Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1900-01-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON.
Reflections of an EIevating Character
wholesome Food for Thought
Studying the scriptural Lesson In
tel1igently and Probably.

The lesson for Jan. n is Luke 3: LII;
its subject is "The Preaching of John
the Baptist"
The ministry of John the Baptist had
much to do with the character OF Jesus
early ministry; 1t exertcd remarkable
influence on the people of Judea; and It's
nature should be more carefully studied
by all students of the gospels. Mark.
whose gospel represents on the whole the
earliest written form of the biography OF
Jesus, begins the narrative with johns
ministry; Matthew and Luke both give 1t
an important place. The accounts of the
three should be carefully compared.
Matt. 3: 1-12, Mark /: 1-S, Luke 3: 1-lS.)
The first thing one notices is that Luke
begins with much more circumstantial
detail than the others. He dates the
event with all the exactness which seem
ed possible, giving not only the year Of
the emperor's reign, but the names Of the
governors of the several provinces of Pal
estiDe. The time is almost certainly the
autumn Of the year Of Rome 779--that is,
A. ID. 20.
Luke also gives fuller account of the
preaching of John than do Matthew and
Mark. He writes for Gentle readers,
and therefore a summary of Johns
preaching is more essential; for the sub
stance of the Baptist's message was sim
ply the message of the Hebrew prophets,
emphasized and reiterated, which Greeks
and Romans would need to have explain
ed to them, while Jewish readers would
understand without such assistance.
Explanatory.
Luke's carefulness as historian is
worth noting. In other cases as well as
in this he takes pains to give exact dates.
In some instances where it used to be
claimed that he had made inaccurate
statements scholars are now agreed that
Luke knew what he was writing about
and made no blunder. This is true of
several cases both in the gospel and in
the Acts.
"All the region round about Jordan
is the low country on the slopes leading
from the hills of Judea down to the JOr-
dan valley. Through this region there
are many places which meet the descrip-
ton of the country where John preach
ed. 1t was in place sparsely inhabit-
ed Chat is the meaning of wilderness"
as here used, yet near enough to Jeru-
salem so that the multitudes could easily
come and go-"The baptism of repent
ance unto remission of sins: the word
here rendered repentance" is one of
full meaning. 1t does not mean prinar-
lily sorrow for sin, or remorse; II means
"a change of mind" reform of pur-
pose, q determination to enter on new
way of living. 1t includes in fact very
nearly what we mean by the term con
version"-a complete change of habits
and ideas following upon new vision or
truth.
When John the Baptist preached the
ssbaptism of repentance unto remission Oh
sins he demanded first, in the name OF
God. that men should recognize their
sins; secondly, that they should leave
their sins, and thirdly, that in token OF
this change of heart and of life, they
should be baptized. There was nothing
mysterious about such a message. Every
prophet from Hosea to Malachi had in
sisted on the same fundamental princi-
pies of righteousness and honest dealing,
the same necessity of changed life. Ii
Is true that for generations Palestine
had heard no such voice, so that johns
preaching came as novelty to many
who had not realized that the scriptures
were living books with messages for all
times.
The prophecy in Isaiah refers primarily
to the return of the Jews from exile ana
the preparation for that event, spoken
of under the metaphor of preparing
roadway for a royal journey. But the
words find their fullest realization in the
preparatory labors of the Baptist. 1t
was his high mission to make ready
pathway for the king, by arousing the
people, awakening curiosity and interest,
reiterating old truths and insisting on the
ethical demands of God. For such
work he received the highest praise from
Jesus, who said at later time that
among those born of women there was
none greater than John the Baptist.
"Ye offspring of vipers': these harsh
words are to be explained only by the
assumption that the people so addressed
were incorrigible hypocrites, upon whom
the preacher saw it was useless to waste
his attention. The Pharisees, against
some of whom Jesus spoke so sternly,
were as a class patronizingly religious,
giving the impression of superior virtue
because of their punctiious observance
Of the letter of the law. John saw so
well through their DISCUSSES and recog-
nized so plainly their faults that he did
not care to use diplomatic terms in adj
dressing them. Their claim to be safe
from punishment because of their descent
from Abraham is quite as absurd as most
of their other pretensions. John sweeps
it away with a word-"now is the ak
laid unto the root Of the trees" Judg-
ment is already at hand.
"He that hath two coats: let the man
who has food or clothing that he can pos
sibly spare use it for the benefit of his
neighbor. Generosity is the opposite of
the petty, calculating spirit of the Phari-
sees. To those who asked advice how
to escape from coming judgment John
gave the best of all tests-the command
to undertake a practical duty. His mes
sage was not so far from the preaching
of Christ as it might seem to be. The
true preacher of Christ even to-day does
not stop-and does not always begin
with an exhortation to belief in certain
truths. He demands obedience to divine
commands, conformity to divine law, in
flowing of divine life.
Johns knowledge of Jesus at this time
cannot have been great. The testimony
which he bears shows, however, that he
knew Jesus to be the Messiah and real
lied something of his sublime majesty
and power. Doubts came at later times
in the midst of discouragements and sor-
rows, but Johns faith in his Master al
ways endured. His life is noble ex-
ample of self-effacement for Christ's
sake, and shows, by its vigor and
strength, that such a life need never lack