The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-01-05
IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL
LESSON
By z. o. SELLERS, Acting Director on
the Sunday School Course of the Moody
Bible Institute, Chicago.) .
Copyright, 1917, Western Newspaper Unlon.Di
LESSON FOR JANUARY 6
JOHN PREPARES THE WAY FOR
JESUS.
LESSON TEXT-Mark 1:1.11.

LESSON TEXT-Mark It'll.
GOLDEN TEXT-Behold the Lamb OF
God, that taketh away the sin Of the
world.-John 1:29.
PRIMARY MEMORY vERsE-Thou
shalt call his name Jesus: For it Is he
that shall save his people from their sins.
Matt. 1:21.
INTERMEDIATES, SENIOR AND
ADULT TOPIC-Heralds Of the king.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR
TEACHERS-Isa. 1925; Nal. 3:1-3; Luke
1925; $3.50; Matt. Sill; Luke S:1-s; John
1:19-42.
The first lesson for this year marks
the introduction of The Improved Uni
form series of International Sunday
School Lessons. This series has grown
out of several years of frank discus
sion and the presentation of many pro-
posed lesson schemes. 1t is an effort
to conserve the benefits of the uni
form system of lessons with the desire
to adapt the lessons as thoroughly
as possible to the modern pedagogical
idea of graded instruction for the vari-
Gus departments of the school: an
attempt to provide for the whole school
as thorough and as teachable q uni
form lesson idea as possible.
Special topics and special memory
verses and additional s%criptural ma
terial have been designated wherever
it has been deemed possible whereby
to make the lessons more helpful to
the pupils of different departments.
1t is the beginning of an eight-year
cycle, chosen with the view first, of
Incorporating several short topical
courses in addition to the usual series
on the chronological basis, and sec
ond the committee had in mind the
~desirability of more frequent survey
of the entire Bible with varying meth
DDS of approach than is possible under
q siX-years cycle. Finally, to har~
monte in the period of the cycle the
newly adopted q%uadrennial
tons of the International Sunday
School association. Where no topic
memory verse or additional material
Is indicated for inter-departments Of
schools, it is intended that uniform
material should be employed for such
departments.
Occasionally the general title and
lesson may be found to be more help
full han the special topics or addi-
tional material as indicated for q Civ
en- department. Sunday school lead
ers frankly acknowledge that this new
plan is an experiment. 1t is hoped
however, that the long continued con-
tu.,,o--sa, o,,o r,aIaI J,@e,,r nvfrn-
biblical material and uniform lessons
may find a solution in this plan.
Marks Gospel pictures Jesus as the
servant; therefore, it makes 40 refer
ence whatever to his ~genealogy. The
key-wOrd to this gospel is the word
'straightway," which is used more
than forty times, and it is a sugges-
ton as regards the obedience Of q
servant.
l.. Introduction wv. 1-3). The be-
ginning of the gospel is meant the
beginning of the blessed story rs told
by the evangelist, Mark. Note it is a
fulflment of prophecy (Mal. 81; Isa.
so :3). Mark is here more particular
ly referring to Isaiah. This is the
period in the life of Christ between
his temple experience and the day Of
his baptism, when he first entered
politically into the real history OF
Israel. Jesus must needs have a her
aid, even as an earthly king is an
nounced before his arrival. Christ
himself is the living word (John I'D,
though the voice which announces him
is the voice of q man-John the Bap-
tizer. The baptism of John was unto
repentance and the remission of sins,
1t must not be confused with Christian
baptism. Some interesting questions
arise as to the life of Jesus before
this event-his religious habits duke
4 :16) his attitude toward the word
of God and its prophecies duke 4:17-
21) the work he had been doing in
Nazareth mark 6:3).
II. The 5aptizer. wv. 4-9). To-
know what kind of a man John vas.
we must look up Mark 1:6 and Matt
3 A. His religious convictions are in
teresting also. They were a matter
of his heart duke 3:S), a thing OF
his daily life duke 3:10). He was a
man who held to a strict moral stand
ard mark 6:1S). His method and his
message were a protest and a warn
Ing as well as a preparation. Repent
ance is not remission of sin q John
800. John demanded fruit" which
should accompany repentance Matt
3:S, 81. His message was not ma
tional but individual and his suggeS-
ton Matt. 3:10-12) of future punish
ment for wrong-doing is only exceeded
by the words of our Lord himself.
III. The Baptism wv. 10, ~. Bap-
tism is always an emblem, a symbol
(See Matt. 3:11; Luke $50; Mark 1883
Rom. 6:4.) 1t is a public identiics-
ton, a public conservation and confess
sion of faith. Jesus Christ himseR
- Al. n .- FT 49,