Читать книгу The Story of Jesus The Christ - Helen Braun Hojt - Страница 22

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talk. Before long the crowds who had been so fond of hearing

John, left him to follow this new Rabbi, or teacher. He did not

baptize any of them, but his disciples baptized more than John

did. The friends of John did not like to have the crowds leave

their master to follow this new teacher; they went to John, find¬

ing fault with Jesus and with the people. But John said: «It

is just as it should be. I am not the Christ. My work is almost

done, but his will be greater and greater. You must take him

for your master, and believe what he tells you. He is the Son

of God.»

Some of the Jewish teachers, too, were envious because he

was winning so many friends. They did not like John very well,

but they liked Jesus even less. This was because the people who

had trusted them and come to them to be taught were leaving

them to listen to these two men. Jesus knew that they did not

feel kindly toward him, and he thought it best for him to leave

Judea for a while and to go into Galilee.

THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK IN GALILEE

The shortest road between Judea and Galilee lay through the

province of Samaria. Few Jews ever took that way, for there

had been a quarrel between the Jews and Samaritans hundreds

of years before this time, and they had never become friends

again. They hated each other so much that the Jews were

unwilling to have anything to do with them, and would much

rather take a longer journey than to go through their country.

And the few Jews who did go there were not always treated very

well by the Samaritans.

After they decided to go to Galilee Jesus and the five disciples

who were still with him left Judea early in the morning; for the

days were so hot that they wanted to travel as far as they could

before the sun was high. They took the shortest way, the one

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A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

through Samaria. At noontime they came to a well, and Jesus,

who was hungry, thirsty, and tired, sat down by the well to rest,

while his disciples went into the city to buy food. The well was

one which Jacob had built when he lived there hundreds of years

before, and it was still in use. It was wide and deep, and held

water enough for all the people and their flocks.

As Jesus sat there, weary and alone, a woman of Samaria

came to this well to get some water. Jesus spoke to her and

asked, “ Will you give

me a drink? ” It was

a little favor to ask,

was it not? Yet the

woman was so sur¬

prised to have a Jew

speak to her that she

said: “ How does it

happen that you, who

are a Jew, are asking

a drink from me, a

woman of Samaria?»

This gave Jesus

the chance he wanted,

and he told her about

the Living Water,

which was the spirit

of love and kindness

which he had himself,

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman and which lie WOllld

give to all who would

ask him for it. The woman asked him to give her some of this

water; but she did not know what he meant by it. She thought

that if she could have some of it she would never need to go to