The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-04-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON ~, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL 22.

S6SS0N tVS SESStsL Na0Ani Gts tNtGR-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL 22.
Memory Verse, A7-Golden Text,
Lake via, SOC entary Prepared
by Rev. d. M. stearns.
[COpyight. 1908. by American Press Associationl
The incident Of this lesson, like the
story OF the widows son In last lesson,
is recorded only BY Luke. who seems to
have the correct sequence of events.
The messengers from John the Baptist
In prison and our Lords reply to him
and His testimony to the people COM
cerning John, with His rebuke because
Of their treatment Of John and Himself,
seem to cover that which Is recorded
between the last lesson and this one.
We should not be surprised if the most
unkind and untrue things are said Of
as as we follow Jesus John xiii, 16;
XIV, 1920; xvi, 33), for as His redeemed
ones fitted for His presence by His
precious blood there is no other way
TO be fitted for our place In His king
dom than by suffering with Him. We
must not be offended with Him, no mat
ter what He sends us or permits to
come to US or even if He seems to
neglect Us as He did John (yerse %;
John xvi, 1-s). Jesus frequently went
TO dine with the Pharisees when they
invited Him (xi, 81; xiv, u, but while
he accepted their hospitality He never
allowed their favors to blind His eyes
or close His mouth to what He ought
to see or say. E!1,. && W
This woman's name is not given, and
that is kind. Let us be kind also, for
''love is kind" She may have wan
dered farther from the paths Of virtue
than others, but she was one Of those
whom Jesus came to save, and, being
somehow convicted of her sinfulness
and filed with spirit Of true peni-
tence, she seeks Him who has been re-
vealed to her soul as Saviour Of sim
ners, even though abe must enter the
house Of one whom she knew would
despise her, and she brings the best
she has, and that very costly, with
which to worship Him. ....., +.
Reclining as they, did when eating,
she could easily stand at His feet be-
hind Him, and there her tears flowed
fast on those blessed feet and. copious
enough to wash them, an act Of hos
pitality which Simon had omitted
(verse ~. Her long hair wiped them,
she lavished kisses upon them, and In
her lovesand gratitude to Him shs
anointed His feet$with the ointment.
Mary Of Bethany's amounting for His
burial John xii, 81 was similar In some
respects, but hers was the intelligent
service Of one who had long sat as a
disciple at His feet, while here we see
the love arising from a sense Of the
love that forgives sin.
Simon was probably thinking along
sgeEns
prophet. He talks like one, He works
miracles. and they say he has raised
the dead, but He seems to be known
by this noted sinner whom would not
allow to come near me. He surely
cannot know what kind of a woman
she is" Thus this whited sepulcher
(Adatt. xiii, 20 in his heart condemns
the holy One OF God, the greatest Of
prophets. # #:.M.. +. !. ... "a.
/ How hard 1t must have been for
Jesus to move among those who de-
spised and misjudged and hated Elm
and see. as He always could, their
thoughts OF Hint 1t might be help
to us If we would remember that we
are always in. the presence OF Him who
reads our thoughts Rzek. ri, 8; Ps.
cxxxix, p, and It might give us q
greater longing to have every thought
brought into captivity to the obedience
OF Christ QI Cor. K, b. BY the word OF
God we may f1ll our minds with the
thoughts Of God, which are as far
above our thoughts as heaven is above
the earth lsa. ly, 8, 9). AS Simon lis
tened to what the Master had to say he
would not probably have the remotest
thought Of seeing himself and this poor
outcast In the story. of the two debtors
who could not pay q cent ON the dollar.
It may have been that he owed no
man anything, and as to God he prob
ably thought that He was pretty well
paid up In that direction, for did he not
fast and pray and give aims. like all
good Pharisees? I5as H E
Simon having replied that the debtor
who had been forgiven most would, he
supposed, love most, our Lord then
plainly applied the story. What con-
demnation for Simon, but what glory
| Tor the Door penitent! TO be allowed to
anoint His feet was great Joy, but to
have Him turn Els face to her and mo-
tice her and commend her, mentioning
every loving act before all the people,
and place her In His estimation above
Simon himself, surely now her heart
was full. 1t was Simon's house. He pro-
vided the feast and invited the guests.
she had slipped In unlimited and done
q servants act. It Is all q little like His
commepdatfon OF the widows mites
above the gifts Of the rich. What a
lfOreshadowing OF a coming day when