Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-04-04
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson Second Quarter, Fer
April 5, 1908.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text of the Lesson, John x, 1-1S.
Memory Verse, 9-GoIden Text, John
X, 11-Commentary Prepared by Rev.
D. M. Stearns.
copyright, 1905, by American Press Association
In this gospel we have already seen
Him as the Life and the Light, the
Lamb of God, the Temple of God, the
Bridegroom, the Messiah, Son of God,
King of Israel, the Fountain of Living
Water, the Judge of all Mankind, the
Living Bread from Heaven, but in this
lesson He is the Good Shepherd, lay
ing down His life for the sheep, and
He is also the Door, the only way of
entrance to the fold.
To Israel God said, I'VE, my flock.
the flock of my pasture are men, and
David by the Spirit sang, I'VE are His
people and the sheep of His pasture"
(EZek. xXxiv, 81; Ps. c, 3. 1t is true
of both Jews and gentiles that "all
we, like sheep, have gone astray," and
each one can say for himself, Il have
gone astray like a lost sheep Qsa.
lii, 6; Ps. cXix, 176). When sheep have
strayed, as they are SO prone to do, it
is not their way to return home. They
must be sought by the shepherd, and
from the story of Adam and Eve all
the way down the Lord is ever the
seeker. He rejoices when He finds
lost one to lay it on His shoulders and
bring it home. He gathers the lambs
with His arm and carries them in His
bosom and gently leads those that are
with young duke XIV, 81; lisa. xl, I'D.
He is spoken of as the Shepherd of
Israel, who leadest Joseph like flock,
and some day the great shepherd
psalm (XxiiD as well as their national
anthem, written so long ago Qsa. KID,
shall be truly sung by all Israel. Hap
by indeed are all who can now sing
from the heart, 1.-THE Lord is my Shep-
herdr' Israel has had shepherds who
scattered the sheep and who fed them
selves instead Of the flock, but she
shall yet have one Shepherd who will
feed them In a good pasture upon the
high mountains of Israel, and they
shall be a blessing to many. There
shall be showers of blessing DER. xiii;
Eek. xxxiv). While we wait for Is
rael's future and worldwide blessing
through them there is a fold for His
saved ones now, to whom He gives
eternal life and concerning whom He
says, ''They shall never perish; neither
shall any pluck them out Of my hand"
oversees 27-30. DR.. Morgan tells Of
shepherd who, explaining about there
being no door to his sheepfold, said,
ooh, am the door, and when all my
sheep are in and the night comes down
l lie down across the doorway, and no
sheep goes out except over my pros
trate figure, and no wolf comes in ex-
cept over me-" There is no other en-
trance to this fold but by the Door,
even Jesus Himself, the Way, the
Truth, the Life, but any man may en-
ter by this door and be saved, and then
in all the going in and out of daily life
be kept and nourished and cared for
by the Good Shepherd Verse 8; Ps.
cxxi, s; John xiv, 6; Heb. x, 10, 20).
There are those who try to enter 9th
erwise than by the door, but He says
that all such are thieves and robbers,
for they attempt to appropriate that
which can be had only in Christ by
virtue of His life laid down for the
lost. Speaking Of those who came be-
fore Him as thieves, He cannot refer
to patriarchs or prophets or John the
Baptist, but to such as would take His
place, if possible, and lead people after
themselves. The sense may be seen in
Elk. Xxx, 3, "Thou shalt have no other
gods before Me-" and an illustration
is seen in lisa. XVI, 10, 20 Lord, our
God, other lords beside Thee have had
dominion oyer u.s." The devil, the
great destroyer, and all his agents seek
to usurp the place that belongs to the
Lord alone, but only to steal, to kill,
to destroy. The one aim of the Good
Shepherd is to give life to those who
are being destroyed and when deliv-
cred from the destroyer to give them
life more abundantly (verse 10). He
never seeks aught for Himself, but
all for His sheep, whom the Father
has given to Him. The hirelings, who
think more of the hire than of the
sheep, are described in Phil. ii, 81;
iii, Is, 10, as those who seek their own
and not the things which are Jesus
Christ's, enemies Of the cross of Christ,
who mind earthly things.
Jesus seemed to take delight in the
fact that He was in the Father and the
Father in Him Verse So, and He de-
sires us to have the same joy chapter
xvii, 21-23), that the world may be
lieve and know. We must remember
that when He dwells in us and we in
Him the world will hate and i'll treat
us, as it did Him, for unto US it is
given in the behalf of Christ not only
to believe on Him, but also to suffer
for His sake (Phil. i, 29). Green pas
lures and waters of quietness will be
ours just so far as they are for our
highest good, but if He lead otherwise
such a shepherd cannot make a mis-