The Tupelo journal., 1910-04-22
Warming and
Invitation
Sunday School Lesson for April "a, 1910
Specially Arranged for This Paper


LESSON TExT.-Matthew 11:2o-so. Mem
Dry verses, 1880.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"Come unto me. all
We that labor and are heavy laden. and /
will give you rest."-Matt. 11:2S.
TIME.-Luke shows us that the time
was a year and a half after our last
lesson, in connection with the mission OF
the seventy. December A.. d. %.
PLACE.-Somewhere in Perea, on the
way to 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 had proved
his readiness to follow the light as fast
as he received 1t, 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
Q0:13-16, Fl, 22) reports almost identi-
cally the same words in connection
with the return of the seventy, more
than a 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, a city situated by
the Jordan where it 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 r%epented."
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 a 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. 1921. Christ
then passed from denunciation and
warning to joyful thanksgiving. What
was the occasion of the transition? "At
that time" should be translated Or. W
lat that season." Luke connects the
following words with the return of
the seventy; they are a prayer of re-
joicing lover the favorable reception
accorded them. Perhaps the same
thoughts were uttered on the return of
the twelve (see v. 1 of this chapter 2
of Matthew.
Peace in Christ.-Vs. 1880. 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 will 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 a 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 ceaselesa
toll, and those that in silence and OBJ
security are bearing loads that 10 one
knows about, are alike invited tG
Jesus. The poor under the load OF
poverty, sinners under the weight oil
guilt, business men staggering under
heavy responsibilities,-all are in
CluOou Ill tlo pICClOuS iuflIdtiOu. IA.
men are miserable; all men are by
nature the children of wrath; all mer
are laboring in the vain pursuit OF
earthly happiness; all, therefore, may
consider themselves invited."-Prof
Archibald Alexander.
What are these weary one 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. I'm the first
verse the Physician opens his door to
receive his patients; in the following
verses he prescriSes 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 fling his prescription into the
fre."-Principal Adeney. The rest
that Christ gives consists of Cd disci-
pleship, Learn of me-" and (2) Take
my yoke upon YOU"
A Parable.
There was once a man and he had
all the bodily equipment that a man