Two Key Interviews

Only the Gospel of John informs us of an early period of ministry in southern Judea, prior to the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry in the north. In this early period, Jesus had two key conversations, recorded by John. Jesus’ meeting with the Jewish leader Nicodemus tells us that even religious people need a new-birth gift only Jesus can give. Jesus’ longer conversation with a Samaritan woman tells us that no matter where we have searched for fulfillment in the past, no matter how thirsty we have become, we will find our deepest longings met only in the thirst-quenching gift that Jesus offers. John’s purpose for including these two conversations up front was to allow his readers to understand the message of Jesus via two “real-life stories.”