The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-29
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
AUGUST g. -
Lesson Text: Christ ut Jacobs
Well" John iv., 5-26-Golden
Text: xii, 17--Com-
mentary.

edii iieu LII " cudsHa ana many came 10 him
and were by His disciples baptized chapter
lii, %; iv.. l-2l. John bearing this rejoiced
greatly and was in no way jealous, for his
Joy was to have people follow Jesus Gii., 90:
3W. Jesus leaving JudRa for Galilee, and
passing through Samaria, stops at Sychar.
Here was Abrams first resting place and
altar in the promised land, and herr the Lord
appeared to him tGsn. xii, 6-0 Here also
the bones Of Joseph were buriei Josh XIV,
W. 1t Is about thirty-four n lies north of
Jerusalem.
g. Now Jacobs we'll was there Jesus,
therefore, being wearied with His Journey.
sat thus on the well 1t was about the sixth
hour" See the true humanity OF Jesus He
was a real man: a long walk made Him tired.
His body, although sinless, needed food aud
drink and rest just as ours do. Hewas
touched with the feeling of our infirmities
and can have compassion on us Heb. w., Is;
", .. When you are weary just tell Him.
for He has not forgotten how it feels, and He
feels for you.
Z. There cometh woman Of Samaria to
draw water; Jesus saith unto her, Give Me to
drink" The brides Of Isaac and Jacob and
Moses were found at wells tGen. xiv. ..43, A;
xxx, 10, II; Ex. H., 1921, and in connection
with the drawing of water; here is the Son
OF God about to find part of His bride in the
same way.
8. For His disciples were gone away unto
the city to buy meat" Although He had fed
millions OF people for forty years with bread
from Heaven, and could have commanded
birds or an angel to bring food, as in the
case of Elijah, yet we never find Him work.
ing a miracle for His own benefit.
9. The Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans." The woman is surprised at
His request, and gives this as her reason.
Peter, in the home Of Cornelius, confessed it
as his belief that Jew should have nothing
to do with one of another nation until God
showed him different (Acts Z, 2S. But even
in the Old Testament the stor IS Of the
widow of Sarepta and Naaman, the Syrian,
were striking proofs that Gods purpose was
% bless Others through Israel (see Luke iV.,
25-20.
TO- IF thou knewest tha gift of God, and
who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink,
thou wculdst have asked of Him and
He would have given thee living water"
Thus replied Jesus. not needing her question
and statement, but, as in the case Of Nicode-
aus regarding only her soul and its welfare.
IL. "Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with,
and the we'll is deep-from whence then hast
Thou that living water" We see here the
same blindness that was manifest in Nico-
lemus, proving that the natural man can
aot see the things of God Il Cor. H., 1A.
12. art Thou greater than our father Ja-
,ob, which gave US the well?' Her thought
seems to be that if He would give water He
aust get it from a well, and as this one is
1eep, perhaps He thinks Of making new
one and improving upon Jacobs.
13. "Jesus answered and said unto her,
Whosoever drinketh of this water shall
thirst again. Needless Of her foolish ques-
tions He keeps 20 His subject, contrasting
the natural water, Of which she knew, with
the spiritual or living water, of which she
knew nothing.
Il. "But whososver drinketh of the water
that shall give him shall never thirst" Or
Gs He said in chapter vi, 35, "He that
,ometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that
believeth OH Me shall never thirst, ''aunger
and thirst being figure embracing all in
iividual needs and unsatis6ei desires OF man
in all their variety isee lsa Xix, 10; Rev.
vii, 49,.
Is. "Sir give me this water. that thirst
,ot. neither come hithar to draw She is
becoming interested, she forgets the barrier
between Jew and Samaritan; shs asks of
Him, but she knows not what she asks, for
abe still thinks only Of this water and this
well.
16. "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy
husband, and come hither." Having asked
for the water which He had to give, He will
now prepare her to receive it, and the first
step must be conviction of sin III or1er to the
acceptance of Himself as Colts righteous
uesS.
II. II have no husband. Jesus id unto
her, Thou hast we'll said, 1 have no hus-
band" She thought to deceive Him, she
knew Him not, nor for moment imagined
that He could real her innost thought.
Thinking to conceal her sin, she uninten-
tionally spoke the real truth; from which
He will presently lead her on to see herself
more fully and her exceeding slnfuinesS.
1S. "For thou has: had five husbands, and
he whom thou now hast is not thy husband:
in that saidst thou truly All things are
naked and opened unto the eyes Of Him With
whom we have to do. He will bring every
work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether It be good or whether it be
evil Heb. ", 13; Ecc!. xii, ~.
90. Our fathers worshiped in this noun
tain and We say that in Jerusalem is the
place where men ought to worship" She
Mo,si fain turn away from the subject OF
her own sin and lead the conversation into
another channel, as when one convinced OF
their errors says, ''Well. am not OF your
persuasion. 1 do not attend your church, I do
not think as you do," thus hoping to evade
the issue by an argument about other
things.
81 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe
Me, the hour cometh when ye shall, neither
in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem wor-
ship the Father" He does not insist that
Jerusalem is the place. He directs her away
from places Of worship to the great and
only object of worship, even God the Father.
%. "Ye worship ye know not what. We
known what we worship, for salvation is of
the Jews" God was pleased to reveal Him
self in Israel and through Israel to other
nations.
%. But the hour cometh, and now Is,
when the true worshipers shall worship the
Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father
seeketh such to worship Him." Notice the
words land now is" in verses 81, %. He
pointed to an hour that cometh when it shall
be fully manifest that salvation is of the
Jews" but here He speaks of the present
coltrite heart may become trus worsllper
OF the Father FPS. Ii, ~. Compare the hour
that now is and the hour thaE is coming in
chapter v, 25, IS.
2i. God is spirit, and they that wor-
ship Him must worship Him i'll spirit and In
truth" Thus the Son Of God reveals the
Father and the way e. ths Father, to this
sinful woman; and thus He is doing the will
Of Him that sent Hin, anl eating meat
that the disciples knew not of ses verses
32, 34l.
25 Il know that Messias cometh, which
is called Christ. When aeis coue He will
tell us all things Perhaps wondering in
her heart, even as she said it, il she had not
found Him, for no one had ever talked to
her like this. Never had her sinful life
been So shown to her, and yet she was
strangely drawn to Him who so reproved
her
26 Jesus saith unto her, that speak un-
to thee am He" Now, it is all told, the
Father is revealed in the Son, and she has
seen the Saviour, tho Christ, the King OF
Israel He laid bare all her gin, and yet did
not condemn her, for He came to save, not