Everyday Teaching (4)

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

John 4:7

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Teaching moments pop up in front of us all day long. But we need to be paying attention. If we can set our minds to focus on our primary calling throughout the day – the calling of being witnesses and making disciples – then we might begin to be more alert to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as He calls class to order and opens the book of Truth with the people around us. In the Church today we have become so accustomed to teaching and learning taking place in classrooms, at scheduled times, and at the feet of “qualified” teachers, that we just don’t have the mindset for making the most of every teaching opportunity that presents itself all day long.

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But this is where we need to cut some new grooves for our walk with the Lord. Paul calls us to pay attention to what’s going on in the as-you-are-goings of our lives, so that we can make the most of every opportunity the Lord brings our way (Eph. 5:15-17). Begin your day in prayer, asking the Lord to give you many teaching moments during the day ahead. Keep that attitude of prayer going throughout the day, so that you are in constant conversation with the Spirit whenever He wants to prompt or guide you in some way or another. This is a discipline that takes time to develop, but it’s one we can all learn. It won’t just happen; you’ll have to devote your mind and heart to the task of seeking the Lord daily, and throughout the day, for just the right situations in which you can bear witness or help another believer grow as a disciple of the Lord.

You’ll also need to be prepared to take the initiative at such times, just as Jesus did with the woman at the well. Sad to say, those who are our potential students won’t normally be as ready for class to be in session as we should be. So we’ll need to get the conversation started, and Jesus shows us how we can do just that. With the woman at the well Jesus started where He found her. He could have sat at the well and said nothing to this woman. Or He could have prayed earnestly that the Lord would lead her to bring something up that might allow Him to engage a teaching moment with her. But He didn’t do either of these things, and neither should we. Realizing that this woman had come to the well with water on her mind, Jesus started where He found her and asked her for a drink.

Now, don’t miss the extraordinary strangeness of this. The woman certainly didn’t. She knew who she was, and she could tell that Jesus was a Jew and perhaps a teacher of some sort. Jews and Samaritans in those days had no dealings with one another. Further, it was unusual – and perhaps even a bit suspect – for a man to engage a conversation with a woman unknown to Him. Jesus brushed these taboos aside, and the fact that He did startled the woman a bit, but it didn’t put her off. What are we afraid of when it comes to initiating a teaching moment with others? What “taboos” keep us from starting a conversation? If we can ignore these and look for a starting-point for conversation that is evidently already occupying our potential student, we won’t have much trouble going on from there.

Notice the second thing about Jesus’ comment: He put Himself in a dependency role with this woman. He didn’t say, “Here, let me get that for you.” He, in effect, invited her to engage Him by meeting some obvious need. When we launch into a teaching moment we need to think of an opening that will engage the learner with us. Here it would be appropriate to ask a question, or perhaps to solicit an opinion on whatever our potential student may be thinking about or doing. Keep the focus on the other person and what they’re presently engaged in doing. Ask them to explain something. Make an affirming or complementary comment. And then, get ready to listen, because the work of teaching will have just begun.

Everyday Teaching