Reconciliation!

For Friday, November 17, 2023:

John 4:16 NLT: “’Go and get your husband,’ Jesus told the woman at the well.”

Turns out she’d been married five times, and was not married to the man with whom she was presently living. Like a prophet, Jesus knew all this prior to her telling him. The Bible doesn’t tell us if her previous husbands died, if they were abusive and she left, or if her husbands divorced her and they left. Theirs was a patriarchal society, and it was difficult for a single woman to get by. How it happened isn’t as important as understanding her current situation.

I’m amazed that with her life a mess and while living in sin, Jesus offered her ‘living water,’ a chance at salvation. But he always said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” He further explained, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The Pharisees, who should have known all about religion, were not on Jesus’ agenda that day. But the poor ‘Woman at the Well’ got his full attention! Jesus didn’t judge or criticize her. He was just kind and offered reconciliation.

Yesterday was “Give to the Max” day locally, and it was promoted on several radio stations. I listened to an interview with a formerly addicted man who had been living on the street. He had hit his ‘bottom,’ and found his way to the Union Gospel Mission. Without judging his past, they cleaned him up, fed him, gave him a warm bed, and offered him counseling and Bible classes. The man accepted their love and assistance, and little by little, saw a radical transformation in his life. Today he’s been sober 18 months, has had a job for over a year and expects to get his own place soon. He now mirrors the love and acceptance he was shown, and is forever grateful for the Christians who treated him like Jesus would have. He now has Jesus living in his heart, and is proud to share the Good News with others.

Jesus wants us all to hear the Good News. He’s in the forgiveness business!

More tomorrow! Blessings!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

P.S. There’s a group of ladies known to the Union Gospel Mission as the “Cake Ladies.” They bake cakes and bring them to the mission, so the residents can celebrate birthdays, sobriety anniversaries or just have a nice dessert. The ladies come every week, and are joyful!