The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1906-06-29
JESUS AND THE
CHILDREN
Sunday School Lesson for July I. 1906
Specially Prepared for This Paper.

LESSON TEXT.-Matt. ls:l-n. Memory
verses 2. 3.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"It is not the will
of your Father which is i'm Heaven that
one of these little ones should perish
Matt 1914.
TIME.-Autumn A. ID. 20. not long after
his TRANSPORTATION.
PLACE.-A house in Capernaum, prob
ably Peters.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. - The
fatherhood of God: Matt. $50, As. 4s; $50,
s. 8; 7;ll: 23:9: Luke 1882: John 1:l2; Acts
1885, Rom. GA; S:l4-2l l Cor. $50, Cor.
i:17. IS; Gal. la; 1926; 4:4-7; Eph. 1856 Heb.
l2:5-l0; Jas. 1:H; Pet. l:2, IA, II; John
81, 2; Rev. Z. The characteristics of the
children of God obedient, humble, etc:
Matt. 1925 Mark 9:S3-S7; Luke 2:5l, so;
9:46-4S: Rom. 5:l9; Heb. 5:S: l Pet liza.
Christ's loving care for children: Matt.
l0:42; 1870 1913-l5; 2l:l5. 10; Mark lO:lS-
16; Luke 1872; 1S:15-17; John 2l:5. Christs
care for those whom the children SYM
bolZe. Luke 1879; l5:4-7; John 1923;
21:l5-l7: 9 Pet. 3:9 The relation of chill
dren to the Kingdom of Heaven: Matt.
1914; Luke GAS, etc. What the child in
the midst teaches US in resAlrd to ambi-
ton, obedience, trust. humility, etc. Matt.
1873 a. pops; Mark 9:53-S1, AZ: Luke 9:46-
as: John 13:l-l6; Cor. 1920.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
V. /. AT the same time Or. V. in
that hour) came the disciples unto
Jesus" with the question that per-
picked them. Putting the three accounts
together, the conversation would be
something like this:
Jesus-As | was walking before you
(as in Mark 1922 on our way FROM
the mountain | overheard you earnest
ly arguing among yourselves flor III
their earnestness they raised their
voices). What question interested you
so much?
The disciples are silent (for they
had been disputing as to who was the
greatest; and they were ashamed OF II.
in the presence of Jesus).
Jesus knew, but it was wise to lead
them to express their thoughts. CLuke.)
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
greatness? But who shall have the
highest places? (See Matt. 20:2l)
Jesus-You have utterly mistaken
the Nature Vi tue hlhSuOAh VI 'hNU'~A
and what is greatness there. | Will IL
lustrate.
V. 2. Jesus, then. called little
child (who may have been playing
near. or attracted TO the wonderful,
loving Jesus). and set him in the midst
of them" "set him by his side" Or. V.
Luke; and then took him in his arms
Mark in loving embrace.
V. 3. "And said" The task OF
Jesus is not merely TO communicate
instruction. but TO rebuke and exor-
else an evil spirit, therefore he does
not trust TO words alone. Greek
Test. Except We De converted, better,
as in r. V, turn" And become as
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. IL, 14.
V. 4. "Whosoever therefore shall
humble himself $50 as to be- as this
little child" is in this company, his
natural, unassumiug self. "The same
is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven"
for he has most of the heavenly spirit.
V. 5. "Whoso shall receive one such
little child the representative of
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 is apt to trample under foot"
V. 6. "Whoso shall offend" Better
r. ", "cause to stumble" block theil
way to the kindom of Heaven. The
Greek verb is derived from skandalon,
allied to scandal" which meant orig
inally 1.-The stick in trap on which
the bait is placed, and which springs
up and shuts the trap at the touch OF
any animal.
V. Z. Woe unto the world" Not a
wish, but a lamentation, a warning,
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. 8. 8. If 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 the
righteous heavenly spirit, not merely
tempt us, but cause us to fall into sin,
If we are unable to battle with and
overcome the temptation. we must give
them up rather than the heavenly life
w. 10. "Still the subject is the child a.
the ideal representative of the insig-
nifcant; apt to be despised by the am
bilious. Expos. Greek Test.
VS.. lila. Compare Luke 1887; 10:
10. The point of the parable lies in
the great care for those who are insig-
nifcant and of little value in the eyes
of men.
V. IA. Even So" AS the good shep-
herd did so much for the lost AMI
helpless sheep. at is not the will o.
your Father which is in Heaven" He
desires that all shall repent and be
saved.