Page:Jesus of Nazareth the story of His life simply told (1917).djvu/166

 know our Lord, hastened into Sichem saying to all she met:

"Come and see a Man who has told me all things whatsoever I have done. Is not He the Christ?"

Her earnestness impressed those who heard her. She had evidently seen and heard something wonderful. And was there not a rumour that Christ had appeared in Galilee and Judea and was doing marvels? But could He have come to them—Samaritans? Oh, if He had, how welcome they would make Him! Yielding to the woman's entreaty, the simple people flocked out in crowds to Jacob's well, asking her questions all the way.

In the meantime the disciples gathered round their Master and pressed Him affectionately to take the food they had brought, saying:

"Rabbi, eat."

But He said to them: "I have meat to eat which you know not."

They looked at one another astonished and said: "Hath any man brought Him to eat?"

Jesus said to them: "My meat is to do the Will of Him that sent Me."

He meant that as men long for the food of the body to satisfy their hunger and thirst, so did He long to see His Father's Will done, and the souls of men redeemed and saved. Pointing to the cornfields, which in Palestine are silvery not golden at harvest time, as with us, He said:

"Do you not say there are yet four months and then the harvest cometh? Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and see the countries, for they are white already to harvest."

He was thinking of the Samaritans now hastening to