The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-05-11
Sunday School Column.
Side Lights on Next Sunday Les
son for Teachers and Pupils.
BY CHAs. K. MEYERS

May 10. GrOWlHS I1dIEoU W SSouo'
Matt. 70: 2232, 3S-42.
When one considers that Jesus
came to the earth with message of
love and that he went about doing
good, healing the sick, curing the
blind and bringing life to many that
were dead. it seems strange that He
encountered SO much opposition and
hatred. OF course 1t should be remem-
bered that the religion which He
taught was opposed in many respects
ito that taught by the leaders of the
Jewish nation. 1t had been over four
hundred years since there had been
any direct communication between
God and man. No prophet had arisen
to give the people direction. In these
years there had grown up q system.
religion which, while great in its
forms. lacked the true heartedness.
The Scribes and Pharisees were tena-
cious tor the religion which they
knew, and thus intolerant of the re-
forms which Jesus taught.
Jesus, at one time, in talking to His
disciples, told them that they were not
greater than He. That as He had
been prosecuted, SO would they. 1t
has been thus from the days Of Jesus
until now. The Christian religion has
encountered most bitter opposition.
although its mission has been to uplift
and uphold the doctrine that love and
compassion and tenderness should be
the handspring of our conduct. The
most devoted and pure minded Christ
Z ian pastor sand teachers have had to
encounter an opposition which seems
unaccountable. 1t is not surprising
4 that this is the case in foreign lands
where ancient religions have held
sway for thousands of years, but it
would seem as If in America, where
the good tendencies of the Bible re-
ligion are recognized, that fierce oppo-
sition to it should cease.
In one of the verses of the lesson
Jesus speaks of sin against the
Holy Ghost, and said that this should
not be forgiven, neither in this world
or in the world to come. No one
is able to say just exactly what this
sin against the Holy, Ghost is. OF
course, there have been many pages
of explanation, but none entirely sat
isfactory. There is one thing clear,
however. There is such thing as
carrying ones opposition and denun-
citation of Christ and holy things too
far, and that every human being is
capable of doing certain things which
will make him forever unacceptable
to the kingdom of God.
While it would appear that many
professed Christians in our day say
that they do not believe in miracles
and much of the history of the jew
ish people as found in the Old Tesla
ment, yet it is clear that Jesus, the
Christ, believed all. He took the Incl
dent of the raising Of the brass SER
pent upon pole by Moses to form q
parallel for His own body being lifted
up on the cross. AS the people who
looked with faith upon the raised ser
pent were cured of their sickness, 80
those who looked to the cross of Jesus
with faith are cured of their spiritual
sins. Many have. Of course, heard OF
the account of Jonah being in the fish
for three days, and then, on being
released, preceding to Nineveh and
preaching the words which God had
told Him to proclaim. Some have
assumed to say that this was totally
untrue. We ind that Jesus in the
.