Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-09-30
SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR OCT. 4
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Commentary Prepared I'm An Inter-
esting Way by Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns

priests 10 betray Him. The amounting
Is recorded by Matthew, Mark aud
john; the mention OF the passover and
of the sin OF Judas by Matthew, Mark
and Luke. According 10 Matt. XVI,
!, =, ii was after Jesus had finished
the sayings OF chapters XIV and XIV
and two days before the passover that
He spoke of His approaching betrayal
and crucihxion, aud we would con-
clude from Matthew and Mark that
the supper and amounting took place at
that time.
From the account In John xii Ii
would seem that IL was six days be-
fore the passover and preceding the so
called triumphal entry that they had
the supper and amounting. 1t seems
impossible 10 arrange clearly some
times the sequence of all the events In
our Lords life, but the gospels were
written that we might know Himself
rather than the order OF events In His
life
II Is TO some confusing that while
Luke does not record this amounting,
he does mention an AMOUNTING I'm chap
ter vii, 1850, which was Also i'm the
house OF man called Simon. But
that was an altogether different event.
much earlier I'm His ministry and by a
woman whose name Is not given,
whose sins He forgaye. The event OF
our lesson was In the home of Martha
and Mary In Bethany. whose brother.
Lazarus, had been raised from the
dead Gohn XII, |, y. Matthew and
Mark say that II was in the house Of
Simon the leper, but what relation he
was to Martha and Mary we are not
know. IL we think OF IL, and Il seems
wise to do So, we can ask them when
we see them. John says that Lazarus
sat at the table with Him. What a
suggestive saying! The man who had
been four days I'm the spirit world back
OIL earth alive and well--a man whom
the chief priests consulted to put to
death because that by reason OF him
many OF the Jews went away and be
lieyed In Jesus Uohn xii, 9-llL
At this supper Martha served, but
there is no record OF her being cum
bered ms In Luke x. 40. so we may
hope that she had grown spiritually
since that incident
In view OF such words rs Phil. Nv.
g, Z: / Pet V. I. we should never he
numbered or anxious. The words
They made Him supper" make us
think OF ilis~post ascension words In
Rev. Ill, %. and OF the blessed assur.
ance that II any one will open the door
He will come In and sup with them.
As He sat at meat Mary came with
an alabaster box containing pound
OF ointment 81 spikenard. very costly.
and she broke the box and poured II
on His head and anonted His feet and
Matt xvi. Z; John xii, -. Not only
was the house filed with the odor OF
the ointment. but also the whole world,
for He said in verse o that wherever
I'm all the world the gospel should he
preached, this that she hath done shall
be spoken OF for n memorial Of her.
This was real worship on the part OF
Mary, heart alteration, and II was very
costly on her part and very precious
to His heart We are reminded OF
saying OF David In Ill Sam. xiv. "a,
Neither will offer burnt offerings
unto the Lord my God Of that which
doth cost me nothing" Some one has
said that in Martha. Mary and Laza-
rus we have sample Of a well round
ed Christian life-in Martha restful
service, In Mary real worship and In
Lazarus the power OF risen life.
There will always be some indignant
ones when more than ordinary (Which
Is ordinarily very little) is given to
Him. 1t will be called waste and by
other names, while all spent upon our
selves will seem NIL right. Judas
Tscariot IS called thief In John Xii O.
but what about the thieves OF Nal
Ill, 8? IL His love to us does not con-
strain us 10 spend more for Him than
on ourselves then II is evident that
we love ourselves most
How comforting His word LET her
alone, she hath wrought a
good work on me- verse O.. Would
that some other faultfnding meddlers
might hear His let aloner' II we
are sure that we are doing all Unto
Him" we may be confident Of His APP
proval whatever others may say, His
other word. "She hath done what she
could" Verse ~. we may not he so
sure OF. for OF how few can II be said
that we have done I'll that we could.
He is the judge and will surely give
all possible credit that He can.
He said that she anointed His body
beforehand for burying. and believe
that was her purpose. that she so in
tended Il. for II was her custom. when
she could to SIT ut His feet and hear
His word. She was not found with the
other women who bought spices to
anoint His dead body and never used
them for that purpose She seemed to
understand about His cruel death at
the hand of His enemies and that she
could not minister to Him then, so
having made her preparation, she
watched for her opportunity. and He
arranged II for her. for he read her
heart How awful the contrast be-