The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1924-08-30

4 VI "A q
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOP
Ic-How Jesus Won the Samaritans.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
The Teaching of Jesus Concerning
Himself.
I. The Occasion (vv. 4-6).
The growing popularity of Jesus
aroused the envious opposition of the
Pharisees, which obliged Him to leave
Judea and go into Galilee. There
was another way to reach Galilee,
n used by many Jews to avoid con-
tact with the despised Samaritans.
the eastern side Of the Jordan. He
must needs go through Samaria In or
der to find this poor sinful woman and
the needy citizens Of Sychar. The
great necessity which was upon Him
was to seek and to ave that which
was lost (Luke 19:10). The wearied
Jesus waiting at Jacobs well to speak
to this poor, lost woman gives us a
picture of the divine human Savior
In His work of seeking lost humanity.
II. The Testimony Of Christ to the
Samaritans wv. TAD.
1. Discloses His Identity to the Wom-
an Of Samaria ivy. 7-26). This is a
fine example Of personal evangelism.
1) A Favor Asked wv. 7-9). He
tactfully made a request which ap-
pealed to the woman's sympathy. Not
only did the thirst of the weary trav-
eler appeal to her but the fact that
He being a Jew asked a favor of her
showed His sympathy for her. In In
Producing the conversation He re-
ferred to that which was uppermost
In her mind. namely water. This
was the Teachers point of contact.
He soon passed from earthly water to
the water of everlasting life which
was In Himself. His aim was to
bridge the chasm which separated
them.
(2) Jesus Tender Dealing With the
Woman wv. 1919. He first ap-
pealed to her curiosity by declaring,
IF thou knewest the gift. Of Cod ".
10). He knew the deep unrest of the
soul of that sinful woman as she
went o. her way. He knew that If
she really knew Him she would be-
lieve on Him and be saved from her
sins. Therefore, the first thing was
10 get her attention. He followed this
| appeal to her curiosity by a promise
which directed her attention to her
deepest need. The deepest need of
the soul Jesus only can satisfy. There
Is real and lasting satisfaction in
Him and His gifts. The woman's re-
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thirst not" is the inarticulate cry of
every heart.
(3) The Woman Convicted of Her
Sins wv. 1919. Jesus succeeded in
arousing her interest but she did not
really understand Him. Before she
can understand what the water of
life is she must be convicted of her
sins. He skillfulIy gave the command
which brought her face to face with
the facts Of her life which she was
unwilling to confess.
az The Problem Of Worship Sub
mitted IL Christ wv. 2-24). This she
did as soon as she perceived Him to
be a prophet. This Indicates that He
was succeeding In bringing her mind
to spiritual things. Jesus, knowing
the inner life of this woman, tells her
Of the glad time. V e then present,
when true worshipers could hold In
| ~tercourse with God anywhere. He
showed her that the place Of worship
is unimportant, but the all-important
thing is to have the true conception
| of God as brought through the Jews.
He exposed the folly of a religion Of
form only and showed that acceptable
worship depends upon the condition
of the heart
(5) Discloses His Identity to the
Citizens of Sychar wv. 40, Az. When
they heard the testimony of the wom-
an, they invited Jesus to come NOM
them. Though they heard her testi-
mony, their belief was due to Christ's
own words.
III. The Testimony of the samar-
Itans wv. 27-42).
1. The Woman of Samaria Wit
nesses for Christ wv. 27-39). As
soon as she was converted she be-
came an enthusiastic missionary.
This is as 1t ought to be and always
will be. The soul hat realizes Jesus
cannot be still (John 1:41-45). The
result of her testimony was that many
believed on Him.
2. The Samaritans Witness for
Christ ". 42). They declared, we
know that this is indeed the Christ.
the Savior of the World"