Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-05-10
AMOUNTING AT BETHANY.
LESSON VI, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, MAY IL.

Text of the Lesson, Mark xiv, 1-0-Com-
nit Verses 8, 9-Golden Text. Mark xiv,
8 Commentary by the Rec. d. NJ.
stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly. by. per
mission of II S. Hoffman, publisher, Philade
rhia.
|. "After two days was the feast Of the
passover and of unleavened bread" The
more full statement of Matthew is, "And il
came to pass, when Jesus had finished all
these sayings, He said unto His disciples We
know that after two days is the feast of the
passover and the Son of Man is betrayed to
be crucifed." He was born that He might
die as our passover, the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world; He died that He
might rise again triumphant over death and
the grave an immortal man, to reign over
tho house of Jacob forever; He assembled that
He might return when He shall have received
the kingdom and every step of all the way
was clear to Him from the beginning His
sinless life in a mortal body was nearly over,
and after two days He would prove Himself
the true passover Lamb; He saw it all and
was unmoved, resting in the Fathers
love- doing the Fathers will, supported
by the Joy set before Him. The Pass
over Lamb had to be chosen on the
tenth day of the month and kept till the four
tenth day, that is four days Jesus was set
apart before the foundation of the world, and
now four days 1900 years. had passed, and
He was about to be slain Ex. xii, 3, q; Pet.
no. 2O)
2. mot on the feast day, lest there be an
uproar Of the people" This very fear on
their part helped to bring about the sacrifice
of Christ at the appointed time. The SER
| 1l...l 4.
even the fear of man; the servants of God
are taught to fear neither men nor the devil,
nor sufferings, nor death, but knowing that
their lives are hid with Christ in God they
are to see Jesus only" and say, sin God
have l put my trust; l will not be afraid
what man can do unto me-" Though an
host should encamp against me, my heart
| shall not fear" (Ps wi, II; xvii, b.
8. And being in Bethany, in the house Of
Simon the leper." In John xii, is, we find
that this supper and amounting at Bethany
took place six days before the Passover and
before His public entry into Jerusalem.
"As He sat at meat" John tells us that
they made Him supper, that Martha served,
and that Lazarus risen from the dead was
one of them that sat at the table with Him.
Here is love and life and resurrection in Him,
and on their part loving service and whole
hearted devotion. We would like to know
who Simon the leper was, and hfs>relation to
this family; we would like to know what
Lazarus, who had been three days in the spirit
world, talked about; but these things are
comparatively unimportant, and let us rather
fix our attention upon Jesus and Mary who
anonted Him John xii, 81.
There came woman having an alabaster
box of ointment of spikenard, very precious;
and she brake the box and poured it on His
head" John says that she also anointed His
feet, and wiped them with her hair; and that
the house was filled with the odor of the ONT
ment. We must not get this amounting con-
fused with the amounting in the house of ST.
mon the Pharisee, at a much earlier period in
His ministry, and by woman whose name
we know not duke vii 36-50)
4. And there were some that had indigna-
ton within themselves, and said, Why was
this waste of the ointment made" That
Judas, who, though treasurer of the disciples,
was a thief and possessed with the devil,
should say this was not strange, for to talk
of anything given to or done for Jesus as
being wasted was surely devilish saying;
but that any of the other disciples Matt.
XVI, s. should talk 50 was strange indeed.
s. 1T might have been sold for more than
three hundred pence, and have been given to
the poor. And they murmured against her y
In the parable of Matt Xxx, penny was q
days wages, so that at that estimate this
ointment was equal in value to nearly a
years wages of Il laboring man. If the mem
bers of any church We're to be asked to give
unto the Lord Jesus for some special work
even weeks wages, how some OF then
would look and shrug their shoulders anC
what murmuring there would be against The
mover Of such a resolution, the instigator Of
such an unwarrante6 waste of preciou,
money.
t. Jesus said, let her alone; why trouble
We herl She hath wrought a good work or
Ne" How precious is the Masters approval
how restful His blessed words What does il
matter who, or how many, tind fault, if W.
are only well pleasing unto Him! Let NJ
criticism or thoughtlesS remark from fellow
Christians hinder you in your devotion t
Christ, o fellow laborer, but being sur,
that your motive is right and that love Il
Him prompts you to seek in all things Hi
glory, go steadfastly forward and do all tina
is in thine heart unto Him. Good works ar
rot those which men, or even Christians, al
ways approve but only those which are don
to the glory of God
I. For ye have the poor with you al
ways, and whatsoever ye will ye may do then
good, but me ye have not always The dis
ciples did not understand His going ava
from them, but thought he would continu
: with them in person and at taat time restor
tae kingdom to Israel, thouGL lie lad % cite
spoAen SO plainly of Ills death ana rusurreC
ton they had never received il, wAi.e Larry
on the contrary, who sat at HIS feet an
heard His word luke Y, 80 seems to hav
understood that His enemies would put Hi
to death, and that she wOu4l therefore, wit
al His friends, be deprived Of the priyiies
of ninisterinS to Kim at His death or buria
: S She hath done what she could" 5
many say, "How wOuld like to do thus an
50 if | only had the power" How niue
good | would do if had Mr.. b. 5 money, {
mrs BIS opportunities" and while tint
thinking and taking about what they woul
do, others like Mary are doing just what the
can, remembering that III there be first
willing mind it is accepted according to Thu
man hath, and not according to that
hath not" Ill Cor. s, 81 We are not e
p.cted to use other peoples talents or oppo
tunities, but simply to do what our ow
hands find to do as unto Him. God know