The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-08-07
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
lesson Ws--Third Quarter, For
Aug. 9, 1914.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

by FtSSs ~ Ma SpS&Fp&s
Having spent the night at Bethany,
they returned on the morrow to Jeru-
salem. Probably they returned early
In the morning, and He at least seems
to have had no morning meal, for He
was hungry. See His real humanity
IN that He hungered, thirsted, was
weary, wept John fv, 6. 7; dy35). See
His humility in that He consented to
be thus dependent upon others on this
earth, which He Himself had made.
Though He was rich, for our sakes He
became poor that We through His pow
erty might be forever rich John l.,
10, IL; II Cor. viii, 81. He was no
doubt literally hungry, but as there
not John ~, 32), so there were a hun
ger and thirst of which they knew not.
He hungered for fruit from Israel.
who proved to be an empty vine, bring
ing forth fruit unto himself; a bad
vine, bearing only wild grapes CLOS. X.
This lesson is recorded in Matthew
and Luke, as well as in Mark, or at
least part Of it. Matthew says that He
saw a fig tree in the way, and Mark
says that He saw it afar of. Both
phrases are suggestive OF the facts
that, while Israel professed to be in
the way, she was really afar off. Hav-
ing leaves was a profession of fruit
bearing; His finding nothing but leaves
was disappointing barrenness. The
parable of the fig tree in Luke xiii, SO,
shows His patience with His fig tree.
His saying in Matt. vii. 10, teaches
that It requires a real fig tree to bear
figs. The first reference to fig leaves
In the Bible shows mans vain effort
to substitute something instead of the
beautiful garments Of light which he
had lost Gen. iii, 2, while the refer
ence In Hab. LII, IT, is, shows that,
though ali that is Of nature should fail,
yet we may find real cause Of rejoicing
in the Lord Himself. Young translates
forever (verse ~ to the age" and
we know that, while Israel as a nation
has borne no fruit since she rejected
Christ, the time Is coming when
Israel shall blossom and bud and fill
the face of the world with fruit" Qsa.
Exvii, 81. He came to jerusalem and
went into the temple and began to
cleanse IT, as He had done at the be-
ginning of His ministry John ii, 1910.
Jerusalem was the national center.
and the temple was the spiritual cen
ter, as the heart is the vital center OF
our being, and true cleansing must
'be from the center outward. Man
looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart. He
says: II, the Lord, search the heart I
try the reins even to give every man
according to his ways and according
to the fruit of his doings'' q Sam. xvi,
z; Jer. xvii, 10). See a beautiful and
appropriate prayer in Ps. cxxxtx, %,
"a. In the cleansing in II John He ac~
cused them of making His Fathers
house a house of merchandise, while
here He says that instead OF its being
a house of prayer they had made It q
I den of thieves (verse 10. The refer
j ence is to lisa. Ivt, Z, mine house shall
, be called an house Of prayer for all
people," and to Jer. vii, II, 'Is this
house which is called by my name be-
come a den Of robbers in your eyesY'
The question Is asked in Nal. I'll, s.
'Wtl a man rob God?" And 1t is
also answered. Instead of recognizing
all things as given us by God to hold
for Him ana use az His stewards
many are more apt to say: "Our Hips
land all things are our own. Who is
lord over usT" Cps. XII, ~ The only
right attitude is that OF David when
he said, "AlI things come OF Thee, and
of Thine own have we given Thee"
q Chron. xxx, ~.
The temple was originally built for
the Lord that He might dwell there In
the midst Of His people Israel and
that all people Of the earth might
know Him and fear and serve Him
q Kings viii, 1900, but now that the
Lord had come to His own temple He
was crowded out by business and self
seeking. It is even so still In the
churches, which are supposed to be for
His worship, but from which He is ex-
Guided by many things and by worldly
ways and in which there Is often no
room for Him. He is often, as In Rev.
fiji, 20, tnquiring IL any person will
open his hearts door to Him, hardly
expecting that a church viii welcome
Him. ..
The chief priests and scribes were in-
creasingly determined to destroy Him
because His teaching was SO opposed
to theirs. He taught daily in the tenn
pie and at night went out to the Mount
of Olives, for there seemed to be no
more OF a home welcome for Him any
where than there was in the temple
duke xxi, 81; John vii. So; viii. ~. tt
was and still is the same old story,
'No room for Him" duke Il, q. His
thoughts and ways are SO far above
ours that In our low and unworthy
way OF looking at things we cannot
seem to welcome Him as we should.
In the morning as they returned 10 the
city the disciples marveled to see the
fg tree withered away. Then came
His great word about a mountain be-
ing removed IL we only had faith
verse %; Matt. xxi. 21). Compare
Matt xvii, 20. Notice HIS Have
faith In God'' and the "Have faith ana
doubt not OF Matthew and His What
soever he saith and What things s0-
ever We desire" Of lesson verses %, ~.