Reaching Out Through Common Ground
"A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give me a drink.' – John 4:7
It’s easy to struggle to connect with those who seem different from us, especially when sharing the gospel feels awkward or forced.
Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman shows us a beautiful pattern for gospel ministry. He didn't begin with a sermon. He started with thirst. Both needed water. Both stood under the same scorching sun. Both were human. Jesus identified what they shared before introducing what she lacked.
If you think about it, at the heart of the gospel is Jesus coming to us. He shared our environment and temptations. He shared in the celebration of a wedding and he cried at the pain sin caused.
This matters because we often do the opposite. It’s easy to see differences first and then let those differences become a wall that keeps us from connecting.
But back to the Samaritan woman: notice what Jesus does. He asks for help. He makes himself vulnerable. He acknowledges his thirst. In doing so, he establishes common ground with a woman who had three strikes against her: she was a Samaritan, a woman, and living in known sin. Jewish rabbis wouldn't speak to her. Religious leaders would have crossed the street. But Jesus sat down and asked for water.
We do share common ground with those who don’t believe. We live in the same broken world. We face similar struggles—loneliness, fear, disappointment, loss. We have the same fundamental need for meaning and love and hope. Paul affirms this in Acts 17:26-28, telling the Athenians that God "made from one man every nation of mankind" and that "in him we live and move and have our being."
The difference between us and those without Christ isn't that we're better people. It's that we've tasted living water. We were just as thirsty, just as empty, just as desperate. But God, in his mercy, opened our eyes to see Jesus as the only one who satisfies.
This should shape how we engage others. Instead of standing at a distance with answers, we can sit down and acknowledge shared struggles. I know what it's like to feel alone and disappointed and fearful. This isn't compromise. It's honesty and transparency.
From common ground, Jesus moves to uncommon grace. He transitions from physical thirst to spiritual need. From temporary water to eternal satisfaction. But he earns the right to speak about living water by first acknowledging their shared need for regular water.
Are you avoiding someone because they seem too different? Too far from God? Too caught up in sin? Jesus didn't separate from sinners—he ate with them, talked with them, and met them where they were. Not to approve of their sin, but to offer them something better.
Remember: You were once thirsty too. The same grace that found you can find others. Let your shared humanity become the bridge for the gospel, not a barrier to it.
May Christ, who meets you in your need, give you grace to meet others with hope and kindness.
Father, you always come close to us through Jesus. Forgive us for holding back when we could offer your kindness. Cause us notice and reach those who share the same needs we do.
Song: There Is One Gospel