The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-04-14

Lesson III.-Second Quarter.
For April II, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES

Text of the Lesson, Matt. XII, 1-1o.
Memory Verses, q, @Golden Text,
John v, 36-Commentary Prepared by
Rev. D. NJ. Stearns.
After the commission of last lesson
both Jesus and His disciples departed
and went through the towns preaching
the gospel and healing every where.
See verse /, with Mark vi, II, 10; Luke
tx. g. We may imagine the result from
such a passage as Matt. iv, a. In
Luke vii. 1918. we read that after
Jesus raised the widows son to life
the people glorified God. saying that a
great prophet is risen up among us
and that God hath visited His people.
And this rumor Of Him went forth
throughout all Judea and throughout
all the region roundabout. Mad the dis"
cipIes Of John showed him of all these
things This explains how. according
to verse :, of our lesson. John heard ii
the ll'i'on the works of Christ We
learn from chapter xiv that John WAS
pat il! p:'Si;.l because he had fearesSly
icbuked sii in high places. danger
tils thing to do if ones own comfort r.
considered when the powers that be-
ara IL league with the devil. So Mi
,.;!iah. son Of Inlll. found it when for
SPEAK III" the truth he was put in priS-
NJ! ana fed on the bread aud water If
afiiction Zechariah. son of .Iehoiada.
WAS stoned to death because he teSti
fvfl that the people We're in trouble be-
cat;se they had forsaken the Lord On
Chron xviii. %. 2G; xiv. 20 2D. The
hatred of the world. however. is not
strange for the devil is The god Of this
age, and he is the great adversary Of
| Cd and man. But when one is suffer
| ing fer righteousness sake ard cur
/ Goi, whose we are and whom we serve.
| seems not to hear us and sends no tln-
! liyerance then it becomes very pcrpipX-
! in" to any but the strongest faith. See
Joseph as slave and prisoner, Martha
ard Mary with sick and dying broth
| er and John the Baptist seemingly
| neglected and forgotten. In reply 10
| Johns question by his two disciples
Jesus in that same hour wrought many
miracles and said to the ncSsengtrS.
eco and slew John again those Things
which We do hear and see" verses
SO; Luke vii, 20. 81 He also said as
much as do not be offended. John, if
| do not come to see yOu, and do not
think it strange if do not release
you" We must remember His words
in John xvi. IS; lisa. l. TO-
The messengers from John having
departed. Jesus said to the miHtitGdas
concerning John that he was the o!lc
| foretold by Isaiah and Malachi as the
messenger who would prepare the way
of the Messiah lisa. Xl. 3; Nal. iii. H..
1 He also said that among them that
arc born of women there hath not
risen greater than John the Eip-
fist verse ID. We remember that
Gabriel said. He shall be great i'll the
sight of the Lord, he shall b.
filed with the Holy Ghost, s. he
Shall go before Him in the spirit and
power of Elias" luke i. 1J-1T not
great in the sight of men, but ready IL
| testify or suffer or die that God may
b. .slorified. Ia connection with John $
| greatness our Lord added, lie llla.
is least i'll the Kingdom of heaven is
greater than he" {verse III. This has
perpieXed many because. perhaps, they,
have not noticed that Jesus did not
say the least in heaven" but the
least in the kingdom of heaven. or
kingdom of God luke vii, 2&,, which
means the kingdom to be set UP on
this earth when Jesus shall be king
over all the earth. When the Kingdom
comes John himself shall be greater
than he ever was when here in hunilia-
ton. The least In the glUriiipd lGdy.
like Jesus Himself Il John iii. -. shall!
be greater than the greatest here in Il
mortal body There is more light for
us upon this in due time. but let us con-
siGer the greatness of bein. like Him.
and so continually behold Him as to
be more like Him now.
The kingdom suffering violence tvarse
II, evidently refers to the violence
which John was now suffering and
| which Jesus. the King. was soon to
suffer at the hands of the rulers. See
Luke xvi, 16, X. Y. They killed the
herald and also cruelty murdered the
King. They they violently pressed
against the kingdom and caused it's
in His glory. Stephen summed it up
in his discourse when he said. "Ye
stiff necked and uncirculnciSed i'll heart
and ears. We do always resist the Holy
Ghost-as your fathers did. 50 do We.
Which of the prophets have not your
fathers prosecuted? And they have
slain them which showed before of the
coming Of the Just One; OF whom We
have been now the betrayers and muir
derers" (Acts vii. 81. 52,.
John the Baptist came in the spirit
and power of Elijah. and had they re-
ceiyed him and the Messiah whom he
heralded the kingdom would have
come (verse III; but. having acted as
they did the real Elijah must come to
herald the return of Christ in glory
/ (Iatt. xvii. 1919. Let those receive
it who can.
They said that John had demon,
and Jesus they called il gluten and Il
winebibber and friend of publicans
and sinners. We must not therefore
think it strange if we receive similar
| treat fnppt and arc n,1m baraf wit n tron &C
grassors. reviled and prosecuted for
His sake. We must consider Him who
endured les we become weary. He