Sabbath School for Adults: Making Friends for God: The Joy of Sharing in God’s Mission: Lesson 9: Developing a Winning Attitude

Sunday August 23

Receptivity to the Gospel

Read John 4:27–30, 39–42. How does Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman demonstrate the truth that all sorts of people are open to the gospel, even in unexpected places?

The last place the disciples expected to find hearts receptive to the gospel was in Samaria. The Samaritans were in constant conflict with the Jews over doctrine and worship. This animosity was decades old. The Samaritans had wanted to participate in building the temple in Jerusalem but were refused that opportunity because of their intermarriage with the heathen culture around them and their unorthodox views. As a result, the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim. The disciples would readily skip by Samaria as an unfertile ground for the proclamation of the gospel.

Jesus saw what the disciples did not see: receptive hearts. John’s account of the story of the woman at the well begins with these words: “He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria” (John 4:3, 4, NKJV). Jesus “needed” to go through Samaria because the Holy Spirit convinced Him that there would be receptive hearts in this unlikely place. When our eyes are divinely anointed by the Holy Spirit, we see possibilities where others see only difficulties. We see a rich harvest of souls for the kingdom of God where others see only barren fields.

Read Acts 8:4, 5, 14. What was the ultimate result of Jesus’ ministry in Samaria?

The disciples would have passed by Samaria without ever providing an opportunity for the Samaritans to hear the truth of the Word of God. Jesus saw what they did not see. He recognized that the Holy Spirit had created a receptivity in one woman’s heart. Her dramatic conversion impacted scores of people in that city. We will not always see immediate results from our witnessing activities, but as we sow seeds in receptive hearts, they will one day bring a harvest for the glory of God.

We never know for sure the impact of our words and actions on others, either for good or for bad. Hence, why must we always be careful about what we say and do in the presence of others?