The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-02-25
Sunday School Lesson for February 26.
Christ at the Feast.
JOHN VII. Id, 2S-37.
BY J. e. GILBERT, D. D., LIZ D.,
Secretary of American Society of Religious Education
JOHN VII. Id, 2S-37.

POPULARITY--It should he borne
in mind that the opposition to Jesus
all through His ministry was from
the hierarchy. 1t was caused by His
bold utterances, showing their ignor-
anCe, superstition and incompetencv
Luke, xl, 42). Like leaders of parties
in our day they loved the honors and
emoluments of Office Matt, xiii, 80,
and sought adherents to strengthen
themselves in their positions, and they
hated all who exposed their hypocrisy
and questioned their authority. And
yet, then as now such leaders held the
populace by a slender tie. Many rea.
soned for themselves and at times
dared to reject the ecClesiastics. SO it
occurred that while the chief priests
prosecuted Jesus He gained in popu-
larity with the masses ". 81. Many
believed in Him, and some even open
ly pressed His claims to be the AleS-
siah. Moved by what they lad seen
they made bold to enquire whether the
expected Messiah would do greater
miracles.
JEALOUSY But all this testimony
of the common people made matters
worse. The men whose business it
was to conduct the Institutes of re-
! ligion. to teach and maintain the tra-
ditions handed down for centuries
gone by, who regarded themselves as
| the appointed guardians of the most
sacred things, would naturally be jeal-
Gus of any one who might come be-
tween them and those to whom they
ministered. The PhariSees, the
straightest and most precise Of all
sects (Acts EXvi, 81, would resent this
intrusion most because they boastei
most, and because any diminutiun of
their power was liable to prepare for
the ascendancy of some other sect.
the Sadducees or the Essenes. Hence
! they took counsel with the chief
| priests and officers (the temple po-
lice), with the view of arrestinG Jesus
| ", 49,. OF course it would have been
easy To frame some sort of charge as
a ground fer arrest, inasmuch as the
regulations governing the conduct of
all on public occasions were 80 nu-
! merous that one was constantly in
| DANCE" of transgressing Matt, XIV, y.
! PREDICTlON-The designs IF the
| PhariSees were known to Jesus. per-
! haps through His power to discern the
| thoughts Of men (John ii, 25I. possibly
| through the report of some friend. VT
He did not on that account retire from
| the city. On the contrary He con-
| tinued His teaching, but IIe made the
! Pharisaic hatred a basis for fuller in
! formation. He declared that He would
| be with them only a little while, re-
/ ferring to Ills crucifixion which would
occur six months later ". 3N. The
! calm assurance with which that
statement was made, indicating His
! foreknowledge, is extremely interest
| ing. But He added, that His depart
ure would be to the Father from whom
| He came, a going, voluntary act. not
merely a violent death. He also de-
clared that after His departure those
who then heard Him and had not ac-
cepted Him would seek and fail to find
Him (Hos., V, 60, that they would be
unable to follow Him ", 34J. It is
generally believed that Jesus referred
to the time of the calamity when Jeru-
salem would be destroyed by the Ro-
man army, and when the people would
reflect upon their sins and desire a
! Saviour.