The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1906-06-28
JESUS AND THE
CHILDREN
Sunday School Lesson for July I. 1906
Specially Prepared for This Paper.

verses <, 3.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"It is not the will
OF your Father which is in Heaven that
one of these little ones should PERISH
Matt. 1S14
TIME.-Autumn A. u. %. not long after
his transhguration.
PLACE.-A house in Capernaum, prob
ably Peters.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. The
fatherhood Of God: Matt. $50, 20, IS; 6:6
s, o; 7.i1; 1913; Luke 1872; John 1872; Acts
1888; Rom. ga; S:14-21; / Cor. SO, Cor
6:l7, is; Gal la; 1925; 4:4-7; Eph. 1:5; Heb
12:5-10; Jas. 1N; Pet i:2, IA, II; John
81, 2: Rev. H:7 The characteristics OF the
children of God; obedient, humble, etc:
Matt. 1925; Mark 9:33-S7; Luke 25l j2
9.IG-iS; Rom 5:19; Heb. SIS; l Pet. IA
Christs loving care for children: Matt
1O42; 1910; 19:1S-15; 2l:l5. 16; Mark 10lS-
l6; Luke 17:2; 1s:15-17; John 2l:5. Christs
care for those whom the children SYM
bolize Luke 1922. i54-7; John l0:2S;
2i:15-17; 2 Pet. 3:9. The relation of chill
dren to the Kingdom of Heaven: Matt
1874; Luke 9:4S. etc. What the child in
the midst teaches us in realrd to ambi-
tion. obedience, trust. humility. etc. Matt
1873, 4; 202S; Mark s3S-6, AZ; Luke s:46-
As; John i3i-16; 1 Cor. 1920
Comment and Suggestive Thought
V. 1. AT the same time Or. V. in
that hourD came the disciples unto
Jesus" with the question that per-
picked them. Putting the three accounts
together, the conservation would be
something like this:
Jesus-As | was walking before you
(as in Mark 10:32) on our way from
the mountain I overheard you earnest
ly arguing among yourselves (for in
their earnestness they raised their
voices). What question interested you
SO much?
The disciples are silent Qor they
had been disputing as TO who was the
greatest; and they were ashamed of 1t,
in the presence of Jesus).
Jesus knew, but It was wise to lead
them 20 express their thoughts. (Luke.)
The disciples, or some of them, then
ask Jesus: who, then, is greatest in
the kingdom of Heaven?' Not, What
elements OF character make true
ereatnoss2 But who shall have the
highest places? CSee Matt. 2O:21J
Jesus-You have utterly mistaken
the notu.o Of the Kingdom Of Heaven
and what is greatness there. / will H.
lustrate.
" .. Jesus. then called liJtle
child Cwho may have been playing
near. or attracted To- the won lertul
loving Jesusl. and set him in the midst
of them;" "set him by his side Or. V.
Luke); and then tool, him In his arms
CMark) in loving embrace
" 9. "And said. The task of
Jesus is nor merely 20 communicate
instruction, hut TO rebuk1 and eXor-
else an evil spirit, therefore he does
not trust to words alone Exp. Greek
Test. Except ye be converted, better,
rs in r. ", turn" "And become rs
little children" Not sinless, for no
children are sinless. They all need to
be saved from being lost, as we see
little further On Tvs. II, 1D.
V. 4. "Whosoever therefore shall
humble himself $50 as to bel as this
l'..e child" is in this company, his
natural. unassuming self. s"The same
t. greatest in the kingdom of Heaven"
for hL has most of the heavenly spirit
VS.. "Whoso shall receive one suct
little child the representative o.
childhood, shall recognize and welcome
him, shall see In him the beauty OF
his character, and take It to heart
model his conduct after this ideal
representing all that the spirit of am
bition in its struggle for place and
power 4 apt to trample under foot
V. f.. Whose shall offend" Better
F.. ", "cause to stumble" block theii
way to the kindom of Heaven. The
Greek verb is derived from skandalon
allied to scandal" which meant orig
iaally the stick in a trap on which
the bait is placed, and which springs
up and shuts the trap at the touch ol
any animal, ..-.G
| V. 7, Woe unto the world" Not
wish. but lamentation, a warning, A
statement of fact. because of of,
fences" Occasions Of stumbling" In
| the way of becoming good, and espe.
cially in the way of children.
V. s. 9. II thy hand or thy foot Of
fend thee dead thee into sim, cut
them off," The meaning is, If objects
dear as the right eye, and useful as
the right hand-honors, possessions
enjoyments-stand between us and tn
righteous heavenly spirit, not merely
tempt us, but cause us to fall into sin,
II we are unable to battle with and
overcome the temptation. we must give
them up rather than the heavenly life
v. 10. Still the subject is the child as
the ideal representative of the insig-
nifcant; apt TO be despised by the am
bilious. Expos. Greek Test
VS.. 11-14. Compare Luke 1887; 49,:
10. The point of the parable lies in
the great care for those who are insig-
nifcan, 'ai of little value In the eyes
of men.
V. IA. Even So" AS the good shep-
herd did so much for the lost and
helpless sheep. TT is not the will o.
your Father which is in Heaven" He
desires that aid shall repent and be
saved.
Practical Application.
The lessons which Christ teaches us
by means of the children are the les
sons we most neei to learn, and are
too often apt to be ignored. He Is
ever setting the child in the midst, and
all Christians must learn the lessons.
The child sy mbolizes all men In their
relation to the Heavenly Father. The
child syrnboiizes all that arc Door
weak. neglected, lowly, In relation to
the church. The church will succaad