The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1898-03-23
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON v, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES. MAY I.
Text of the Lesson. Math. XXI. 6-16-Mem.
DRY Verses. 0-l1-GoIden Text. Math. xxi.
g Commentary by the Rev. ID. M.
Stearns.


g. And the disciples went and did as
Jesus commanded them. The time had
come to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah,
quoted In the previous verse from Zech
TX, o, and, like all other fulfillments of
prophecy, 1t shall be literally fulfilled. the
King of Israel, the meek and lowly One
shall ride upon an ass colt into Jerusalem
There is set time known to God for the
fultillment of every prediction and a suffi-
Gent reason for all seeming delays. 1t was
when the fullness of the time was come
that God sent forth His Son, made of a
woman, made under the law, TO redeem
them that were under the law (Gal iv, 4,
o.. Everything concerning Him and His
great redemption shall take place at the
appointed time.
z. And brought the ass and the colt
and put on them their clothes, and they
set Him thereon He had told them to
go into the village, and as soon as they
entered it they would find colt tied,
which they were TO loose and bring to
Him. 1t is written that they went their
way and found even as He had said unto
them Mark Xi, "a; Luke xix, 30-32).
The disciples did not have TO hire a colt
and have it at the appointed place at the
appointed time. He Himself arranged it
all When king was TO DO provided for
Israel, Samuel did not have to wonder
what kind of a man would do and then
scour the country to find him, but the
Lord said II will send thee man, and
thou shalt anoint him" Il Sam. tx 49,
8. And a very great multitude spread
their garments in the way Others cut
down branches from the trees and strewed
them in the way" Not only their gar
ments on the colt, but also on the ground
to honor Him The whole event is most
suggestive in a very practical way for
those who have eyes TO see and ears TO
hear. In Job xi, IL, man is compared TO
a wild ass colt This colt had never been
subdued, was found tied where two ways
met, was loosed and brought TO Jesus, and
becoming subject to Him became an in
strument to carry Him, itself hidden, but
Jesus exalted.
8. And the multitudes that went be-
fore and that followed cried, saying: Ho-
sauna to the Son of David Blessed is He
that cometh in the name of the Lord. Ho
sauna in the highest!' Their cry takes us
TO Ps. cxviii, 90, 20, and verse IA of that
psalm takes us to Isa. xii, 2, and back TO
Elk. XIV, 2, and all carry us on TO the full
fillment of our Lords words in Math
come and receive Him in the words of lisa.
XIV, 9.
10. And when He was come unto .Je-
rusalem all the city was moved, saying,
Who is this?" Dr. Weston says that it
should be- "All the city was shaken, and
he calls attention to the same word in
Math. xvii, 81; xviii, 4; Heb. xii, 20.
This last takes us back to Hag ii, 6, z,
81, and onward to the time when He will
come in power and glory, not on an ass
colt, but as a man of war upon the white
horse, followed by all the armies of heaven
(Rev. XIX 11-l6)
IL. And the multitude said, This Is
Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Cali
lee But there was doubtless more in the
testimony of one Nathaniel than in a null
titude of these voices when he said: "Rab-
bi, thou art the Son of God. Thou art the
King of Israel John l. 49) What does
your own heart say? What is He TO you
personally, for He expects from every one
an answer to the question: What think We
of Christi He does not look for words
merely, but for heart utterance.
~. And Jesus went into the temple of
God and cast out all them that sold and
bought in the temple and overthrow the
tables of the money changers and the seats
of them that sold doves. " Compare John
ii, 1916. 1t is very significant and con-
tains most heart searching lesson that
He should do the same thing both at the
beginning and end of His ministry. 1t re-
minds us that in us, who are temples of
the Holy Ghost, He desires truth in the in
ward parts; that He wants none of the
entanglements of this world in His peo-
pies hearts, but that our lives should
make it manifest that though in the
world, we are not of the world, but citi
zens of heaven and here for His service
and pleasure only.
10 And said unto them, 1t is written,
My house shall be called the house of
prayer, but We have made it a den of
thieves. Speaking of Christ in Heb. iii,
g. the Spirit says, Whose house are wey"
and in Eph. ii, 81, %, An holy temple
in the Lord, an habitation of God through
the Spirit, are the names given TO the
church, which is His body The church
collectively and every believer individually
is house in which the Spirit desires TO
make constant prayer on the lines Of Math
TX, SO; Isa- xii, q, z, and Rev xxi, 20
but If, instead of being wholly given up to
Him for such prayer and corresponding
service, we are given over to selfishness
anu WOrlullneSS anu our own thoughts
and ways, are we not more guilty than
Israel, inasmuch as our privileges are
greater being His bodyS
IA. "And the blind and the lame came
to Him in the temple, and He healed
them" Not to make money and gather
substance is the great thing in life, but to
have to give to those who need (Eph iv,
2S). To be n means of bringing the grace
of God and the riches of His grace to those
who know it not and know him not-this
is life indeed. To be channel Of blessing
from the great and only fountain (Jer. ii,
49,, to the poor and the perishing-this is
Christlike.
10. "And when the chief priests and
scribes saw the wonderful things that He
did and the children crying in the temple
and saying, Hosanna TO the Son of David,
they were sore displeascd Truly they
were the fig tree with leaves only (verse
19). the tree that had been specially dealt
with for three years duke xiii, 6-9l the
wicked husbandmen of Math. xxi, 88.
oh, how patiently He had borne with
themi How He would have blessed them
If they had only been willingl But they
would not. They would have mono of Him.