The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-08-24
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON TX. THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. 26.
Text of the Lesson, John 4, 1-16.
Memory Verses, 0-II-GOIden Text
JOhn X, I1-Commentnry Prepared
by the Rev. ID. NJ. Stearns.

copyright. 1900 by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
1-6. The parable of the Good Shep-
herd. He begins with one of His % dou-
bic verilys in this gospel. 1t is literally
amen, amen, reminding us that He is the
I Amen, the faithful and true witness
(Rev Iii. IL lisa. lxv, 16). His II say
unto you" is equal to the Thus saith the
Lord" which the Spirit uses so many
hundreds OF times in the Old Testament.
for the Lord God OF the holy prophets
Is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ
of the New Testament tRev. xxi. 6. 16)-
lie contrasts the true shepherd with the
false shepherds, who are only thieves
and robbers. In .Ier. xiii, l, 2; Ezek.
xxxiv, 1-10, and Zech. xi, II, we have
some strong words against the false
shepherds or pastors who care more for
themselves than for their focks. Paul
describes them in Phil. il. 81, as Seeking
their own, not the things which are Jesus
Christ's." We are not to seek honor
from men. nor great things for ourselves,
but only that He may be magnifed in us
John V, ri; Jer. xiv, 3; Phil. /, 20). A
believer Is a person on earth for God, re-
deemed by a great price that he may live
unto God Il Pet i. Is, 10: ii Cor. V, 15).
In the tabernacle there was but one en-
trance, and that was by the altar where
the blood was she'd but then. as now,
there were many who did not like tho
blood, though God had taught and said
that it was the only way Gen. ill, 21;
Lev xvii, ID. Those who attempt to OBJ
tain Coos gifts in any way but Ills way
are thieves and robbers. Having obtain
cd redemption by His blood we are then
to be careful to follow, but not run be-
fore-lIim; this we will do only as we lis
ten attentivcly to His voice.
:. s. There is no way to the Father
and no way to know the Father but
through the Lord Jesus John xiv, 6; i, s.
Math. ri, 2O. When He says "All that
ever came before Ne are thieves and rob-
bers," He did not mean all who came
before Him in point OF time, as Abel.
Euoch, Noah, Abraham. etc. but the
words before Me" have evidently the
same meaning as before Me- in Elk. Xxx,
3, and those referred to are such as are
described in Jer. xiii, 81, 80; Acts Xxx, o.
1 John iv, 3; II John. I.
Q. He Is the sacrifice, and He is the
door, and He is the Shepherd. Every
type and symbol has its fulfllment in
Him, and He is the substance of every
shadow. How grand is the assurance
that amy man" may enter in by Himl
Compare Him that cometh" and "who-
soeyer" in John vi, 81; iii, 16; Rev. xii,
II. But notice that to be saved one must
"enter in." as truly as Noah and his fam
lily and the creatures entered into the ark E,
Safety is found only "in Christ" but.
being in Him, it is impossible then to
perish tverses 2S, 29l, and the whole.
daily life, described both here and in Ps.
cxxi. S. as going in and out will be a
life Of abiding satisfied prov. xix, 23l.
because OF the good pasture. even Him
self (John vi. 50.
TO- There is the destroyer and the life
giver, the adversary and the Saviour, the
antichrist and the Christ-both are seen
in Cain and Abel. and In all men ever
since, for every man is either with Christ
or against Him luke xi, 23). As there
must be the entering in to be saved, there
must be the possession of Christ, to have
life. "As many as received Him." HE
that hath the Son" John |, 12; John ",
12l. Every saved soul has life, and with
this many are satisfied, but the Lord is
not satisfied. for He came to give life
more abundantly. Sick people, however
sick they may be, have life, but it Is very
unusual to find sick person willing to
remain so.
II, II. II am the Good Shepherd" Tie
is also the Great Shepherd and the Chief
Shepherd Heb. xiii. 20: Pet V. A. As
the Good Shepherd He provides life for
us by laying down His life. He laid it
down voluntarily; no one took il from
Him; and He took it again, for He had
power to do so (vcrses II, 1S). He was
delivered for our offenses and raised
again for our justification. and by faith
in Him we are justified and have peace
with God Rom. iv. %; v y. As t,te
Great Shepherd He works In us the
things that are pleasing to God And as
the Chief Shepherd He will reward us
with the crown or crowns which He may
give us at His coming duke xiv, Il:
Rev xii. 12l.
u. 13. He who is only an hirelng
careth not for the sheep. but only for
himself his own safety and his own
comfort. The hireling is one who has not
upon his heart the interests OF his master.
but only that which he can get from the
master whom he appears to bc serving.
for service too often but poorly rendered.
Not such was David when he rescued
part of his flock from a lion and a bear
Il Sam. xvii, 81, 35l. Our Lord Jesus
never lived to please Himself. nor to seek
His own will, nor His own glory Rom.
XIV, 8; John vi, IS: viii: 50). His life
was to do the viii of the Father who
sent Him.
Is. The Father and He were perfectly
one and knew and understood each other
thoroughly. He testified that He did al
ways those things that were pleasing to
the Father. and the Father said of Him.
This is MY Beloved Son in whom ana
well pleased" (John viii, %: Math iii. 1Ts
xvii, -. AS the Father loves Him, SO
He loves us, and He would have us abica
In His love- manifesting It by willirg-
ness to lay down our lives for others as
He laid down His life for us CJohn XIV. o.
John iii, 1G).
10. Them also | must bring" Those
other sheep not of Israel. but gathered
out of all nations who are to reign vsth
Him dsev. Y, 0, 10). He says He must
bring them, for every purpose Of tie
Lord shall be performed, and these called
ont ones shall be n glorious church. With
out spot or wrinkle or any such thigu
(Eph V, 20, and Israel shall be all right
eous lisa. TX, 2D. Then there shall be rot
only one nation in the land with oaa
king over all CF,zek. xxxvii, 22), but I'M
der the united government OF the heav-
emily and earthly bodies, the church ana
Israel there shall indeed be one fold ana
one Shepherd. and all the earth flle,Y
with His glory. He invites all His re-
deemed ones to share with Him the hon
or OF gathering out these other sheen bv
giving to all nations and to every crea-
AWws =