The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-02-05
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON CON.
NIENTS FOR FEBRUARY o.
subject: Jesus and the Woman Of
Samaria, John 4:1-42-Golden
Text, John 7:37-Commit Verses

rs, 24-Commentary.
TINE. - December, A. D. 27.
PLACE.-Sychar.
EXPOSITION Jesus reveals
Himself as the Messiah to the woman
of Samaria. 1926. The woman of
Samaria had said to Jesus, "Give me
this water, i. e.. the living water ".
IS; CT. VS.. 10, f3 and 14. Jesus will
answer this prayer, but first the wom-
an must be brought to realize that
she is a sinner. Conviction of sin
usually precedes the reception of the
Holy Spirit. So Jesus aimed sharp
thrust at her conscience, go call thy
husband" ". 16). It was effective.
Heart and life were laid bare. She
briefly answered, II have ro hus-
band" But little did she know how
Jesus would drive the answer home to
her own conscience Tvs. 1919. The
woman tried to parry the thrust by
engaging Jesus in a theological dis
cussion. This is a common method
used by men when we try to drive
home to them conviction Of their
own sin. They seek to ease their
conscience by drawing us into a dis
sussion on some side theological is
sue. The woman failed in her at
tempt. Jesus answer to her question
went even more deeply to the need
Of her soul. 1t was beginning to
dawn upon the woman that Jesus was
a prophet indeed He had read her
heart. Jesus showed her the utte:
formality and worthlessness Of all her
worship of which she had made her
boast. The standing controversy be-
tween the Jews and the Samaritans
was whether they should worship ct
Mt. Zion or Mt. Gerizim ". 2O.
Jesus shows to the woman that this
is not the real question at issue. The
question is not where we shall wor-
ship, but how we shall worship.
These are strong words with which
Jesus exposed the hollowness of the
worship Of this woman and her fellow
Samaritans, aye worship ye know
not what" but the words are equally
true of much modern so-called Chris
tian worship. "Salvation is from the
Jews" To them were committed the
oracles of God (Rom. 3:2). Of them
the Christ, the Saviour Of the world,
Is born according to the flesh (Rom.
l:3). The Jews were the first her.
aids of a crucified and risen Saviour
In whom salvation is offered to all
men. The world owes to the Jews
debt that it can never repay. But
while salvation is from the Jews, the
Jews as a people have rejected 1t
The Heavenly Father is seeking wor.
shippers ". %, R. W God is seeking
not only those who will serve Him
and obey Him, but those who will
worship Him. He does not find many
worshipers, though He is seeking
them. Prayer is not worship. Thanks
giving is not worship. Worship is
bowling before God in adoring con.
temptation of Himself. "In our pray.
ers we are taken up with our needs;
in our thanksgiving we are taken up
with our blessings; in our worship we
are taken up with Himself" and He
is seeking worshipers. Does He find
one in you? And God Is seeking only
one kind of worshipers, those who
worship in spirit, that is, in the Holy
Spirit, and in truth, that Is, in reality
not in mere pretense (cf. Phil. 3:3, K
W.. The flesh seeks to intrude into
every sphere and even into the sphere
of worship. But the worship which
the flesh prompts is not acceptable tc
God. We are absolutely dependent
upon the Holy Spirit to teach us how
to worship and to lead us into accept
able worship. God is a spirit, not q
mere outward form. Though God is
spirit in His essential essence, He
does manifest Himself in visible form
(Ex. 24:9, 10; 1918, 23), and the
glad day is coming when the pure ir
heart shall see Him (Matt. 5:S; !
John 3:2). The. woman knew that
the Messiah was coming and was
waiting until He came to tell her all
things. He, indeed, is the one
/ who does tell us all things, but He
was already there. Jesus makes one
of the clearest and most unmistaka'
BILE declarations that He is the Mes
siah to this outcast Samaritan WON:
an, II that speak unto thee am He."
III. The Samaritan woman becomes
o witness for her ncw-found Saviour
27, 20. The disciples were greatly
surprised that He talked with a wom
an. Women are of no more account
in the eyes of some men to-day than
they were in the eyes Of the disciples
The disciples ought not to have beer
surprised that Jesus talked with q
woman, a Samaritan and sinner. il
they had only stopped to think that
He had condescended to talk with
them. The woman, however, does
not wait. She hurries into the city tc
tell others the good news. In hel
eagerness she even forgets to take
her waterpot with her. She came out
to get waterpot full Of water and
she went back with whole we'll in
her heart (cf. v. 14). When one real.
ly finds Jesus he is willing to leave
all that he may go and tell others
about Jesus. Her message to the mer
of the city was the old gospel mes
sage, Come" And what were they
to come and do? See man" That
is what we most need-to see Jesus
(cf. 1920. She sums up what Jesus
had done in a short sentence, "He
told me all things that ever l did. >
And then asks the question, us not
this the Christi" Could there be any
better proof that He was the Christ?
She brought the whole town to the
Saviour Tvs. 40-42).
LEADING QUESTIONS. - Wha,
does this lesson teach us as to how tc
deal with souls? What does it teach
us about Jesuse What does it teach
about God? What does it teach about
worship? What does it teach about
testimony?