Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-07-08
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson lI.-Third Quarter, For
July IL, 1914.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, Mark X, 32-45.
Memory Verses, 43-45-Golden Text,
Mark X, 45-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. Nj. Stearns.


ing His death and resurrection is re-
corded in Matthew, Mark and Luke, but
the second part, concerning the request
of James and John and their mother.
In Matthew and Mark only. The words
''in the way" of verses II, 50, 81; xi, s;
Acts TX, ., II, 81, and elsewhere, while
they may generally mean nothing more
than on the road, are suggestive of Ps.
1, 6; cxix, /; John xiv, 6, and make one
think of the way of peace, the way of
the Lord duke i, 70; Iii. A.. and of what
it really means, to follow Him in the
way.
This is the third time that He spoke
plainly of His sufferings and death and
resurrection; but, although His words
seem so plain to US, they understood
none of these things luke xviii, 34),
because they knew not the Scriptures
concerning His death and resurrection
John Xxx, 81, having their own thoughts
about the kingdom, just as many today
know nothing of the second coming of
Christ, the distinction between the
church of the present age and the king
dom of the next age and the ages to
come, because they will not take heed
to what is written In the prophets con-
corning the Son of Man and the king
dom to be set up at His coming in
glory to judge the nations and to reign
In Righteousness lisa. xxi, l, II;
xxxiv, s; xxxv, 4, 10), but persist in
thinking that the kingdom is within US
and that all that the great work of re-
demption is for is to deliver people
from hell and get them to heaven.
This is the age of a kingdom post
poned because of a rejected Christ and
of gathering out from all nations
people to reign with Him, but who
must be content now to suffer with
Him, live separate from this present
evil age, not conformed to it, but SO
manifesting in it the meekness, lowli-
ness and love of Christ that we shall
show something of His life in these
mortal bodies and win people to Him.
The Holy Spirit has been given espe-
eially in this age to testify of a cruel
fed, risen and assembled Christ, who is
waiting at the Fathers right hand I'M
til the number of His elect, waiting,
suffering ones, shall have been COM
pleted, when He will take us to Him
self, reward US for service, appoint our
places in His kingdom and bring us
back with Him to reign (Acts xvi, 49,
Is; Thess, iv, 1918; Col. iii, 4; Rev. V,
0, 10). This Is no time for believer to
be seeking great things for himself or
his church or his denomination or so
ciety or in any way to make himself
name, but with all lowliness and meek
ness and long suffering and patience
walk worthy of Him who has called us
unto His kingdom and glory Eph, iv,
1. 2; Col, /, 10, II; Thess. ii, 12). who
came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister and to give His life a ransom
for many verse 40.
Even jeremiah in his day said to his
scribe Baruch, "Seekest thou great
things for myself, seek them not
DER. xiv, 81. AS 1t Is case of self or
the Lord and cannot be both, we must
persist in attaining to the fullness of
the experience of mot 1, but Christ
who liveth In me-" Not 1, but the
grace of God" in newness of life,
dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto
God through Jesus Christ our Lord"
delivered unto death for Jesus sake,
that the life also of Jesus might be
made manifest in our mortal fiesh;"
Risen with Christ and setting our af-
lection on things above" (Gal. ii, 20;
Cor. XIV, 10; Rom. vi. 4, IL; ii Cor. ",
10, IL; Col. iii, Ia.
Neither James nor John nor their
mother seemed to understand when
they came seeking preferment in the
kingdom, and it did seem so out of
place when He had just been speaking
Of His own sufferings and death. Even
on the last night, at the passover. as he
spoke of one of them betraying Him,
they were striving as to which of them
should be the greatest, giving Him oe-
casion to say Il am among you as he
that serveth" duke xxi, 21-27. No
teacher of man was ever so lonely, mis-
understood or unappreciated There Is
such depth of meaning in His words
mo man knoweth the Son but the
Father Matt xi. 20; 81 live by the
Father John vi 50. He spoke of the
cup given Him to drink and the bap-
tism of suffering which awaited Him
and asked if they could share it, and
they thought that their devotion to
Him was such that they could share
anything with Him, even to dying
with Him, as Peter said John xiii, 80.
They did not understand How could
they when they We're so dull as not to
receive His plain words about His own
dying? And when he was arrested that
last night and was about to be bound
and led away as prisoner Peter
would have delivered Him by his
sword If he could.
Oh, how little we understand of what
1t means to follow Him, to manifest
His life, to bear the burden of the
meek and lowly One, who, when He
was reviled, reviled not again; when
He suffered He threatened not, leav-
ing us an example that we should fol-
low His stems II PET IL Q1-23l When