The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-22
Exposition Of the
Sabbath School Lesson
FOR MARCH 2, 1902

| J0OOuEH OCJAOOL LeSSOSG ]
FOR MARCH 2, 1902
Copyright 1902, by John R. Whitney.
The stoning of stephen-Acts VII.
64-VIII. 2.
Golden Text-Pray for them which despite
fully use you and prosecute you.-Matt. ", Al.
This lesson is simply a continuation Of that
Of last week. Then Stephen had been arrest
ed as he was preaching in one of the HELEN
istic synagogues of Jerusalem. Those who
listened to him, being unable to answer his
arguments and unwilling to accept his con-
| illusions, were filled with anger. So they hired
unprincipled men wi, ID to make false
charges against him-charges which they
They we'll knew that they were false, but
that was Of no moment too them. They an
swered their purpose, and being brought for
ward by men who apparently We're entirely
disinterestcd, "they stirred up the people and
the elders and the scribes," who suddenly
''came upon him, and seized him, and brought
him into the council" vi, 12)
Now we see him arraigned before this cOun-
Gil, and to rightly understand the result as
set forth in this lesson, we must consider
the charges brought against him-the de-
Tense which he made-and its effect upon bis
Judges.
THE CHARGES.
The Indictment named three separate and
distinct offenses. For the witnesses said:
F1rSt-We have heard him speak blasphe-
nous words against Moses and against God. p
wi, H.
second-"This man ceaseth not to speak
end fna words against this holy place
Third-"We have heard him say, that this
Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place
and shall change the customs which Moses
delivered u.s. wi, 14)
To every unconverted Jew this was fearful
Indictment, and it appeared to be made by re.
liable witnesses-men who claimed that they
charged had been actually committed. II
making them they said that Stephen deniet
the authority Of God--the sanctity of the tenn
pie and the law-and the stability of the ma
true: he was guilty of treason agains
everything Jew held most sacred, and to de
fend which, every Jew would sacrifice every
personal and party feeling, and lay down hi,
| self, before his conversion-would have done
| so. --.' .-a.-..... sg.-
~l. . HIS DEFENSE. III
| The trial began with due observance O.
every form OF law The prisoner stood a,
| the bar and his accusers stated his offenses
Then the high priest-probably caiaphas whe
and -Master---put the usual question to him
! Are these things so?' Verse -
In answering this question, Stephen saw a,
| cnce. and very clearly, that the 'blasphemous
words" with which he was charged we're the
explanations he had given of their own Scrip.
lures: that these Scriptures all spoke concern:
So he evidently repee+ d in substance before
| the council what he ad often declared in the
! synagogues. But Ie historian has recorded
only the briefest r dtline Of his address,
| Stephen undertook to make. So he did moi
turn their attention to the blessedness of theil
origin. in the hope of winning their favor
but he turned it to the truth of Scripture
| in the hope of saving their souls. Taking
| up, therefore, the history of the nation as re.
corded in Genesis and Exodus, he traced il
Patriarchs, to the deliverance out of Egypt
under Moses, and then he passed rapidly or
| to the time Of David and Solomon.
| In all this he evidently tried to show them
how Gods hand ruled in every event In theil
history, for the express purpose of accom-
plishing the fulfilment Of his own promises.
| showed then how God delivered him out oil
:! all Of his Affections and gave him favor anG
wisdom in the sight. of Pharaoh, king Of
Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt
provided for his ancient people by the hand
of him whom he had 'exalted to be prince
and a savior" e.
| God, however, not only thus provided bread
| for his people in time of famine, but when
the time of the promise drew nigh which
he had lad sworn to Abraham" (yerse ID he
| age. So Stephen passed on to their history
under Moses, against whom he had beer
charged with speaking 'blasphemous words
They were words which he had before ex.
planned and now repeated, from their owr
Scriptures. For he said: 'sThs is tha
Moses which said unto the children Of 1srae
IA prophet shall the Lord your God raise
up unto you Of your brethren, like unto me
him shall ye hear" Verse 81, Deut. xviii.
! By him the tabernacle was set up (verst
Az with it's types and ceremonies declaring
that "apart from shedding Of blood there il
no remission of sins (Heb. tx, q, R. "
ture Of the nation which they brought ii
with Jesus Joshua, R. W into the possession
of the Gentiles'' (verse 45). It marked then
! as Gods peculiar people, and taught then
that the only way he could be approached
| was through the death of another This con
tinued until the time of David and Solomon
| Then the temple was built and in 1T God tool
| up his abode with his people.
| So through oil the ages from Abraham t
| David God had set before them, ever NOR
and more clearly, the purpose and the work
And in showing them all this, Stephen un
doubtcdly pointed out tosthem that the "seed'
/ of Abraham (Gal.. ill.,, 16) in whom all tn
! nations of the earth should be blessed, wa
! none other than Jesus of Nazareth whom Got
had made '.both Lord and Christ Gi., 36)-
I! that he was indeed the very prophet of whom
! Moses had spoken; that in his life and dealt
the ceremonies and sacrifices of the taber
/; nacle and temple found their fulfilment; tina
in him, God himself actually "dwelt among
! them John j., 14) and that--like Joseph
he-.had exalted MIN Win MS FlSnCznanG e.
be a prince and savior, to give the brea
! Of -life' to his people, even ITO give repent
ancc and forgiveness of sins" w., 3D.
Their great pride, however, was, as one VIII
then sat listening to Stephen afterwards eN
pressed it-that they were taught accordin
to the perfect manner Of the law of tn
fathers and were jealous toward God
(xxii., 81. They trusted to this zeal and t
their own keeping of the law, for acceptanc
with him. But Stephen plainly told then
that, although they had received the la,
j by the disposition of angels yet they ha
not kept IT. ". $50
But at the same time he unquestionabl
pointed out to thcm that in Jesus of Nazareth
Of whom they had "been now the betrayer
and murderers" ". 52), one had come VIII
was smade under the law that he might re
deem them which were under the law (Gal
w., 4-5), and that by his life without sin
The had met every demand of the law 70
Righteousness and by his death he had PAL
that now, therefore, there was ..none othe
name under heaven given among men where
by we must be saved" w., 12l. They were
+ be saved by faith in him, and not by thei
THE EFFECT.
i When Peter, on the day of Pentecost, in
lsomewhat similar way, showed the multtud
that they had taken and With wicked hand
Jesus whom God had raised up their cor
Z sciences were awakened and with all earnes
t ness they cried out: Men and brethren, whs
shall we do?" Gi., 81 D., But when the prou
/, and self-suficient Sanhedrim heard thes
things, it was only as if the sword of a
q enemy had wounded thenl-''.they were cut
the heart and in their wrath and pain the
CRASHED on him with their teeth. = (Verse 81
os. hnxxo 1icfl h