How to Overcome the Fear of Rejection
To be a soul winner for Jesus, we must overcome the fear of rejection. The Samaritan Woman at the Well not only carried water, she carried the burden of rejection. This is the incredible story of her turnaround from Weakness to Wellness to Witness.
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. (John 4:6 NIV)
She was alone drawing from Jacob’s well at about the sixth hour. This was a famous well that provided water to the community. But it was the sixth hour, in the hot afternoon. This Samaritan woman was alone because the well was half of a mile away from the community. The women usually carried water either in the morning or the evening. Why did she come under the hot sun? Maybe it was an emergency. Or maybe she wanted to be alone, away from the eyes of other women, to avoid listening to disparaging remarks from other women. Or was it out of fear of rejection?
Rejected by Society
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” (John 4:16-18 NIV)
She had had 5 husbands and the man whom she was living with – was not a husband. In those days, women don’t divorce husbands. Either she was divorced 5 times, or had had 5 husbands who died, or a combination of both. In any case, she would have most likely been disregarded by men and a taboo to the women of that society in general.
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Furthermore, she was not married to the man she was living with. After 5 marriages, she wasn’t young anymore. Young women carried waters from the well because they were stronger. Because of the fact she had to carry water herself meant that she didn’t have a servant. We can infer that she was living with that man because she was depending on him financially. Since she was willing to live with him without being married to him, it showed her desperation.
Jesus Crossed Barriers to Reach Out to Her
As a rule of thumb, Jews don’t speak to Samaritans. Men couldn't speak to women without the husband's there. Rabbis were not supposed to be near her. Sounds like fear, right? Jesus confronted her past. She didn’t lie to hide her shame.To be a soul winner, we need to be transparent so that others can see the real Jesus in us. For the light to shine into us, and then, through us to others, we need to be transparent.
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” (John 4:39 NIV)
Her transparency was clear when she brought many souls to Jesus. She told many about Jesus: “He told me all that I ever did.” This means she laid bare about her past life to many people. She didn’t care if they already knew about her past or not.
And this is how you overcome the fear of rejection!
Through her divine supernatural encounter with Jesus, she knew without a shadow of doubt that God loved and accepted her. Now she was no longer living in fear. She was no longer dependent on others for love and acceptance. She now knew that God Himself loved and accepted her. Then finally, she had overcome the fear of rejection!