Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1900-05-03
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON.


Reflections Of IN EIevatiag Character
-WhoIesome Food for Thought--
Studying the scriptural Lesson In
diligently and Probably.
The lesson for May Is from Matt. IL:
2O-3O; its subject is Jesus Warning and
Invitation" Matt. IL: 20 is the golden
text. Jesus was at this time-immedi-
ately after the sermon on the mount--on
preaching tour in Galilee. The centu-
rion's serypnt had been healed and the
son Of the widow raised, and an answer
had been sent 10 Johns question. Then
there came the journey through Galilee
duke 8: 1-3), preceded, however, by the
amounting of Jesus In the house of Simon
luke z: $500, which we study in the
next lesson. Matt. IL: 20-30. which forms
the present lesson, is closely paralleled in
Luke 10: 1916, 21-23, passage connect
ed with the mission Of the seventy dis
ciples in the Perean ministry, more than
year after the period we have been
studying. Since, as a general principle,
Luke's order of events is to be preferred
to Matthews, and since the stern de-
nunciations of the passage seem more suit
ed to late than to an early stage in
the ministry, harmonies OF the gospels
usually assign the passage to the Perean
ministry. But it is not unlikely that Je-
sus may have repeated the phrases in sub.
stantially identical form on two occa-
sions when he had been preaching with
little response from the people. The form
Of address, "Woe unto thee, Chorazin!
woe unto thee, Bethsaida," suggests per-
haps that Jesus was within sight of these
cities when he spoke. In that case, the
Galilean ministry.is a more likely date
than the Perean.
The date, however, is of subordinate
Importance, for the thoughts are such as
must often have come to Jesus mind. il
not to his lips, during the entire minis
try. side of his character which is not
always sufficiently studied is the way he
bore encouragement and rebuff.
Explanatory.
Then began he to upbraid the cities"
not to use abusive or impatient language,
but to rebuke. Jesus was incapable of
scolding. There are religious speakers
to-day who, finding the public unrespon-
sive to their utterances, descend TO unre-
strained and extravagant denunciation
of the Indifference of the churches, luke
warmness of Christians. hypocrisy of
preachers, etc. Whatever of value there
may be in the original message of such
men is almost obliteratcd by their dis
plays of i'll temper, which they are pleas
ed to regard as prophetic zeal. Jesus
never lost his self-control In the rare
cases when he severely rebuked men or
communities we are convinced that he did
so with profound sorrow, with the strong,
steady glow of righteous condemnation
rather than with the Pickering flames OF
resentment.
Chorazn is little known. 1t is said to
have been trading town a short distance
northwest OF Capernaum. Bethsaida was
at the head OF the lake, on the eastern
shore Of the Jordan; possibly part Of the
city was on the western bank. Here
Peter, Andrew and Philip lived before
their call.
In Tyre and Sidon Jesus had done moth
ing. Later in his ministry he made a
brief journey into their vicinity, but made
little effort to evangelize. He was sent
ITO the lost sheep of the house Of Israel"
Tyre and Sidon were often grouped to-
gether by the prophets as great CONNER
,ial cities, rich and proud, and indiffer-
INT to the true God. But Jesus says that
even they would have been less hostile to
The gospel, IL given an opportunity, than
.hese favored Galilean towns where he
lad done so many mighty works. The
generosity of a luxurious, busy capitalist
IS often more easily touched than that of
4 close-fsted old farmer in some country
church, who clings to his dollars with
misery grasp and thinks ''the minister
should be self-denying" and that mis-
sions are waste Of money" Some peo-
pie suppose that morality and religion
have much better chance in a small
town than in large one. Nevertheless
the first conquests of the gospel were in
the cities, and in many respects the cities
still offer the most hopeful mission fields.
Exalted to heaven, brought down to
hades; is not that the history of many a
church and of many life? High priv
ilege, deep degradation; great opportunity,
great failure; lofty possibility, fearful
doom. There are few truths that need
to be more faithfully preached to young
men who have their lives before them
than this: that their worth is TO be meas
ured not by their endowments but by the
use they make of their endowments.
The thanksgiving of Jesus for the reve
lation of Gods will to the childlike is per-
haps associated with what precedes. The
mystery lies in the fact that so great priv
ileges were given to men who despiscd
them, while others who would have val
ued them Alright were passed by. Jesus
feels with certain intuition that such
decisions of Divine Providence are not
to be questioned by ..the wise and pru-
dent" because they lie beyond the sphere
Of human wisdom: but that to the child
like mind all Gods ways are good, be-
cause he is Father, whose power is al
ways inspired by love.
"All things are delivered unto me of
my Father" Jesus claims the most in
innate. relation with God. Such express
sions as this are as complete and as COM
prehensive as anything in the gospel of
John; though those writers who seek to
lessen the force of Jesus claims to be di-
vine often attempt to show that such
claims are confined to the fourth gospel
and then seek to discredit them by at
lacking the authenticity of the gospel. |
There is abundant material in the first |
three gospels to establish Jesus claims |
to be the Son of God
Come unto me, all We that labor; no |
words in the Bible come nearer to the |
heart of suffering humanity than these. |
They bear no direct connection with the |
that preccde, and may not have |
been spoken at the same time. But il |
they were, how significant the swift |
turning from rebuke to compassion. The |
.vorld noode N much cOn, ma sSion If moods /