The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-05-30
JESUS FIRST TRIAL.
LESSON TX, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATioNAL SERIES, JUNE 2.


LESSON TX, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATioNAL SERIES, JUNE 2.
Text of the Lesson. Mark xiv. 55. G5-Com-
NIT Verses 55. 56-GoIden Text, John
xv, 25-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
stearns.
tCompiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission of II S Hoffman, publisher. Phiadel
phial
55 ''And the chief priests and all the coun
Gil sought for witness against Jesus to put
Him to death; and found none" After the
arrest they bound Him and led Him away to
Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the
high priest, and if we accept the r. V. of
John xviii, "a, it would seem that the conver-
sation and shifting of Jesus recorded in John
xviii, 1923, took place before Annas, after
which he sent Him bound to Caiaphas, where
we now find Him in the presence of the
priests and council who are seeking evidence
against Him that they may have some plausi-
bic reason for putting Him to death. A good
while before this they had determined to kill
Him (Matt xii IA; John xi, 53), but lacked
opportunity because His hour had not come
John vii, 30; viii, 90; but now that His
hour had come John xiii, |; xvii, \ and He
had suffered them to take Him, they felt that
they must have some semblance of right in
what they were about to do. To find some
real evidence of guilt on His part was the
hardest work they ever undertook, for He
was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate
from sinners; His life and teaching had been
open to all, and nothing inconsistent with His
h,1 Nao,, enid in,
Heb. vii, 26; John xviii, 2O Every sacri-
flee had to be without blemish, and as He is
about to become sacrifice for that nation,
according to the very words Of Caiaphas, I'M
Willingly spoken John xi, 1859, they are,
without knowing it, proving Him to be the
Lamb of God without blemish and without
spot, a fit sacrifice for their sins and for the
sins of the world.
Sc ''Many bare false witness against Him,
but their witness agreed not together" This
also was foretold concerning Him, for it is
written in tho Psalms, "False witnesses are
risen up against me- and such as breathe out
cruelty" and again, False witnesses did
rise up; they laid to my charge things that
knew not" Ps xvii, II; xxxv, H.
81 "And there arose certain and bare
false witness against Him" Matt XVI,
co. says, "At the last came two false wit
nesses,n who remind us of the two men, sons
of Belial, whom Jezebel caused to testify
against Naboth that be might be put to death
q Kings xxi, 7-14. 1t is the same principle
all through tbs Bible from the days of Abel
to the days Of John, and inasmuch as the
devil is the author of it, and he is still at
large, we may expect to find it prevailing till
the Lord come and the devil is shut up and
sealed in the bottomless pit ''The wicked
watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay
him; the Lord will not leave him in his hand,
nor condemn him when he is judged" Cps.
xxxvii, 81, 33).
S. "We heard Him say, will destroy this
temple that Is made with hands, and within
three days win build another made without
hands" Just what He did say was, destroy
this temple and in three days | will raise it
up John ii, 1g, and John says that He
spake of the temple Of His body; but they
make Him to say that He Himself would de-
stroy the temple, which had at that time
been forty.six years in building, and in three
days build another. They cast tho same
thing at Him as He hung upon the cross
Mark XIV, 90, not knowing that they were
then destroying the temple, and that In
three days it would be raised up Observe
two things here: If we are members
of His body, let us not think it strange if our
words are ofttimes perverted and we are
made to say things which we never said nor
intended to say, but rather let us count it
another privilege of fellowship with Him in
His sufferings; then consider as members of
His body the resurrection which awaits that
body, when perhaps we may see In an actually
restored temple at Jerusalem some new light
upon Hos vi, @ 'After two days will He re-
yive us; In the third day He viii raise us up,
and we shall live in His sight" We shall
know IL we follow on to know the Lord.
50. Neither SO did their witness agree to-
gether." The law said that a man could not
be condemned nor put TO death at the mouth
Of one witness, but that it must be by the
testimony of at least two or three witnesses
Deut. xvii, 6; xix, 15); and yet up to this
time they cannot get two witnesses to agree,
so they had no case
60. "And the high priest stood up In the
midst and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest
thou nothinga What is it which these wit
ness against Theef' The high priest thus
gives evidence of his feelings against the one
on trial, which he has now allowed to over
come him and cause him to act and speak In
this unjust way; he knew that according to
their own law there was no case against the
prisoner for nothing had been really testified,
inasmuch as no two of the witnesses agreed.
G1. "But He held His peace and answered
nothing" Nothing being confirmed against
| Him, there was nothing for Him to reply to;
the law wns on his side, and in the presence
of these furious, murderous hypocrites, he
ulajestically holds His peace
g. "And Jesus said, I am" To keep ST.
lence in the face of such a question would be
| TO deny that He was the Christ, therefore lie
now replies in the niomentous words Of Ex.
| iii, Ia When Moses wished to know what be
would say to the children OF Israel as to who
sent him, he was instructed to say 81 AN
hath sent mo unto you," concerning which
some one has written:
When God would teach mankind His name,
He calls Himself the great y AM"
And leaves blank -; believers may
Supply those things for which they pray.
| Many scholars will remember how he said
81 am the living bread-I am the light Of the
world-I am the door, am the good shep
herd-I am the resurrection and the life,h etc
There are at least twelve such titles In Johr
and seven In Revelation; and oftsn whert
you read IT am He" 1t Is simply II am,r 10,
s'hen Is in italics, which means that Il Is not
| In the original See John viii, "a, 2s; xtii
10; xviii, 0, g
| land ye shall SEQ the Son OK MAI
sitting On the right hand Of pow
er, and coming In the clouds o'
heaven" What contrast this VIII be. Sex
| Him in this lesson standing apparently help
| less and friendless before an unjust Judge
and think of Him when he shall come In HI
glory, and sit upon the throne Of Bis glory
and before Him shall be gathered ell nations
| laatt. XIV, 81, 81.
ea. "Then the high priest rent his clothes
and saith, What need we any further wit
nessesr' Apparently Jesus 10 guilty Of bias
pheny and this holy ID high priest Is full Of
righteous Indignation; but in the eyes Of th'
God OF Israel, Jesus, the Christ, the Son Q.
the Blessed, the Son Of Man, has spoken th'
truth, and this rending Of garments and ap
| ps-ently holy wrath Is al Of the devil
CA. "Ye have heard the blasphemy; wha
think yei And they all condemned him to b
guilty Of DEATH Just as He Himself hat
foretold and as God had before determined