Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-06-09
PETERS GREAT
CONFESSION
Sunday School Lesson fortune ie.i9e6
Specially Prepared for This Paper.

LESSON TExT.-Matt. ~16:1S-2S; Mem
Dry verses "a. 20.
GOLDEN TExT.-eThou art the Christ
the Son of the Living God."-Matt. 1915.
TIME.-Autumn A. D. 49, soon after
. the last lesson.
PLACE.-About rs miles northeast Of
the Sea of Galilee1 .i@eN.t y f4 %3
) SCRIPTURE EXPERIMENTATION
dalton Stories: Il Pet. 2:1-1Q; see Cor.
s!1O-17; Rev. 21:19. 20; lisa. 2S:1e, II; Eph.
2i2O, etc. The word Church: Matt.
1877 Acts 2;47; Sill; 1873; Rom. 1876; Ephs
5;24-32; Heb. 1929; Rev. 81, etc. "Hades'
, Acts 2:27, 81; Luke 1929; Matt. n:2S; Rev.
l:1s. etc. Distinguish 1t from "Gehenna"
Matt. 5:22;Jas. 3:6, etc. Cross-bearing:
Matt. 1873, 3d.; Gal. 6:l4; Heb. 1872; Rom.
6s6; Gal. 2:2O. etc. nesa
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
". 13. When Jesus came" When in
his journeying in northern Palestine
he reached this point. Where he came
from, is not stated. 1.-THE coasts"
('parts'). The near villages, asked
his Disciples When he was walk
ing with them after. a season of prayer
(Luke 9:18).
v. IA. Some say . John the Bap-
tist." Herod. probably also his court,
held this opinion. Some Elias" Eli
jah had been translated e Kings q:
III, and there was among the Jews
an expectation, founded on the proph-
ecy of Nal. 4:5, that he would return.
"Jeremias." jeremiah. Zone of the
prophets" Some other one of the an
cient prophets.
v. Is. Whom say ye?p The empha-
ID cL1nI1 10 -laooI An ua What
others think of Christ is a matter of
little moment to us, compared with u
own opinion IF him.
v. 16. Simon Peter answered" He,
as the most ready speaker of the com
pany, spoke for all. Thou art the
Christ" He declares the firm convic-
ton that Jesus is indeed the Anoint-
ed One, promised by God. Christ" is
the Greek term, Messiah" the He
brew word: both meaning "Anoint-
ed" "The Son." Not merely a son,
a member of the human race, but the
Son-the true Son as corresponding ex-
actly In character with the Father;
one with God.
v. II. Blessed" Happy.
v. IS. Thou art Peter; upon this
rock" To appreciate the nice play of
words, we must recollect that Peter
means rock. Jesus had added Peter
to his previous name Simon, giving in
the name a divine prophecy that the
tickle, vacillating man would, in time,
be transformed into a rock-like char
acter. In this great confession, we see
this new character manifested. Upon
this rock I will build my church."
Faith in Jesus as the visible express
sion of Gods character, is the rock
upon which Christ builds his church.
In various places in Scripture, as here,
the church is spoken of as a building
of which Christ is "the chief corner
stone,"the apostles and prophets "foun-
dation stones" tAa
v. 10. Keys of the kingdom" This,
as part of the commission, relates not
to Peter alone, but to the company Of
apostles. Jesus thus gave them au-
thority to teach the truths of HIS king
dom. ~ iAi.E
v. 20. ''They should tell no man"
It would be better that all should learn
to know and value Jesus for his real
worth. until at length, like the apos-
ties, they came to know for themselves
that he was the Christ.
v. 81. From that time forth"
Jesus had given early hints of his suf-
ferings, but from this time he began
to tell plainly that the way to his
kingdom was the way of love-of COM
plete self-giving. ~"
v. %. Get thee behind me, Satan"
Jesus finds Peter being used by the
prince of evil, that old enemy who mad
presented the same temptation to hin,
in the wilderness, when he offered to
give him the kingdom without the
cross, If he would fall down and wor-
ship him.
v. "a. "If any will come after
me-" Be like me. Let him deny him
self" Forget himself in living for God
and feilow-men. "And take up his
Cross Be ready in this loving spirit
to suffer and die for others, as l have
chosen to do.
v. 20. WnOSO6VeT Will. WuOeV6r
determines to make this his first
aim. Save his life" Secure ease and
pleasure during the present life. "Shall
lose it." Shall lose his higher spiritual
life; lose the b~lessedness of self-giv-
ing; s~elf-giving is living.
v. 26. "Gain the whole world" OBJ
tain all the satisfaction that can pos
sibly flow from the possession of
wealth and worldly distinction.
". 81. For" This great balancing
of accounts is not a mere figure OF
speech, but will actually occur.
". 20. Some not taste death
till they see kingdom" The full
fllment OF this has by some been APP
piled to the scene Of TRANSFORMATIONS
which three of Jesus. hearers wit
messed within a week. /,
v. a.. Christ Is as sadly misunder.
stood To-day as when he walked IN