LESSON V.—SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 1899.
5 “So He cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6 and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water; 7 Jesus saith unto her, Give Me to drink. For His disciples 8 were gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan 9 woman therefore saith unto Him, How is it that Thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a Samaritan woman? 10 (For the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living 11 water. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, Thou hast nothing 12 to draw with, and the well is deep; from whence then hast Thou that living water? Art Thou greater than our father 13 Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and 14 his sons, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but 15 whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw.” Golden Text.—“Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” Verse 14. (1) On His way from Judea to Galilee, to what city did Jesus come? To what noted place was it near? V. 5. Note 1. (2) What was another noted feature of the place? What did Jesus do as He came to the well? What time of day was it? V. 6. (3) Who came to the well to draw water? What did Jesus say to her? V. 7. (4) Where had the disciples gone? V. 8. (5) What reply did the woman make to Jesus? V. 9. Note 2. (6) How did Jesus answer her query? V. 10. (7) Then what did the woman say? Vs. 11, 12. (8) What did Jesus say of that water? V. 13. (9) What about water that He should give? V. 14. Note 3. (10) What earnest request did the woman make? V. 15. (11) Do you desire to partake of that water? or do you already drink of it? See Isa. 55:1, 2. 1. Sychar is said by some commentators to be the ancient Shechem, but Gen. 33:18-20 would indicate that Shechem was a small region of country rather than a city, for Shalim was “a city of Shechem,” called Sychem in Acts 7:16. The record of Jacob's giving a parcel of land to Joseph is found in Gen. 48:21, 22. The location of Sychar is between the twin mountains Ebal and Gerizim. 2. Jesus asks for a drink.—The surprise of the woman was not that Jesus should ask a woman for a drink of water, but that He, a Jew, should ask a favor of a Samaritan. We are told that in the East the giving and receiving of a drink of water is a covenant of hospitality—a truce, at least for the time being, between the most confirmed enemies. That a Samaritan could be touched by the necessities of even a Jew is shown by the parable of the good Samaritan. 3. “Shall never thirst.”—Having partaken of the Spirit of Christ by faith in His Word, the never-failing supply of living water is always at hand. “It shall be in him a well of water.” Christ gives us the assurance, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” Matt. 5:6. Again He has promised the Comforter, “even the Spirit of truth; whom the world can not receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:16, 17