Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-01-23
Lesson for Inn. 20.


ter of the Temptation. 1T and Pr the
good sister used to put opposite certain
strong promises of the Book, meaning
tried and proven" In this sense we
might use the word temptation here,
Christ was in this chapter tested and
proven as the Son of God with power.
First of all by the temptations of Satan
in the wilderness, then by the rabbis UNI
Willingly, in the synagogue at Nazareth
our present lesson--last Of all by the
record of marvellous miracles with which
the chapter closes-by all these Jesus il
manifestly declared TO be the Christ OF
God. A fit introduction this to the won
derful life study we are about to make.
"Long in darkness we have waited
For the shining of the light;
Long have felt the thing we hated
Sink us still in deeper night.
Now at last the Light appeareth,
Jesus stands upon the shore;
And with tender voice, he calleth,
Come to me, land sin no more "
Lesson Hints.
"And Jesus returned" But not directly
from the wilderness. He spends some
time at Jerusalem where his ministry is
begun. The events of this season at the
south of Palestine are mainly recorded in
Johns gospel. During this time he drives
the traders out of the temple, has an inter-
view with Nicodemus 1.-THE miracle at the
wedding feast Of Cana having already oc-
Cured somewhere about this time) and on
his way north the Lord meets and has
conversation with the woman of Samaria
at the well.
Jesus is said to be Sin the power of the
Spirit as he takes his course northward.
In. this he betokens not simply his divinity
but his humanity. He put himself under
essentially like conditions with ourselves.
He drew his stores of grace from the same
celestial source, open to la. When it says
at John 3: "a, God giveth out the Spirit
by measure unto him (the words unto
him" are added by the translators) we are
not to understand that there is stint of the
Spirit with us while fulness of imparta-
ton with Christ The deficiency is with
ourselves in our meagre capacities and
facilities. not with God. If Strengthened
at all. God is Strengthened in us, not in
himself. BE filed with the Spirit as was
Christ.
There is nothing more impressive in all
the earthly career of Jesus than to see
him here in the synagogue, himself the
author of the book, humbly finding the
place where it was written, in our poor
human syllables of speech. Behold here
the wonderful condescension of Christ,
taking upon himself all our manifold bur-
dens and infrmities of the flesh, including
those of our crude language and means
Of communicat ton.
1t was well to deliver the book unto
m hris fo bx hot cxx-ith that
other book of Revelation to unloose the
seals. Can any one rightly interpret
Isaiah who knows not the Christ as the
lamb of God? Certainly when Christ
read this wonderful passage about him
self: "He hath anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor" it was as if at last
great light had suddenly broken upon
the page, sometimes dim and dark to hui
man eyes.
Jesus read it and then ''snt down." Was
that all? Was he not going to interpret
it, expound it. Yes. He himself was it's
Interpretation, its exposition. And here
is his sufficient explanation of the mean
ing of the passage, This day Ia this scrip
ture fulfilled in your ears" Jesus at least
could do it. Take text and then sit
down and let the life preach, himself the
sermon. God give teachers. preachers, all.
just bit of that gracious prerogative and
power! 1t is indeed ours as with life as
well as lips we preach Jesus.
Illustrations.
A gracious day for old Nazareth. Jesus
Christ is manfestly present in her midst
Such days we may have without going to
the land beyond the sea. Some one has
said, or words to this effect: II would
rather be five minutes where Jesus is
than spend weeks where Jesus once was"
And we can meet with Jesus at any time
when our hearts are ready to give him
audience. Fletcher paused in the woods
one day and had such sweet communion
with his Saviour as put him i'm trans
port of emotions that abode with him
many days and lifted him to a new plane
of Christian apprehension. He called it
zone of the days of heaven" Christmas
Evans going horseback over his Welsh
hills, got such vision of the divine Christ
once as bathed his face with tears and
his heart in a tender glow that tarried
with him. Seek these hours with Jesus.
Young says: He sins against this life
who sights the next" 1t was well for
Nazareth to be at church that day when
Jesus made himself known in the syna-
gogue. Alas for the people who persist
emily refuse to come within the precincts
Of the church or within the range of the
means of grace. Possibly we may feel Mt
times like closing some of our half-flled
sanctuaries i'm the country and the down
town regions of the cities. thus scaling the
churchly supply down to the present popu-
lar demand. But no, these things must
not continue as they are. Men cannot
go much further without God. They need
and must have the house of God; and in
one way or another they will be brought
to realize it, it may be by some terrible
calamity. Indiffercntism and absentee
ism in city and country places cannot GO
much farther. At any rate we will still
keep our Nazareth houses open, for here
still souls meet Christ face to face and are
blest.
God keep us low at the foot of the cross.
When "the eyes of all them that were in
the synagogue were fastened on him. the
Lord of glory, they saw but humble man
in pilgrim garb; and let the disciple be rs
his Lord, his kingdom not of this world.
Was 1t not this very loneliness in lowli-
ness that fixed their gaze? Well, when
we see him again, ''see him as he is" he
shall be king but with the marks of his
humility still upon him. Wondrously
touching are those words that the blind
singers use:
II shall know him, shall know him.
And along by his side l shall stand;
/ shall know him, l shall know him.
Nv the print of the nails in his handsr,