The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-01-21
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Prepared Especially For The Repub-
LEANS Readers by Rev. U. S.
Wright, DID.
SUNDAY, JANUARY "a, 1926.
JESUS AND THE SAMARI-
TAN WOMAN.

IAN WOInA1N.
John 4:1-42
With joy shall ye draw water out of
the wells of salvatiOn.-Isaiah 1878.
THE PURPOSE
Why does John put this story in his
Gospel? Was it because is showed
the method by which He made His ap-
proach to folks? Was it in the witch
cry of the story itself? John was
preaching in Ephesus and using ma
terial for the preachers purpose Of
winning men to acceptance of his
Jesus as Lord of their lives and
Johns primary purpose is always
evangelistic. If an outcast woman of
Samaria could find new life thru
Jesus then there was hope for any one
in Ephesus. If He took advantage of
such wayside opportunity then the
Christians of the city should not hest
tate about offering salvation to the
throngs that pressed on every side,
many of whom were as needy as She
buC OOHu was uOluS ulOI6 ludU
preaching he was writing a book and
in this section was gathering up the
manifestation to all classes of folk
that his Lord made of Himself as the
basis of the Aapters showing the
growing belief and disbelief among
the people. And he must have chuck
led a little to himself as he placed the
immaculate rabbi of Jerusalem side
by side with the disheveled woman of
Samaria. It was responsibility be-
side disrepute, orthodoxy beside
heterodoxy, the pink Of propriety
against the scarlet of pariah; there
was. certainly a boyish grin on his
face as he penned the lines. But the
eyes WereWet with unshed tears ashe
saw his loved Lord loving them both
alike and offering to both abundant
life. Mountain and valley appear
much the same to the man in the
moon and to tie Man of heaven
differences that bulk large in the
thinking Of the world lose much of
their significance.
What took Jesus to Samaria? He
had learned to listen to the name of
Jerusalem even before his baby lips
could frame its sounds. He had caught
its stories in the days of childhood,
He had seen it as the fulfllment of
a boyish dream when within it's
temple He had found His Fathers
house. Its history was part of His
very life and He loved it with a pas
sion that transcribed His feeling for
any other town. Naturally as a |
flower to the sunlight He turned to
Jerusalem with His first message of |
love and redemption. Seething with |
political unrest it was beginning the |
course that ended its beauty and |
power and with all His passionate
love He strove to turn it from its
suicidal mania that left it an utter
waste of ruins. But He came unto |
His own and they received Him not
Then He tarried in the region for |
months hoping for recall but none
came. Then John was apprehended |
and He turned away, temporarily it !
is true, but went with crushed heart.
Like a wounded deer He fled from the
face of those who knew Him and |
buried Himself in Samaria Yet here
He found an open well from which
He drank water of refreshing and |
found meat for His own strengthen
ing so that Galilee received Him Sin
the power of the (refreshed) Spirit"
THE PROCESS
What we are watching here is the
way in which Jesus brought soul
into new life. He made the advance.
That is the obligation of power in
whatever field it is. He who knows is
expected to bring truth to the igno-
rant. The strong must bear the bur-
dens of the weak. There is vastly
more than an even balance in indus
trial disputes and the operators owe
it to their own capacity to find a way
of peace earlier than the workers find
it. Purity must stoop to impurity,
holiness must bend beneath the sin,
and the cross is the only way by
which love can redeem its world. They
two were alone. Our Lords great |
words were given to individuals
usually and we will find that the face
to face contact is our own best means
of expressing His truth. The discip-
les needed numbers for protection
among hostile folk and Jesus was de-
jected and weary. The woman came,
possibly, at this hour to escape the
jibs of other women who have small |
care for the feelings of deserter of |
social standards. He began by ask
ing favor instead of comforting a
gift, her self-respect must be Weakened
before any advance could be made.
She must be lifted to an equality
where she would feel a matching of
needs. While her tones are fippant
it is pretty certain that she gave the
drink. There followed the Weakening