Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-07-30
CHRIST AT JACOBS WELL.
International Sunday-SchOOI Lesson 70
August 2, 1881.

| ONAADE-2s 4EAl- W uOSOeNeE Will let MIN taSH
the water Of life freely.-Rev. 29:IL
CENTRAL TRUTH.-Jesus satisfies every thirst
Of the soul
TNE-December. A D. q. About eight
months after the last lesson
PLACE-Jacob's wen at Sychar part Of tho
ancient Shechem, at the foot OF Mount Gerizim
The well was One-half mile from Sychar, and
two miles from Shechcm, between Mounts Ebal
and Gerizim in Samaria
HELPS OVER HARD PLACES. =. Jacob
| gave:" Gen. 4S:22 6. jacobs we'll" 0 feet in
diameter, lO5 feet deep, formerly; now Is feet;
dug in solid rock Sixth hour probably six
| o'clock in the evening, Roman reckoning; by
| Jewish reckoning II would be twelve o'clock
| sixth hour from sunrise. But John was writing
| IN EpheSus, among Romans. s. Neat food
| 9. Jews have no dealings with Samaritans:"
no free social intercourse, but would bay ard
| and sell They had rival forms OF religion rival
| temples. The Samaritans accepted only the
| i've books Of Moses as their Bible and were
| partly descended from heather ancestors e
| Kings l.: G. 81 2L) 10. Living water" flow
| ing as from q fountain. Tao Holy Spirit be-
| slowing spiritual life. John Z: 81 10 H.
| Thirst, never thirst" every person is full OF
desires, bodily, mental, spiritual Fhe world
| cannot satisfy the soul Jesus Christ sancti-
| ies the natural desires, and satisfies the splr-
ltua', the longing for happiness for worthy life
for friendship ,fOr forgiveness for eternal life
for God Is. Go CALI" said in order to con-
vince her OF sin; that she might seek the living
water. %. Our fathers" etc: a question OF
great interest 10 her The Samaritan temple
was on GeriziU, close by. 81 'Ye worship"
etc: that which ye know not They accepted
only part Of the Bible and therefore their
knowledge Of Goa was imperfect. Salvation
OF the Jews promised in their Bible, aud the
Messiah was to be descended from them
LESSON COMMENTS.
The story of to-day's lesson is
most interesting. At the well of
Jacob sits Jesus weary with His
journey. lie sits alone, as the dis
ciples have gone into the city to buy
food. Just then a Samaritan woman,
of evil life, but exceedingly smart and
intelligent, and possessed of large in
fuence in her town, comes to the well
to draw water. She has her water Jug
with her, and the wherewithal for
drawing water; for the well is very
deep, and has no bucket attached to it.
Silently He looks at her; and silently
she looks at Him, and realizes, at a
glance, that He is a hated Jew. Then
lie speaks: "Give Me to drink With
surprise, and perhaps also with undis-
5AAoCNA oCOAli. SAAS IL pits IlON - IL
that Thou, being jew, asketh drink
of me, who am woman of Samaria?"
Untouched by the discourteous reply,
Jesus speaks again, and alludes to ''liv-
ing water, which He says He has at
Ills disposal. The wOman's curiosity
seems to be aroused by this calm men
ton of Giving water" and knowing
that there were no springs of Giving
water" near by, and that He had no
rope nor bucket with which to draw
water from the well, she asks: From
whence then hast Thou that living
water?' Then, in gentle sarcasm, she
asks whether He considers Himself
greater than the great Jacob. In an
swer, Jesus speaks of living water of
such 4 nature that it shall forever Stake
a mans thirst. Still misunderstanding
Him, and yet perhaps thinking that He |
really had some mysterious power of |
which she might perhaps avail herself, |
and SO be saved much trouble, she re-
plies: 'Give me this water" Having |
thus thoroughly arc used her interest, |
Jesus proceeds TO pierce, at one stroke, |
deep into her inner life. go, call thy |
husband" Il have no husband" Thou
hast had five husbands; and he whom
thou now hast is not thy husband"
How swiftly these sentences were
spoken! but, as a result, the woman |
evidently perceived that prophet stood |
before her. The veil that hid her past
life was to Him no veil at all. She saw
clearly that He knew all about her, and
she realized that denial was useless.
So, unwilling to pursue that personal
theme any farther, she tried hard to
turn the conversation, and make an IS
sue on the old stock argument between
Jew and Samaritan. The calm reply
Of Jesus to her evasive words seems to
have solemnized her, and she says: Il
know that Messiah cOmeth. when lie
IS come, He will declare unto us all
things" This is as though she had
said: You need not try to reveal truth
10 Us; for there Is already provision
made for sufficient revelation in the
Messiah, who is coming in due time"
Then came, as a fitting climax to all
hat He had said, the declaration: II -.
IN He" So closes the lesson.
In what a strange contrast do this
,lcver woman and Christ stand, as they
ace each other by the we'll! She speaks
f earthly waters: He of Heavenly. Her
hoaghts are all bodily; His all spirit
lal. Thou hast nothing to draw
With, and the well IS deep" she says.
With truth He might have replied:
Thou hast nothing to draw with
md the well is deep" The well
# truth, OF which lie was speak
ng, was indeed deep beyond any
lower of mortal to reach. Mere IN
ided human understanding has not
ope enough to draw from the well of
terral truth. Greek and Roman,
Egyptian and Assyrian, had tried u
raw up truth concerning God with
human ropes; and 10! ali they produced
we're IDOLS of gold and silver and
marble, and bulls and beetles and
rocodiles. Athens thought the rope of
Ter wisdom had reached the deepest
epths of truth, but many affairs bore
witness to her bitter dclusiOn. Pharisee ]
nd scribe and Jew and Samaritan lid |
lso drawn, but had gotten nothing but
and outward ceremony. Yet,
rom that day to this, many have gone
head with human ropes to draw forth
ternal trIths. - Rev. A. T. Schaufler,
}. D.
PRACTICAL. SUGGESTIONS.
l. We may be weary in Christian
york, but not of it.
?. Christian service may refresh our
-eary bodies.
8. We should take every opportunity