The citizen., 1918-01-03
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Lesson 2.-First Quarter, Janu-
airy 13, 1918.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Text Of the Lesson, Mark 1:t2-2o-
Memory Verse Cor. t0:t3-coIden
Text Mark t:i5-commentary Pre-
pared by Rev. D. M. stearns

I "hN'ih'Sof ltihDNtu vi lht utNlif NhiNh
Mark gives In the first two verses Of
todays lesslon, Is more fully recorded
In Matt. 4:1-11; Luke ALB. The
/ remarks of Stler In his "Words of the
Lord Jesus" seem to me so helpful that
! feel led to quote them. lie says In
vol. !, page "a" As the Sons first words
Of all concerning the Father (Luke
49), embraced the whole inner life of
his own most essential personality,
and the second, concerning his right
eousness Matt. 3:15), embraced the
entire work OF his active and passive
obedience for us. 80 now the fulfill
ment of all righteousness, In its three
great branches is maintained and as
serted against the tempter to I'M
Righteousness. His obedience approves
itself I'm the renunciation of aK en-
joyment, of all honor, of all else In
this world; and thus he leads human
nature back to God again, through the
selfsame way by which II had fallen
from him." Matthew says that he fast
ed forty days and forty nights; Luke
says that he did eat nothing; both say
that afterward he was hungry. or hun
gered, and then the devil came sug-
gestlng that he should turn stones into
bread. The devil is ever tempting US
TO seek the nourishment of life indie
pendent Of God. and never more so
than now 1917-191S). when the ques-
tlon of how TO obtain food Is n world
wide one. and God Is left out, and the
Fourth Commandment set aside. and
the words of our Lord seem forgotten
that MAN doth not live by bread alone.
but by every word that proceedeth
out OF the mouth Of the Lord doth man
live" He virtually said. II commit
the sustentation OF my life entirely
into the hands Of God" Thus let us
all say. We cannot claim the protect
ing care Of God II we presumptuously
place our lives In danger. and as to
accepting earthly power or favor from
the devil. the thing is wholly impos-
sible TO true child of God. though IL
IL often done by those who profess 10
be his children. Mark mentions that
our Lord was with the wild beasts.
hut as he had delivered David and
Daniel from them, they could have no
power over him. Both Matthew and
Mark tell us that angels minIstered
unto him. So did they In all his life,
at his birth. In Gethsemane, at his
resurrection. and they are ever minis
terIng to believers (Heb. :14). Les
son verses Il, Is. tell us that he
preached the gospel OF the Kingdom
OF God, saying. the Kingdom Of God
is at hand. In the account Of his
TRANSPORTATION, where we see the other
two fory-day fasters with him, we
see fulfillment of his saying. There
be some ofo them that stand here,
which shall not taste OF death till
they have seen the Kingdom of God
come with power" The context In
Matthew, Mark and Luke makes II
very plain that the events of the trans
figuration were n fulfillment of these
words. for the glorified Christ, the
risen Moses, the translated Elijah, and
the three disciples representing Israel
In the flesh set before us the kingdom
In miniature. John the Baptist, the
twelve and the seventy, as well as our
Lord himself, all preached the king
dom as at hand. but II did not come
because his enemies laid violent hands
upon Il and him, and would have none
OF II nor him, and SO he told them later
In his ministry that II would not come
till he would return from the far
country Uuke 1911, 12). AS 1t is
written In Acts 1921, "The Heaven
must receive him until the times OF
restoration of all things which God
hath spoken by the mouth OF all his
holy prophets since the world began"
The kingdom being rejected, and
therefore postponed till his return.
he is calling to himself all who are
willing to receive him. that they may
become fishers OF men, and that he
through them may preach repentance
and remis ssion OF sins In all the world
and so the "whosoevers" be gathered
out OF all nations who will from The
Bride. the Lambs wife. for whom he
waits ere he will return TO set up his
kingdom Of righteousness and peace
on earth.
These men. Simon and Andrew and
james and John, whom he calls to fol-
low him. had evidently received remis-
sion OF sins through the preaching OF
John the Baptist (verse ~. for we can
not be followers Of Jesus, or his dis
clples, till we have received remission
of our sins through him. To this end
we are not called upon to give up or
forsake anything. The free gift Of
God is eternal life, even Christ him
self, who Is the Bread OF life, and the
Water of Life, and the only way TO
obtain him Is TO receive him. without
any merit or works on our part what
ever (John 1:12; 3:16; 4:10; o:27
1928; Rom. 3:24; 6:23; Rev. 22:17).
Then being redeemed he asks US TO
follow him. become his disciples. and
let him work In US TO will and to do
Of his good pleasure. The cost OF our
salvation fell wholly upon him, but the
cost Of discipleship falls upon the be-
liever. who being redeemed. must be
willing 70 forsake all and follow him.