Give us Jesus-terrors seize us, Give us Jesus-naught can please us― When the woman made this request, the opportu nity for Christ came, and with a master hand He touched the secret spring of her sinful life. He said to her, “Go call thy husband, and come thither." The woman replied: "I have no husband." Now came the crushing exposure. "Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband; in that saidst thou truly." Christ at once convinced her of His divine character. In speaking of the evidences which Christ gave that He was the Son of God I fear we do not sufficiently dwell on incidents like this; we place all the stress on his miracles, which it is true were all-convincing, but was not such an insight into character as this equal to a mira cle; and may not the same be said of those others when "He saw what was in man;" knew Zaccheus in the sycamore tree, and the woman who only touched, in a great crowd, the hem of His garment? The woman was convinced, and said: “Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet.” It is no wonder that she thought so, for He had told her all the things which she had done in secret. Blushing doubtless (for a blush can mantle even the cheek of infamy) she tried delicately to change the subject. She found that He was getting too deep into her character. Said she, "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." This was an interesting topic which she opened up. When the Jews returned, after the Babylonish captivity, they went to work to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. The Samaritans proposed to bear part of the expense, and to worship with them, as they regarded themselves now of the children of Israel. (This woman spoke of "our father Jacob who gave us the well.") The Jews rejected their offer, and would have nothing to do with them, they styled them Cuthites, because many of them came from the heathen city Cuthat; and would not permit one of them to pollute the temple grounds with his presence. The Samaritans then built a temple of their own on Mt. Gerizim, which had been destroyed by John Hyrcanus, ancestor to Mariamne, one hundred and thirty years before. Its old ruins were in full view, and the people still worshipped in that mountain. Hence the woman wished to be informed by this prophet which was the right place, Mt. Gerizim or Jerusalem? The reply of Jesus was full of instruction of the richest character. With great stateliness and dignity He said: "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews." Christ, you perceive, did not disparage the worship at Jerusalem, which had been the true place "whither the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord for the testimony of Israel," but He announced a still greater truth, "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth." The woman, doubtless now divinely illumined, said "I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ; when He is come He will tell us all things." Now comes the finishing stroke. "Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He." In response to her appeal, "Give me of this living water," she now had JESUS. Leaving her water-pots at the well, she immediately started for the city. At this juncture the disciples returned with the meat, and "marvelled that he talked with the woman." In those days it was regarded as disreputable for a man to be seen talking with a woman in public, particularly a woman whose character was not above reproach, but Christ was above all such conventionalities. The soul of that woman was as precious to Him as the soul of a king, and the disciples, seeing His exaltation, said nothing about His conversation with her, but asked Him to eat. “He said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. . . . My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work." By this time the woman has reached the city and becomes a missionary. She cries to the men, “Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ?" Then the people of the city crowded to the well to see this wonderful visitant, and learned from His own lips the way of life and salvation. They prevailed on Him to stay two days with them, and many believed on Him, so that a large band of disciples was formed "for the saying of the woman, He told me all that ever I did." We see the influence of this woman again when Philip the Evangelist visited Samaria, and so many under his preaching flocked to the standard of the cross. There are three important lessons that we gather from this interview between Christ and the woman of Samaria, that we should do well to ponder. We are taught, first, the nature of salvation. Christ compares it to water. It is like water as to the supply. Two-thirds of the earth's surface is covered with water. You find water in oceans, rivers, springs, wells, sufficient to supply all the wants of man. So, too, there is abundance of the living water. Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by Him. He grants them not a meagre, but a full salvation. There is salvation for as many as will come, "The Spirit and the Bride say Come, and let him that heareth say Come, and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.” If all the human beings who have ever lived upon this earth could come to the Fountain in a body, there would be water enough and to spare. Nay, if Jupiter, and Saturn, and Venus, and all the planets should be peopled with teeming multitudes, and all should come at once, they could all be satisfied, and still there would be no diminution of the vast and boundless supply. There is not only abundance of water in the world, but it is free for all. So is salvation. The invitation is, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price." Do you say you do not doubt that it is free? But you do. The great trouble with men is, they wish to buy salvation. But it is not for sale. Works cannot buy it, tears cannot buy it, money cannot buy it; it must come as the water flows in the rivers, bubbles in wells, or bursts out of hillsides, free or not at all. Salvation is full, it is free, it is universal, like water. Water is everywhere. "Though a desert should surround me, It hath springs that may be won." It is everywhere, and for everybody. So with the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. It is for Americans, and for Europeans, for the inhabitants of Asia, Africa, |