Will You Take the Risk to Go and Tell the World About Jesus or Do You Prefer to Cling to Him?

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You Can Choose to be Like the Woman at the Well or the Man Delivered from the Legion of Demons

Have you ever considered how people respond to receiving good news? As an example, consider how a woman might respond to a marriage proposal. Marriage proposals no longer seem to be the private affair at a romantic restaurant. Instead, the groom-to-be has great pressure on him to create an elaborate setting with the bride-to-be’s friends and family gathered around, all the while surprising her with the proposal and engagement ring. Of course, someone must video the event and that video is posted on Facebook or other social media for all to see.

I have watched many marriage proposals online and noticed two different ways the woman generally reacts to the proposal when she welcomes it. Most commonly she throws her arms around the gentleman’s neck and clings to him for some time. In fact, the clinging stage may last for a considerable time, possibly throughout that evening or for the next week or two until the preparation for the wedding begins. But sometimes she turns to her family and friends and runs to them tell them all about this amazing surprise and show them the beautiful engagement ring she just received.

These two reactions are also common when people come to the Lord Jesus Christ in salvation. Throughout the Bible we find analogies of Christ as the bridegroom and the church as His bride (see John 3:29; Mark 2:19-20; 2 Corinthians 11:1-4). So as we come to salvation, accepting the proposal of our bridegroom, we either cling to Him or run to tell everyone what the Lord has done for us. This pattern is also evident in the Bible. So, after a brief review of our invitation to salvation, let’s consider the reaction Jesus is looking for.

Invitation to Salvation

The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He further explains in Romans 6:23 that the consequence of sin is death except that God offers us a gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What is absolutely amazing to me is that God loves us so much that Christ died for us even as we were living in our sin (Romans 5:8). He does not want any of us to die in our sin and perish (2 Peter 3:9). Because Jesus died for us, He now stands at the door of our hearts and knocks to see if we will accept His invitation to salvation by opening the door so He can enter our lives (Revelation 3:20). When we hear His voice and open that door to our hearts, He will come into our hearts and live (Id.). He will be with us and we will be with Him (Id.).

People react to salvation in different ways. Yet it seems we either cling to the Lord or go to tell everyone we know about it. Let’s take a look at a few people in the Bible and see what they did.

The Reaction of the Man with the Legion of Demons

We can read about a man with a legion of demons that Jesus cast out in Mark 5:1-20. Jesus had gone to the country of the Gadarenes. He met the man who was living among the tombs. He was living among the dead. The man was uncontrollable because of his extraordinary strength. The people tried to bind him with chains, yet the man broke every chain.

Jesus cast out the demons from the man and he was restored to his right mind (Mark 5:15).  When this man received his salvation through this miracle, he wanted to cling to Jesus. To cling means to hold tightly to someone or something. The man did not want to leave Jesus. He wanted to hold tightly to Him. He wanted Jesus by his side at all times.

When Jesus got into the ship to leave, the man wanted to go with him (Mark 5:18). He had spent too many years in the tombs with dead people. He was tired of people trying to bind him with the chains. He now wanted to spend his time with the man who offered Him eternal life and freedom from sin.

In response to his salvation, this man wanted to stay close to Jesus. Have you ever felt that way? Just keep me close to Him and I’ll be OK, right? Many of us long to cling to Jesus. But is that what Jesus wants for us?

Woman at the Well

The woman at the well reacted quite differently than the man with a legion of demons. We can read about her in John 4:1-42. She was drawing water from a well in Samaria when Jesus approached her and asked her for a drink. Jesus had intentionally sent His disciples on an errand so He could speak to this woman alone. Although she was a Samaritan and Jews did not socialize with Samaritans, Jesus spoke to her. He let her know that He knew all about her sin. He knew she had had five husbands and at that time was living with a man that was not her husband. And yet He revealed to her that He was the awaited Messiah. He extended His love and forgiveness to this woman who was living deep in sin.

What was this woman’s reaction? She did not cling to Jesus like the man who had been delivered from the demons. Instead, she ran to her city and told the people about Jesus (John 4:28-29). She told them that He knew all about her and invited them to come and meet Jesus, the Messiah. Because she shared her testimony, many people from the city (the Samaritans) believed in Jesus (John 4:39).

To Cling or to Go – What Does Jesus Want Us to Do?

The man who had been delivered from the demons wanted to cling. We all want or need to cling to Jesus from time to time. And certainly, when we first come to salvation is a really good time to cling to Him. We go to church, bible studies, and church conferences to cling to Him and learn more and more about Him so we can walk with Him. It is certainly OK to cling.

Jesus actually invited the man to sit with Him and talk to Him for a while. The herdsmen who had witnessed the man’s deliverance immediately fled to the city and the countryside and told everyone what had happened (Mark 5:14). While they were gone, the man clung to Jesus by sitting near Him and listening to all He had to say. So, when the people from the city and countryside went to see the man, he was sitting with Jesus, clothed and in his right mind (Mark 5:15). Jesus welcomed the man to cling to Him for a while.

But when the man had learned all that Jesus wanted to share with Him and Jesus prepared to leave, the man wanted to continue clinging to Him (Mark 5:18). But Jesus did not permit it (Mark 5:19). Instead, Jesus told the man to do what the Samaritan woman did. Jesus told him to go home and tell his friends the great things the Lord had done for him and the compassion Jesus showed him (Mark 5:19). The man was obedient and shared his testimony (Mark 5:29). As a result, all the people marveled at the things Jesus had done (Id.).

We indeed need to spend time alone with Jesus. We need to have our own personal devotions and to go to Bible Study and to church to draw close to Him and to other like-minded individuals. But it is through the sharing of our testimony that other people come to believe in Jesus. We don’t receive salvation just so we can cling to Jesus. We receive it so we can tell others about Him.

We can also learn from the women who went to Jesus’ tomb after His crucifixion. They discovered Jesus was not in the tomb (Matthew 28:5-6). They immediately ran to tell the disciples what they had learned but met Jesus along the way (Matthew 28:8-9). Once they met Jesus, they wanted to cling. They stopped, fell at His feet, and worshipped (Matthew 28:9). But then Jesus told them to go (Matthew 28:9-10).

Going and telling other people about what Jesus has done for us is very important to God. In fact, after Jesus had been resurrected and appeared to several people, He gave His last instructions to His disciples before He ascended into Heaven. He told them to go and tell the people of all nations what Jesus had taught them (Matthew 28:19). In essence, He told them to go and testify.

Once we’ve received salvation, Jesus wants us to go and tell the world what He has done for us. Yes, we may cling to Him. We must continue to spend time with Him to learn to hear His voice and to know what He wants us to do. But we are also to go tell everyone what great things He has done for us.

We can confidently go and share our testimonies with people all around us because Jesus promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). If you aren’t sharing your testimony regularly, begin praying that God will lead you to people who need to hear your testimony and that He will give you boldness to speak up (Acts 4:29). You too will find that many people will come to relationship with Jesus because of your testimony.