ttle village of Sychar among the hills.
It was the most difficult road to Galilee, and most persons followed
the Jordan road when going back and forth, for the Judeans and
Samaritans were not friendly, but it is written that Jesus "must needs
go through Samaria."

While the disciples went up into the village to buy some bread, Jesus
sat down by a deep well in the valley. It was built round with stone,
and covered from the sun, for the people prized the well not only for
the clear, cold water, but because Jacob, the father of all the tribes
of Israel dug the well for his family and cattle and flocks hundreds of
years before.

While Jesus rested by the well a woman came down the path from the town
to draw water. She drew the water with a strong cord that she fastened
around her earthen water-jar and was going to put it on her shoulder
and carry it away when Jesus asked her for a drink of water. She had
not offered Him any for she thought a Jew would not ask even a drink of
water from a Samaritan, but Jesus said,

"If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee
'Give me to drink' thou wouldst have asked of Him and he would have
given thee living water."

[Illustration: Jesus by the well]

The woman did not understand His words about water any more than
Nicodemus did about the blowing of the wind. Jesus was talking about
_life_ always and everywhere, but the people were slow to understand
Him.

The woman wondered where Jesus could get better water than this from
Jacob's well.

"Whosoever shall drink of this water," He said, "shall thirst again,
but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life."

When the woman heard this she asked for it, that she might not be
thirsty and come to the well for water, but Jesus, seeing that she
could not understand His words began to speak of her life, and so truly
that she was amazed and said,

"Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet." She talked of the mountain
near by which had been the place of worship of the Samaritans, and of
the Temple at Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped, for she did not want
to talk of her own life, which was not good.

Jesus then showed her that "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him
must worship Him in spirit and in truth," and that the hour had come
when He wished people to worship him so