The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-11-29
THE SUNDAY soHool.

Especially Arranged from Peloubet's Notes.l
GOLDEN TExT.--Behold, send my messen-
ger before thy face. e.-Luke 7:27.
THE SECTION includes Luke 7:10-S5 and Mat
thew 1i:20-30; the whole Of the story OF John
the Baptists delegation TO Jesus and the prac-
tical reflections Of Jesus In connection with It.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT Is given In Matthew II:
2-S0 which throws light upon the story as told
by Luke.
TME--Summer OF AID. 2e According to An
drews, Robinson. Clark etc.. this lesson be-
longs before the last.
PLAcE.-Jesus was somewhere in Galilee.
According to Andrews, It was on the same
preaching tour in Galilce (Luke S:1-3) Of
which the giving life to the widows son ut
Main was the first recorded event (.uke 2:
Ii-10
JOHN was In prison ut Castle Macherus be-
yond the Jordan
LESSON NOTES
John the Baptist in Prison Sends a
Message of Inquiry to Jesus.-(Matt.
ll:o, 8; Luke 7:ls, 1917 In March A. d.
2S, some four months previous to this
lesson, John the baptist had been inn
prisoned by Herod in the lonely castle
of Macherus in the land of Moab, nine
miles east of the northern end of the
Dead sea. on the brink of great
precipice, above the steaming hot
fountains Of Callirrhoe, and in the
midst of scene of most remarkable
natural desolation.
The Discouraged Prophet. Almost
all men of great and stirring deeds
have had their seasons of discourage
ment and depression, For example,
Moses. David, Elijah. Almost every
worker for God has ut some time been
with Bunyan's Christian in Doubling
Castle of Giant Despair. No wonder,
then, that the young prophet, John
the Baptist, had for brief time this
bitter experience. The causes were:
III Probably physical weakness and i'll
health. caused by long confinement in
damp, dreary dungeon. It takes
more religion to make a dyspeptic
smile than perfectly healthy person
to rejoice in Pisgah glories. (2) There
was reaction from his exalted labors.
his reproof Of kings, his leadership of
the multitudes, his intense preaching,
his anxiety to save men. There is very
often Oppressive reaction after intense
nervous strain. The valley of the
shadow of death is often but short
Journey from the mountains of Beulah.
(0 Another cause may have been from
inexperience, for John was young, only
about SO years old. (D Jesus probably
was very different from his ideal of the
Messiah. His whole mode of life was
very different from Johns. Where
was the conqueror, the purger of
the threshing floor, the baptizer
with the Holy Ghost? (5) The appar.
ent failure of his life, of his plans and
hopes, no doubt greatly aided his de-
preston. His life was ending in his
very prime, after only two years Of
labor for his Lord. (e) His strange
and unaccountable neglect by Jesus.
Only one hundred miles away from his
dreary castle, among the lovely hills Of
Galilee, Jesus, the Messiah, the Re-
deemer from God, the glorious king, is
preaching the Gospel for the poor, de-
liverance to the captive. II he strictly
Is the Messiah who was ito open the
prison doors and set the captives free,"
why did he not open these prison doors
and set his captive friend and cousin
free? Why did not he who wrought
miracles for strangers work one for his
forerunner? (O Another. cause may
have been the narrowness of his out
look. In the midnight darkness Of his
dungeon he could not easily realize
that the world might be flooded with
light. In his own seeming failure, he
might not see signs of success else
where. In the smoke of the battle,
the peace after victory seems afar off.
Narrow outlooks often dishearten us,
when broader views would give us cour.
age and hope.
Jesus Method of Relieving Despond.
ency and Doubt.-(Matt. 11:4-e; Luke
7:20-23.) Jesus answered Johns in.
quiry simply by clearer presentation
Of the great truths Of His Gospel, and
more miracles performed, each one OF
which was typical of the spirit and
power Of the Gospel. 1t was precisely
the same evidence that convinced the
Apostles and the multitude Of believ-
ers
Note Jesus Method of Relieving
His Doubt. (I) He did not condemn
him. (2) He did not work any new
or utter new truths, but set
out the same old truths in new light,
with new clearness. So we are to
expect no voice from heaven as
euring us that we are Gods chill
drens No angel to show US the
book Of life with our name in it; no
to bring new proofs of the
Bible; no burning bush to assure us Of
the presence Of our Heavenly Father;
but the same old truths with new treas
ures, the old promises with new depths
of meaning, the old Bible in new light.
(3 He showed John the general prin-
ciples on which He was acting. John
saw that Jesus was loving and good by
what He did to others; then He must
be good to him, even when he could
not understand. az The works Jesus
did proved that He was the Messiah,
for He did the very works which the
Messiah was foretold to do. Therefore,
Johns life was success and not fail
ure. He had succeeded in the great
object of his life, in heralding the new