Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-06
April 8, 1917.
2 or A IA


Golden Text-"Jesus said unto her, 1
am the resurrection, and the life" John
1l:25.
Is your life such that people think
of your town when they think Of you?
The small village of Bethany would
have been unknown except that it was
the place where Mary and Martha and
Lazarus lived. Often Jesus had stopped
at their home as their guest for He
loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus
1t was happy home. a place where He
liked TO go. But during the latter part
of February. \. -. so. 4 dark cloud hung
over that home. Lazarus grew ILL.,
Jesus had left Judea about two months
before this because the Jews had sought
to stone Him, and therefore, His friends
considering His own safety were unself-
fish enough not to ask Him to come and
heal the sick one But as the days pass
ed Lazarus became so desperately i'll
that the sisters determined to send
messenger to their Friend
The message was sent was couched
in the most delicate language. II mere
" said, He whom thou lowest is sick"
They made no request, not even sug-
gestion. They had such confidence IN
Him that they were more than willing
to trust the matter of His love.
His reply, probably given in the hear
ing of the messenger, was this sickness
is not to end in death; but for the glory
of God that the son Of man may be
glorified by It."
LOVES DELAY.
1t Was rather strange though, for
ere the messenger reached Him. Lazarus
had died and was buried the same day.
1t was also strange that instead of
hurrying at once to Bethany. He stayed
two days longer where He was because
He loved His friend so. 1t would have
seemed that He would haveslost no time
in going. but Gods ways are not ours.
He waits until our power is wholly gone
and then comes to our assistance.
CDent 32:36) He cannot work for us
until we have realized our own helpless
ness. We shall see how divine was His
love.
The next day when He proposed TO go back
into Judea, His disciples were Mortified. They
realized the danger TO Him, and demurred. His
reply showed His ealmness and quiet conf
dence: Are there not twelve hours in the
day." He said. II already the eleventh
hour with Him; His day for work was nearly
over, but He was immortal until His time
came. No one could stop Him until His twelve
hours were mp, nor can any one, even the devil
himself. stop you and me- until we nave com
pleted our work. The danger is that we will
day pass without doing work. or try TO
extend il into the night when We will stumble
because we have no light. He told them the
purpose Of his visit that He was going to
awaken HIS friend Lazarus. who was asleep
but finally had TO tell them bluntly that IAz-
dead. so dull were they of under
standing. Yes. Lazarus was dead. but death
had not separa ted this friend of Jesus so far
from Him that He could not help. Finally
Thomas proposes that they go with Him. There
is not much hope but there is none without
Him. he thinks: aud they jOurneyed during that
day over the twenty miles which separated them
from Bethany in Judea. 1t was four days now
since Lazarus had died. according TO their meth
Od Of counting the day on which he died the
two days intervening. AMI the present day,
LOVES SUBMISSION.
Ae He neared the city. Martha heard of His
coming and quitting her work ran to meet him.
saying. Lord. If thou hadst been here my
brother would not have died; but | know that
will give to thee Was there some vague hope
in her mind inspired by the message which
her servant had brought, that He going to
bring her some great 6lessing1she knew not not
again" But this was poor consolation for her
She, like all the Jews except the Ssdducees,
believed in a resurrection: hut Jesus said to her,
81 am the resurrection and the life He that
believeth on me, though he were dead yet shall
he live; and he that nveth and believeth in
me shall never die? Do you believe thisT
She did not understand it. but she expressed
her confidence in Him the Messiah, and
therefore, was not surprised at anything that
He might do. What did He mean by dis state
Was II not this? / am the source Of all
life. In my presence and united with me, even
though a may be dead. he must live; and
united with me he must live always; for not
only am ! the Of life but the one who
maintains II. This is the kernel of the whole
lesson. Immortality means union with Christ
who is the Source Of life and who maintains
life. Eternal life is not measured by aeOns or
their length, but by the depth of life and the
width of IL, which comes to a man when be is
his Whn e e,
IL is expansion of our whole nature now,
that may have sense of God a knowl-
edge that God is the existence in whom
live. We sure of eternal life when the
things of God are the things among which and
for which We live. But we cannot be sure
eternal life III we steep ourselves in the things
of the world, and live primarily for the things
that belong to earth. In God our lives must he
perpetual. Jesus promised Mary that her broth
er should rise again because He would give her
an evidence of the fact that Lazarus already
possessed eternal life, and He would call him
back 20 earth to show him to be alive; for his
life bid with Christ in God.
Martha -alled Mary away from the guests
who had come To with her. and told
her privately that the Master had come and
asked for her. Slipping away she ran TO meet
Him and .sll at His feet, saying, lord, If
thou hadst been here my brother would not
have died. Hers the words that
Martha had used. Evidently they had talked
the matter over many times In those days of
waiting. Would lazarus have died If Jesus
had been present? DO you think any physician
would allow a patient to die In his presence il
be had a certain means of cure? Did you ever
think Of il that no one stayed sick around Je-
sus? He made everyone we'll. He broke up
every funeral He attended. by bringing the
dead back &C life. These sisters right.
Lazarus would not have died If Jesus had been
present.
LOVES LAMENT.
Before Jesus had opportunity to say say
thing to Nary the professional mOurners had
Joined her. thinking that she was going to the
grave to weep, and were loud in their lamen-