The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-01-10
TAE SUNDAY SCHOOL,

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. :.
Ynsernassonai Lesson for -ssnusfy .. 1865
- John the Bapttss Bshesded : Marx
6:17.20. "a.
Especially Arranged from Peioubet's Notesl
GOLDEN TBxr.--Fsar not them which XIII the
body. but are not abb 70 kill the soul--Mas.
THE SECTION OF HISTORY belonging 70 this
lesson includes Mark 6l2-S0; Matthew il1.i2;
Luke SIo, 20; 9:7-9, together with brief re.'
view Of the earlier notices Of Johns mission In
all four gospels.
T1ME-John was imprisoned in March or
April, A. D. % He was beheaded year later,
In March or April, A D. 90
PIAcE.-Jesus was in Galilee with His
twelve disciples. John was imprisoned and
put to death at Macherus, o strong fortress
and castle ut the southern extremity of Perea,
on the borders Of Arabia, nine miles east Of the
northern end Of the Dead seq The feast held
by Herod at which Herodias demanded the
head Of John the Baptist was probably held In
this castle.
JESUS had been preaching more than two
years. He was about thirty-two and half
years old Fg- &
JOHN preached about two years, from the
spring Of A. D. 20 to the spring OF A. p. "a. He
was in prison one year. and was tnartyred at
the age of thirty-three
PLACE IN THE LIFE OF CHRIsT.-Early In
the third year of His public ministry, in the
latter part Of the great Galilean division OF
His ministry.
ISrRoDucrIoN.-The Gospel had made such
great progress that the echoes Of the wonder
full deeds Of Jesus. by His word and through
His disciples, had reached the court Of Herod
The conscience of the guilty king smote him
for his murder of the holy prophet John, and
made him fear thct he had come back to life
with new powers much more dangerous to the
wicked ruler than his former bold reproofs
This fear on the part Of Herod is the occasion
for telling here the story Of the martyrdom Of
John.
LESSON NOTES.
The Prosecutor. Herod. The ruler
of Galilee and Perea was Herod Anti
pas, one Of the sons of Herod the Great.
His mother was Samaritan. He mar
ried daughter of Aretas, king Of Ara
bia Petrea, just south of Perea; but,
becoming acquainted with Herodias,
his brother Philips wife, in Rome. he
sent his wife home, and married
Herodias while her husband was still
living. King Aretas avenged this in
suit by invading Herod's dominions
and defeating him with great loss. It
was during the preparations for this
war that John was beheaded. Herod
remained in Palestine till A. d. SO,
when he was banished to Lyons, in
France, but eventually died in Spain.
Herod's Character. From the first,
Herod wos a light-lninded, unreliable,
prodigal and luxurious prince; hence,
also, he proved superstitious and cum
ming Utuke 1882; Mark S:15), and on
certain occasions. either from folly or
weakness, utterly heartlcss, cruel and
callous "-Langc. He was. it is said,
Sadducee. and believed in no future
life or resurrection of the dead. yet, by
strange contradiction, his guilty con-
science made him believe that Jesus
was the murdered John restored to,
life. Nothing is more common than
the union Of superstition and unbelief.
1t was said Of one of this sort, one Of
the most learned men of the day (the
younger Vossius), that he believed
everything but the Bible. have known
persons who have ceased to believe in
the divine mission of Jesus afraid to
pass place with which some absurd
story of a supernatural appearance was
connected. Cod will, in this way, make
many unbelievers witnesses against
themselves" ."-Expositor's Bible.
The Martyr Preacher.-His life. Q)
John was the son Of a priest, Zacharias,
and of Elizabeth, also descendant of
Aaron, and was born probably in or near
Hebron, in the summer of B. c. 5. !ve
was at this time about thirty years old.
(2) He was Nazarite, pledged to drink
no wine nor strong drink, and to let
his hair and beard grow untrimmed, as
sign of conservation to God. (See
Mum. g. He was filed with the Holy
Spirit from his birth. (3) His early
life, up to thirty years of age, was
passed in the solitudes of the wilder
ness of Judea, where he was prepared
for his great mission as the forerunner
of the Messiah. (D His appearance
was like the popular idea of great
prophet raised above caring for tenn
poral things, and protesting against
the luxury of the age. He greatly re-
sembled Elijah in his appearance as
well as character. (5 His work was
to prepare the way for the Messiah, as
foretold in the prophets Qsa. 4O:3-5). In
this work he had been engaged for. two
years, boldly denouncing sin, and call
ing to repentance. (6) He was fearless.
consecrated reformer, not destroying,
but building up. lie was "a tower of
strength which stood four-square to all
the winds that blow"