How Do I Tell Others about Jesus?
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17
One of the questions you should be asking yourself at this point is, “So, how do I talk to other people about the hope that I’ve found in Jesus?” A phrase that has always stuck with me (and I have no idea where it originated) goes like this, “I’m just a beggar showing other beggars where I found food.”
I like that because one of the things that makes people scared when it comes to sharing their faith in Jesus is that it might come off as condescending. Sort of like, “Hey, I have all the answers, so you should listen to me!” But the reality is we have nothing to be proud of, in and of ourselves. The Bible says that while we were still sinners, Jesus loved us.
So, when it comes to learning how to tell people about Jesus, I like to think about the way that Jesus has loved me. He didn’t wait for me to get my life perfect. He didn’t send out a list of things I had to get done before he would accept me.
No, he found me when I was lost, and he made me his child. This is how Jesus loves, and it’s important to remember that when you want to share that same love of Jesus.
There’s a scene in John 4 where Jesus has a conversation with a woman who is drawing water at a well. It seems like just an ordinary event unless you know some details about the culture. First of all this woman was a Samaritan. Now, Jews did not talk to Samaritans. In fact, they hated one another. But Jesus intentionally crosses that barrier and talks to this woman even though most of his friends would have thought he was crazy, or just wasting his time. Why would he do that? Well, because he loved her. He had compassion on her.
And this is even bigger deal when you know that this woman was very hated in her community. In fact, she was seen as the ‘big sinner’. She had five previous husbands and the man she was currently with was not her husband. In this culture a man could divorce his wife for almost any reason at all and it would be seen as her fault. So, there were five men who divorced this woman. She was not loved well by men, but used and then discarded.
But you know what? Jesus loved her, and he said to her, “My Father and I are looking for those who would be our witnesses.” Can you believe that? Jesus chose the least likely person to go and be his witness.
Well, it shouldn’t be that surprising to you if you know yourself well. I think that what Jesus might have been trying to teach all of us through this encounter is that we are all like this woman. We all desperately need his grace.
And the more we see that we need it, the more we become equipped to go and tell others about it. My friends, Jesus loves sinners, and that is very good news for you at this very moment. You may forget many things that you read and study about Jesus, but don’t ever forget this!