The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-01-04
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JANUARY 8.


Subject, The witness or John the Barti.
TO Jesus, John l., 19.34-GoIden Text,
John l.. @o-Menory Verses. 20, ~
Commentary ON the Days Lesson.
l. The testimony Of John the Baptist
I've. 1929. 49, This is the witness" (R
W The sentence means. this is the testi
mony that John bore. "The Jews" This
tern term in Johns, gospel commonly means
the opponents of Christ. "The Jews" are
to him not his fellow countrymen, but the
Prosecutors ard murderers of the Messiah.
The name of race has become the name
oil sect. He uses the term about seventy
times, almost always with this shade OF
meaning. Priests and Levites." The
combination priests and Levites" occurs
nowhere else in the New Testament TO.
Sether they represent the hierarchy. This
was delegation from the Sanhedrin
Who art thouW What do you profess to
be! Do you assume to be the Messiah, or
are You a prophet! Two things are plain.
ly taught in this verse: One is the great
sensation caused by John the 3aptist's
ministry. The other is the state of expec.
tatlon in which the people were at this
time.
20. ''Not the Christi The form OF
speech in this verse implies a very positive
and unmistakabe assertion. We have in
this and the following verses an instructive
example of true humility. John the Bap.
tist was an eminent saint OF God. Few
names in the Bible stand higher than his
81. Elias" Greek form for Elijah II
am not" That is. not in the sense you
have in mind. They were speaking liter.
ally, and John was not Elijah returned to
earth again. When Jesus said that John
was Elijah Matt. ll;l4) He was speaking
figuratively comp. Luke I'D. "1he pro.
phet' Or: W The well-known prophet
be second Moses, others a second Elijah,
others the Messiah. "No." John knew
that "the prophet" to whom they referred
was the Messiah. His answer is abrupt.
y. After exhausting all special names
they press John to a full description OF
himself, that they may be able to give
proper answer to the Sanhedrin.
p. The voice" He was not the
Word" but merely a voice" He was
called voice because, ]. He was utteriDg
Gods thoughts. 2. The Importance lay
chiefly in the message, not in the messen.
ger, 3. Although weak in himself, yet he
produced great commotion. Crying"
Heralding, proclaiming. I'm the wilder.
ness" 'The world was, indeed, a moral
wilderness when the time drew near for
the coming of the King" Make straight"
etc. See lsa. 40:3-5. The idea is taken
from the practice of Eastern monarchs,
who, whenever they took a journey sent
harbingers before them to prepare the way.
~. "Pharisees." The Pharisees held
most strenuously that no prophet, after
Moses, had right to introduce any new
sacred usage, rite or ceremony among the
Mosaic institutions, except the Messiah
Himself. The question then in the follow
ing verse, Why baptiseth thou them was
very perenptory one. &C. 81 baptise
with water. Johns answer is very per-
tinent My baptism is the symbol and pre-.
cursor of a real baptism by the great Bap-
ttser. Here standeth one" vt is not
necessary, to suppose that Jesus was stand
ing IN the crowd at that time, but lie was
living and abiding among the people, and
He was unknown to them.
81. See r. V. after me-" John was
Not worthy A proverbial expression,
The work of unlacing and removing the
sandals belonged to the humblest servant,
and in comparison to Christ John SAYS he
was too inferior to do even that The de-
sire to exalt Christ and abase himself is
ever uppermost in Johns mind. 2s
"Bethabara." The r. V. has Bethany
OF Olives. Both names have nearly the
same meaning, Bethany sometimes signify.
ing boat house" and Bethabara "ford
house, or ferry house"
III. John points out Jesus Tvs. 29-3l).
~. The next day" After the testimony
Of John to the deputation from Jerusalem.
Jesus shows that the baptism and tempta.
ton Matt, 1913 to 4:lD preceded the
events of this lesson. Lamb of God"
There is no reasonable doubt that John
gave this name to our Lord because He
was the true sacrifice for sin, the true anti
type OF the passover lamb, and the lamb
prophesied of by Isaiah lisa. 53:7). "TalS
eth away" Or 'beareth away" as in the
m In bn Il .,f or
the priest confessed the sins OF the people
and laid them upon the scapegoat, and the
goat was sent to the depths of the desert
Christs taking away the sins of the world
is borrowed from this act. We have here
one OF the many expressions which declare
the great scriptural truth that Chrst's
death was a vicarous sacrifice for sin
"rhe sin" All the sins of all the children
of Adam. The atonement was complete,
no one was left out, but all may be saved
II they will accept the provisions made
30. After me" etc. Jesus came after
John in point Of time. but He was pre-
ferred before him in dignity and honor
WAS before me-" This refers to Chrst's
eternal pre-exstence with the Father 81
'Kney Him not was not previously
acquainted with Him, and there has been
no private collusion or Arrangement be-
tween us. But others think that as John
Was cousin OF our Lord, he must have
been acquainted with Him, and that the
expression here means that he did not
know Him as to His nature, office and
mission until the time OF his baptism
Therefore am / come" John here de-
clares that the great end of his ministry
was not to form sect in his own name,
but to make Christ known to the Jews.
Ill How John knew Jesus Tvs. 1894
32. Bare record" John now proceeds to
tell how, forty-two days before this, at
the time of Christ's baptism, he learned
that He was the Messiah. II saw" 81
have beheld" r. V. John had been an
eye witness and was not now reporting
from hearsay. Like a dove" That the
spirit OF God should descend as a dove is
in accordance with the emblematic eharae-
ter of the, whole transaction. The dove
representSd an unde6led IS. of s, 500,
harmless Matt. l0:l6), gentle, meek char.
acter Is. of S. 2:l4). 1t was the emblem of
peace (Gen. SAD and OF beauty (Psa.
68:l3) 1t was the only bird allowed to be
offered in sacrifice by the Levtical law.
1t was, like the vine, popular symbol OF
the chosen nation, and, so far as this man.
Hesitation was made known abroad. it
would doubtless mark Jesus in public opin.
ion as the ideal, typical, representative
lsraelite, and, therefore, by implication
the Messiah John understood ..,e marvel
to indicate this.
33. "He that sent me-" John was con.
scious of his divine mission He was sent
of God. "a. "The Son of God The Mes.
siah-the Christ John here declares that
Jesus was divine.