Passaic City record., 1898-02-19
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR FEBRUARY 20

written by the Rev. DIR. ID. M. Stearns.
"a. ''Now the names of the twelve apos-
ties are these: The first, Simon, who is called
Peter, and Andrew, his brother" Jesus
Himself went about all the cities and viii
lagos teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and
healing every sickness and every disease
among the people, but the multitudes who
were as sheep without a shepherd touched
His heart and He told His disciples to pray
the Lord of the harvest that He would send
forth laborers into His harvest (chapter
ix., 35-38). When we pray this prayer from
the heart, it seems to imply "A readin ess on
our part to go ourselves II He opens the
way, for it is just following this command
SO to pray that we have the record of His
choosing and sending forth these twelve.
In Luke vi, 12, we read that just before He
chose the twelve He went out into noun
tain to pray, and continued all night in
prayer to God. In Mark ill.,, IA, we read
that He ordained them that they should be
with Him, and that He might send them
forth to preach and to heal the sick. The
last night before His crucifxion He told
them that He had chosen and ordained
them that they should go and bring forth
fruit and that their fruit should abide.
g. 6. ''These twelve Jesus sent FORTH and
commanded them, saying, Go not into the
way Of the gentiles and into any city of the
SamaritanS enter ye not, but go rather to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel"
i
derstood unless one is familiar with Gods
plan of blessing for all nations, which is to
bless Israel first and then all nations
through Israel. This is fully revealed in
the prophets, and He will not depart from
it, for the gifts and calling Of God are
without repentance (Rom. XII, 29). Take
rs sample passages Ps. xvii; lisa. xvii,
6; TX, 1-3, Il; Jer. ill.,, IT, 1S; Zech. XIV, 16,
II. There are two other prayers which we
would do we'll to pray along with Math.
TX, 3S. One is in Isa. lxii., 6, Z, and the
other In Rev. xii. 20. To pray these three
prayers from the heart daily will bring one
very near to the heart of Christ. His pri-
mary missio n was to Israel (Math. XIV, 24);
hence this restricted commission at this
time to the twelve, but being rejected and
crucified by Israel He after his resurrec-
tion gave the worldwide commission as in
Math. xviii, 10.
Z. And as we go, preach, saying. The
kingdom Of heaven is at hand" Thus
preached the Baptist, and Jesus Himself.
and the 12, and the TO- for in the person of
the king the kingdom was verify among
them duke xvii, 81, margin), and had
they been content to receive crucifed and
risen Messiah the kingdom would doubt
less have been set up after His resurrec-
tion, but seeing their decided rejection of
Him. He before His death told them in a
parable that the kingdom was postponed
till His return from the far cou ntry duke
xix. 11-15.
8. "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers raise
the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have
received, freely give" Some one has sug-
gested that verses to Is of this chapter
contain special directions for the. special
mission of the apostles at that time, verses
16 to % directions for gospel ministry in
all ages, and verses "a to AZ the service of
Christ in its fullest and widest sense, call
ing attention to the fact that the last verse
in each OF these sections has His ''yerily, T
say unto you"
g. "Provide neither gold nor silver nor
brass in your purses" In Isa. vi, 8, the
question is, "Whom shall send and who
will go for us?" If any one will go for God
the Father, Son and Spirit on their busi-
ness and wholly in theirinterests, they may
rely upon Phil iv., 10, being made true to
them, ''My God shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus" Or, as one has paraphrased it,
''Make thou His service thy delight, He'll
make thy wants His care"
10. "Nor scrip for your journey, neither
two coats, neither shoes, nor yet slaves,
for the workman is worthy of his meat"
II we are the Lords messengers on the
Lords business, we have no occasion to be
anxious about food or raiment or money,
but disentangled and free and without fear
oversees 26, 28, 81 follow where He leadeth
In quietness and in confidence, for the sill
yer and the gold and the cattle upon a
thousand hills are His.
ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy,
and there abide till ye go thence" The
prophets were plainly taught that not all
would receive their message, but that some
would hate them for it DER. l., II, 10; Eek.
H., 6, 7; ill.,, y. In the second section of
our present chapter, and In John xv., 1920,
we are taught to expect the same thing.
but we are also taught that some will well
come Him. and also us for His sake. He
will direct our steps in this matter also,
and if some day He wants us to have fell
lowship with Him in being refused, His
grace will be sufficient.
12 13. "And when ye come into an house,
salute it, and if the house be worthy let
your peace come upon it, but il it be not
worthy, let your peace return to you"
Even Israel was not to fight against city
until that city had rejected their offers OF
peace which they were to proclaim to it
Deut. Xxx, 10-12). Every believer is to
count himself a messenger of the Prince oil
Peace, and, like the angels at His birth, we
are to proclaim peace in His name duke
H., 14). Preaching peace by Jesus Christ
is our work (Acts x, 36), for He has made
peace by the blood of His cross (Col. j., 2O).
Blessed are the peacemakers! How beau
tiful are the feet of suchl But there are
many who know not these things (Math. v,
9; lisa. ILL.,, Z; lix., 81.
IA. "And whosoever shall not receive
you nor hear your words, when ye depart
out of that house or city, shake off the
dust of your feet Thus the apostles did
(Acts xiii, 81; xviii, g., and doubtless God
was glorifed, as He always will be if the
messenger is faithful, whether men will
hear or forbear. The faithful messenger
is unto God sweet savor of Christ,
Ia ,~x0kf TO-. 1