The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1908-02-07
Jesus and the
Woman Of Samaria
Sunday School Levson for FEB. 3. 1905
Specially Prepared for This PoperJ.

let him come unto me. and drink."--John
1887.
TIME.--Jesus had spent most of the
summer and autumn In Juden. The Incl
dent at Jacobs we'll was probably In
December, A. d. q. 1t was near the
close of the first year of Jesus ministry,
John still preaching at Enon, near the
Jordan.
PLACE.-Jacob's we'll, near Sychar, be-
tween Mts. Ebal and Gerizim In Sa-
maria.
sCRIPTURAL REFERENCEs.-1. The
soul full of thirsts tPsa. 42:1-3; Matt.
&c: 1926; Rom. 1923, "a; Pisa. 51:1-10; Bib;
Rev. SID. 2. Worldly things cannot sat-
isfy the souls thirsts tJer. 2:13; lisa. $50;
Pisa. 1915; Eccl. 1:12-14; 2:1-11; Rom.
7:1S-2D. 8. The water of eternal life Psa.
1874; 42;1; 23:2; Matt. $50; John 4:1o, IA;
1877. 80; lisa. 55:1-S, lob; 41:17, IS; A:3.
a5:1. z; 1873; Rev. 22:1, Q; Ezek.: 47:12;
$3.50.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
v. 6. Now Jacobs we'll was there"
"One Of the few sites about which
there is no dispute" 1t is situated ir
the fork Of the two roads that lead tc
Galilee from this region, one run.
northeast to the fords Of the
Jordan, a few miles south of
the lake, the other going to the
northwest by way of the south
ern pass into the plain Of Esdraelon
directly toward Nazareth. The well
is rs feet deep, but was originally
much deeper, as the bottom has been
filled up with rubbish. The well is
about seven feet six inches in diane.
eter, but the mouth of it is a mar
row neck four feet long, and only
large enough for a man to pass
through with arms uplifted. See Hast
ings' Bible Dict.
Near the place where Christ talked
with the Samaritan woman now
stands a Baptist church, with a regu-
lar congregation Of a hundred per.
sons."-Jewish Messenger.
Jesus therefore, being wearied
with his journey" He had probably
been walking several hours, as the
Orientals were accustomed to start
early in the morning, and it was now
"about the sixth hour" or noon, &C.
cording to Jewish reckoning. Jo-
sephus (Antiquities) describes Moses
as sitting weary by a we'll at midday.
Jesus was weary in his work, not of it.
The wise approach by ~courteously
rising and asking a favor that could
easily be granted. The Syriac Cordex
implies that Jesus rose and stood to
meet politely the standing woman,
and this standing was one thing that
caused his disciples to marvel. Give
me to drink" Jesus asked for water
because he needed 1t, but he used the
request as a means of preparing the
way for his teaching. A useless re.
quest would have defeated his pur.
pose.
13. whatsoever drinketh Of this
water shall thirst again" This water
satisfies only bodily thirst, and for
brief periods-a type of all worldly
supplies for the deeper thirst Of the
soul.
Every person is full Of wants, long
iLgs, desires, hopes, both Of the body
and Of the soul. There are the thirsts
for pleasure, for power, for money, for
respect, for love, for knowledge. There
are thirsts for the friendship and love
of God. for forgiveness, immortal
Nfe, holiness, happiness, usefulness
ASoNSh u SCI oPhClS IN lOd0Si
life. The larger the soul the more
and greater are its thirsts.
The greatness Of any being is meas
ured (1) by the number of his de
sires and thirsts; (2) by their quail
ity; ca by their capacity, intensity.
Dead and Living Water.-'"The ole
Greeks believed that, before passing
to the Elysian Field, all souls could
drink from the River Lethe, and for
get the sins and sorrows they hat
experienced in this world. The liv
Ing water which Christ offers hoes moi
enable us to forget our sorrows, but Il
helps lis to bear them. 1t is not 6
prelude to a life of ease, but a stimu
lus for the struggle entailed on al
who follow Jesus.
v. 26. Jesus declares to the woman
that he is the expected Messiah. :"
-. am he"
True Worship.--(1) God wants all mer
to worship him, because thus they be
come like him, near to him. (2) Thu.
every heart may become hallowet
ground. (3) Worship must be spiritua
rather than formal. (4) It must be sin
cere. 60 1t is the fruit Of love rath
er than fear. (6) True worship can
not be separated from morality, Will,
formal worship cam. CO Worship Il
essential to the religious life. e,
Forms and rites are valuable only a,
they aid the spirit in its worship. g.
It is not necessary to renounce form
(for some form Is necessary In pub
lie Worship, but to fill the forms witt
the true spirit.
(10) Sir Matthew Hale found tina
prayer gave a "tincture Of devotion
to all secular employments; that q
was a Christian chemistry, converting
those acts which are materially natu
raj and civil into acts truly and for
mally religious" He discovered IL
habitual devotion what Herbert call
"the elixir" Of life.
We need personal interest in tn