The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-09-13
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for September 16
1ss4-Jesus at Jacobs well-John 4

Especially arranged from Peloubet's notes.1
GOLDEN TExT.-whosoever drinketh of the
water that shall give him shall never thirst.
John 4: IL
PLACE IN THE H1sroRY-First year. Sixth
event.
TIMB-December, A D. a. About eight
months after the last lesson.
PLACE.-Samaria, at Jacobs we'll, near
Sychar, at the foot Of Mount Gerizim.
FEAsTs IN A. D. 2y.-Passover, April Q; Pente-
cost, May 80; Tabernacles, october4.
JEsUs-Now about thirty years old. at
the close of his first year g ministry. chiefly IN
Judea. John the Baptist preaching at Enon
near the Jordan between Jericho and the Sea
OF Galilee.
LESSON NOTES.
Jesus Journeys from Judea to Sa-
maria.-The larger part of the first
year of His ministry Jesus spent in
Judea. 1t was now winter. He had
been SO successful in gaining disciples,
chiefly from those John had taught
and prepared, that His disciples in
creased faster than those of John, who
himself had said: "He must increase,
but must decrease" This was the
fruit and proof of Johns success. But,
seeing that remaining in Judea might
cause friction between His disciples
and those of John, and that the Phari-
sees would foment this feeling and
arouse opposition, and wishing to seek
freer fields of labor, where He could
nurture the infant church, Jesus de-
cided to leave Judea and spend some
time In Galilee. The province of Sa-
maria lay between, and He, with His
disciples, began the journey on foot.
Jesus Resting by Jacobs Well.-
The road from Judea to Galilee led by
the town of Sychar, part of the an
cient Shechem, and Jacobs well or
fountain (Gen. 33:1s-2O). 1t is on a
knoll, really spur of Gerizim, eighteen
feet high. Approaching, we find an
irregular, open space, or chamber, cut
out some six feet in the ground, and
walled up on the sides. 1t was origin
ally nearly square-say seventeen by
fifteen feet. An archway once spanned
the chamber. In the center of this
chamber is the we'll. 1t is nine feet in
diameter, and for a distance Of some
twelve feet is carefully walled up.
Thence downward it is solid rock.
Maundrell, in 1897, found it to be one
hundred and five feet deep. A dozen
years ago an Arab was let down into
the well, and by measuring the rope it
was found to be seventy-fve feet deep,
and quite dry at the bottom. The
thirty feet Of rubbish at the bottom
covered up the water.
He Asks a Samaritan woman for a
Drink of Water:-While His disciples
went to the city half mile away to buy
food, Samaritan woman came to the
we'll to draw water, probably for the
laborers in the field, for there was
water to drink nearer Sychar. Jesus,
having no means of drawing water for
Himself, asked her to give Him drink.
She asks in surprise and perhaps
pleasure, How is 1t that Thou, being
a jew" etc, She recognized Him as a
Jew either by His speech or His dress.
"For the Jews have no dealings with
the Samaritans," remark thrown In
by the writer to give the reason for her
surprise. They have no dealings Of
friendly intercourse. This ill-will,
however, did not extend beyond famil-
lar intercourse; for In such matters as
buying and selling, intercourse was
allowed. This is manifest both from
Jewish writer's and from the conduct
OCCASION
He Offers Her the Water of Eternal
Life.-It Is worth while to note here
how often Jesus gives His best instruc-
tion, His choicest truths, in private
conversation and to one hearer or a
very few. It was the same in our last
lesson. IF thou knewest the gift
Of Cod" The living waters referred to
below and salvation and eternal life
which they produce, and the Messiah
through whom they come. In a word,
the whole Gospel of salvation as brought
by Jesus Christ And who it is that
saith" And that this Messiah that
brings this salvation is now talking
with you, and can give it to you.
"Thou wouldst have asked of Him."
Instead Of His asking of thee, "thou"
is emphatic. Spiritually, our positions
are reversed. 1t is thou who art weary,
and footsore, and parched, close to the
well, yet unable to drink; it is who
can give thee the water from the
well and quench thy thirst forever.
<AAAo AAS "cuAo navy gwen liiCC AlNlhR
water" That is perennial, springing
from an unfailing source Gen. 26:19),
ever flowing, fresh Lev. l4:5). "Liv-
ing water" then, denotes the gift of
the Holy Spirit. This was preemi-
nently the promised gift of the Fa-
ther (see especially lisa. A; Joel q,
beautifully and most aptly symbol
lied by the fresh, springing water,
which, wherever it comes, makes the
desert rejoice and everything live.
The Water of ife.-1. Every person
has certain great thirsts of the soul.
He is full of wants, of longings, of de-
sires. He needs love, forgiveness, i'm
mortal life, the friendship of God, holi-
ness, happiness, knowledge, usefulness,
Heaven, larger sphere and broader
life. The larger the soul, the more and
greater are it's thirsts. Civilization,
progress, goodness, always increase the
thirsts of the soul. The number and
quality of these thirsts are the measure
Of the man. 2. This world, Its
work, it's ambition, it's pleasures can