met the Samaritan woman at the well. He did not treat her as merely a person who needed information. He engaged her through conversation and allowed the interaction to move from an ordinary encounter toward deeper spiritual truth.
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Jesus began with a simple human interaction. He asked the woman for a drink. The conversation then developed as the woman responded to Him, raised questions and revealed aspects of her understanding and experience.
Jesus did not rush past the conversation. He engaged what was emerging between them and gradually moved the discussion toward spiritual realities.
He Did Not Remain at the Immediate Situation
The conversation began with water. But Jesus moved beyond the immediate subject and introduced the idea of living water.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
The conversation became deeper because Jesus paid attention to what was happening within the interaction.
He moved from what could be seen on the surface toward what was happening in the woman's life.
Jesus Engaged Her Story
As the conversation continued, Jesus addressed the woman's personal circumstances rather than ignoring them.
Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.
Jesus engaged something real in her life. The conversation was no longer simply about water. It had reached her personal story.
From there, the conversation continued toward worship, truth and the identity of Jesus.
What Does This Look Like Today?
Engaging someone's story can be very simple. Sometimes a person gives us an opening through one sentence. What we do next can either close the conversation or allow it to go deeper.
Try It Yourself
Read each short situation and choose the response that best reflects how Jesus engaged the Samaritan woman's story.
A student stays behind after class. As you talk, she says, “I don't like talking about home. Nobody really listens anyway.”
A young man tells you, “I used to enjoy church, but after what happened to me, I stopped going.”
You meet a woman while waiting for water. She tells you, “Life has not turned out the way I expected.”
Someone tells you, “People already have an opinion about me. They don't even know my story.”
Key Takeaway
In relational evangelism, someone's story is not a distraction from the conversation. It can become the doorway into a deeper conversation.
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