Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-08-26

Golden Text-"God is spirit: and
they that worship Him must wor'
ship Him in spirit and in truth
John 4:24.
Jesus ministry in Judea was brief
He left the cities because the sophis-
ticated city people were coming to
regard Him only as a miracle work
err. In the country districts the peo
pie received Him gladly, but the
Pharisees stirred up strife because
His disciples were having greater
success in baptizing than were
Johns; so He left Judea to go back
to Ga1ilee. And He must needs &C
through Samaria." The province OF
Samaria extended from the sea on
the west to the Jordan river on the
east, and lay directly between Judea
and Galilee. To go from the south
ern province to the northern, one
must needs traverse Samaria. There
was ridge road running along the
mountain range north and south
"f:17 Jerusalem to Nazareth, anC
was much the easiest route to travel
but it was not used by Jews. So
bitter was the hatred of the Samari-
tanS that they would not even go
through their country; bat took the
trouble to descend the steep road to
the Jordan valley, cross the river at
the fords JIst north of the Dead sea,
go through the hot valley road on
the east of the Jordan, and cross the
river again at the fords just south
OF the Sea of Galilee and climb the
mountain again, rather than put foot
on Samaritan soil.
of : l,oi, I, l,
Wen the Assyrian king had con,
quer96F1srael and deported the best
OF th%> people. he had acted on the
commonly accepted policy of eastern
conquerors of sending some of his
own people to occupy the conquered
teffltory. These had intermarried
with the Jews who had been left.
The scum of the people. The depopu,
lated territory had been overrun bv
WlId animals, particularly lions. and
the heathen now living there CON.
celVed the idea that the God of the
lana was not pleased and was thus
Iufslng them. Accordingly to appease
ms God, whom they did not know.
they asked that priests of his be
sent 10 teach them his ways and
tnus save them from the lions. Thew
nus added to their religion another.
and by this they had learned some
ihIng OF the laws Of God.
When Zerubbabel and Ezra and
Nenemlah came back after the Babv-
ionlan captivity, their offer to assist
IN rebuilding the temple was refused
ana from then on the racial bitter
ness increased. One hated tho other
as oadV as the other hated The ono
Il not worse: There had been son,o
outrageous deeds of violence done
~ the early days of Jesus life 60
.ne race hatred at His dav wa = +
aus highest point. a.
But He must needs on tbro.,oh
oamar1a''- not because of nbvs j'a -
aIedSohs; but because in Samaria 1nas
leaSt one soul who needed Hin,
nd what He had to give.
Aooht noon He sat down on ~,
sspne coping of Jacobs well nt+o ,te
exhausted. The Syrian sun and ~
nlo[nIn S journey had wearied tIiI,o
lne point of exhaustion Co IL
a' ooWn while His diseipIes yceI,t
vi INTO the town a short distance
way 10 buy provisions for the noon
day lunch ~ me noon
1T IS a great comfort to those who
- utterly exhausted to know that
n ,;I was SO tired He didn't feel
me taking another step. When Won
se nv, mat tired. just think of Him
ne wei was famous SPOT II
was on parcel of ground that Ia.
Iop had bought from the sons of
41 and where that horrible
e etiAg mad happened that had given
simeon and Levi their names Of
oioooy sons. Jacob had afterwards
ihaue gift of this we'll of lvino
water, as they thought of it, TO his
son Joseph. 1t is one of the few
ePots To-Day that can be positively
IoentlIled as having had associations
win the Time of Jesus. The well
was a very deep one and a very freely
LIVING one; that is why they
thought of it as living water.
Whlle He was seated there rest.
ms woman came up from the
nearby town to draw water. 1t was
res lar job for her; at least twice
Gay TO come out from her home,
"hdW water and carry back bucket
on each shoulder. When she reached
the place, she saw this stranger sit
ing there and was doublv SURPRISED
Wnen she recognized in Him a Jew,
Ills features were so distinctive that
49, =
ity. And when He spoke to her.
her surprise knew no bounds. 1t
wasn't what lie said or the way He
said it; but the simple fact that a
Jew had spoken at all to a Samari-
tan.
1t was very simple very
natural question lie asked. Give
me a drink of water please" But
her surprise kept her from comply
ing with this simple request which
any person with any humanity
would have granted at once without
qu& ion or ado. Instead she asked
rather tartly: How does it happen
that thou, being a Jew, askest drink
OF me who am a woman of Samaria ?
This was a good invitation for an
argument: but Jesus didn't argue
He rather ignored her question and
replied: If thou knew the gift of
God and who is speaking you would
have turned the tables and asked me,