Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-02-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR FEB. \
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Text of the Lesson, John iv, 1-29.
Memory Verses, Is, 14-GOlden
Text Tim i, 15-Commentary
Prepared by Rev. ID. M. Stearns.

with whom alone we have to do, the
Create and upholder Of all things, the
only Saviour OF sinners, the only Judge
Of an manAind, the searchcr Of all
hearts, from whom nothing can be
hidden. Last week we saw Him deal
ing with q very religious man who
stood higa in the esteem Of his fellows,
but now we see Him dealing with an
immoral low down woman whom per
haps no one held In esteem, and yet
her soul was precious n His sight, and
He saved her and used her to save
others.
The must needs 60 through Sama-
ria" Of verse probably had special
reference to her and the need OF her
soul. The reference to Joseph and the
well In verses 8 and 9 takes us back
to Gen. Xix. 22-28, where Joseph Is call
ed fruitful bough by well whose
branches run over the wall. In the
same passage the true Joseph, Israers
Messiah, Is spoken Of as the shepherd.
tho stone Of Israel, who was separate
from His brethren. In our lesson His
branches are seen running over the
wall to reach this Samaritan outcast.
See His humanity in His WEAKNESS as
He sat on the well, for He was real
man, often weary, hungry. thirsty,
lonely, and His words are heart words,
from His heart to ours. "Come unto me
all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and ! will give you rest" Matt II,
2S. He knew how to reach Every
heart, and He took such a very differ
ent method with this soul from that
which He pursued with Nicodemus.
Note the time Of day, the sixth hour
(verse o., for since John reckoned
time as we do, Roman time, 1t was
either a. IN. or 9 p. M, as we saw In
previous lesson. Instead of telling
her her need. as He did to Nicodemus,
He began the conversation by asking
her to supply His need (verse n. max
ing Himself dependent upon her for
physical refreshing. In the CONVERSE
ton which followed our Lord spoke
seven times, and the woman replied
six times. Deeper and deeper He re-
vealed her life TO herself, that life of
which she probably thought no one
knew, and as the consciousness of her
guilt grew upon her He increased the
revelation OF Himself to her soul until
He finally told her plainly that 1t was
the Messiah who was talking with
her verses %, 26). What an unheard
Of time 1t was as He laid bare to her
the sinful life she was leading, told
her how 1t might all be blotted out and
she become a well OF living water to
others!
The great change came. She had
seen and received Him, and, leaving
her water pot, she went away into the
city to invite the men TO come and see
the Messiah, who had told her all that
ever she did oversees 27-30.
Many believed because of the testi-
mony OF the woman, and many more
believed because Of His own word,
which they heard for themselves
oversees 3942), and they said, 1--WE
know that this is indeed the Christ,
the Saviour of the world" So they
obtained life In Him, for to that end
this gospel was written John Xxx, 81.
In His conversation with the woman
He first asked her for a drink of wa
ter. Then He offered to give her liv-
ing water, which would be in her a
well OF water springing up into ever
lasting life verses Z, 10, 14). At first
she was rs ignorant Of spiritual truths
as was Nicodemus, and she thought
that He spoke only of water from ia
cob's we'll Then when He began to
lay bare her sin she attempted to
avoid the issue, as many do today,
by saying something like this: II do
not belong to your company" He laid
everything low I'm her by speaking of
God the Father as a Spirit and desir-
ing true worshipers who would wor-
ship Him in Spirit and in truth; by
saying that salvation is Of the Jews
and He was their Messiah verses
21-2G.
We cannot but think of His saying
to Israel In the long ago that He was
the fountain OF living waters, but they
had forsaken Him for waters out Of
their own cisterns der. II, 49,. They
had ceased to draw water with Joy out
of the wells OF salvation Qsa. XII, 81.
When the disciples came to Him with
meat which they had gone into the
city to buy His reply to them was, II
have meat to eat that We know not Of;
my meat is to do the will Of Him that
sent me and TO finish His work" oversees
8, 31-34. But the disciples thought
that He meant such meat as they had
brought, as the woman thought that
He meant water from Jacobs well and
Nicodemus thought that He meant an
other natural birth. Can we wonder
that He said: "How shall We believe
IL I tell you of heavenly things?"
"How Is II that We do not understands"
John iii, u; Matt. xvi, ID We seem
just as slow to understand His say
ing about fields white already to har-
vest, and reapers receiving wages and
gathering fruit into life eternal, and
sewers and reapers rejoicing together
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