Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-03-24
By Rev. H. 7. Stevenson.

Christianity arose from the life,
labors and legacy of Jesus, who has
been the center of the past quarter $
studies in the gospel of John No SIN
Gle Interpretation of the life of the
founder of Christianity is sufficient for
men to understand the character of
The Master. Each of the four gospels
has emphasized some permanent aspect
Of the life of the Lord. some vital con-
tact with His masterful personality.
with its application toward solving the
rrcscnt-day problems of human uplift.
Without doubt the most important lit
erary work in the world and the most
popular gospel is that of John. which.
he states. was written that We may
believe that Jesus is the Christ. the
Son of God. and that believing ye may
have life in His name
The purpose of the author was lndl-
Gated IN the opening lesson of the
quarter. which was chosen from the
prologue or introduction to the fourth
gospel. Each of the incidents that
have been the subject of study was Sc
lcctcd by John with the intent to pre-
sent the historical facts in such
manner as to convince men Of the rea
condolences of Christ's claims to their
love. loyalty and labor. so that they
John tells of the life of Jesus begins
with a far backward look into the eter-
nal existence of the Christ as the Word,
the Thought Revealer, mirroring back
TO the divine mind His own mind both
in thought and its expression in the
creation of the world and the develop
ment of life. John was thinking of
more than the ideal pre-existence of
the Christ. for he points Him out as
God who was the creator of all
things and the one in whom was life
and the light of men. He points out
how He became flesh and dwelt among
men. so that they might come to know
God, whom to know is life eternal.
In presenting his argument for the
deity of Jesus, John placed first the
testimony of the Baptist. who gathered
up the teachings of the past. revived
the prophetic line and by his per-
suasive preaching filled the Jewish ma
ton with the hope of the kingdom of
God being at hand. Through a Divine
revelation he came to know of the
presence of Christ among men and
proclaimed that fact to the leaders of
the nation, who were Indifferent TO
the message of John the Baptist con-
corning the Messiah. After the great
reformer had come to know personally
that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ
he pointed Him out TO the multitude
and then to some of his disciples as the
Lamb of God that taketh away the
sin of the world. The testimony of
unto him the fact that Jesus was the
Son of God.
Two of the disciples accepted the
statements of their teacher and left
John to follow Jesus whose per
Eonality convinced them that He was
the Messiah. They commenced as a
result of their investigation and inter
view, to proclaim to friends and rela-
tives that they had found the Messiah.
Every true disciple proves his faith by
trying to win others for the Christ.
when Nathaniel confessed his faith
and acknowledged the Master as the
Son of God and King of Israel. the
Lord Jesus identified Himself as the
Son of Man, which was the one title
He gave to Himself All others We're
given Him by others. The title was
rarely used in the Jewish Scriptures
In reference to the Messiah, and Jesus
used it in his early ministry to veil
His claims and to emphasize the world
wide sympathies involved in His hu-
mainly. The true follower of Christ
Will demonstrate His desire to help
the world by winning souls one by one
70, the Lord Jesus.
Four of the lessons revealed how
Christ's ministry commenced in Jeru-
salem and extended into Judea, Samaria
and Galilee. Malachi had predicted
how the coming King would announce
Himself by an act of holiness Jesus
selected the passover season to make
His first public appeal to the con-
science of the nation in an effort to
direct the house of Israel toward a
ministry for the world The profana-
ton of the temple, due to the priests
partnership with the money changers
and the cattle dealers, turning the re-
hgious requirements of their faith into