The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1900-02-01
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson In the In te irrational series for
February 4, IOOO-The first
Disciples of Jesus.
GOLDEN TExr.-They followed Jesus.

John 1877
THE LESSON TEXT
John 1:35-42)
35 Again the next day after John stood,
and two of His disciples
So And looking upon Jesus as He walked.
he saith, Behold the Lamb of Godl
81. And the two disciples heard him
speak and they followed jesus
SS Then Jesus turned, and saw them fol-
lowing, and saith unto them, What seek
ye? They saith unto Him. Rabbi (Which is
to say, being interpreted, MASTERY. where
1wellest Thou?
80 lie saith unto them. Come and see.
They came and saw where He dwelt, and
abode with Him that day: for IL was about
the tenth hour.
40 One of the two which heard John
speak, and followed him. was Andrew.
Simon Peters brother.
Al He first findeth his own brother Simon
and saith unto him. We have found the
Messias. which is. being interpreted the
Christ
AZ And he brought him TO Jesus. And
when Jesus beheld him. he said, Thou art
Simon. the son of iona: thou shalt be
called Cephas, which is by Interpretation.
A stone.
NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS
The place.-We are not told just why
Jesus went from the place of the
temptation to Bethany, or Beth abarah.
where John was baptizing. but IT can
not have been far out of the way lie
would naturally take in going back 10
1alilee. and ii would probably be there
rath than elsewhere that He would
ind disciples. The place is now gen
orally believed to have been a ford
called DaInieh. not far from the place
where the boundary between Samaria
and Galilee comes to the river. Tradi-
ton has pointed out two places far
ther down the river. in the vicinity
of Jericho. as the probable locality. but
the tradition is so late and so variable
as to be of little value.
The Inquiry of the Deputation.-lt
was just about the time OF Jesus ar
rival that the deputation from the r,il-
ers at Jerusalem came to examine John.
This dep,itation was doubtless sent by
the Sanhedrin, which was the only
body having authority to send an Of
fetal inquiry. 1t was the duty OF that
body to investigate and pronounce upon
any such claims as John seemed TO be
making. As n matter of fact they never
did make such a decision. point of
weakness of which Jesus afterwards
took advantage duke 90: 1-S). 1t is
possible that the words ''in the midst
of you" (John 1:26) are to be taken
literally. as many people must have
pressed among the visitors from Jeru-
salem to hear what they were saying.
Note that Johns answer to the ques-
ton: "Why then baptizest thou?' i'm
plies that his baptism symbolized the
work of the coming Messiah rather
than anything merely personal.
The Testimony of John.-John's first
utterance of the words: "Behold, the
Lamb of Cod" was apparently some
what public, though we do not know
Just what audience he addressed. 1t
is interesting to observe that John did
not know Jesus as the Messiah except
by special revelation.
The First Disciples.-John's second
utterance of the phrase 1.-The Lamb of
God" was made before a small audience
who seem to have taken it as hint
that they should attach themselves to
Jesus. John tells us that one of these
men was Andrew and the other was in
ull probability Himself The words:
"He findeth first His own brother" are
phrased in such way as to suggest
that the other disciple was also seek
ing His brother, and we suppose the
writer to have been the unnamed dis
ciple on account of such details as that
mentioned in John 1:39.
Personal Iufuence.-Our Lords par
able of the leaven illustrates the power
of personal influence in making dis
ciples. The details of the leavening
process are instructive. The leaven.
introduced into the flour, divides in or
der to conquer. Each minute particle
of the leaven attacks that tiny molecule
of -four which it touches, separates II
into it's chemical constituents. expels
the carbonic acid and transforms the
rest into leaven like unto itself. The
new particle of leaven thus formed ut
once assails the -four next to It and
repeats the process, until, molecule by
molecule, "the whole is leavened."
Here we see the disciple seeking his
brother or nearest friend and bringing
him to Jesus to become q disciple and
in turn go forth to seek another. Along
these lines of kindred and friendship
the Gospel spread until in three cen.
turtles 1t had conquered the world.
The first law of increase in the king
dom of God is thus the law Of contact:
every disciple must win the one nearest
to him.
A second law is also illustrated here
the law of integrity. The disciple
must be so securely and thoroughly
Christlike that he shall win his neigh
Dor and not be drawn away by him.
The snow must cling to the ball. and
not be pulled from il by the snow upon
the ground; the leaven must turn the
-four into Ieaven. and not itself become
lifeless and inert. Ashingle or piece
of bark thrust in the SNOWFALL will
make hole about it; it cannot attract
and hold the snow as it revoives: a
piece of dirt in the forming crystal mars
it's symmetry. A selfish and unlovely
disciple makes no additions 30 the
growing kingdom and mars the SYM
metry of its Rev. E. M.
Noyes.
PRACTIcAL.
Christ is the Lamb b OF God that taketh
away the sin of the world. Has He
taken your sin away?
To take your sin away, the Lamb of
God was sacrificed. "Ye were redeemed
80. with precious blood"
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