The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-04-05
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR APRIL g.

Subject: The Raising of Lazarus, John
H., 32-45-Golden Text, John xi., 25-
Memory Verses, 33-36--Commentar
on the Days Lesson.
I. The meeting of Jesus and Mary
". 32). 80. when Mary was come"
Martha first heard that Jesus was COM
ing, and, without notifying Mary, she
went to meet Jesus just outside the
village. She greeted Him with those
words of sorrowful despair-"Lord, If
Thou hadst been here my brother had
not died." But even then there was a
dawn of hope in her heart, from her
experience Of the power of Jesus.
Jesus replied with the assurance that
He was 1.-The resurrection and the life,"
and prepared her for the great work
He was about to do. IF Thou hadst
been here" These words express the
very essence Of soul torture at such
times. In our affection we continually
echo the if Of these sisters, saying to
ourselves, if we had not done this, or
if We had not done that, or if it had
not been for our blunder, or that Of our
friends, or that Of our physician, our
beloved would not have died. But read
verse 4 Of this chapter.
II. Christ's compassion Tvs. $3.50.
80. "Groaned in the spirit" This is q
strange term and is better rendered by
the margin Of the Revised Version
was moved with indignation in the
spirit" Jesus was indignant at the
hypocritical and sentimental lamenta-
tons of His enemies, the Jews, ming
ling with the heartfelt sorrow Of His
loving friend Mary. These self-right-
eous Jews, now weeping and grooming
in professional sorrow with Mary were
men who would soon be plotting to
kill, not only Jesus, but the restored
Lazarus Compare chap. 1910. IVA
troubled" Troubled Himself."-
Marg., R. v. Probably the meaning is
that He allowed His deep emotion to
become evident to b%ystanders. "a.
"Where-laid him" A. question ad-
dressed to and answered by the sisters.
So. Jesus wept." Here the blessed
Jesus shows Himself to be truly man;
and O man, too. who, Notwithstanding
His amazing dignity and excellence,
did not feel it beneath Him to SYM
pathize with the distressed and to
weep with those who wept. After
this example of our Lord shall we say
that it is weakness, folly and sin to
weep for the loss Of relatives? SO.
How He loved him" A spontaneous
testimony from those Jews Of the ten
derness of the Son of God.
81. could not this man." The mir
acle of the blind man was referred to
because it was of recent occurrence,
and in the immediate neighborhood,
while the two previous miracles Of
raising the dead duke Till; S:41-56)
were performed in distant Gailee,
about one year and a half before. So
eral leading commentators think tha,
these Jews were unbelieving and now
refer to the healing Of the blind man
in a deriding manner, suggesting that
if He could have done that, then He
could have kept Lazarus alive, and
real love would have prompted Him
to do it if He had power.
III. Words of comfort Tvs. 3S-40). SO.
Again groaning." Because of the IN
belief of the Jews. We never find
Him in as much grief over His own
sufferings as over the sins Of men.
"Cometh to the grave" Lazarus was,
as became his station, not laid in a
cemetery, but in his OWL private tomb
in a cave.
80. Take We away the stone"
That which could be done by human
hand she orders to be done. He would
have the %bystanders see that Lazal
was actually dead. "He sinketh."
Seeming to forget what Jesus had
said to her when she met Him, Martha
now thinks only Of the condition Of
her brothers body and objects. The
idea of an immediate resurrection does
not seem to have occurred to her.
40. IF thou wouldst believe" So
I'VE see that if these sisters had not
possessed hearts. of faith, q willing
ness to believe and obey Christ, this
miracle could not have taken place.
If faith holds Him as the resurrection
and the life, then why doubt when He
IS rear? GLORY of God" Such a
revelation Of Gods power as shall dis
close His glory.
~. Lazarus raised to life Tvs. 41-45).
al. '"Took away the stone" Martha's
faith must have rallied and she gave
way to Jesus request. They had &C.
complished all in their power when
the stone was removed. Jesus now
began His part. Lifted up His eyes"
An outward expression of the eleva-
ton of His mind and to show them
who stood by from whence He derived
His power. He lifted up His eyes as
looking beyond the grave and over
looking the difficulties that arose
thence.
~. Thou hast sent Me-" Not to
destroy mems lives, but to save them.
Moses, to show that God sent him,
made the earth open and swallow men
up Mum. 1923, 30), for the law was a
d~ispensation of terror; but Christ
proves His mission by raising to life
Dne that was dead. d.. Loud voice"
He did not whisper nor mutter as did
the magicians. 1t was the type Of that
voice like the sound Of many waters
REV. 1:15), at which all who are in
their graves shall come forth John
BIS; l Ihess. 4:16). He that wept as
q man now spoke as a God. Lazarus"
He calls him by name as we call those
by their names whom We would wake
out of sleep. This inmates that the
same individual person that died shall
rise again at lie last day. A. Bound
hand and foot" Probably each limb
was separately bound, as was the
Egyptian custom. Loose him." He
was a healthy, strong man and no
longer needed the bandages ana wind
ing sheet. A5. Many believed" The
mira Gle was convincing,