El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-22
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON Nv. APRIL %, JOHN,
CHAP. IA: LA.
Principal Text-"Jesus Saith Unto Him,
Am the Way, the Truth and the
Light''"John 14:6-Jesus the Way,
the Truth and the Light for Mankind


1. Then Jesus proceeds to comfort
them. Let not your heart be troubled,
well it might be. Ye believe in God, be-
lieve also in me. The Greek verb has
the same form for the second plural in
dicative and the imperative. The pass
age may therefore mean, Ye believe in
God, and We believe in me, or Believe In
God and believe in me, or Ye believe in
God, believe also in me. All are right,
all are helpful in trouble. 1t was coun-
sci to trust They did have faith in God,
but they needed more faith. Trust him.
for now is the time when faith is needed:
but you have seen my works, you know
thai 1 am from God am his own Son.
therefore you believe in me. Believe
more fully, trust me wholly in this dark
hour. The two faiths go together, each
one Strengthening the other.
2. In my Fathers house. Dwelling
place. Both state and a place. 1t is
where God in some peculiar sense dwells,
where he manifests most fully his good
ness and fatherly love, where his glory
most radiantly shines. 1t has all the
qualities of a true home. Are many man
sions. Dwelling places.
If it were not so, 1 would have told
you. 1 would not have spoken so that
you would be deceived. 1 have not raised
vain hopes. The Syriac equivalent in
common use means, 1T is matter OF
course, expect everything that is reason
able" For l go to prepare a place for
of you, but on your account.
g. 1 will come again. The verb is in
the present tense 1 come again. Not to
be limited to the Lord second and glor-
ious coming at the last day, nor to any
special coming, such as Pentecost, though
these all included in the expression;
rather to be taken of his continual com
ing and presence of the Holy Spirit. -
Vincent.
4. Whittier I go We know. and the way
ye know. They knew both the way and
the goal if they would but recall what
they had heard their Master say both in
psblic and in private"
s. Thomas. Not so much the doubter
as the inquirer, one who must the
rea sons, who had not much spiritual
insight and intuition as many of the 9TH
ers, but looked for tangible proofs. Lord,
we know not These things were not
clear him. He perplexed. Heaven
was not a certainty to him, a reality, he
did not know where it was, nor how to
get there. How Jesus could be the Mes
sfah, the glorious King, and yet die and
go away from his kingdom, was
sphynx's riddle with no solution
6. Jesus saith unto him, 1 am the way.
If any one had Christ loved him, obeyed
him. followed him. he was on the way
and certain to arrive at the home
where Jesus was to be. The truth. Jesus
himself is the complete revelation of God,
and hence the sum and substance of all
truth, lin whom are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. g: 81.
" Jesus is the Life, and therefore the
way to Life.-V. g. And the life. The
of life spiritual and eternal, as he
was the creator of natural life. It is only
through importation of spiritual life that
one can understand God No man COM
eth unto the Father, but by me- He now
says, to the Father. not to the Fathers
house. because, as Godet well says. 1t
is not in heaven that we are to find God.
but in God that we are to find heaven.
Abbott. But by me. Because there is
no other way of seeing the Father but
by his express image, nor of fully know
ir-g the Father save by Jesus revelation
of him: way of coming into loving
Communion except through the atone
ment: way of knowing the Father ex-
cept through the new life Jesus imparts.
= If ye had known me known
my father. The English word known
represents two Greek words in the better
text. which not identical in meaning.
If ye had recognized me, we would have
known my Father" The former means
to know by observation, the latter to
know by reflection From hence forth
We know. Hitherto the disciples had not
understood the full and true nature of
Jesus, but from the time of his death,
and the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pente-
cost, they had new comprehension of
his nature and his work, as is seen all
through the Acts and Epistles.
8. He that hath seen me hath seen the
Father. Not the outward form,
but the true character and nature. He
that had seen Christ's motives had seen
the Fathers motives. He that had seen
Chrst's love had seen the Fathers love.
He that had seen Christ's feelings had
seen the Fathers feelings. He that had
seen Christ's desire for the salvation of
men, his character. his hatred of sin, his
love of goodness, had seen the Father in
these same respects.
10. l am in the Father. etc. In the
closest conceivable unity, SO that the
very words he spoke belonged to the
Father, and represented him. His words
were directly from God. The Father that
dwelleth in me, etc. The better reading
gives the r. W, the Father abiding in me
doeth his works. The works of love and
of power which Jesus did were the works
of the Father abiding in him, and re-
vealed the Fathers love and power.
IL. Believe me. What l say about my
Fathers relation to me. yet at least be-
lieve me for the very works sake which
are done by the Father through me. 1
could not as man do these works. They
prove my union with the Father.
u. Verify, verify. Expressing absolute
and impressive certainty. He that be-
lieveth me. This is the condition and
limit to the promise that followed. The
works that | do. Works of healing or
teaching of turning men from sin of
bringing in the kingdom of God: his
whole beneficent activity, including his
miracles. Shall he do also; and greater
works than these shall he do. After |
Christ's death, and the atonement on the |
cross. and the gift of the Holy Spirit it |
was possible for far more wondrous works |
10 be done than were possible before |
Because J go unto my Father. For thus |
ID he became spiritual king, reigning |
from heaven. 90 Thus he could send the |
Holy Spirit.
13. Whatsoever We shall ask. All that |
they needed for their great work was |
ready for tfRm. He drew. as it were a |
blank check. and they had only to fill it |
out they pleased. The one condition |
was that they should ask in patience and |
faith for without this asking they would
not be fit to receive. The object. the |
linn I. and the result of their asking are
fol Id in the expression. THAT tie Faith