People person

People person

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” John 4:7 (NKJV)

As you read through the Gospels, you’ll see Jesus consistently engaging other people in conversation.

We see it in the verse above as a Samaritan woman crosses His path. We see it at the Pool of Bethesda as Jesus initiates a conversation with a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years (John 5:6). We see it as He finds Philip and calls him to be a disciple (John 1:43). We see it as He calls Matthew to follow Him (Matthew 9:9). And we see it as He invites Himself over to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner (Luke 19:5).

Time and time again, we see Jesus going out of His way to engage others. He didn’t isolate or shut Himself up in an ivory tower or seal Himself off from “common folk.” He was out there at street level seizing every opportunity to engage and interact with others. So it’s not a stretch for us to say that Jesus was a people person.

But how are we supposed to apply this particular trait? Granted, God has given us a wide variety of personalities. Some are more outgoing by nature, while others are more introverted. But there’s something wrong with a person who is following Christ and doesn’t appreciate the value of people or isn’t willing to establish relationships with them. It just doesn’t compute.

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus replied that it was to love God—but He quickly followed that up with the second greatest command—to love others (Matthew 22:37-39). If you’re someone who doesn’t consider yourself a “people person,” it’s important to remind yourself that Jesus was.