The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1889-05-31
JESUS FIRST TRIAL.
LESSON TX, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATIoNAL SERIES, JUNE 2.

TeXt of tho Lesson, Mark xiv, 55, G5-Conl-
NIT Verses So, 5G-Golden Text, John
XIV, 25-Commcntary by tho Rev. d. NJ.
Stcarns.
[Comp1led from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per-
mission of II. S. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel-
phia.l
81, "And the chief priests and all tho coun-
Gil sought for witness against Jesus to put
Him to death; and found none.n 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, 24, it would seem that the CONVEX
sation and shifting of Jesus recorded in John
xviii, 1928, took place before Annas, after
which he sent Elm bound to Caiaphas where
we now find Him in the presence of the
priests and council who arc seeking evidence
against Him that they may have some plausi-
BILE reason for putting Him to death. A good
while before this they had determined to kill
Him (Nlatt. xii, ii; John xi, 53), but lacked
opportunity because His hour had not come
John vii, so; viii 20); but now that His
hour had come (John xiii, L; xvii, ~ and He
had suffered them to take Him. they felt that
what they wero 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
public teaching had ever been said in secret
(deb vii, 26; John xviii 20). Every sacri-
flee had to be without blemish, and as He is
about to become u sacrifice for that nation,
according to tho very words Of Caiaphas, un-
Willingly spoken John vi, 1852, they are,
without knowing it, proving Him to be the
Lamb of God without blemsh 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 togethcrn This
also was foretold concerning Him, for it is
written in the Psalms, ''False witnesses are
risen up against me, and such as breathe out
cruelty;'' and again, sFalse witnesses did
rise up; they laid to my charge things that I
knew not" Ps. xvii, 10; xxxv, 11)
81. "And there arose certain and bare
false witness against Him." Matt. XVI,
60, says cat the last came two false wit
nesses," who remind us of the two men, sons
of Belial, whom Jezebel caused to testify
against Naboth that he might be put to death
Il Kings xxi, 7-14 1t is the same principle
all through the Bible from the days of Abel
to the days OF John, and inasnluch 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. "Thc wicked
watcheth the righteous and seeEcth to slay
him; the Lord will not leave him in his hand,
nor condemn him when he is judged'' Ps.
xXxvii, 81, 333.
5S ''We heard Him say, I will destroy this
temple that is made with hands, and within
three days will build another mado without
hands" Just what He did say was, "Destroy
this temple and in three days I will raise it
up" John ii, 10, and John says that He
spake of the temple of His body; but they
mako 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 the same
thing at Him as lie hung upon the cross
(AIark XIV, 29), not knowing that they were
then destroying tho temple, and that in
three days it would be raised up. Observe
two things here: Ii we are members
of Ills 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 sutferings; then consider as members of
body, when perhaps we may see in TN actually
restored temple at Jerusalem some new light
upon Hos. vi, g. "After two days will He re-
vive us; in the third day He will raise us up,
and we shall 1.-Two in His sight, We shall
know If VIC follow on to know the Lord.
50. "Neither so did their witness agree to-
gether." The law said that q man could not
be condemned nor put to death at tho mouth
of one witness, but that it must be by the
testimony Of at least two or three witnesses
Deut. xvii, +; xix, 15); and yet up to this
time they cannot get two witnesses to agree,
so they had no case.
co. "And the high priest stood up in the
midst and asked Jesus, saying, Answercst
thou nothings What is it which these wit
ness against Thees" The high priest thus
gives evidence of his feelings against tho ono
on trial, which he has now allowed to over
como him and cause him to act and speak in
this unjust way; he lnew that according to
their own law there was no case against the
prisoner, for nothing had been really testified,
inasmuch as no two of tho witnesses agreed
G1. But lie held His peace and answered
nothing" -.othing being confirmed against
Him. there was nothing for Him to reply to;
tho law was on his side, and in the presence
of these furious, murderous hypocrites, He
majestically holds His peace.
&c. "And Jesus said, am To keep 81
lence in the face of such q question would be
to deny that He was tho Christ, therefore He
now replies in the monentous words of Ex
iii, II. When Moses wished to know what he
would say to the children of Israel as to who
sent him, he was instructed to say II AM
hath sent me unto you," concerning which
somo one has written:
When God would teach mankind His name,
| Ho calls Himself the great Il AM
| And leaves blank =; believers may
| Supply those things for which they pray.
| Many scholars will remember how he said
II am the living bread-I am the light of tho
world-I am the door-I am the good shep-
! herd-I am the resurrection and the life, etc
| There are at least twelve such titles in John
and seven <n Revelation; and often where
you read 81 am He" it is simply II am,'' for
she' is il italics, which means that it is not
i'll tho original. Sec John viii, "a, 2S; xiii,
| 19:xviii, 6, s.
''And ye shall see the Son of Man
sitting on tho right hand of pow
er, and coming in the clouds of
heaven" What contrast this will be- SEQ
Him in this lesson standing apparently help
less and friendless before an unjust judge,
and think of Him when He shall come in His
glory, and sit upon tho throne Of His glory,
and before Him shall be gathered all nations.
(Matt. XIV, 81, S2).
g. "Then the high priest rent his clothes,
s!nd saith, What need we any further wit
ncssesS' Apparently Jesus is guilty of bias
phemy and this holy 70 high priest is full OF
righteous Indignation; but in the eyes Of the
God Of Israel, Jesus, the Christ, the Son OF
the Blessed, the Son Of Man, has spoken the
truth, and this rendng Of garments and ap: