The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-07-03
Sunday School Notes
Side Lights on Next Sundays
Lesson for Teachers and Pupils.
Edited by cHAs. x. MEYERS.
!.
July Z. Malignant Unbelief. Mark


July Z. Malignant Unbelief. Mark
3, 1925.
The lessons for the new quarter con-
tinue to tell us of the wonderful things
of the New Testament. Our lesson OF
this date portrays one of the busy
days in the life of Jesus for such was
the persistency of the people to see
and hear Him, that His party could
hardly have chance to eat. This is
found in the first verse. So enthusi-
astic, however, had Jesus become in
preaching and doing miracles that His
friends seemed alarmed that He was
losing His mind and laid hands on
Him, to take Him away. His moth
err and brethren came to use their in
fiuence to divert Him from His work.
The answer Jesus made to their en-
treaties we will speak of later on.
One of the truths to be drawn from
this lesson is the need of such enthus-
iasm in religious work as that shown
by Jesus. When child he said, 81
must be about my fathers, business.
During the three years Of His work
in public He took little rest, but with
zeal, preached, went from place to
place, healed the sick. Jesus was in
dead earnest. The slur is sometimes
made, that if christians really be-
lieved that eternal death was in store
for every one who is not protested
christian, they would be much more
energetic in working to save men. 1t
is indeed true that christians do not
act as earnestly as they should. One
who does, however, is ridiculed as
religious crank, as was the Savior
when on earth. No man is success
full in business affairs unless he puts
time, brains, industry into pushing it.
and the same rule holds good in pub
fishing the truths of christianity.
The enemies of Jesus attacked him
at this time by insisting that he was
in league with the devil and drove
evil spirits out of people because OF
having such a spirit Himself. Max
ing defense from this false statement,
Jesus insists that if He We're connect
ed with satan he would not be casting
out devils, for this would be fighting
for the overthrow of the kingdom of
satan. Jesus uses the oft-repeated
words: "If house is divided against
itself, that house cannot stand"
Jesus was 0FlucuIIy SSly IAu1SIAoAl
at these reviling unbelievers. There
they were, with the gospel ringing in
their ears, the evidences of His d.
vinity shown in the miracles which
they could not deny, yet they laughed
Him to scorn. In view of this Jesus
announced that theirs was sin
against the Holy Ghost which would
not be forgiven, and that they were
in danger of eternal damnation.
The warning for us is this: There
is such a thing as reviling God and
sacred things to such limit as to
harden our hearts, so they are like
stone to holy influences. If the Cos
pei message is presented to us clearly,
often, when we have our full senses,
and in the face of this We revile, ridi-
Guile, turn from it's teaching, try to1
turn others from belief, by our out
spoken opposition, there may come a
time when this is "blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost" and then our con-
dition is most pitiable. This is the
way we look at this matter, and to
US it is reasonable.
We call special attention to the an
swer made by Jesus to those who told
Him that His mother and brethren
called for Him. The answer is this:
"Whosoever shall do the will of God,
the same is my brother and my sister,
and mother" This answer convinces
us that the earthly parents of Jesus
had no special claim on influencing
His actions as to dl:ine things. 1t
puts us all as His mother. sister.
brother, if we do the. will of God. How
grand, how precious this is. Jesus is
indeed our elder brother, and we are
joint heirs with Him of the blessings
0f lifo ofornAl