The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-03-02
GOING TO JERUSALEM.
LESSON X, INTERNATIONAL SUNDAY
SCHOOL SERIES, MARCH 4.


Text of the Lesson, Matt. III, iT-as.
Memories Verses ao-as-aoidsn Text.
Matt. N, as-Commsnt By Rev. william
Newton, u. u.
from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by permission
Of II. s. hoffman, Philadelphia, publisher.l
Notes-Apart, by themselves; in the way,
a. they walked, for the road would BE-
thronged with people going up to the
Passover. Betrayed, put as by friend into
the power Of Dehver, give up into the
hands Of. Gentiles, In this case, PLATE a.
representing the Roman power Scourge,
chastise with whips Cruelty, put 10 death
on the cross worshiping, or kneeling,
showing outward marks Of respect. Drink
Of my cup, or share my lot, or suferings.
The ten, l. e., the other disciples. All OF
them except James and John, the sons of
Zebedee, Moved with Indignation, were
very angry. Princes, men high in Office.
Minister, or servant. Ministered unto, or to
be served. Ransom, or price to set free from
captivity or death.
I V. H. Jesus was now going up to Jerusalem
from Galilee to celebrate the Passover He
was going II was his own voluntary act.
His enemies would not have reached him
bad he chosen to hide himself from them.
But he was going, and going with the full
knowledge Of all that awaited him there.
But why were they amaxedi Was there not
something especially striking in his manner
and appearancei Some almost Transforming
influence about him. Was It not the per-
vading consciousness of what was before him,
and the shining forth Of an inward resolu-
ton not to be turned aside from the path on
which he had entsredi Was IL not just the
7 ~ have set my face like flint" Of which
Isaiah spealssi
v. 1s Having called his disciples round
him, be began to tell them Of the real pur-
pose and meaning of his going up to Jerusa-
lem. Twice before had he told them. Ths
first occasion was that Of Peters glorious
confession, the second was that Of his trans
nguration, and this was the third, - Il was
also the fullest And how sxact it was. "The
Son Of Man shall be betrayed" and here was
the work Of Judas. "And shall condemn
him TO DEATH y and hare was the work at the
house of Annas and CaiphaA And here was
the limit Of thar work; they had no power to
put to death.
V. 10. This follow, OF course. Their
bloody purpose must be carried out In
themselves they had no power, for the
Roman bad deprived them Of that in view of
their well known turbulency. Thsrefore
they must deliver him to the Gentiies, who,
in this case, are represented BY PLATE, the
Roman governor. And what win they dol
They shan "mock, and scourge and cruelty
him." And then comes In the glorious words,
"The third day he shall rise again" How
wonderful the contrast the two sides Of this
statementl Between mans estimate Of Jesus
Of Nazareth on the one side and the Lords on
the other. The mocking and the scourging,
the purple robe, the reed scepter, the crown
Of thorns and the cross here and the rising
from the dead there" On the ono side the
place betwseu two tbieves-as one with them
In guilt and punishment-and seat on the
Fathers throne ON the other. II = the ever
lasting contrast concerning him who Is sst
for 80 sign that shall be spoken against
But a. clearly q the light We 80 In thess
words:
I. The voluntariness Of his sacrifice.
q His perfect foreknewlsdge Of all that
was before him.
v. 20, 81. How harsh 10 this discordi How
utterly without sympathy with him these two
disciples and Salome, their mother, seem to
have besni Right In the midst Of our Lords
discourse about his approaching sufferings
and death they thrust their ambitious crav-
ings for the high places in his earthly king
dom. 6aloms, their mother, seems to have
been the speaker hare. But the two brethren
were beyond doubt in full accord with her.
II was to them the open way to earthly dis
tinction and power. All through his ministry
and after his resurrection they had no other
idea about 1t than Of kingdom that should
break the Roman yoke and restore the ancient
glories Of David's throne. The Last question
they asked Of their Lord just before his as
cension was: "Wnt thou at this time re-
store the kingdom to Israsl" And it was
spirit that they saw the truth about it. His
kingdom was mot Of this world" It was
not formed or carried on as earthly king
doms are. Greatness in 1t was not the result
Of wealth and power and state. They were
then utterly In the dark about it.
V. 20. How profound the pity that moved
the Saviour's breast as he looked on his mis-
guided disciples and said: "Ye know not
what ye asker The nrst places In bis king
dom, ohl did they think Of this as they re-
ceived the distinction that afterward
awaited themi Did James think of it as
second in "the noble army Of martyrs he fell
beneath the sword of Herodi Did John think
of 1t in the loneliness of his banishment to
TO the "isle that is called Patmos =
for the testimony of Jesusr Did It come as
CLEAN of saddening remembrance over him
as he wrote: Love not the world, neither
the things that are In the worldr' 1.-THE cup
that shall drink or IL, of course, his suffer-
ings and death.
'. %. Two points of interest are set before
Us in this verse, l. o.:
l. Their fellowship In bis sufRerings and
O. Tho correction Of their mistake.
As to Q). There future lives lay as an open
~AA A-N-- H. L. -A--l-
times Of Hsrods persecution and the stroke
Of his descending sword as the head of James
fell before It, He saw John N his lonely
derness Of tone with which he said: ''Ye shall
indeed drink Of my cup" Then follows
o.. The italicized words, "it shall be giren
to those" were supplied by the translators.
| and, Of course, there are no corresponding
words in the original. Our Lord did not
speak them, and they entirely change the
meaning Of his utterance 10 the two disci-
Piles. What he said was: ITO sit ON my
right hand and ON my left, Is not mine TO
give, but for whom it fs prepared Of my
father. He dispenses the gift of eternal life.
And every one that receives 1t receives it at
his hand.
V.24-2s The indignation Of the ten against
| their two fellow disciples seems to have been
natural enough. 1t seemed to them that the
two brethren were set on gaining the best
places in the kingdom for themselves. And
| they were angry, just a. we would have been
| In their position. n was too favorable an
| opportunity to pass unimproved And SO
Jesus called them to him and administered
rebuke, full Of tenderness and power, re-
yealing, too, the entire scope and spirit OF
his kingdom. The princes Of the Gentiles
ruled with absolute power But it could not
be so in his kingdom In it, service was the
tadge Of royalty. Service for his sake
Service to the least and the lowliest. For
If he-Lord Of the universe-came mot tc
be ministered unto, but to minister and tc
| give his life a ransom for many,n surely his
followers must win pre-sminence in the sams
self-forgetful way.
A new order has been issued by the Pos