John 4:16-18 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

Much is said about the woman at the well, but I would ask you to look specifically at how Jesus addresses the woman here. He obviously knew the truth about who she was living with, yet he addressed her with the respect that would have been accorded a married woman. No judgment, no accusation, just a polite request.

Jesus new the truth but rather than reveal His knowledge of her condition, he waited for her to confess her situation. This is a lesson we all should take note of in our relationships with others. We may know or assume a state of sin exists with people we know. They may even not consider it a sin.

So often we have feelings and concerns about the sin nature in others. In this particular case it was the polite conversation that led to confession. What if Jesus had said something more along the lines of “Get the man you are living in sin with and bring him to me.” Do you think the woman would have been inclined to bring her man before anyone that had already judged them both? Probably not.

Yes we want people to be saved. We save no one, God does. Our judgment will only drive them away from the salvation that is offered. Jesus treated her with politeness which was not an example of condoning sin, but rather in placing the situation in a position of trust so that confession could be made.

Being polite does not condone sin, it is grace waiting patiently.