The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON,


There is striking contrast between the way
in which the first three gospels close and that
in which the fourth gospel closes. John records
the comforting words, the parting prayers. prom
ises and benedctons of Jesus. But the synoptic
gospels close in no such benignant manner They
end with the thunders of Sinai. They picture the
day of wrath. Well, it is always So You must
put the hemispheres together before you can have
the globe. God is love, but He is also a cons,Im-
ing ire Wisdom is shown in the order The
warning comes first, the benedictioE afterward
There is significance in the proportion also. There
are three warnings to one benediction. Watch"
'Beware!" Take heed are the startling notes
that ring out of the gospels Of Matthew Mark
and Luke. Only he who has heard and needed
these tocsins is entitled to the benedicton of ST.
John.
When Jesus was leaving the temple for the last
time the disciples, with pious and patriotic PRIDE
called His attention to the buildings vast and
ornate-the stones MARK. the polished monoliths
the gifts Uuke). such as the colossal golden
grapevine across the entabIature. In answer
Jesus crushed their hearts with those fateful
words: There shall not be left one stone upon
another We must put ourselves in the place
of the Hebrew of that day before the full weight
of that saying of Jesus will strike To him
church and state were one and both shrined in
the temple. The destruction of the latter would
mark for him supreme crisis Jesus could
have ruHg louder tocsir than when He an
nounceo the humiliation of the temple.
Jesus object was not only to loosen the attach
ment of His disciples to a system that was on the
nish them with tokens by of which they
might escape from the doomed city. Tradition
says this end was conserved. and that not
Christian persisted in the siege.
From this initial and retributive coming in
the destruction of Jerusalem Jesus passes natural
ly TO His second and personal appearing. This
will be unheralded. 1t can be OWNED
than the coming of thief. The readiness must
be instant The disciple must be faithful and
kwise. He must watch. shall he be blessed
"The contrary course. the counting upon a delay
of the day of reckoning, is the foolish and sinful
course. 1t can only end in disgrace and ruin.
MOSAIC FROM. COMMENTARIES
Know this: The lesson of the following parable
Gray.
Goodman of the house: Word good here implies
no moral Characterization.
Had known: His care wouG not have been
wonderful.-Bengel.
Who is faithful. and wise? Which of you
aspres after this character (wse). retaining the
conviction that what he has is intrusted to him
as steward Faithfully, acting in a manner suit
able to that conviction WESLEY.
Blessed: When our Lord uses this epithet He
always means to represent the thing spoken of
as high and rare; a rare man, ii hero one among
thousand. 1t means further that great shall
be his reward.-Bruce.
position in his establishment. -Morison The pro-
motion shall not be like earthly promotion where
Ia 'ie eInlnence OF one excludes that OF another;
out rather like the diffusion of love. iii which
the more each has, the more there is for ALL
Afford.
That evil servant: The cause of his wckedness
is his disbelief Of Christs second coming.-Arnold
Delayeth; The uncertainty of time is inspira-
ton to duty.
To smite: Not only to neglect but 10 actuaIIv
abuse.-Morison.
Tyranny with others goes hand in hand with
Eat and drink Carousing at his masters ex-
pense instead of keeping the household in order
Cut asunder: Not to be taken literally but in
dcating severe northumberland
Death cuts off good to be grated into
a better stock, but wicked man as a withered
branch for the fire. Watching is the attitude
OCCUPATION to meet orr Relieved Gast da, hid, az
that every day may be heeded
THE TEACHERS CULVER.
The deep impression which Jesus exhortation
to watchfulness made upon early Christians is
seen in the very names they gave their children
Gregory and Vigilantius, the one Greek and the
other Latin. are both derived from verbs signify
ing ito watch
A tiny parable is found in the forty-third verse
The goodman is the SOUL the house is the body
and the thief is death. The absolute need of in
slant and perpetual readiness is the lesson taught
Even mythology teaches the shame and danger
incident to lapse in watchfulness Juno took
the hundred eyes of Argus and put them in her
peacock's tail
The temple of Vesta in Rome is a toy in size
but II is second to none in significance There
the virgins guarded the sacred flame. So Chris
tlans should watch and feed the flame of religion
in the temple of their hearts.
In kaulbach's fresco, THE Destruction of
Jerusalem in the Royal Museum in Berlin the
right foreground corner pictures in an idealistic
manner the escape of the Christians to Pela
The hold which Jesus words have upon the
universal heart has had recent exemphcation
simultaneously with the discovery of the .'Sav-
ings of Jesus came that of the long-lost nlav
Of Menander poet whom Pliny counted the peer
of Homer But for who is interested in the
Greek poet, ten thousand turn with aimiring love
and faith TO the words of the Teacher sent
of God.