Lesson VIII.—February 19
The request opens the way for Jesus to speak to her about her soul. See how adroitly He' leads up to it: "If thou knew the gift of God." Wh at is the gift of God? Is it not the Wa t er of Lite? (Isa. 44:3, 12:3; 1 -Cor. 10:10,' Rev. 7:17), and the Bread of Life? (Jno. 6:3-4, 3-6). The gift of God includes the whole sum of blessings. This w a t er of life-giving (Ezek. 47:9) never dries up (Gen. 26:19, S. of S. 4-15). To drink is to be born again. The water springs up to its source. Who drinks will never thirst. The Spirit will be in him (Jno. 7:37-39). The Wound of a Friend. She asks for a drink, not understanding wh at H e means, and He proceeds to the heroic treatment. "Go, call thy husband." She "is a poor wayward woman. He opens' the wound in her heart, opens, the book of her life and turns the pages. H er con- science is stirred; she realizes H e knows all. We cannot win souls without, perhaps, wounding feelings. We must be wise, skills ful, faithful. She knows her life and she kflows she is a sinner: It is b ut a step f a r t h er for her to have the revelation of Himself—leave her w a t e r - p ot and go re- joicing to tell others. This lesson teaches us how to turn an incident into an oppor- tunity for service. ship. The natural m an eannot worship God. They t h at are -in the flesh, cannot please God (Rom. 8:5-8). There are three essen- tials— a divine nature; born of the Spirit (Jnov 3:5, 1:13, Horn 8:2, 1 Cor. 2:12). Led by the Spirit, to direct the thoughts (Rom. 8:27, Eph. 2:18). The Word of God. We must know H im in "rd»r to worship Him (Col.- 3:16, 1:9-10: 1 Pet. 1:1-4). The F a t h er is to be worshiped intelli- gently and from the depth df the spiritual nature. It must be a true worship as op- ros-d to false, and sincere as opposed to formal, which is not spiritual—true as in accord with revelation. True worship is not confined to any" locality, any season or any ceremony. It is spiritual, "where two or three are gathered." The J e ws had forms—?o had the Samaritans—but it did not mean aught to God. (4) The Father Seeks Worshipers. Two things which God seeks: first, sinners (Luke 19:10); second, worshipers. The f a t h e r has a hungry heart for worship Cain was rejected because he had not a blood offering. Everyone else, like him will he. All who come to God in a ny way b ut His way are will-worshipers, and will be relented. All who come in the .name of the Lord Jesus will be received and blessed
THE WELL OF JACOB. • Jno. 4:1-19.
1
The Way to Galilee. The opposition of the Pharisees resulted in the incarceration of John Baptist, and the withdrawal of Jesus from the scene of His labors in Judea. He turns His face toward Gaiilee. He might have crossed the Jordan a.nd passed' through Perea, as the bigoted J e ws were accustomed t o do, b ut there, was a tug at His heart, which compelled H im to go by the way of despised Samaritans. We £ re never to take our own way in life, but we are to be led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8-14). The Well of Jacob. The We a ry Saviour and A Wa ywa rd Wo- ma ft met 1 at the historic well. Jesus, weary with His journey and the. women weary with her sins! This is one of the most hu- man scenes of H is life (Heb. 12:2, Matt. 6-24). It w as noon-time. Women were not ac- customed to come at this time of day, so this woman came to avoid the other women. The disciples had gone for some food. Water of Life. Jesus asks the favor of a drink—an unex- pected request from a J ew of a Samaritan, for the Jews and Samaritans hated each other with a royal hatred (2 Ki. 17;24) (Neh. 4:1-2, Luke 9:15-16, Acts 1:8, 10-28). The woman at the well,. When convioted of her sin, turned immediately to her TV- iigios'ty. She is a religious women. Every- one has a religion—how few have Christ. Th'p r'i i Te" r nce between the religion of Christ and all other systems is t h at of a Person. The conversation turns naturally to wor- ship. (1) What Is Worship. The word means worth-ship —religious worship—-the giving of honor and reverence to God. It h as to do with God Himself. Worship is a necessity to man. All men have their altar groves—priests—some sys- tem or form to manifest worship. (2) Whom to Worship. Here is a question t h at only revelation can answer. The Scriptures teach t h at worship is for God, the Father, as revealed in Jesus Christ. The word F a t h er is first introduced here—a word not familiar to Jews or S a m a r- itans. F a t h er is associated with Son, the only begotten which is in the bosom of the F a t h e r—He h a th manifested H im (Jno. 1: 18). "No man cometh unto the F a t h er but TRUE WORSHIP. Jno. 4:20-25.
Lesson IX.—February 29
by Me" (Jno. 14-6). (3) How to Worship.
The notions concerning worship are vague. God is a. Spirit and demands spiritual wor-
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