The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-08-24
SCHOOL,
Lesson VIIl.--Third Quarter, For
Aug. rs, 1912.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.


before the Sermon on the Mount, TO a
time soon after the first miracle at
Cana and the meeting with the wo.
man of Samaria. according to Matt
xiii, 1888; Mark vi, 1-6 He did re-
visit Nazareth after the events In last
weeks lesson and taught in the syna-
gogue, but could do mighty work, ex-
cept healing q few sick folk. because
Of their unbelief. They were aston
ished at His wisdom. but they were
offended at Him and said: Whence
hath this man all these things? Is not
this the Carpenter, the Son Of Mary,
the brother Of James and Joses and
Of Juda and Simon, ana are not his
sisters here with us9' He only replied,
"a prophet is not without honor but
In his own country and among his own
kin and in his own house" Because
He said something similar in our les
son for today some one must have
thought the incidents the same, and
the more perhaps because Luke only
records this, and only Matthew and
Mark the other. The incident of this
lesson occurred very early in His min
istry, while that was much later and
was probably His last visit to Naza-
reth. Turning to this lesson, we note
that it was His custom to go to syna-
gogue IN the Sabbath day, and 1t could
not have been for the benefit received
from any discourse there, but there
was always a portion read from the
law, the prophets and the psalms, and
that could not but be profitable to a
truly devout mind. Forsaking the as
Sembling together is n of the com
mon and increasing sins of our day,
disobeying Heb. x, %. There is a
great f~orsaking Of the house of God
and despising of His word, but all
things hasten to the contamination,
and the kingdom shall be the Lords,
On this particular Sabbath He was
asked to read, and there was given Him
the roll " book of the prophet Isaiah.
Finding the place known TO as as chap
ter lxi, He read just a few sentences
and closed the book or roll and gave
It again to the minister and sat down,
With. what expression He must have
read! It was surely according to Neh.
viii, 8. He read distinctly and gave
the sense, and now, having taken His
seat, He vas about to cause them to
hear. He was about to cause them to
understand the reading. We do not
wonder that the eyes of all in the
synagogue were fastened on Him
verse 20), for if this was His first
reading IT was the first time they had
eve heard the Son Of God read from
His own book. How wonderful and
startling were the words He uttered,
''This day is this Scripture fulfilled in
your earsr' (21.1 For a literal fulfill
ment of each sentence that He read
see Luke vii, %; vii, u; viii, q; TX,
80; xiii, 16; John *. 1t was SO through
all His ministry. Amounted with the
Holy Ghost and with power, He went
about doing good and healing all that
were oppressed Of the devil, for God
was with Him tActs K, 3Sl. They
could not but wonder at His gracious
words. and yet they could not forget
that He was their own townsman, who
had been brought up in their midst.
whom they had seen and known day
by day for nearly thirty years. Had
He not made and nended their plows
and yokes many a timer What could
He mean by His reference of that
Scripture to Himself? Whom did He
think Himself to be? Truly they knew
Him not; but, oh, If they only had be-
lieved His word and inquired of Him
more fully and meekIy, how grand it
might have been for themI What a
heartache (as we would say Israel
always gave him, drawing from Him
such words as: "Oh. that they were
wise, that they understood, that they
would considerl" IF thou hadst
known How often would I, .
and We would notI'' Israel would none
OF me" Deut xxxii, 90; Luke xix, ~;
Matt xiii, 81; Ps. lxxxi, III. How
patient and long suffering He has beenl
But there is a limit and SO they have
been scattered now these many CEN
turtles, and He has been keeping ST.
lence. bearing with His church and
the nations and the devil. but there
was a sentence in Isaiah which He did
not read that day at Nazareth. He
stopped just as He came to it and shut
the book.
We are still living in the acceptable
year Of the Lord and stiIl waiting for
the day Of vengeance OF our God upon
His enemies and the time to comfort
all who mourn In Zion Qsa Xxi, 2, 8;
xiii, ~. See Ps. l, 1-3; lisa. Xvi, IL, 16.
They seem to have been offended not
only at His saying, but also because
He did not In their town some Of the
mighty works He had done at Caper-
naun. He reminded them that In the
days of Elijah and Elisha 1t was not a
widow or a leper In Israel who was in
a special manner helped. but a widow
of Sidon and a leper from Syria, al.
though at that time there were many
widows and lepers 10 Israel. It seems
strange that when people of their own
Will cut themselves of from blessings
they grow angry because they are not
blessed. But such In the ~perversity of
the carnal mind. which III enmity
against tiod Those words about Fli.
jah md Elisha filled them with wrath.
Md riley wtllld have Killed Hin haA