The Carlisle independent., 1918-01-03
LESSON FOR JANUARY 6
JOHN PREPARES THE WAY FOR
 JESUS.

LESSON TEXT-Mark 11-11
 | GOLDEN TEXT-Behold the Lamb of 1 God, that taketh away the sin of the world.-John 1:29.
 PRIMARY MEMORY vERsF-Thou shalt call his name Jesus: For 1t is he that shall save his people from their sins. | Matt. 1:21.
 INTERMEDIATE, SENIOR AND 1 ADULT TOPIC-Heralds of the king ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR | TEACHERS-Isa 40:3-5; Nal 31-3; Luke 1:5-25; 39-8O Matt. 3:1-17; Luke 5:1-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. It is an effort 1 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- ous departments of the school: an attempt to provide for the whole school as thorough and as teachable uni form lesson idea as possible.
 Special topics and special memory verses and additional scriptural ma terial have been designated wherever it has been deemed possible whereby to make the lessons more helpful to the pupils of different departments. It 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 ods of approach than is possible under a six-years cycle. Finally, to har- monize in the period of the cycle the newly adopted quadrennial conven- tions 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 titaan{d lesson may be found to be morsVeslp-T fuI than the special topics or addi- tional material as indicated for a g1y- en department. Sunday school lead CTS frankly acknowledge that this new plan is an experiment. It is hoped, however, that the long continued con- troversies over graded lessons, extra biblical material and uniform lessons may find q solution in this newer plan.
 Marks Gospel pictures Jesus as the servant; therefore. it makes no 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 a servant.
 |. introduction (vv. 1-3). The be- ginning of the gospel is nfssnt the beginning of the blessed story as told by the evangelist, Mark. Note it is a fuIflment of prophecy (Mal. 8: I; Isa. 60 :3) Mark is here moro 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 publically into the real history of Israel. Jesus must needs have her. aid. even as an earthly king is an- nounced before his arrival. Christ himself is the living word (John l ;D, though the voice which announces him is the voice of a man--JOhn the Bap- tiger. The baptism of John was unsa repentance and the remission of sinSt It must not be confused with Christian baptism. Some interesting questions arise as to the life of Jesus before this eyent-his religious habits (Luke 4:16) his attitude toward the woSd of God and its prophecies (Luke 4 IT, 2l the work he had been doing in Nazareth (nark 6:3).
 II. The Baptizer. (vv. 4-9). To know what kind of a man John was, we must look up Mark :6 and Matt. 8 4 His religious convictions are in- teresting also. They were a matter of his heart Guke 3:S), thing of his daily life Uuke 8 :10). He was q man who held to a strict moral stand ard (Mark :18). His method and his message were q protest and warn- ing as well as d preparation. Repent ance is not remission of sin q John :9). John demanded fruit which should accompany repentance (Matt. 8 s, %. His message was not na- tionaI but individual and his suggeS- tion (Matt 3:10-12) of future punish ment for wrong-doing is only exceeded by the words of our Lord himself.
 III. The Baptism (vv. 10, ID. Bap- tism is always an emblem, a symbol. tSee Matt 8 Il; Luke 3 $; Mark 1 s :; Rom. 6:4) It is a public identifica- tion, a public conservation and confes-