The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-07-29
CHRIST AT JACOBS WELL.

CHRIST AT JACOBS WELL.
International Sunday-School Lesson for
August 2, 1891.
Especially Arranged from s. s. Quarterly
LESSON TExr--John 4:5.aB.
GOLDEN TExT--Whosoever will let him take
tho winter OF life frcoy.-Rov. 23.l7
CENTRAL TRuTH.-Jesus satisfies every thirst
Of the soul.
TINE -Decamber A. d. a. About ci.ht
months after tho las: lesson
PLACE.-Jacob's we'll at Sychar, q part Of the
ancient Shechcm. at tho foot Of Mount Geri2iil
The well was onc.half mile from Sychar, and
two miles from Shechcm, between Mounts Ebai
and Gcrizim in Samarta-
HELPS OVER HARD PLACES. 80 Jacob
gave" Gen. 4S:2a 0. Jacobs WE'LL" 0 fee; IN
diameter. l05 feet deep, formerly; now Is feet;
dug in solid rock. Sixth hour" probably six
O'Clock In the evening, Roman reckoning; bs
Jewish reckoning 1t would be twelve O'clock
sixth hour from sunrise. But John was writing
in Ephesus, among Romans. g. Meat" food
0. Jews have no dealings with Samaritans:"
no free social intercourse, but would buy ard
and sell. They had rival forms Of religion, rival
temples. The SaInaritans accepted only tho
five books Of Moses as their Bible, and wero
partly descendedsfrom heather ancestors {.
Kings II: Q, go 2i) 10. Living water" flow
ing Us from fountain. The Holy Spirit BE-
slowing spiritual life. (John z: 81 H. IA,
Thirst. never thirst" every person is full o,
desires, bodily, mental, spiritual. The world
cannot satisfy the soul. Jesus Christ sancti'
fies the natural DESIRES and satisfies the splr'
itual, the longing for happiness, for worthy life,
for friendship, for forgiveness, for eternal life.
for ID ~, caid In al
vince her Of SIM that she might seek the living
water. 20. "Our fathers" etc.: question O.
great interest to her. The Samaritan temple
was on Gerizim close by. %. "Ye worship"
ETC.: that which We know not. They accepted
only part Of -tae Bible, and therefore their
knowledge Of God was imperfect. salvation
of the jews" promised in their Bible, and 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. He sits alone. as the dis
ciples have gone into the city to buy
food. just then Samaritan woman,
of evil life, but exceedingly smart and
intelligent, and possessed of large in
fiuence 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 q
glance, that He is hated Jew. Then
He speaks: "Give Me to drink" With
surprise, and perhaps also with undis
guised scorn, she replies: slow is il
that Thou, being Jew, asketh drink
of me, who am a woman of Samaria?"
Untouched by the discourteous reply,
Jesus speaks again, and alludes to civ
ing water" which He Says He has at
His disposal. The woman's curiosity
seems to be aroused by this calm men
ton of 'living water;" and knowing
that there were no springs Of living
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
swcr, Jesus speaks OF living water of
such nature that Il shall forever Stake
mans thirst. Still misunderstanding
/ in snd yst parharA thinlxing 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" II 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 result, the woman
evidently perceived that q 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 solemnizcd her, and she says: 81
know that Messiah cometh. h. when He
is come, He will declare unto us all
things" This is as though she had
said: "You need not try to reveal truth
to ms; for there is already provision
made for sufficient revelation in the
Messiah, who is coming in due time"
Then came, as q fitting climax to all
that He had said, the declaration: e..
am He" So closes the lesson.
In what a strange contrast do this
clever woman and Christ stand, as they
face each other by the we'll! She speaks
of earthly waters; He of Heavenly. Her
thoughts are all bodily; His all spirit
ual. 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
and the we'll is deep" The well
of truth, of which He was speak
ing, was indeed deep beyond any
power of mortal to reach. Mere un-
aided human understanding has not
rope enough to draw from the well of
eternal truth. Greek and Roman,
Egyptian and Assyrian, had tried to
draw up truth concerning God with
human ropes; and 10! all they produced
were idols Of gold and silver and
marble, and bulls and beetles and
crocodiles. Athens thought the rope of
her wisdom had reached the deepest