“Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you seek?’ or, ‘Why are you talking with her?’” – John 4:27
Jesus’ disciples were utterly shocked that He would be talking to a woman. It simply wasn’t done in the culture of the day. Particularly not a Samaritan woman (Jewish people hated Samaritans and vice versa). Particularly not a woman who was something of an outcast in her own town.
They didn’t understand that Jesus was for all people. They didn’t understand that this woman was the very reason John 4:4 says Jesus “had” to pass through Samaria (most Jewish people simply went around it). They didn’t understand that this woman was about to be an immediate and powerful witness of Christ who would bring everyone she could find to meet Him.
Jesus understood. Jesus knew He was here for her and through her all the people of her town. Jesus knew that she was ready to believe and receive Christ. So He talked to her, challenged her, and led her to faith. Through her, this most unlikely of people, many were saved.
Too often, we pre-screen those we share the Gospel with. We assume that someone won’t be interested in Jesus based on how they look, how they dress, their faith background, their lifestyle, their ethnicity, or how different they are from us. We hold back on sharing words of life with people who may be eager and ready to hear and receive them simply because of cultural norms and human assumptions. Don’t! Don’t decide in advance who needs to hear the words of life. Don’t pre-screen those “likely” to respond to the hope of the world.
We don’t know people’s hearts. We don’t know what God has already been doing in their lives. We have a straightforward task – make disciples. Don’t overthink it and don’t hinder it by deciding on someone’s behalf that they probably aren’t interested in eternal life. Speak to everyone of Jesus, even to an outcast of a different gender from a different ethnicity when she’s busy running errands.