The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-04-22
SUNDAY MEDITATION.

May 2. st. John, 1926.
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
| study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
| indicated above.
Our study now is of Christ's conversation
| with woman at Jacobs well. This took place
in December of the year of our Lord &c. Shortly
| after his talk with Nicodemus, he heard OF the
imprisonment of st. John Baptist. Then he de-
cided to go to Galilee. Samaria was one of the
four provinces into which the Romans divided
| Palestine 1t lay between Judea and Galilee.
| Jesus could have reached the northern province
by another route, and so have avoided Samaria,
but evidently it was his purpose to meet the
| woman at the we'll and serve her spiritually.
Christ was accompanied by his five Disciples
SITS. John, Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathaniel.
AT ZENITH the party reach the city Sychar. YES
pasian named it Neapolis, and so it was known
as Naplouse and NabluS. 1t was 81 miles north
of Jerusalem. 1t was Abrams first stopping
place in Canaan. Afterward it fell into the
| tribe of Ephraim. 1t is also called Shechem or
Sichem. 1t was one of the cities of refuge.
The bones of Joseph were buried there. Jos,
1922 1t is said the valley of Shechem is
the paradise of Palestine
From the Hebrew of Gen, As: %, we find the
portion" given by Jacob to Joseph was She
chem, since the very word for portion" is, in
| the Hebrew language Shechem An important
need of every section is water. 1t was com
mon, whenever it was purposed to make any
long stay, to dig well. 1t is supposed Jacob
| actually dug the one at Shechem. 1t is nine
feet in diameter and about 100 feet Deep cut
out from the solid rock. The hewn sides are
regular and smooth. 1t is at the base Of Mt.
| Gerizim, about one and a half miles from
Shechem. The top is covered with Que large,
fat stone, through the center of which IS an
| aperture large enough to admit man Sew
eral successive chapels have been built over 1t,
| one by Irene. Time and the Arabs have de-
stroyed all these. So the wcll-top is surrounded
by loose stones once buildings over the memora-
! bic spot The water is not perennial but de-
! pcudcnt on seasons OF the year. This accounts
for the fact some travellers report no water and
others state quite large number Of feet of
water. There is tradition that it is dry, except
on the anniversary day of the interview between
! Christ and the woman. There is a special in
! terest attaching TO this well, since it is the only
! locality on earth where we can fix with exact
ness spot and say with certainty Christ was
! once right there. Within limited, small circle
we are able to declare with sureness our Savior
| there stood, sat- talked.
| Christ had been travelling and was weary, Or
as the Greek has ii, was beaten out thoroughly
tired. 1t is believed he was not very strong
! lisa, 53 =; Mark, 1921, 44.) He sat thus
(that is to say tatigued) ION the we'll " curb. 1t
| was the sixth hour. Some hold, st. John used
| the Roman method of dividing the day, aud
| teach it was o'clock p. m. This was the time
.
water. Gen, "a: IL Most commentators
| think we are to understand the Jewish sixth
| hour, which was noon.
| There are wonderful condolences. 1t was
| unusual for a woman to be at the well at noon
| but Christ CHANGED at the well at that very
| hour when the Samaritan woman approached
| She did not come before the five Disciples had
| gone into the city, leaving Christ the opportu-
| nifty for an interview relieved from the embar-
| rassment of the presence OF Others The disci-
! Piles probably carried a cord on purpose to draw
water from wells, but at that time they took it
! with them, giving Christ an excuse foI asking
| the woman to give him drink. There is a
! Roman tradition that the name of the woman
! was Photina.
| We notice that though Christ could produce
| food miraculously, he did not do so in ordinary
| circumstances. Nor did he beg for it. He paid
| for it.
| The woman observed Christ was a Jew, and
| that probably from his features, apparel, and
| dialect For many centuries bitter feelings
had existed between Jews and Samaritans
| The Jews would not recognize the Samaritans
! as lsraelites Then when the temple was be-
| ing repaired at Jerusalem the Samaritans con-
| stantly annoyed the Jews. But Samaritans
! had many things in common with lsraelites-
priests, temple, the pentateuch, expectation
Of the Messiah, etc. Yet the relations of the
| two were distant. They mutually despised
each other. They could buy and sell from
each. VS. By dealings" we understand
familiar, social, hospitable relations, admitting
of mutual favors.
The woman seemed quite offended. Our
| Savior attempts to show her that she should,
on the other hand, consider it a great honor to
! have an interview with one who was in fact
| the Messiah; that instead of granting favor
| to him, she should rather have been the one to
seek favor from him. But Christ gives her
! the benefit of ignorance, implying that if she
| had known the facts in the case she would have
! sought him and his religious instruction. He
| was the gift. (V. 10. Compare, 3 49, Saliva
tion through him is living water. Then Christ,
| seemingly to rebuke her refusal to give him
water when he asked for it, says, if you asked
me for the Living water" would not do as
! you do about the mere water from the well,
refuse it, but would give it to you cheerfuly.
| Now follows her reply in VS.. Ii, II. Tholuck
| regards the answer Saucy. Meyer says: 1.-THE
woman treats the enigmatical word of Christ
| at first as Nicodemus does, q: A. bat more
| thoughtfuily, and at the same time more pertly,
! and with feminine readiness Of speech" She
! was evidently woman of deXterOus humor,
| bright mind, and rather vivacious manner We
! hardly think her impairment The idea of the
| Messiah under the figure of well, or water
was new. If he referred to material water,
! why ask her for drink while he had quantities
to give away? And if he referred TO we'll
water, he had no bucket or cord. She surmised
his ciaim to miracle power, and hence mis- claim
| TO superiority over Jacob
We know of what Christ spoke: and indeed,
after the explanation the woman, who was quick
to grasp an idea, began to get our Sayiors
| thought. By living water we mean the graces
of the Holy Spirit. 1t is like water from Ey-
ing springs, which never stagnates as does that
| standing in cisterns. (Ps., &c. 41:17, IS;
Jcr., Rib Earthly joy imparts only tenn
porary pleasure; salvation is source of eternal
| happiness.
| We now notice several practical hints:
| l. Seek opportunity when travelling drawing
water at wells, resting from WEAKNESS, any,
| where everywhere, to introduce Christ.
2. This lesson is an inkling of the outstretch
into cosmOpoitanism and humanity to be taken
by Christs religion. Even then the Savior had
an outlook toward the Gentiles. Water was an
emblem of the freeness Of salvation. Hence
missions.
3. Seek thorough knowledge of Christs
person and mission. Do not be obliged to labor
| under such misrepresentation Of him as did the
woman at the well. (V. 81 Ignorance as to
| Christ and Christianity leads to many errors
and much loss of happiness.
4. Cultivate kindness. Do favors Christ
| yet In the persons of needy ones is saying:
| Give Me to drink" Give cups of cold water.
J and be sure God will not forget your kindness.
Have dealings with the poor, extend courtesies
and give drink to the heather.
| 8. Go to Christ for comfort in every trial.
He knows what it is to be weary, hungry, too
poor to ride. He can be touched by our cares,