Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-02-05
for the Aun1e Circle.
i,HE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VII, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. is.

Text OF the Lesson, Luke vii, 2-16-Mem-
ory Verses, 14-18-GoIden Text, Luke vii,
16-Commentary by the Rev. d. NJ.
stearns.
| Q. There being so many verses In this
lesson, we will omit quotations from the
text of the lesson. We now find Him in
Capernaum, which in Math. *, l, Is called
"His own CITY," probably because when
rejected at Nazareth He made Capernaum
His Galilean center and there wrought so
many Of His mighty works. The first fact
of this lesson, next to the presence Of
Christ, is that Roman centurion had a
servant who was very dear to him, and
this servant was at this time very sick,
and it seemed as If he would die. Math.
viii, 6, says that his sickness was the
palsy, and that he was grievously torment
ed. He was a helpless man.
s. The centurion seems to have known
somewhat of Jesus, either having heard or
seen some of the things which He had
done, and hearing that He was in the city
he sent some Of the elders Of the Jews to
ask Him to come and heal his servant We
may imagine that the centurion lost no
time. His dear servant seemed to be dy.
ing: there was no hope for him, no human
helper; the only one who could help was
in the city; the one thing to do was to
have Him come quickly. Jesus is the very
same today. If helpless, call Him.
4, 8. When the elders can;c to Jesus,
their plea WAS that the centurion was
worthy because he had shown his love to
the nation by building synagogue. The
same thought is in many minds today, for
there are many who think that II they
build a church, or give so much to the
church, or to the poor, or to missions,
or to some good cause, they will thus
merit the favor of God, whereas the fact is
that grace means favor for the undeserv-
ing, the poor and the helpless and even
those who are rebelling against God. Con-
slider we'll Rom. v, z, s, and kin lred pas
sages until you see the meaning Of grace.
| g. Jesus at once went with them, not
because the centurion was worthy, but be-
cause of the need Of the poor, sick and help
less servant, but other servants meet Him,
from the centurion, with this message:
~ am not worthy that Thou shouldest
enter under my roof" The grace Of God
was doing something for this man, for 1t
is only by grace that we get true humility.
Job thought great deal Of himself till he
saw God; then he abhored himself and
magnifed God. Compare Job xxx with
xiii, 6, and see also lisa. vi, 8, and Dan.
KS.
| z. Not only did the centurion feel un-
worthy to have Jesus come into his house,
but he also felt unworthy even to come to
Jesus and now sends by these servants this
message: "Say in word, and my servant
shall be healed" or, as in Math. viii, g.,
"Speak the word only" Is 1t possible that
he had become familiar with these words
of Scripture, "By the word Of the Lord
were the heavens made" ""He spake, and
1t was DONE" "He sent His word and
healed them9" FPS. xxxiii, 6, 9; evil, 20.)
And was he thus led to have such un-
bounded confidence in this One whom he
evidently believed to be God or sent Of
God2
| 8. He knew what 1t was to obey and to
be obeyed, and somehow he had faith in
this Man that he could command diseases
and demons ut pleasure 1t is written in
the Psalms, from which book we have al
ready wanderingly quoted, that "fire
and hail, snow and vapors and stormy
wind fulfill His word, and that the an.
gels who excel In strength do His COM
mandments, hearkening unto the voice Of
His word (Ps. cxlviii, g.; ciii, 20), and
that, though the Lord be high, yet hath He
respect unto the lowly FPS. cxx1viii, 81.
Did this centurion learn his faith and hu-
mility from this bookY
n fott yo1a IN fN
Lord that He spoke Of 1t to the people as
excelling any faith that He had seen IN
Israel. Without faith it Is impossible to
please God (Heb. xi, g., but by believing
Him and having confidence in Him we
can please Him. That the disciples re-
ceived the words of the Lord made Him so
glad that He spoke Of 1t to His Father in
lis prayer on the night before His cruci-
axion John xviii 81. Consider also the
faith Of the Syro-PhC,nician in Math.
XIV, 90.
%. When the messengers returned, the
servant was well. 1t would appear from
the account in Matthew that, having sent
the elders and then the servants, he after
ward went himself to meet the Lord, and
that the Lord said unto him, $50 thy
way, and as thou hast believed SO be it
done unto thee" We are reminded of the
robleman of Capernaum whose son was
sick, and to whom Jesus said, $50 thy
way; thy son nveth." The man believed
the word and went and found as Jesus
had said John iv, SOY. Assurance and joy
and peace all come by believing (Rom.
XIV, 13).
II. We now find Him entering the city
of Main, accompanied by many Of His dis
oiples and much people. Being sent of
God and filled with the Spirit, He went
about doing good and everywhere taught
and healed He was truly the Comforter
in the power Of the Spirit. He has given
us the same Holy Spirit, whom He calls
"the Comforter, " that He in us may still
90 about doing good in His name, for we
are here in Christ's stead to magnify God.
12. AS He entered the city the body Of n
dead man was being carried out for burial
and he had been the only stay Of his poor
mother, and she widow. In very short
time the body would be laid away out of
the sight of that broken hearted widow.
49, The Comforter, the Almighty Help
or, the Resurrection and the Life, meets
her. He is sorry for her, and He says
"Weep not" The time is coming when
He will wipe away all tears and there shall
| be crying no more even on this earth Rev.
vii, II; xxi, 4, but until that time the
tears come and come again even though we
wipe them away. Yet there might be
fewer tears if there was moro faith in Him.
| ID. Is. At His word the procession