The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-04-13
THE REJECTED son.
International Sunday School Lesson 70
April IL, 1889.

april IL, 1859.
Especially arranged from S. S. Quarterly.l
LESSON TExT-Mark 12:l-l2
GOLDEN TEXT-He came unto His own,
and His own received Him not,-John l Ill.
CENTRAL TRuTH'-The rejection Of Jesus
Christ Is the most unk ratefui and danger
Gus OF sins.
TrME-Tuesday, April 4, A. d. 80 Dur
ing the last week Of Jesus life, and the last
day in which He taught IN the temple.
PLAcE-ln the temple at Jerusalem.
PARALLEL ACcoUNTs-Matt 81 33 40; Luke
90:9-19
INTERVENING HIsroRr-Mark ll:la-S3;
Matt. 81 10 30.
CIRcuMsTANCEs-Sunda evening, after
the triumphal entry, Jesus returned tc
Bethany. Monday morning he goes back
to Jerusalem, laying curse on the barren
fig tree by the way. He cleanses the tenn
pie OF those profaning it by traffic, and at
night goes again to Bethany. Tuesday
morning He returns to the temple, giving
lesson to His disciples from the withered
fig-tree on the way. In the temple the chief
priests question the authority Of Jesus, and
He speaks three parallels TO them, Of which
this Is one.
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs-l. Speak unto
Sse"' w euo iSCCS hhu otiio out III
the presence of the people. 4 certain man.
representing God. Vineyard: Gods king
dom; ~ the Jewish people, (2) the Chris
tian church, C8 each heart. Hedge; Of
thorns, or stone wall. The laws and in.
situations which separated the Jews from
all others. Wnetdt: or, wlnepfess, often
dug out of the earth or the solid rock
TO,cer: built for the use of the keepers, who
ApfppdaI tho yipnvu rls from tbinNpS and
animals. The hedge, winepress and tower
represent the advantages conferred by God
upon the Jews, the church, the soul. HIS
bdndmen rulers of the Jews Far country.
i. e., God appeared to withdraw from the
earth, thus testing the fidelity and obedi
ence of His Children. 3 4 servant: the
servants were the prophets. Every special
call to love and serve God, every service at
the church, every providence of God, every
voice of the Holy Spirit every season of re-
vival, is servant whom God sends to US
for the fruits that are due HIM. Fruit Of
the Vineyard: repentance, righteousness,
obedience, worship, love. 5 Him they killed:
as jeremiah, Isaiah, etc. (See Heb. IL 80
49, g. One son: Jesus. T. The inheritance
shall be ours; they felt that Christ's teaching
would destroy their influence and power in
the nation; and, il they slew Him, they
could still hold it for themselves. Q. Give
the vineyard unto others: the Gentiles. (Acts
13:46.) TO- This Scripture: referring to Ps
1lS 81, ga psalm which the Jews applied
to the Messiah; also applied to Him in Acts
All.
APPLICATION TO THE JEws-In the summer
Of A. d. 20, forty years after this parable
was spoken, Jerusalem was destroyed and
the temple was burned and laid in ruins
by the Roman army under Titus, after the
most terrible siege on record, in which
the besieged "fought for miserable scraps"
chewed belts and shoes, and tore of the
leather from their shields, and ate wisps OF
hay, and even then died by thousands from
the horrors of famine; |, 100000 persisted
APPLICATION TO THE INDIvIDuAL-God has
intrusted to each of us u blessed and mar.
vellously fruitful vineyard, which we are
to culture for Him. If we reject Christ for
this world, we are lost for this world.
Those who reject Christ from their lives
and plans, in order that they may keep pos
session of themselves, their pleasures, and
hopes, have taken the shortest and sures,
way to lose them. How much more is this
true of the future! Those who reject
Christ can not be saved. They refuse eternal
make Heaven what it is.
CoMMENTs-In the lesson of today the
parable shows both the goodness and severn
ty of God. 1t shows His goodness in moi
cutting off his people with one trial. or two,
or ten. Truly He could say: Gan day long
have stretched forth My hands unto DISC
bedient and a gainsaying people" Rom.
102l) Though our outward circumstances
differ from theirs, yet His goodness is none
the less manifest TO us What was true OF
Israel as nation is true of US individually.
Every child of God will gladly bear witness
to the fact that goodness and mercy have
followed me all the days of my life"
But If the goodness of God is apparent in
our lesson, none the less does the severity
of GOD appear. With the Jews the end
came at last. Wisdom ceased to cry in tho
streets and in the opening of the gates. The
| voice Of the Nazarene hushcd into silence.
| A few calls to repentance were uttered by
His disciples, and then with one accord
| they turned to the Gentiles. Then
| came their destruction and dissolution as
whirlwind. From that day to this
| it is as though there was no eye to pity
| them and no arm stretched forth from
| above to save them. Calamity on calamity
has overwhelmed the chosen people, from
| the destruction Of Jerusalem to the Russian
| atrocities; and yet God keeps silent. What
an awful prophecy is this of the fate OF a
soul that too often rejects the call OF the
Holy Spirit! There will come time, we
know not when, in which it shall be said
LET him alone; he is joined TO his idols. "
As with superhuman sadness Jesus wept
over Jerusalem, and yet would not stay It's
doom, so He may weep over the sinner,
but will not stay his doom. When once
the Master of the house has risen up and
shut the door, the foolish ones may knock
and weep, and plead, but all will be in vain
| The gentleness of Jesus Christ has limits
and the goodness Of Him whose name /:
Love has bounds. God is love, but God Is
also a consuming fire. Jesus is the LIANT
of God but this Lamb will one day terrify
His opponents, who will try in vain to hide
from His wrath-Rev. A. f. Schaufiier.
| PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
| ]. God does all that can be done for US u
bring forth the fruits Of righteousness.
2. Therefore God has right to expect goot
fruits from US.
3. The fruits are obedience, faith, love
good works, and all the fruits OF the SPIRIT
4. Every opportunity TO do good, every ac
Of God that deserves our love, every occa
sion for keeping His commands, every cal