A Comparison of the Method of Jesus in Witnessing Used to Nicodemus, the Woman at the Well, and the Rich Young Ruler.

The New Testament has much to say on the topic of evangelism. The beginnings of the church age was one of incredible ambition as the followers of Christ spread the Gospel to the then known world. We can learn many different styles and forms of evangelism. The root of evangelism is found in the teachings of Christ. He set the stage and let His disciples with not only words but also actions as He shared His mission and the salvation message. In Matthew 13:1-18 Jesus gives us the example of the sower. In this parable we see a farmer planting seed and the seed falls on various types of soil. Each type of soil represents how the seed responded. In this paper I will discuss and compare how three individuals heard the word of God, and how they responded to the Word of God. Each of these individuals; Nicodemus (John Chapter 3), the woman at the well (John Chapter 4), and the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-30) heard the message of salvation from Jesus Christ himself.
Nicodemus (John Chapter 13) Before diving into detail about Nicodemus the Pharisee, it is important to view what a Pharisee was back in ancient antiquity, and how they were portrayed in John. A Pharisee was a Jewish sect which emphasized strict adherence to the purity laws set forth in the Torah. 1 In the Gospel of John, Pharisees function both as government officials and as the learned doctors of the Jewish law who are interested in Jesus’ teachings and dispute its truth. The Pharisees are an observant and disbelieving opponent of Jesus and his teachings. They compete with Jesus for influence with the people and attempt to undermine his teachings. They had influence with the people
1. Bart D. Ehrman, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament p.40-41.

because they were accepted as the standards of Jewish behavior and belief in their society. 2 Knowing what a Pharisee was and how they function in John’s Gospel and during antiquity makes it possible to understand the meaning of the story the Pharisee

Cited: 1. Bart D. Ehrman, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), p.40-41. 2. David N. Freedman, et al., ed. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 3, H-J. (New York: Double Play, 1992), p.297-298. 3 6. David N. Freedman, et al., ed. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 3, H-J. (New York: Double Play, 1992), p.928. 8. Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971), p. 255 9 10. Eugene J. Botha, Jesus and the Samaritan woman: a speech act reading of John 4:1-42 (the Netherlands: E.F. Brill, 1991), p.107-108 11 12. Lois E. Lebar, Education That Is Christian (Colorado Springs, Colorado: Cook Communications, 1995), p.67 13 14. C. S. Mann, Mark: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Bible 27 (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1986), 401. 15. Robert Bird, Jesus: the carpenter of Nazareth (London: Patrenoster House, 1892), p.309 16