The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-07-24
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Sunday School Notes
, Side Lights on Next Sundays
Lesson for Teachers and Pupils.
) Edited by CHAS. Il. MEYERS. {

| =
; Matt. 24-3O, 36-43.
The lesson this week calls our at
tention to the growth Of wheat in tn
fields. Again does Jesus, making celia
great truth take an illustration
which all can understand. The par
able begins with the familiar express
ion, ''The kingdom of heaven is like,
In other lessons it is said to be Like
the grain of mustard seed, like the
precious pearl, like wheat sown OF
various kinds Of soil Now it is sale
to be like man who soWed gooC
seed in his field and while he SLEPT
an enemy sowed tares. Both came
up and the servants Of the land own
er wanted to Immediately root out
the bad plants. The master said
however, that in now tearing up the
tares. the grain would be injured
and so it was best TO allow the good
and bad to grow together until the
! harvest time, and chen the tares
would be destroyed, but the wheat be
safely garnered.
Jesus in explaining this parable
said that He was the sower of the
| good seed and the devil, the one who
scattered the bad things, or tares. He
said that at the end of the world an
gel reapers would attend to- the har-
vest, and see that the tares were de-
srroyed, and the good seed or those
who loved and obeyed God cared for.
Jesus said further, '"Then shall the
righteous shine forth as the SUN in the
kingdom of their Father
This parable has ever been thought
to- give an explanation of why the
wicked and the good are allowed to
live side by side in the world, and
Why the wicked are not at once de-
stroyed root and branch Many may
thTnk that if they had the power they
would soon set the world to rights. In
tire case of political reformers who
take prominent place before the peo-
pie we find those who say IT they
could have a free hand to make the
laws, the conditions of the poor and
downtrodden would be made just
right. Among religious teachers and
sectS there are those who claim to
have an insight into Gods, mind which
would allow them TO give a perfect
rule for action. They could put their
finger on just who should come out
and be separate and perfect. Strange
as it may seem, the nrass OF their
fellow church members; and neigh
bors are not certain that these assert
i've true followers of God have indeed
such capable and uneIring Judgment
as to decide as to the motives behind
the lives of the people, and to tell
Just who are holy and just who are
NOT.
One of the truths of the parable to
us is that the time will never" come as
long as people as constituted as they
are now, when all sin will be voluntar-
ly or by legal processes, done away
with. This does not discourage
christians from doing their utmost to
make the world better, never dimln-
ishing their work to uplift men and
women and point them the way to
rel, Sc, toll iI1St
who will finally take note and turn
to God and thus gain the blessed
eternal life which comes by belief
in Jesus.
The parable teaches us to be
patient, feeling that God knows best
and that He will in His own time
| Judge the world with righteous judg-
ment. We do not know just the
state of mind of even our best friends
and certainly not of those whom we
are not intimate with. Those whom
| YOU and | might think "tares" may in
truth be wheat. 1t is truly said that
| man looks on the outer appearance,
| but God on the inner heart. Let 1t
| ever be remembered that in the end
each must stand for himself before
God, and that one cannot plead what
others did or did not do, but what he
or she did.
DO not fail to understand the prom
| is then shall the righteous shine
forth as the sun in the kingdom OF
| their father" That promise is for
you and me. We can all attain to the
| righteousness which will entitle us
| to shine as the sun and it is our bus
mess to so live that we can do so.
| The lesson as whole sheds much
lignt on many things which are hard
| to understand Jesus recognizes a
bad influence in the world which He
calls the devil and gives warning
| that it is trying to overthrow the
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