The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-04-10
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOE
APRIL H.
lesson Text: "The Wicked Husband
man." Mark xiii, 1-12-Gold-
en- Text: Mark xii. g
Commentary.

On lexC. MARK XII, o
commentary. a
3. "For delivered unto you, first OF all,
that which I also received now that Christ
died for our sins, according to the Scrip.
tures' Various sections " this epistle are
easily recognized by the words "now con-
cerning" or "now rs touching" Chapters
viii, |; viii, /; xii, /; xvi. u. The section
in which We find our lesson begins with Kill,
/, and concerns the diversities OF gifts which
exist in tho one body Of Christ, the. church,
showing the supremacy OF love and exhot.
ing to be "always abounding in the WORK
Of the Lord" (xv., 5S). ,, .,..,.l
4. "And that He was buried, and that Ha
rose again the third day, according to the
Scriptures" The death and burial and res
surrection of Christ, which constitute the
consummation Of His finished work and
may be summarized by the phrase His
blood" were plainly foretold and may be
readily seen by anointed eyes in Ps. xvi.
and xiii, Isa. lviii. and elsewhere:
=. S. "And that He was seen of Cephas, then
Of the twelve" On resurrection day He
was seen on five different ocoasions--frst
by, Mary Magdalene, then by the otherlwo-
men, after that by the two who walked, to
Emmaus, also by Peter, and in the evening
by the twelve, as they were called, but that
evening Thomas was not present, and Judas
Iscariot had gone to his own place. sec
Luke xiv, SO, "a; John Xxx, "a. That He
should honor Peter with special appear
ance, and also with Especial message
mark xvi, y, should be q matter OF special
interest to anyone who may nave, through
temptation, wandered away.
6. After that He was seen Of above 5o0
brethren at once, Of whom the greater part
remain unto this present, but some arc fall
en- asleep" This must have been the larg-
est number to which He appeared at one time
and may have been in Galilee or on the
mount OF the ascention, probably the former.
|. II two or three witnesses could establish =
matter, such company ought TO make It
very sure. We have no record OF His ever
appearing after the resurrection and before
the ascension to any but brethren--that Is,
beHevers-and when He comes again, as
believers only saw Him ascend. so only bc~
LEVERS will meet Him on His way q TheA.
iv., 16,1D. '"'
4. .tAfter that He was seen Of James, then
OF all the apostles" We would not have
known of this special appearance to James II
Paul had not told us, and 1t may be that
both Peter aud James talked with Paul OF
these special appearings when he saw them
during his visit to Jerusalem (Gal. l., 1S, 19).
There were at least ten or eleven appear
then after. the ascension He was seen by
Stephen and Paul and John. That He rose
from the dead and is now at the right hand
OF the Father Is fact well established.
8. sAnd, last OF ALL He was seen OF me-
also, as of one born out of due time" This
was the last appearance up to Paul's time,
for the appearance to John In Patmos was full
thirty years later. wonder why Paul did
not mention the appearance to stephen. Fer,
haps it was too sore recollection. PauG
speaks of his conversion when the Lord ap-
peared to him as birth before the time, and
also pattern OF those who should hereafter
believe q Tim. l., 16), for the conversion OF
the nation OF Israel will be when they look
upon Him at His coming in glory. We are
now saved by looking to Him, not upon
Him. Compare lisa. XIV, 22, and Zech.
xii, 10.
am not meet to be called an apostle, because
prosecuted the church Of God" PauPS
growth in his own estimation WAS trus
growth in grace: 1t was very lowly to cal
lowly. at a later period, to speak OF himself
as "less than the least Of all saints" (Eph.
ill.,, 81, but it was lowest of ALL at still later
period. to call himself "the chief of sinners"
II Tim. l., 15). This Is the work Of the
Spirit to magnify the Lord in all HIS lowell
ness and to Increasingly expose the hideous-
ness of the natural man. May we oil grow
thus.
10. "But by the grace of God am what
am, and His grace, which was bestowed upon
me, was not in vain, but l lobored moro
abundantly than they all, yet not !, but the
grace Of God, which was with me-" Paul
was forever magnitying the grace OF God, by
which we are saved, in which we stand,
which Is yet to be more fully revealed, and
which Paul felt was in his case exceedingly
abundant (Eph. H., s; Rom. ", 81 Pet. l.,
13; Tim. l., 14). This abundant grace con-
strained him to abundant labors, but he
wholly renounces all thoughts Of his doing
anything, and, as in Gal. IL, 20, emphasizes
his ''not I, but Christ" mot 1. but the grace
OF God"
Ii. "Therefore, whether it were or thev,
80 we preach and 80 ye believe" Whether
1t was Paul or Apollos or Cephas, they were
only ministers by whom the Lord wrought
II Cor. ill.,, SD, so that the members cannot
and must not glory, only In the Lord. for no
flesh shall glory in His presence. Let ,ls
glory only in the Lord.
12. "Now, IL Christ be preached that He
rose from the dead, how say some among
YOU that there is no resurrection OF the
deadP' The Sadducees did not believe in
any resurrection (Luke XXX, 27. Some gem
tiles Knocked at the idea (Acts xviii. 32); but,
worse still, some protesting Christians OF
our time say that at death we get our resur-
rection body, and they have no further use
for the body that Is laid in the grave. Yet
it is plainlyjwritten that ali that are In their
graves shall come forth. They that sleep In
the dust of the earth shall awake, and when
Jesus rose from the dead many bodies OF the
saints which slept arose and came out OF the
graves and went into the holy city and ap-
peared unto many John ", %, 90; Dan. XIII,
2; Math. xvii, 81, 53).
13. "But il there be no resurrection OF the
dead then is Christ not risen" This verse,
think, gives the key to verse 80, which per-
splexes many. The question which Paul is
arguing is, Has Christ risen? Now, all be-
LEVERS were baptized in the name OF the Lord
Jesus, but if He Is dead Christ. and not
risen, why baptize for the dead? Why bapT
tie any one in the name of dead Christi
IA. 4."tAnd if Christ be not risen then is bur
preaching vain, and your faith is also vain"
He goes on to add that If Christ be not risen
all preachers are false witnesses, and all liv-
ing believers are still in their sins, and all
dead believers have perished. The great
fact of the resurrection of Christ is not
truth merely for Easter, but for every Lords
day. His life and death would be OF no avail
to US had He not risen again, but He Is risen
(yerse 20), and thus with power declared to
be the Son OF God (Rom. j., 4) Lesson