Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-06-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
FOR LESSON JUNE 10
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Text of the Lesson, John xix, 1880.
Memory Verses, 26, 27-GOlden
Text, Cor. XIV, documentary
Prepared by Rev. d. M. Stearns.

also sent him word to have nothing to
10 with that Just man, for she had
suffered many things In a dream be-
cause of Him (Matt. xvii, 19. Peter
testified after Pentecost that Plate
was determined to let Him go (Acts
Iii, 49,. He evidently thought when
he asked them to choose between
Christ and Barabbas as to which he
should release unto them that they
would surely ask for Christ. But they
cried out, "Not this man, but Barab-
bas," although Barabbas was robber
and murderer Chapter xviii, 40; Acts
Iii, 40. Pilates fear to touch Him In
creased when the Jesus said that His
crime was that He said He was the
Son Of God Verse y. When Plate
asked Him about this Jesus at first
made no reply, but little later said
to him, Thou couldest have no power
against Me except it were given thee
from above; therefore he that deliv-
cred Me unto thee hath the greater
sin" (verse III.
The first part of this reply must re-
fer to the viii Of God, the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, that
which His hand and His counsel deter
mined before to be done (Acts ii, %; iv,
2S), the last part to the high priest
who delivered Him to PLATE. There
are degrees Of sin and degrees OF pun
ishment for the lost, as there are de-
grees OF rewards for the righteous
luke xii, As; Rev. xxi, ~ When
the Jews cried out, IF thou let this
man go thou art not Caesars friend;
- we have no king but Caesar"
(verses 12-15), Plate took water and
washed his hands before the multi
tude, saying, II am innocent of the
blood of this just person; see We to it."
Then the people said, His blood be
on us and on our children" Then he
released Barabbas, scourged Jesus and
delivered Him TO be crucified Matt.
xvii, 1920 Why did he scourge Him
after he declared Him Innocent Why
did he deliver Him 10 the brutal sol
diers to be Knocked and spit upon and
so i'll treated? Even a guilty man Is
protected from injustice at the hands
of his enemies as a rule. IL we cannot
say it was all for me, the Holy One OF
God suffering in my stead When We
see the Son of God, the Creator of all
things, the Judge of all mankind, re-
ceiving such treatment at the hands of
the civil and religious authorities and
remember that they are just the same
today, what should be our attitude to
them? When we hear PLATE say, BE
hold the manr' and Behold your
kingy' oversees 5-14 we think of the
true testimonies of the Spirit, Behold
the man whose name is The Branch"
and Behold, thy king cometh"
Czech. vi, II; tx, 81.
So PLATE delivered Jesus to be cruci-
fed, and they took Him and led Him
away, and He, bearing His cross, went
forth verses is, ID. They met one
Simon, a Cyrenian, coming into the city
and compelled him to turn about and
help Jesus bear the cross or bear it
for Him luke xiii, 26). We remember
that He said, "If any man will come
after Me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross and follow Me"
(Matt. xvi, 24). Let us not forget that
the cross is never anything beautiful,
but a cruel thing signifying a painful
and lingering death. Many women fol-
lowed Him, bewailing and lamenting
Him, bat He told them not to weep
for Tim. but for themselves and their
children because of the things that
would come upon them duke xiii, 81
81. Having reached Golgotha, they
crucifed Him and two evildoei5 with
Him, one on either side and Jesus in
the midst, and thus He was numbered
with transgressors, all for me.
The four soldiers divided His gar
ments among them, but for His coat
they cast lots, thus fulfilling another
Scripture verses %, q; Ps. xxi, 49,.
Perhaps three more awful words were
never written than these, "They cruel
fed Him" Verse 49,, when we consider
who He was that they crucified, the
Prince of Life, the Lord of Glory
acts iii, 10; l Cor. ii, 81, and that He
submitted to be curse for us that
we might not perish (Gal. iii, 49,. We
have I'm our lesson three of His seven
sayings on the cross C26, %, 800; but,
taking them i'm order from all the rec
ords, we have first forgiveness, even
for those who crucified Him; then
glory for even a penitent thief; then
provision for His own mother, suggest
ing the supply of all we can need be-
tween salvation and glory. The fourth
was at the beginning Of the darkness,
"My God, my God, why hast thou for
saken Me?' and the other three at the
close of those awful six hours, II
thirst" cit Is finished" Father, into
thy hands commit My spirit"
When the Jews asked PLATE to have
the bodies removed that their Sabbath
day might not be desecrated (oh, the
utter hypocrisy of It alb the soldiers
broke the legs Of the two malefactors,
but found Jesus dead already, so they