The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1898-06-01
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON x, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JUNE s.
Text Of the Lesson, Msth. xvii, ll-26.
Memory Verses. 2l-24-Golden Text,
Tim. 4, lS-Commentary by the Rev. ID.
M. Stearns.

copyright. 1925. by ID. M. Stearns.l
IL. And Jesus stood before the govern
or, and the governor asked Him, saying,
Art Thou the King of the Jewss And Je-
sus said unto him, Thou sayest. He gave
the same answer when Judas said, " Mas
ter. is it ~" (ohapter XVI, 25) After all
the agony of Gethsemane and the insult
and mockery before the high priest along
with Peters denial and all forsaking
Him, He has been brought by the chief
priests and elders of the Jews before the
Roman governor on their part determined
that He shall be put To death verses !, -
When the wise men came from the east
at the time of His birth, their inquiry was
Where is He that is born King OF the
JewsY" (chapter H. % And it shall yet
be seen by all nations that He is what He
confessed before PLATE
IL. And when He was accused Of the
chief priests and elders He answered moth
ing =" There was nothing TO answer, for
there was no truth in their accusations,
and He knew that they were determined
to kill Him and that the time had come
for Him TO let them
10, IA. "And He answered him TO never
a word, insomuch that the governor mar
veled greatly" PLATE saw that he had n
most extraordinary prisoner He had new
er met one like this, and he knew not what
TO think of Him. PLATE had strange
work on hand that day. and no man be-
fore or since ever had just such an oppor-
tunity Looking at Jesus, we see how we
should act when unjustly treated and
falsely accused, for He left us an example
of patient endurance of wrong that Is un.
paralleled Il Pet. ii, 20, 2l).
at hat no
was won't TO release unto the people pris-
oner whom they would" PLATE gave the
release, but the people chose the man.
Consider Him who stood dumb before Pr
late as having up TO that time released
millions of prisoners from the power of
satan, and millions since by His going To
prison and TO death for us. He still lives
to set the prisoners free, and whosoever
will accept Him Is forever free. He might
have set Himself free, for they could not
take His life unless He willed il John X,
49,. But He could not free Himself and
us too. He died that we might live.
10, II. "Whom will We that l release
unto you, Barabbas or Jesus which is
called Christi" Our lesson says that this
man was notable prisoner. In Luke
xiii, 10, il is said that he was in prison
for sedition and murder. Fancy people
asked TO choose between red handed muir
derer and the spotless Lamb of God, be-
tween one of the greatest of sinners and
the only Saviour of sinners, Barabbas or
Christ The choice today is between the
most notable of all prisoners (see Rev. Xxx,
/, q, the father of lies and murderer
from the beginning John viii, 44), and
this same Jesus who silently-but, oh, so
beseechingly for our sakes-awaits our
choice.
49, For he knew that for envy they
had delivered him" 1t is written in Prov
xvii 4, Wrath is cruel and anger Is
outrageous, but who is able TO stand be
fore envyY" stephen said in his sermon
that 1.-THE patriarchs, moved with envy,
sold Joseph into Egypt" acts vii, %.
10. Have thou nothing to do with that
just Man, for have suffered many things
this day in "a dream because of Him
This was the message that came to PLATE
from his wife as he sat on the judgment
seat. Good was it for her if she never suf
fered but in "a dream because of Him She
acknowledged Him TO be righteous Man,
but we have no evidence that she received
Him as the Son of God Multitudes even
yet call Him good Man, but will not ac
cept Him as God their Saviour
that l release unto your They said, Barab-
bias. -" The chief priests and elders put
them up to this, for they were bound TO
destroy Jesus There are many in places
of authority who influence others to do
wrong-many false teachers who teach
error.
22 "Pilate saith unto them, What shall
/ do, then, with Jesus, which is called
Christi They all say unto him, Let Him
be crucified. So they decided that they
would have none of Him. He must be
killed-the creature hating the Creator,
man attempting to do away with God who
made him. He came unto His own. and
His own received Him not. They said
This is the heir Come let us kill him,
and let us seize on his inheritance" And
they caught him and cast him out Of the
vineyard and slew him (John L. IL, l2;
Math. xxi, 3S, 39). How He had told it
all TO them over and over again, for He
knew IL all from the beginning But their
hearts were hardened and their eyes were
blinded.
But what about Pilates question: for
there is none like 1t. Every one who has
ever heard of Christ must ask IL of his
own soul, What shall do with JesusS"
He is before each one for acceptance or re-
lection.
20, pa Il am innocent Of the blood of
this just person. See We TO it," Persuaded
of His innocence, vainly seeking to release
Him, yet afraid to do right because of the
people, PLATE washes his hands before them
all and proclaims his innocence in this
affair. But IL won't wash off PLATE as
easy as that, as you have found ere this
1t is easy TO say II am innocent. But
what does God think of it, In Mark XIV.
Is, the record is that PLATE was willing TO
content the people, but he certainly was
not willing To do right at any cost
%. Then answered all the people and
said, His blood be on US and OH our chill
dren. They might have accepted this
precious cornerstone and built surely upon
it for time and eternity, but they chose
to have 1t fall upon them and crush them
(Math. xxi, 40, 44) They might have
been as safe under this passover blood as
were their fathers in Egypt, but they
preferred TO trample it underfoot Fear
full was the curse they pronounced upon
themselves, and it continues to this day
20. Then released he Barabbas unto
them, and when he had scourged Jesus he
delivered Him TO be crucified F" The muir