The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-02-08
INTERNATIONAL
,SUNDNS0lO0L
LESSON
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY II
JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF sA.
MARIA.
tBy e. o, SELLERS, Acting Director OF
the Sunday School Course In the Moody
Bible Institute OF Chicago.)
Copyright, 1917, Western Newspaper Union }

This Is a lesson Of inc Of the way.
side ministries of Jesus. II occurred
incidentally while he was on his way
to his great preaching and teaching ex-
perience at Galilee. 1t was a by-product
Of his very busy life, yet 1t is n Of
the most famous Interviews and one Of
the best examples Of how to do per-
sonal work that is found In the scrip
lures. The larger part Of the first year
Of Christ's ministry was spent In Ju-
dea. Jesus did not baptize, but his
disciples did, doubtless for the same
reason, though In q less degree, than
why Paul refused to baptize converts
Il Cor. 1:13-16). All but one Of the
disciples Of Jesus were Galileans and
Jesus spent about q year and nine
months of his ministry In that place.
!. Jesus Rested wv. 4-8). To reach
Galilee from Judea Jesus must needs
go through Samarla," not that there
were not other ways that he might
have Travelled, but rather that II was
worth while to go out Of his way In
order to bring the water Of life to this
needful woman. Jacobs well vas ut
a parting Of the roadway lei to the
city Of Sychar. Few places In the land
saw Jerusalem had so much Bible his
tory connected with them (Gen. IL 60;
Joshua 1888; Acts 7:16; l Kings, 12:1,
etc.. The well was originally about
100 feet deep and 7h feet in diameter,
but 1t has been filled up with accumu.
latlons of rubbish so It Is o only
about 70 feet deep. Christ was wearled
In his work, but not Of II, and "sni
thus (by) the well literally, on the
low wall built around II. The sixth
hour was probably about midday
There Is comfort In consideration OF
the fact that rs a man Jesus was will.
ing to meet this woman Of bad charac'
ter.
n. Jesus Holds Conversation wv. z,
14). Notice the gentle way in which
Jesus speaks, and that he began on the
ground of their common need. He
asks this needed favor that he might
confer n greater one, Ignoring the pre-.
JUDGE which existed against the Sa'
maritans. Water was the thing upper.
most In the woman's mind. She did not
grant his simple request, and her reply
indicated that racial differences were
q very real barrier. They hinder our
work even yet. The surprise, perhaps
pleasure, that u jew should ask n favor
Of her seems TO have greatly impressed
the woman. and aroused her curiosity.
In verse 10 Jesus tells the woman that
there are two things she must needs
know: ~ the wondrous gift Of God,
that is the Holy Spirit Luke 11:13;
Acts 2:23-3S) (2) the wonderful man
who had asked of her "Give me to
drink" Had she known these things
she would have asked him for the llv-
Ing water. All that was needful was
simply to ask. The Holy Spirit Is the
living water (John 6:63). The woman
does not seem to have comprehended
what Jesus was trying to teach, yet he
was patient, and won her as a convert.
He told her that everyone who came
to that well would thirst again ". 13).
The worlds fountains do not satisfy,
fountains of wealth, fame, pleasure or
carnal qualification, or W learning.
He then tells her Of the living water
". 14)) of which the drinker should
never thirst, that II would satisfy who
soever drinks, and was to be everlast-
Ing John 7:37-30). The one who re-
celves the Holy Spirit within has q
perennial, eternal spring Of life, Joy
and satisfaction sprlnglng up within
him. Before the woman received the
water OF which he was speaking there
had to con a conviction OF sin wv.
16-10) hence his remark, Go call thy
husband" This was n sharp thrust
into her life and heart. She tried to
parry the thrust with n technical ques-
ton, yet he comes back with n great
revelation of the nature Of God and the
worship which God accepts, revealing
his Messlahship wv. 1920. As Is lndi-
Gated, she does not seem to have COM
pretended the nature Of the request
which Jesus had made ". 15) ; there
fore he began this searching Of her life
In order to prepare her 10 receive the
water Of life which he wanted to be-
stow. This knowledge Of her secret
life by n perfect stranger who had
never ever seen her before was nm evil
dence to the woman Of spiritual en-
dowment: "Slr l perceive that thou
art a prophet" She then entered upon
q theological argument ". 20) which
Jesus answered very simply, saying
that the worship Of the Father is not
TO be restricted by time or place ". 21).
The issue between the Jews and the
Samaritans was that Of the place Of
worship and of the scriptures. BY not
accepting the full revelation Of God
they were ignorant Of much that they
might have known Of Gods nature.
promises, law and kingdom. Thus, lit
orally, salvation is Of the Jews, that Is
1t proceeds from them, not that 1t be-
longs to them ". 22). The new day
has dawned, the Messiah has come and
the Father seeketh all those who would
worship him in truth, for God Is n
spirit, real but invisible, everywhere.
not confined TO the temple, not located
IN any one place as idols are.
At this point the disciples return and
the woman goes into the villege.
Jesus, lifting up his eyes to the clti-
zens who were coming out at her lnvi-
exclaims, Lift up your eyes
and look ON the fields, for they are
white already to harvest" thereby EN-.