The Yale expositor., 1910-04-22
Warning and
Invitation
Sunday School Lesson for April "a, 1910
Specially Arranged for This Paper
LESSON TExT.-Matthew l1,20-sO. Mem


LESSON TEXT.-Matthew I1;2o-So. Mem
DRY verses. $3.50.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"Come unto me. all
we that labor and are heavy laden, and
will give you rest"-Matt. 1l:S.
TIME.-LulIe shows us that the time
was a year and half after our last
lesson, ir connection with the mission OF
the seventy. December A. D. 20.
PLACE-Somewhere In Perea. on the
way 10 Jerusalem.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Our last lesson was a discussion OF
doubt-honest doubt and dishonest
doubt. We heard our Lord. after
highly praising John, who haze proved
his readiness to follow the light as fast
as he received it, turn with stern up
braiding to the scribes and Pharisees,
who had proved themselves unwilling
TO receive the light, though brought to
them in such different ways as by
John and Christ. Our present lesson
carries the same theme further, discus
sing the most important of all subjects,
the rejection or acceptance of the Sa-
viour.
Rejecting Christ.-When did Christ
speak the words we are to study?
Matthew would seem to imply that he
spoke them Immediately after the
coming and going of the messengers
from John the Baptist But Luke
(10:13-16. 81, 22) reports almost identi-
cally the same words in connection
with the return of the seventy, more
than year later
What were the cities that Christ up
braided? The cities of Galilee, where
in most OF his mighty works were
done" Three are named as samples.
Chorazin, probably about one mile
north of the upper part of the Sea of
Galilee; Bethsaida, city situated by
the Jordan where II empties into the
Sea of Galilee from the north, and Ca
pernaum, our Lords own city, to which
he removed from Nazareth, and where
he wrought many mighty works.
Why did Christ reproach these
cities? Because, though given so many
opportunities, they had not repented."
That was why Christ preached and
worked miracles, to bring men to re-
pentance.
With what cities did Christ compare
| these favored towns OF Galilee? With
| Tyre and Sidon, Phoenician cities on
the Mediterranean coast to the north
west. Sidon was very ancient city,
and Tyre, its offspring, was in Christ's
day the chief commercial city of Pal
estine, and probably the largest, next
| to Jerusalem. Also with Sodom, the
city on the Dead Sea destroyed with
| Gomorrah in the days of Abraham.
Receiving Christ.-Vs. 1927. Christ.
then passed from denunciation and
warning to joyful thanksgiving What
was the occasion of the transition? "At
that time" should be translated (R W
"at that season." Luke connects the
| following words with the return of
the seventy; they are a prayer of re-
| joicing over the favorable reception
accorded them. Perhaps the same
thoughts were uttered on the return of
| the twelve (see v. l of this chapter
of Matthew.
Peace in Christ-Vs. $3.50. We have
studied the picture of those that reject
Christ and the picture of those that
accept him. The great discourse closes
with a famous picture of the condition
of those that viii accept Christ, that
will hear and heed his loving invita-
ton.
To whom is Christ's invitation ad-
| dressed? In the first place, to all"
There was need for the insertion of
| that wide word Had not the
Saviour said little before, Thou hast
hid these things from the wise and
prudent ?'-Spurgeon. In the second
place, to all that labor and are heavy
laden" This describes the burdens of
humanity both actively and passively,
those that are worn by ceaseless
toll, and those that In silence and OBJ
security are bearing loads that no one
knows about, are alike invited TO
Jesus. The poor under the load of
! poverty, sinners under the weight of
guilt, business men staggering under
heavy esponsibilities,-al are in
cluded in the precious invitation. "All
men are miserable; all men are by
nature the children of wrath; all men
are laboring in the vain pursuit of
earthly happiness; all, therefore, may
| COnSluer themselves invited. -HrOI.
Archibald Alexander.
What are these weary ones invited
to do? Simply to come" to Jesus
The Greek is stronger than our Eng
lish, and is, literally, "Hither to me,
all weary and burdened!"
And the result of going to Jesus
is? IL will give you rest"
But what is this rest that Christ will
give? We usually stop here. and lose
the force Of the message. "In the first
verse the Physician opens his door to
receive his patients; in the following
verses he prescribes for them. To take
the one part of the utterance without
the remainder of It is like going to a
great doctor and coming away again
only to hing his prescription into the
fre"-Principal Adeney. The rest
that Christ gives consists of CD disci-
pleship. Learn OF me-" and CD Take
my yoke upon you"