Conversation to Conversion-  Read John 4:10-18

II.  More Than a Drink of Water.  

1. What insights can we gain from the way Jesus directed the conversation to spiritual things? (v. 10-12)

 

2. What did the woman’s response in vs. 11 and vs. 15 indicate?

 

3. From this passage, we know she was aware of the religious history of her people. What was she thinking about Jesus’ identity at this point? (vs. 12)

 

4. What was Jesus really saying to the woman when he talked about living water? (See John 6:35)

 

5. Explain the significance of the underlined words from verse 14: “a spring of water welling up to eternal life”.  (See Isaiah 12:3)

 

Up to this point Jesus had been conversing with the woman about spiritual things, yet it seems that she was only hearing an enticing offer to provide water.  Perhaps she realized that he could be a prophet; she may have even heard of a teacher who was been travelling around the region doing miracles.  Now Jesus took the conversation to a  personal level to make his meaning clear.

6. What did Jesus’ comments about her many husbands reveal to this woman? (vs. 18-19)  Hint: Do you think there was more conversation than we have recorded in the passage?

 

She realized that somehow he knew her past, but at the same time she realized that even though he had known about her all along, he’d entered into a respectful conversation that conveyed his care for her as a person.

We can use common things to plant seeds for evangelism without being offensive. Jesus used a conversation about water to open a door to a deeper discussion.  Sometimes our part is to simply plant a ‘seed’; perhaps our part is to encourage that door to open a little wider.  Or our part of the story may be to help someone make a decision for Christ. However  without a conversation, a conversion is unlikely to happen.

 

7. Describe in your own words the kind of life that Jesus knew this woman had experienced.