Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-03-01
THE MESSIAHSHIP.
LESSON Xl, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH 8.
Text ofthe Lesson, Mark viii, 27-3S---Com'
NIT Verses SO, 3S--G olden Text, Mark
viii, 31-Comm entnry by the
Rev. ID. NJ. Stearns.

Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission Of II. s Hoffman, publisher, Philadel-
phia
Between this lesson and the last one we
have the record of tho death Of John tho
Baptist, the feeding of the multitudes on two
different occasions, the walking on the sea,
the great faith of the Syrophenican woman
and the healing Of her daughter, the healing
Of n deaf and dumb man, and others
81 "Whom do men say that | amp He
had come into tho town Of Casarea Philippi.
%, 20. Peter auswereth and saith unto
Him, Thou art the Christ" After drawing
from them the opinions of others, He then
pointedly and personally puts the question;
But whom say We that | amf Let every
teacher learn from Him how to teach, and
after awakening the interest Of the scholars
by drawing from them what they know, fail
not to ascertain what they individually be-
leve and what Christ is to them The full
answer Of Peter was: Thou art the Christ,
the Son Of the Living God' Matt. XVI, l6l;
but while we call attention to what is writ
ten in the parallel accounts in the other Cos
pels we believe that each gospel s complete
in itself for the object for which it was writ
zen, and there is a reason for the omissions
and insertions peculiar to each. If we want
to know all about His life as the Goldman,
we read the four gospels side by side; but if
we desire to know Him specially as the Son
of David or the perfect Servant or the Son
of Man or the Son of God, it would be well
for the time to conflne our attention to the
gospel which thus describes Him. Much as
we might like to enter here into tho precious
things of Matt xvi, 11-10, our limited space
forbds it; but we must say word about
the significance of 1.-THE Christi John j. IA;
iv, %, tells us that Christ is the same as Mes
siah the former being Greek and the latter
Hebrew. John i, 45, tells us that lie is the
one of whom Moses and the prophets did
write. Daniel tx, 2i-21, speaks of Him as the
Messiah, the Prince" who shall make an end
of the SINS of Daniels people and bring to
them everlasting righteousness Matt ii, l.
4, makes it plain that the Christ is the King
of the Jews; the English word corresponding
to Messiah, and Christ is "the Anointed,"
and in the song Of Hannah q Sam. ii, iOJ we
see Him as He will be when He comes in
power to sit upon the throne of His glory as
King of the Jews. You may know Him as
Jesus who saves and keeps You, as Lord
whom you delight to acknowledge as your
possessor and proprietor, but do you know
Him as the Christ, the coming King of
Israel and OF the whole earth'
80. He charged them that they should tell
no man of Him. Matt. xvi, 20, says to tell
no man that He was Jesus the Christ He
never forbade them to say that He was Jesus
the Saviour, but nov that the rulers Of the
people had fully determined to kill Him
(Slatt. xii, IL He forbids them to make Him
known rs the Christ.
81 he began to teach them that the Son
of Man must suffer" AT His first cleansing
OF the temple He had foretold His death and
resurrection John ii, l9-2p. and later, when
I',-r- ,e'-, ! a eli H., e
tyne Of ms death and resurrection (Iatt xii,
80, 4y bus this is bis first particular and full
announcement Of this great event which lie
again repeats on two other occasions Tx,
81; Y, 80.
81 Peter took Him and began to rebul,e
Him. saying, BE it far from thee, Lord;
this shall not be unto Thee C7iatt. xvi, ~,
or, as in the margin, PITY myself, Lord"
Tins was the natural man speaking, and the
tendency Of the natural man, even in tho
Christian, IS to pity himself aud seek his own
case, and against this self indulgence we
must as Christians earnestly contend, ever
yielding our bodies a living sacrifice.
3D. He reOuked Peter, saying, Get thee
behind me, Satan" Peter had just given
forth sweet SAVIOUR of God in his grand CON-
tession Of Jesus as the Christ, and now from
the same mouth comes the things Of men
with Satan urging on; tout of tho same
mouth procceIeth blessing and cursng"
81 "Whosoovcr VIII come after Ne, let
him deny himself and take up his cross, and
follow Ne" 1t is a most precious truth that
the invitation to come is to whatsoever
will" CActs Y, 43; Rom. x, II, 10; Rev. xxi,
IL; and him that comcth shall in no wise be
cast out John vi, 81 but it is also true that
no one can truly come, unless they are pre-
pared to deny self and bear the cross after
Jesus, and this daily duke tx, 23) ANY
other aim but the glory of God, any other
will but the will of God, either proves that
we are not His followers, or If we are, that
we arc very unlike our Master and little
credit to Him.
-. For WhOsoever will save his life shall
lose it.n That is, whosoevcr chooses this
present life with its joys, in preference to
the narrow way of separation from this pres
emit evil world unto Christ, shall find in the
end that his portion here was his all, and his
enjoyment ended when he left this world
while he who chooses Christ and fellowship
with Him as his portion here, prepared to re-
Eounce with the whole heart the world, tho
flesh and the devil viii find that while he
may not havo had great success in this
world and, perhaps, been sor2ly tried, yet he
has had Gods own peace and joy in his soul
and shall inherit everlasting life.
81. "tInat shall a man give in exchange
for his life" If he loses it by refusing to let
Jesus save him it Is gone forever; the great
gulf is fixed and they cannot pass from ono
place to the other because there is wrath,
beware lest lie take thee away with His
stroke; then great ransom cannot deliver
thee" dob xxxvi, 49, "They that trust
in their wealth and boast themselves in the
multitude Of their riches; none Of them can
by any means redeem his brother. nor give 10
God a ransom for him. (Ps. Xix, 6. ~
There is only one ransom; Goa has provided
il, oven the finished work Of the Lord Jesus
Dob xxxiii, "a; Matt. Xxx, 2sJ; that being
refused there is no other (Acts iv, ~. TIC
life Of every individual has three stages, that
portion which is spent here in tho mortal
body; that between death and resurrection,
and that after the resurrection II the first
stage is yielded TO Jesus, then between death
and resurrection the spirit is with Christ IN
Paradise, and at tho resurrection Of the lust
the soul and body are wanted to he with and
like Christ forever; but if the first stage is
msspent and withheld from Jesus then is
the future of that soul dark aud awful.
IS. "Of him shall the Son Of Man be