The Yale expositor., 1908-04-24
Jesus Teaches
Humility
Sunday School Lesson for April rs. 1908
Specially Prepared for This Paper
Specially Prepared for This Paper

another as have loved you."-John
1894
TIME.-Thursday evening. April 6. A.
d. 30. Nissan 10. the day before the
Passover meal. The evening before his
crucihxion. His last meeting with his
disciples. Institution of the Lords
supper.
PLACE.-An upper room In Jerusalem.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
arnold of Rugby" called Christ's
washing of his disciples feet the most
remarkable of his deeds. This is
lesson of the strongest possible con
trasts. We are to see Christs males.
ty at its highest point of earthly glory,
and his humility at it's lowliest. The
first picture gives the church proud
sense of it's coming triumph in the
world; the second reminds the church
that it triumphs only through its low
ing, tender ministries to men. The
first picture teaches us personally
that If we serve Christ we have at our
disposal infinite resources of power
and authority; the second. that we
must use those resources meekly, In
serving others.
Christ fulfilled promptly his prom
Use to Peter of an explanation. This
explanation is in two parts. The first
is statement of his own supremacy,
that he was Master and Lord. "One
of you calls me the Teacher; another,
the Lord. Bishop Middleton. Cor
responding to which the followers were
disciples or servants. "-Professor Vim
cent. There was no title so lofty,
no honor so exalted, no devotion so
absolute, that Christ rejected 1t at the
hands of men."-Rev. j. Richie Smith.
The second part of the explanation
was that Christ's deed was given as an
example. 1t was saying in the Ian.
guage of action that the Son of man
came not to be ministered unto but
! to minister, and that the law OF his
kingdom was the law of helpfulness
| Mark 10:43-45) Professor Gilbert.
Certainly no one of them would claim
to be greater than Christ. They were
servants. he was their confessed Lord.
They were apostles, men sent" ".
16); he was the sovereign that sent
them forth. Surely, therefore, IL he
had washed their feet, they also ought
to wash one anothers feet. "By this
great object lesson Christ taught the
apostles, and his disciples throughout
all time, that the noblest end
OF mans endeavor is loving
service. PROF. Noah X. Davis,
Phi. D. Nov let man blush to be
proud. for whom God is become hum.
BILE. st. Augustine.
Christ intended his commandment
to be taken literally when necessary
But, now that shoes have taken the
place of sandals, 1t is to be observed
in the spirit rather than the letter
Christ did not institute a rite, such
as that celebrated in Rome on Thurs
day in Holy Week, when the pope
washes the feet OF a few aged pau
pers, after due private preparation, in
the presence of the proudest rank
1T used to be practiced by English
sovereigns on Maundy Thursday
James III. being the last who did So y
Century Bible.
The spirit of the commandment Is
to be observed. 1. BY the performance
of lowly and disagreeable physical ser
vice for others, when necessary. Those
that nurse the sick, care for the aged
and helpless, or work among the de-
graded or the very poor, are often
called to deeds like feet-washing.
THE noblest form of help is to
help men to get rid of their SIM
Alexander Maclaren. That is the
cleansing we all need most. ITO wash
one another's feet is, in the deeper
meaning Of the thing, to help one an
other out of the evil that is in the
world. to aid one another in the keep
ing of pure conscience and OF a
wholesome and holy life."-I. Marshall
Lang. ID. D. I'VE sometimes talk OF
the language of the hands. And
sometimes of the language of the
eyes. But l think there is also a Ian
gnage of the feet, and / could trans
late the whole Gospel into it, Fol
first comes Jesus when we are bowed
with SIM; and he says: Son of man
stand upon thy feet And then comes
Jesus when we wish to serve him)
and he says Wash one another's
feet And then in the morning, when
we are his forever. it is at his feet
we shall cast our crowns. Rev. G.
II. Morrison.
Those that are superior in one way
should remember that every one may
be superior in some way. arnold OF
Rugby" called attention to the pro
noun in wash one another's feet
Rich and poor, high and low, learned
and ignorant, are. he declared, mem
bers one of another, not two distinct
castles" Each can help the other
teach the other.
The Lessons for Servants.--Many
Christians are rulers. but all Chris
tians are servants. The minister OF Z
church is the one who ministers to IT.
needs. The prime minister is the heaC
servant of the state.
Let us not be satisfied with our ser
vice till Il springs from love, and no
merely from sense of duty.
Humility must know itself to b,