Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-03-09

The section includes the lesson, with
general view of the new instruction by
parallels.
Place In the Life of Christ. In the last
quarter of his second year. A new meth
od or teaching begun on account OF the
growing opposition spoken of in our last
lesson.
Time.-Autumn, "A. d. %. Place.-On
the shore of the Sea of Galilee, near Ca
pernaum.
Suggestions to Teachers.-Note first, in
reading over this chapter of parallels.
why Jesus now began this method of
teaching. connecting it with chap. II.
which we studied last week, the chapter
Of opposition.
We can get no little light on this par
able from the country itself, which has
been called the Fifth Gospel, because it
throws SO much light on the sayings of
Jesus.
Keep in mind always the life Of Christ
as whole, and note the bearing of each
lesson upon the development of his work.
Review.-Keep in mind the general SUBJ
1ect OF each chapter or division; for Mat
thew's history is different from the others
in that 1t describes more the internal
progress and development, and is less q
chronological history. Each chapter or
section has its own special subject, col
lectng together a number of similar in
cidents bearing upon that subject.
"a. THE Kingdom of heaven" Which
Jesus as king had come to establish on
earth, in which the laws of heaven are
obeyed on earth, and thus earth becomes
like heaven. Slowed good seed in his
field" The field is the world, not the
church merely The good seed began to
be sown as soon as man was created.
70. But while men slept" !. e., at
night, in secret. 1t was not when the
sower slept. for "he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor Sleep" nor
when the church is asleep, for Satan is
often most busy sowing tares when the
church Is awake and in earnest, but Sc
cretly, unobserved, unrecognized. How
often" says Trench, 'the beginnings of
evil have been scarcely discernible; how
often has that which bore the worst fruit
In the end appeared at first like high
err form of good!" His enemy" The
devil, the opposer of all good. He began
to sow his tares in the garden of Eden.
and has been sowing ever since. Slowed
tares among the wheat" The Greek
word means that he over-sowed, sowed
the tares where the wheat had already
been sown.
u. Whence then hath 1T tares?" The
same question troubles reformers and
preachers. They come from the enemy,
and not from God.
%. wilt thou then that we
balhcI llcH up. 1Uc tdTtS ought ilOt 10
be there. They are an evil. Let US root
them out
%. Nay; lest while We gather up the
tares. we root up also the wheat" Be-
cause there was danger of installing the
wheat for tares: because the roots of the
two were intertwined together; and be-
cause the wheat would be trodden down
by any one going through it for the pur-
pose.
80. Let both grow together until the
harvest" when these difficulties will be
removed.
VS.. 3d. 39-4S. 80. Until the harvest
. the end of the world ". 39), or age.
In the original, the word world (aion) here
Is an entirely different word from that
translated world in v. 49, 1t does not refer
to the physical world, but to the present
era or age, which ends at the day of
Judgment and the coming Of the Son of
man. Say to the reapers. The reapers
are the angels" ". 39). Matt. 16: q: "a;
81: Thes. 1: - Gather we together
first the tares." Flour Of mixed wheat
and tares cannot be given even to animals.
Hence all the baskets of wheat are car
ried from the threshing-foor to the fiat
roofs of their houses. where they are
emptied out on mats, and the tedious sep
aration of grain from grain is carried on.
sometimes for days. until the wheat is
finally rid of this unhappy admixture."-
Thomson. ITO burn"
Al. "All things that offend" That
cause others to sin. and them which do
lniquity." themselves ". 42) shall (be)
cast /. into a furnace Of fire." "a
This is all they are fit for. 1t is the
lust end and right punishment of the
wicked (2) Punishment is intended to
keep wickedness from spreading. and de-
stroying all the good. just as weeds are
burned, to keep them from multiplying,
and destroying the good grain. "Wailing
and gnashing of teeth" expresses the ter
ribleness Of their end. The knowledge of
that danger should have shown them the
awful evil of sin, and kept them from it.
Gather the wheat into my barn ". 800,
where 1t will be preserved-accomplish
the end for which 1t was made.
49, '"Then," when the evil, hindering
element is removed, ''shall the righteous
shine forth as the sum- the symbol of
of truth. of glory, of life in
and of giving light and life
and cheer to all around. (See Dan. II: 81
who hath ears to hear" All of you
are willing to see. whose mind is open
TO the truth.
We are all sowing seed of some kind,
shall 1t be wheat or tares? Which shall
we be in the world. wheat or tares? The
harvest, the fruit of different courses of
life, should teach us which kind Of life
TO choose.