Middletown transcript., 1917-06-09
INTERNATIONAL,
SUNDAYSQlO0L
LESSON
(By E. o. SELLERS, Acting Director of
the Sunday School Course of the Moody
Bible Institute)
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper UnfonD
LESSON FOR JUNE 10
JESUS CRUcIFIED.

LESSON TEXT-JOhn 1862 $3.50
GOLDEN TEXT-Christ died for our
sins.-I Cor. 1873
We are compelled to omit a consider
alton of that dark, despicable trial in
Pilates judgment hall. Pilates weak
kneed subServience to custom and the
cry of the politician is one of the black
est pages in history. His scourging of
the man whom he, himself, declared
innocent, is practically without paral-
lei. After the hooking and the scourg-
ing, Plate said unto the people, Be
hold the man" ". 81, and later in sar-
casm he said to the same people, "Be-
hold your king" ". 14). Teachers
should emphasize at the beginning and
all through this lesson that Jesus
suffered and died for the sins Of all
men, ours as well as those of his own
day.
|. The crucifixion Of Jesus wv.
1922. 1t was about nine o'clock in
the morning when PLATE gave his infa
nous order that Jesus should be cru
Gifted. 1t was indeed sOrrOwful pro-
cession which moved itself along the
"Via Dolorosa" (the Sorrowful Way,
consisting of the Roman soldiers, the
tottering, physically exhausted man of
Galilee, and, Luke adds, Borrowing
women" They took him to the place
of skull, hill about sixty feet high,
at the foot of which was the rock
hewn sepulcher in which his body was
later laid. The place was called in
Hebrew "Golgotha," the Aramaic for
skull. Calvary is the Latin for the
same. On either side of him were
crucified the robbers, which was an
evident effort to add to his shame as
well as a salutary warning to the Pass
over pilgrims. Over the cross Plate
wrote q title on wooden tablet. Fol-
lowing the usual custom, this was
nailed at the head of Jesus, setting
forth his crime. The words it bore
were, "Jesus Of Nazareth, King of the
Jews" as though PLATE would take
malicious revenge upon the mob which
had made him perform deed he had
sought to avoid. Literally this sign
meant "This man is the kingliest OF
all Jews, and see what they have done
to him." In response to Pilates Ques-
tioning, Jesus said, II am the King OF
the Jews" PLATE knew that he was
innocent, and sought to let him go free,
but, rather than incur the hatred of the
Jewish authorities, he yielded to their
demand for his blood, and became a
party to the murder of the Son of God.
Men today take part in his cruel
fixiOn rather than surrender wholly
to him, and pay the price of open con-
fession. "They crucified him." How
these words laid the pride of men in
the dust. Human nature is the same
today as it was two thousand years
ago when the worlds bitterest hate
was wreaked not upon bad man but
upon the best man, the perfect man,
the Goldman. The pain Jesus suf-
fered on Calvary was no imagination.
He suffered it all for us Elsa. 50 :6),
but the physical suffering was not the
most severe agony he bore Cps. 69 ~;
Matt. q :46). The crucifixion of Jesus
was part of the eternal purposes OF
Gods love and redemption.
II. The Worlds Darkest Hour wv.
$500. Each Of the Gospel writer's re-
fers to the part the soldiers took in
casting lots for his garments. They
were unconsciously fulfilling the
prophecy of Psalm % :1S, and 1t was
from their number that one Of the SUI
| preme testimonies to the character OF
Christ came (See Matt. q $40. The
| first three evangelists tell us Of the
| thrOng Of pilgrims who passed along
the highway from the north, close at
| hand, and who wagged their heads In
imitation and mockery Of the agony
of the one who was being crucif1ed.
But there were others who were spec
tators Of this event, group Of Christ
lovers ". 25). Joseph, Mary's hus-
band had doubtless died long before.
The sister here spoken Of was prob
ably Salome, the mother Of John, the
evangelist Mary, the wife Of CleOphas.
who was the mother Of James the Less
and of Joses and also Mary Mag
dalene, the grateful one. Jesus, look
ing upon this company, remembered
the coming loneliness Of his mother,
and her lack Of protection. Turning
to joint the evangelist, he tenderly
commits the mother to his keeping wv.
26, 27). OF the two malefactOrs were
hanging by his side, one gave himself
up to the Christ. The other died I'M
repentant. To the one who was re-
pentant, Jesus made ready answer,
and held out loving promise Of Para
disc.
1T is finished" These are remark
able words He had finished his suf-
fering: he had finished that for which
he came into the world when he be-
gan his ministry; he had finished the
mission for which his father had sent
him into the world; he had finished
and fulfilled the prophecies concern
ing his suffering and death; he had
completed the work of the redemption;
the atonement was finished, and Sa-
tan's power was finished; the Mosaic
law was finished as far az its claims
upon the believer were concerned
Ron:. 1874; Col. 2:13; Eph. 2:15 and
16). Outwardly it seemed to be Sa-
tan's supreme hour. 1t was the worlds
darkest hour, but in that hour, Christ,
on the cross. struck the death knell OF
Satan, and won his mightiest victory
three days later when he arose from
the dead. Bowling himself in submis-
sion to the father, he gave up his
spirit. It was not wrested from him
by Satan, the conqueror, but he freely
gave 1t ND willingly. He was the con-