The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-02-01
TIE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
February Z. 10OO-The First
Disciples OF Jesus.
GOLDEN TEXr.-rhey followed Jesus
THE LESSON TEXT.

John l:S5-42)
3a Again the next day after John stood.
and two of His disciples.
Sc. And looking upon Jesus as He walked.
he saith. Behold the Lamb Of God!
81. And the two disciples heard him
speak, and they followed Jesus.
49, 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. Master). where
dwellest Thou?
80. He saith unto them. Come and see
They came and saw where He dwelt, and
abode with Him that day: for 1t 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.
~. 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 TO
Gallee. and it would probably be there
rather than elsewhere that He would
find disciples. The place is now gen.
orally believed to have been ford
called Damieh. not far from the place
where the boundary between Samaria
and Galilee comes to the river. Tradi-
tion 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 Deputaton.--It
was just about the time of Jesus ar
rival that the deputaton from the rul-
ers at Jerusalem came to examine John.
This deputation was doubtless sent by
the Sanhedrn, 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. IS matter of fact they never
did r1hp such n decision, a point of
weakness of which Jesus afterwards
took advantage Uuke 2c: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 God," was apparently some
what public, though we do not know
Just what audience he addressed. It
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 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
all probability Himself. The words:
"Hc 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 1889.
Personal Influence.-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 its chemical constituents, expels
the carbonic acid and transforms the
rest into leaven like unto itself. The
new particle of leaven thus formed at
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 disciple and
!! in turn go forth to seek another. Along
these lines Of kindred and friendship
the Gospel spread until in three CEN
! turies it 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 ii by the snow upon
the ground; the leaven must turn the
flour into leaven, and not itself become
lfeless and inert. A shingle or piece
of bark thrust in the SNOWFALL will
make hole about it; it cannot attract
and hold the snow as IL revolves: a