The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-06-19
INTERNATIONAL LESSONS.
BY REV. F. Il. nARsREAvEs.
June 20.

Lesson IL, June 20.
, JESUS AND ABRAHAM.
John 8. 3l-3S. 44-59: Golden Text,
John 8, 80. Time, the next day after the
last lesson. Place, the Temple at Jeru-
salem.
II was the morning of the eighth day.
The Feast of Taberhacles was over. 1t
lasted only seven days, but the eighth
day WIS sort of holy con invocation with
special sacrifices of its own. Jesus had
spent the night with friend on the
Mount of Olives, and now, in the early
morning, He rcappears in the temple to
continue His teachings. Part of the
time is spent in the court of the women,
but tits evident the latter part of the
lesson was delivered to the Gentiles, as
that was the only place in thG'tenple in
which the people would cast stones at
Him.. He iwas nearing lhe end ,ef His
ministry, and in the centre of religious
thought and activity, Jerusalem, He now,
continues His sublime declarations of
Messiahship and the enunciation of those
splendid truths which are the heritage
OF our race. From Jerusalem the crowds
would soon disperse to all parts of the
country, and in their harts Jesus sows
that blessed seed which to-day yields
magnificent harvest in the earnest lives
of His devoted followers. Upon this oc-
casion tie was the central figure in the
temple as Hc had been on the previous
days of the feast. An eager crowd is
gathered round HIM, and to them lie
delivers His message of freedom. aye
shall know the truth and the truth shall
make you free" These words raised an
angry storm of indignant protest from
His hearers. If the Jew prided himself
on one thing it was his freedom. He
conveniently forgot the captivities, over
looked national defeats, ignored the
present actual serfdom TO Rome, and al
ways imagined himself blessed with free
dom. A part of his morning PRAYER was:
blessed be the Lord our God, King of
the Universe. who has made me free
man." The jew looked back to Abraham,
from whom he claimed descent, and con-
tended that as Abraham's son he was free.
With such feelings it was difficult for
them to understand Christ's words, for
He taught them of spiritual freedom.
They looked for Messiah who would
restore the national glory, aud yet they
could not comprehend that "truth" with
out which there can he no permanent
national glory. Their pride of descent
was false light to them; their descent
availed them nothing; they were slaves
to sin and form and ritual. They were
not fit for national Independence and its
attendant honors; they were not fit for
that spiritual kingdom which Christ
came to establish, so he taught them the
divine principle of liberty, aye shall
know the truth and truth shall make you
free" For it is only in the truth of
Jesus that we can get perfect freedom
from the slavery of sin and thus be fitted
for the true citizenship of Christ's King
dom. 1t will be well for the world when
here taught by Christ furnishes the
solution to those great social and ccono-
mic questions which now agitate society.
Our Sayior closed His discourse by re-
asserting His divinity, as He declared
that He existed before Abraham.
LESSON THoCGuTs.
l. True freedom can only be found in
Christ.
.. Lineage is nothing; ceremony is
nothing; the truth is everything.
B. Do not be deceived with false theo-
ries; get the truth as it is in Jesus.
A. In the teachings of Christ we have
true light, and hence true liberty. Free
dom of thought-not FREE THOUGHT.
freedom OF life, not FREE LIVING.