Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-05-02
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson v.-Second Quarter, For
May 3, 1903.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, John xiv. ia.
Memory Verses, 2, Golden Text,
John xiv, documentary Prepared
by Rev. D. Nj. Stearns.

John xiv, documentary Prepared
by Rev. D. Nj. Stearns.
Copyright, 1905 by American Press Association. ]
They are still in that Passover room:
the feast has been kept, and that new
feast which we call the Lords supper
has been instituted. Some time dur
ing the evening Judas Iscariot went
out from them to do his devilish work,
and how suggestive the saying in that
connection. "And it was night xiii,
3O). 1t has been night for him ever
since, with no prospect of day" A
few preliminary words, including the
new commandment (xiii, 34), .spe-
cial word to Peter, and then He enters
upon this great discourse. from which
we have but two lessons. The new
commandment just referred to Is
found again in XIV, II, "That We love
one another as I have loved you," and
there it is prefaced in verse 8 by, GAS
the Father hath loved Me, so have /
loved you; continue We in My love"
The love of God is the most wonderful
topic in all Scripture, but unless we
are in some measure loving others as
He loves US we have not grasped it,
nor has it grasped us.
Within a few hours of Gethsemane
agony ever endured by a mortal on
this earth, making atonement for the
sins Of the whole world, He was able
to seemingly lose sight Of His own
prospective sufferings in order to COM
fort this little band Of disciples.
If any one but He had said, LET not
your heart be troubled oversees 1, 20, or
as in Matt. xiv, 6, "See that We be
not troubled" how idle the words
would seem! But He could truly say,
81 and My Father are one," 81 am in
the Father and the Father in Me-
verses 10, IL; chap. x, 30), and there
fore He adds, "Ye believe in God, be-
lieve also in Me-" At another time He
said, "Have faith in God" Mark XII,
22), or as some render it, "Have con-
fidence in God" Even though the days
be as dark as they were to Martha
and Mary, remember His word, "Said
/ not unto thee that if thou wouldst
believe thou shouldst see the glory of
God" He who knows all that is be-
fore us gives us this word for our
comfort, and it is a word from the
heart of the Father of mercies and
the God of all comfort QI Cor. /, 81.
He spoke of going home to His Fa-
theirs house. He spoke with the con-
fider &c of one who knew, not as one
who was thinking out a possibility.
He could say, 1--WE speak that we do
know and testify that which we have
seen" Chapter lii, ~. In chapter ii,
16, He spoke of the temple, with it's
courts and rooms and chambers, as
my Fathers house." That very
evening Peter and John had been sent
to prepare place where this Passover
might be kept, but now He says, II
am going, like a servant sent before,
to prepare for your coming, and 1 will
come again and receive YOU" This
coming again must be understood in
the light of / Thess. iv, 1918; Acts
/, IL, as literal, personal and real
coming as was His ascension from
Olivet, a coming in two stages, first to
receive us to Himself and then to
bring US with Him to His glory to
reign with Him. The word mansion
is only used in one other place in the
whole New Testament, and that is in
verse % of this chapter, where He
says that the Father and Himself will
make us, believers, Their abode or
home or mansion. His statement
that they knew where He was going
and also the way drew forth a remark
and a question from Thomas, to which
Jesus replied, 81 am the way, and the
truth, and the life" We can point out
the way to this place or that, but for
any one to say Il am the way thither''
would mark him as one beside himself
In chapter He said, II am the
door," and in chapter XIV He says, 81
am the vine," while in chapter vi He
said, II am the true bread" We can.
not but recall His great name by
which Moses was commanded to make
Him known to Israel-"Say 1 am hath
sent me unto you" eek. iii, 14.
Philip then has a question, or, rather
request, to which Jesus answers,
"He that hath seen Me hath seen the
Father (verse 81, but adds, "Have ]
been so long time with you and yet
hast thou not known Me, Philip" He
does so long to have us know Him
and trust Him that others may learn
to know Him through us, but we are
so unbelieving and so distant, while
all the time He is saying, "Come near
to Me-" He wants us to be one with
Him, as He was one with the Father
that He may live His life in us and
work His works through us, that the
world may believe and know His great
love and many be drawn to Him out
of the world oversees 9-12; chapter xvii
81, 23). Neither His words nor His
works were His own, but the Father
always told Him what to say and
wrought all the works, and He will