The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-02-08
The Sunday School Lesson.
SERIES FOR 1896.---FIRST QUARTER.
Studies in the Gospel According to Luke.

mined. But that it was the splendid
| synagogue whose ruins are now to be
seen on the site of Capernaum is a
reasonable conjecture,
| The centurion had seen in the Jewish
religion a favorable contrast to the
heathenism of his own race. In large.
minded friendliness he had dedicated
| portion Of his abundant wealth to the
building of synagogue which would
serve the religion he had learned to re-
| spect. By this act he had won the graf
itude and good will Of the leading Jews
of the city.
These Jewish leaders could not think
it strange that such large hearted Ro-
man should have fervent friendship
for fellow man who was by human law
his slave. They made their request of
Jesus, according to Matthew's report, as
| If it were the centurion himself speaking.
The ready response of Jesus, as Matth-
| ew tells us was, aciU come and heal
| him.
The word, when it had been hurriedly
carried to the centurion, was received
with both rapture and CONSERVATION.
No one better than the centurion knew
what it would mean for Jesus to enter
the home of a Roman soldier. The elders
of Capernaum might not complain of
the act which they advised; but the re-
port at Jerusalem would be that Jesus
was traitor to the Jews. The centur-
ion could be fervent friend of his bond
slave; he could not act the part of an
enemy to Jesus.
| Therefore, before Jesus reached the
centurion's house, he was met by other
messengers from the generous soldier
with the message: "Lord, trouble not
thyseF: for am not aoorthy that thou
shoutdest come under mig roof: a0here-
fore neither thought I myself aoorthy to
come unto thee: bat sag the acord and
mig servant shall be healed "Say the
word" He believed Jesus had author
ity over unseen forces, even as he him
self had authority over the soldiers I'M
der his command. He believed Jesus
could heal his servant as he had healed
the nobleman's son.
Not among all the Israelites had Je.
sus found faith, in reasonableness and
unselfishness, 80 like his own. He made
the showing of such faith, Matthew tells
US, an occasion for declaring Matt. viii:
IL. 12) that the Gospel ministries are by
no means to be confined to the Jews, but
that foreigners from north, east. south
and west, shall come into fellowship
with the patriarchs. while Hebrews
themselves will be by their own choice
left in the outer darkness.
The paralytic servent of the centurion
was in that hour healed.
2. The Raising of the Widows
| SOn,-vs. 2-10.
The next day, or soon afterwards, we
find Jesus at the city Of Main, twenty
five miles from Capernaum. He had
started on his second missionary journey
through Galilee.
AT this bright and welcome period of
bis ministry" says Farrar, "he was usu-
ally accompanied not only by his disci-
pies but by rejoicing and adoring crowds.
And as this glad procession. SO full of
their high hopes and too-often- erring
beliefs about the coming king, was
climbing the narrow ascent which leads
to the gate Of Main, they were met by
another and sad procession issuing
through it to bring dead youth outside
the walls. There was pathos deeper
than ordinary in the spectacle, and
therefore probably in that emotional
race wall wilder and sincerer than the
ordinary lamentation. For this boy was,
in the language which is all the more
deeply moving from its absolute sim
plicity, and which to Jewish ears would
have involved sense of anguish yet
deeper than to ours,-the only son of his
mother, and she ,Uidoav. The sight OF
this terrible sorrow appealed irresistibly
to the Saviour's loving and gentle heart
Paueing only to say to the mother, Weep
not, he approached, and,-heedless once
more Of purely ceremonial observances
touched the bier, or rather the open
coffin in which the dead youth lay. 1t
must have been moment Of intense and
breathless expectation. Unbidden, but
filed with undefinable awe, the bearers
of the bier stood STILL And then through
the hearts of the stricken mourners. and
through the hearts of the silent multi
tude, there thrilled the calm utterance.
Young man. arise.
"Would that dread monoeyllable thrill
also through the unknown mysterious
solitudes of death? Would it thrill
through the impenetrable darkness of
the more-than midnight which has ever
concealed from human vision the world
beyond the grave? 1t did. He that a1as
dead sat up, and began to speak. and
he gaze him to has mother"
3. Jesus Accepted by the PeO-
pie as Great PrOphet.-vs. 16.
The effect on the behoIding multitude
was such as would come to any similar
company of human beings. Fear took
hold on all. 1t was surely not the fear
| that both fOrnoapf. - ,,oa ra4ha. ha