The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-03-18
TIE BAPTIST BEhEADED.
late rnationnl sunday school Lesson
for March 20, 1Sos.

4
| GOLDEN TENT.-Keep thy heart with
oil diligence: for out OF It are the issues OF
! life.--prov. 4.a3
TIME-John was imprisoned In March or
| April. A. D. 2S lie was behcaded year
later. IN March or April, A. II. 70
| PLACE-Jesus was In Galilee with His
twelve disciples John was imprisoned and
put TO death 1T Macherus. strong for
tress and castle on the borders OF Arabia,
nine miles east OF the northern end OF tho
Dead Sea. The feast held by Iierod at
which Herodlas demanded the head OF John
the Baptist was probably held in this castle.
LESSON COMMENT.
Collect together al the Scripture no.
tees of the life of John. The parallel
accounts should be kept before MS as we
study. They are found in Mark q; 1920;
Luke 9:,-9.
Temperance can be taught incident
ally but effectively, from the fact that
the crime was probably committed I'M
der the influence of strong drink.
The martyrdom Of John is the main
subject of the lesson. His life was sue
cessfu. although short. and crowned
with a martyrs crown.
/. A Troubled Conscience.-Ns I, ..
Jesus, in chapter 10, had sent the twelve
disciples on their Galilean mission,
which continued all winter About
this time they returned to report to
Jesus, and Jesus own marvellous works
and teachings had so penetrated and
stirred the whole people that the news
reached King lIerod. Herod said: This
! is John the BAPTIST, risen from the
dead" He thought that John had
brought back with him those larger
powers, those divincr gifts. which the
spirit receives when it enters upon the
Heavenly life. and the prophet could
now exert these powers, together with
| his former terrible reproofs.
ii. John Imprisoned for His Courage
| and Faithfulness.-Ns 3-5. For" and
/ the account goes back 10 tell Of Her
eds having been brought face 10 face
with his sins by a prophet of God. Of the
imprisonment Of this prophet. and the
subsequent execution pleaded for by
his partner in sin, IIerodas. lie inn
prisoned John that he mi ght have peace
IN his crime unreproved. ard because
Ilerodias wanted John put out Of the
way. For john said probably many
| times) unto him: ut is not lawful for
thee TO have her" 1t was not lawful
! N) because he had put away his lawful
wife. (e) lie had persuaded Herodias
10 forsake her husband. Iierod's broth
er Philip, for the sake of his rank and
wealth. 90 He had married IIerodias.
his niece and sster-in-law, contrary to
the law (Lev. Is: 12-14. The only way
TO Stop the reproof was 10 repent or TO
:. 81 Dtt+ har il
nothing so cowardly as guilty con-
science. or so to he feared by evil doors
as a HOLY man who voices the truth OF
God. Besides the people believed John
TO be a prophet. and Herod feared an
uprising. so John was kept in the dun
geon for n year.
ILL., The Birthday Banquet aud Its
! Outcome.-Ns. Gle. Herod's birthday
was kept with great banquet. to which
the mobiles and military officers were
invited. Salome. the daughter OF He
rodias. by her former husband. danced
In their midst. She had been sent by
her mother to gain an opportunity for
killing John. 1t was shrewd scheme
to take advantage Of Ierod's half-in-
toxicated condition, and the scheme
succeeded. lIerod was pleased and
promised ''to give her whatsoever she
would ask" On such occasions men
vie with each other in the value OF their
gifts 10 the dancer. Many a man finds
himself in strai:ened circumstances
long after taking part in similar
entertainment. \ writer on the far
cast piyes this curious fact: The
~,
ascendencv over the Mogul Emperor
Ma'az ed-Din. that he made her joint
rovcrneas of the empire with himself.
".And she, being before instructed
of her mother said, Give me here John
the Dap;ists head in a charger. And
tie king was sorry, nevertheless for
the oath's sake. and them which sat
with him at meat, he commanded it &c
lie given her"
Hcrod was not penitent, but troubled
and anxious. He had expected some
entirely different request. There was
danger and troubled conscience in the
gift But the willy Iierodas had gained
her desire. which for a year had been re-
fused by Herod. ''I!e sent and beheaded
John in the prison" John a; last was
silenced. but conscience and the voice
of God were not sienced. The stain OF
blood could never be washed away, nor
"ail the perfumes OF Arabia sweeten the
guilty soul" I.
~. A Contrast. Two Kinds Of Sue
cess. We have here two impressive in
stances which will picture the twoknds
OF success-the worldly and the TIeav-
enly, the false and the true. IIerod
seemed to succeed, but his life was n
failure. John seemed TO fail, but his
life was marvellous success
Herod's success was brief as well as
troubled. In A. ID. 80, ten years after
the death Of John, Herodias stirred up
her husband TO go to Rome and obtain
from the emperor the title ofking. But
being followed by complaints of the OPP
pressed Galileans the resutwas that he
was deposed even from his tetrarchy.
Then he was banished to Lyons, In
France, and afterwards to SPAIN Her.