The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-04-07
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR APRIL IL.

4 John 11:1-57 - Golden Text,
John 11:25-Commit Verses ~,
44-Commentary on the Lesson.
TIME. -January, 9 0 A. D. PLACE.
-Rethanv.
4 EXPOSITION. Jesus Wept. 81
80. Martha, having received from
Jesus the consolation she sought,
! waited no longer, but hurried to Mary
with the glad message. "The Master
is here and cal1eth thee Without
word Mary rises quickly and hurries
to Jesus and falls down at His feet.
| Mary had been at Jesus feet before
| (Luke 10:39). Then she was at His
feet for instruction. now she was
there for comfort and help T. is
those who, in times of prosperity,
| know how to sit at His feet to learn,
who, in times of sorrow, know how to
| find comfort aud deliverance in the
| same place. There is no better place
| to go in sorrow. The day will shortly
come when Mary will be at His feet
again in worship. Mary's cry at
| Jesus feet is deeply significant one
Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died" There seems
to be almost reproach in it, But she
| still calls Him Lord 1t is wonder
more than reproach Mary was in
great perplexity over the death of her
brother, just as we oftentimes are
when our loved ones are taken away.
1t was an impenetrable mystery to
this gentle-hearted woman. Why had
not Jesus come and saved? He knew.
1t was that He might do something
vastly better than they sought They
sought brother saved from death:
He would give them a brother tri-
umphant over death. 1t was because
He flowed" them that He had not
come until Lazarus was dead Tvs. A.
o. 1t was also that God might be
glorifled ". A.. and that the faith OF
the disciples might be strengthened.
Christ often has many loving reasons
for His.dealings with us when we can
see none at all Martha had uttered
the same words at her meeting with
Jesus ". 21). Evidently they had
often said it to one another during
those four days. But Martha had not
fallen at Jesus feet when she said It,
That wouldn't have been at all like.
Martha. She was practical, I'M
demonstrative woman Jesus had
given Martha a good DEAL He gave
words of wondrous promise and
hope; but He gave Mary more-He
gave her His deepest sympathy and
His tears Tvs. $3.50 Jesus wept. y
| am glad He did; and am glad John
noticed it, and that, when long years,
had passed and John was writing
down what he recalled of the words:
and acts of Jesus, the Holy Spirit
whispered Put Tat down, too.
John; Jesus wept - We need
high priest who can be touched with a
feeling of our infirmities, and, thank
Cod we have such an one (Heb.
4:15, 16) Mary's sorrow was not to
be of long duration; few minutes
now and sorrow would give way to.
ecstacy; her sorrow, moreover, was
founded upon a mistake Neverthe-
less it was real, and Jesus entered
into it and made it His own. True.
love doesn't ask how much founda-
ton there is in the sorrow of others.
In all our Affections, Jesus is
afflicted lisa. 63:9). However. I
cannot but think that in Jesus
"groans" Tvs. 33, 3S) there was
something more than sympathy. The
word translated "groaned" means
was very angry At what was
Jesus angry? At death, that great
masterpiece of the devil (Heb. 2.14),
which had through the century had
desolated so many homes and had
now dared enter the home of those
He loved ". 3D. But Jesus Himself
will shortly have an awful fight with
!, this monster and conquer him. The
Jews interpreted Jesus tears partly
Alright. Behold how He loved him.
they said. But it was not only him
He loved and therefore wept There
are many to-day who regard tears as
sign of weakness. The perfect man
Wept.
III. Take We away the stone,''
27-41. What a wonderful interplay
of the natural and the supernatural,
mans work and Gods work, there is
in the great works of Christ! Jesus
is about to perform one of His most
stupendous miracles: call back to life
man who has been four days dead;
but what man can do, man must do.
He alone can and He will raise the
dead, but man can and man first must
take away the stone. There is many
man dead in trespasses and sins to-
day whom Jesus wishes to get at and
raise; but He is calling to us, Take
away the stone and we don't obey;
SO the man is not raised What is
the stone that lies against the door
of the cave wherein your dead friend
lies? Take it away. How little Jesus
was understood. They fancy He just
wants to get in and see His dead
friend. Even Martha, to whom He
has just declared, Il am the Resur-
rection and the Life" forgets and
protests against the moving of the
stone He hath been dead four
days'-as if it made any difference
to the omnipotent Son of God" -'the
Resurrection and the Life" how long
a man had been dead, Why, the time
is coming when He shall speak the
wsrd and those who have been dead
four thousand years shall come forth.
III. Lazarus, come FORTH AZ
a5. He that was dead came forth.
A plain, calm, unvarnished statement
Of wonderful fact The story bears
the marks Of its genuineness in every
line. Who is He that by word thus
raises the dead? Only those who.
won't see can question Truly, this is
the Cbrjst. the Son of God