Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-01
Jesus and the
Woman Of Samaria
Sermon by
REV. FLOYD W. TOMKINs.
Texts 81. John ~. I-2O.
Text, ST. John i,. I-2o.

~ All W. Owe 10 dwell upon
y 1t brings the Master wonderfully
Ylear to US as we read Of His conversa-
2 ton with the Samaritan woman. 1t
proves His divine interest in humanity,
since He said to His disciples. II have
meat to eat that We know not Of II
encourages those who work among the
FALLEN and the outcast to read how the
Lord hesitatcd not TO defy custom by
taking to this poor woman, and how
tender!y. and yet plainly, He dealt
with her. IL shows US how God knows
ali about our lives as He reveals to
this woman His knowledge Of her life.
and II proves His eternal interest and
expectation in the worlds salvation. as
He cries. Lift up your eyes and look
on the iields, for they are white already
to harvest" 1t would take a volume
to deal in any fun measure with this
wonderful narrative. We can only
hope to bring out a few sig niticant
lessons to-day.
Anu the first lesson Is brought by our
Lords passing through Samaria. 1t
4as a country hated by the Jews for
many reasons. and when they Jour
neyed to Galilee they crossed the River
Jordan and passed up the east bank.
But Christ took His Journey right
through the despised country. Why?
First. to show the wickedness OF
hatred and alienation W people
and nations. 1t was "A shame TO both
Jews and Samaritans that the Prom
ised Land should be divided. Second.
TO meet this woman TO whom He would
preach the Gospel. Christ knew. and
He knows now. when and where there
may be some one who needs Him
He must needs so through Samaria.'
And, third. God Is no ~respectcr OF per
sons. Wherever in all the world IA
child needs Him. there He is present.
CHRIST COUNTS TIE
WHOLE: AS HIS
80, 80 - -.
and heather countries. Christ cunts
whole earth AS His. and He is no
nearer TO us in our land than He Is 10
the poor folk in Africa or China 1t
is high time that VIC learned the sim
fulness of our unhappy divisions. We
and in family life. Pride. foolish
theory. Ignorance. all come in and es-
tablish artificial and arbitrary. bar
riers. Christ simply sweeps them
aside. I'VE are all brethren and we
arc all alike dear to Me, for -! died for
ALL" Let US Danish these bitter aliena-
tons and come near to each other and
love one another. for so only can we
hope to have the spirit of Christ.
The second lesson il found in our
Lords meeting this SHINING woman.
There were many people in Samaria,
but Christ preached 10 this one per-
son and afterward to those whom she
called. Christianity is a personal
thing. Mr.. Sunday breaches to crowds.
but the real result is seen when one
by one tho people come W ex-
pressing 4 desire to confess Christ.
The world will be converted. not by
any Wholesale process. but by personal.
individual persuasion. And so we ask
ourselves. Have I any one in my
mind whom / am trying to bring TO
JeSus?"
SET AN EXAMPLE IN
WORK. o OITttsTS
Great strength ought TO ON here TO
those who are workiur among fallen
women and fallen men" II our
Lord went to meet this crr!ne oman
what an example for us! And such
work pays. ON. | do thank God for the
noble men and women who are bring
ing "A message OF hope TO those whom
the proud world brands as o~utcaSts!
] know much OF this work. and ! as
sert here. without a moment Of hesita-
ton. that il is a blessed service with
blessed results. our door of Hope"
our Mission of Help" and all other
agencies have an especial blessing and
promise from~Hi- Who sat by Jacobs
well. II only the world would deal
in sterner fashion with men who have
lost their virtue and establish homes
for thcm-if only society" would as
sumo this phase of decency and tell
the impure man that he must repent
or else find himself shut out from her
Reconnaissance a NcIu Oh work would
be opened!
Notice how this woman sought 10
parry the charges OF her conscience by
argument. she knew that kindness.
especially in that country. demanded
that she SHOULD at once offer a drink
OF water TO the thirsty stranger. But
she knew also that a Jew would draw
away from her If he knew her sinful
condition. She could not forget her
sin-who can?--and so she began a re-
ligious argument. am afraid we mod
ern folk often seek to cover error by
diverting attention from it.
WOULD ENTER INTO
REIIGIotS CONTROVERSY
And how sadly fond people are o:
religious controversies! our Lord
would not argue. Instead. He lifted
the whole questions of methods 1f
worship to Il high plane where
no argument could hold. There are
truths which cannot he co~ntrovertcd:
and IL we would think more of these
and less Of the little differences which
we magnify into an exaggerated inn
portance. how much happier we would
be! No one is ever convinced by
reasoning concerning religious things.
It is the heart that must he touched.
and an unclean heart cannot he moved
unless It has first been made a clean
heart Many of our doubts and much
Of our unhelief result from some sin
which we are not wiling TO icknOW-
ledge or renounce. Some one has wise
ly said that pride-rerhaps unrcaliHcd.
but still holding its place--has more
to do with our religious divisions and
disunity than doctrine has We need
that Observation-Disclosures which shall give
place to Christ in the life. and when
Christ enters the heart obstacles aud
questions speedily take their flight.
The Lord began tho work of ronver-
sion with this woman by asking a
favor Of her. give me to drink God
asks us to do something for Him al
ways. and the response proves our
readiness or our unwillinEness tn ac-
cept Him. Come unto Me. Follow
Me. Feed Ny sheep" How full the
Gospel is Of ~rleadings for service, and
why? Because the moment we do any
thing for God. that moment we are
drawn to Him i'm love. and so He can
help and bless. There is much food for
thought here. l read once of a man
who changed an enemy to a friend bv
asking a favor of him. So our Lord
said, III thiue enemy hunger. feed
him." and there is something more in
the direction than Simply returning