Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-10
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON,

the new faith that contains the only
hope for sinner. Like all who are most
tempted through their affections, the
poor woman was responsive to every
variation of thought and feeling of
those about. her. Christ took advan-
tage of her amazement at His request
to make this daughter of shame to
realize her deepest need by offering her
living water While she was thinking
in the terms of her physical needs Of
what a blessing 1t would be to her to
have this running water, which she
could not understand how He could
supply, unless He were greater than
Jacob who gave them the well, she
decided to ask for it.
The depth of the well, which the
Greek priests. who were constructing
new church in place Of the one that
was built in the early days of the
church. claimed to the last company of
tourists that were permitted to visit the
Holy Land early in August. 1914, to be
1s5 feet, furnished the Master an
object lesson to present spiritual life
the truth. Watching the five-year-old
girls carry mortar upon their heads up
the ladder to the masons who were
placing the stones in courses. that men
carried up on their backs in the wall,
one could not help but think that the
Christ who loved children would have
| prohibited their toiling up building
being erected for His glory. He wants
children. but their love, as He did that
of the surprised Samaritan to whom he
offered eternal life.
Jesus could not communicate this
spiritual life unto the woman who had
gone wrong, and knew no way Of es-
cape unless He could turn her desires
for physical blessings into a longing
for spiritual possessions, by first maxi
ing her realize her need for life from
above. The Master suddenly turns
Ii -N1.
| simple request revealed the woman to
herself and convinced her of her sin.
Jesus did not make the sudden thrust
! into her sinful life to terrify her, but
| to lead her to repentance and faith in
Him. The marvel is not how He knew
the secrets of her life, but His spirit of
| sympathy for the sinner and absolute
absence of any harshness in dealing
with her, for she knew that she had
! loved too much and was then living in
sin. without love and alone.
She acknowledged the facts when she
confessed that Jesus was a prophet.
She was convicted Of her sin, but she
! tried, as all sinners do, to parry the
personal thrust by turning the topic
| from a personal consideration to an
| intellectual debate upon theological
matters. Whatever may have been the
| condition of her heart the Master an
swered her questions in solemn, earnest
words, that proclaimed the charter of
| religious freedom. which truth is too
| little understood and followed by men
today in their attitude toward men of
| other faiths.
| Her questions-yes, even the contest
itself between the Jews and the Samari-
| tans as to Mount Gerizim and Jerusa-
I lem-refiected the imperfect and incor-
| rect idea of worship which dominated
| all the pagan religions and colored
even the worship of Jehovah--the idea
of locality; the belief that there is some
one place where acts of worship are
| more acceptable to Jehovah than at
| other places. In reply to the cry of the
| seeker for light Jesus delivered the
great announcement that proclaimed
| the liberty of worship to all mankind
| that seek to worship God in sincerity
| and truth. Spiritual worship will re-
move the barriers of race and religion
| that men have erected. When all recog-
| niZe the nearneSs of God and worship
! Him in spirit and in truth it will
| mark the dawn of new age and will
proclaim the end of strife and divisions
| among men
| The revelation was more than she
could grasp. so in her perplexity she
proposed to wait until the Messiah
should appear for Him to settle the
problem for her. Jesus knew her sim
| tainted character He revealed Himself
as the Messiah. the long-expected
SAVIOR who had come to seek and to
save that which was lost.
I
| to that great self-disclosure is not re-
corded. The disciples arriving at that
moment marveled because Jesus was
speaking with woman, for Jewish
custom forbade rabbis to converse
PUBLICLY, especially upon questions of
law, with woman" The reason for
her hasty departure, leaving her water
pot by the well, may have been due to
their arrival Filled with the new life
she runs into the city and summons the
men, with whom she has been on ready
terms of comradeship and who are
lettering in the market place, by bid
ding them to come see man, who
told me all things that over I did: can
this be the Christi"
She believed more than she proclaim
ed, but as result of the efforts of this
degraded woman. transformed by the
grace of God. many of the Samarftans
believed on Christine first fruits of
the great ingatherings of the gentiles
that have taken place and will take
place when the world shall know that
Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners" and when they shall all
accept Him as their Savior and COM
mence to worship God In spirit and in