The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-09-05
INPlovEp uMroRM INTERNATIONAL
SUYDAXSQlOOL
LESSON
(By REV. P. b. FITZWATER, d. D.,
Teacher Of English Bible In the Moody
Bible Institute of Chicago.)
Copyright. 1919. Western Newspaper Union)
LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER7
PARALLELS OF THE KINGDOM OF
HEAVEN.

HEAVEN.
LESSON TExT-Matt la.N-sa, 44-5o
GOLDEN TExT-Seek ye first the
| Matt 6:S3
PRIMARY ToPIC-obeying our king.
JUNIOR TOPIC-A message of the
king.
INTERMEDIARY ToPIc-The growth
Of the kingdom.
SENIOR AND ADULT ToPIc-rhe
extent of the kingdom
!. The Parable Of the Mustard Seed
". 81, 32).
Three things mainly occupy our at
tention in this parable:
!. Its unimportant beginning. 1t
begins as the least of all seeds and
grows to be the greatest among herbs.
The king was of ordinary parentage
and humble circumstances. He select
ed unlettered fishermen as his royal
advisers. The prophet had said con-
corning him that he would be 'de-
spised," rejected" "forsaken," "cut
off, and as having nothing"
2. Its vigorous growth. From these
small beginnings Christ's influence has
gone forth so that there is no power
or influence equal in greatness to that
of Christendom
3. Its lodging capacity.
The birds which find lodgment in
the tree do not represent the children
of men who find safety and salvation
in the church. The birds constitute
no part of the tree, while the believer
| haa 30 -
its strength and fruitfulness. The birds
are something foreign to the tree, and
are burdensome and injurious to 1t.
| They come to find shelter and wait to
| pluck off the tender buds, or to prey
upon the ripened fruit. The effect of
their lodging in the tree is evil and
blighting In Christ's Interpretation
| ". 19) he said that the fowls repre-
sent the wicked ones. He who would
make the dodgers here anything else
makes Christ's Interpretation farce.
The same Greek word is used in both
cases, and the circumstances are the
same.
II. The Parable Of the Leavened
Meal ". 33).
Three things mainly occupy our at
tention here: the meal, the woman,
and the leaven.
1. The meal. Meal has a whole
some and nutritious effect. 1t was
used In one of the sweet-savour offer
ings which was typical of Christ Uev.
2:1-3 r. W; it was food for the
| priests Lev. 6:15-17 n. w; Abraham
had Sarah to knead cake out of
three measures of meal for the angelic
messengers of the Lord (Gen. 1S: :6) ;
Solomons royal table was provided
with meal Il Kings 4 :2); Elijah was
fed upon a cake made of meal III
Kings 4:4D; Elisha used meal as an
antidote for the poison of death from
the pot QI Kings 4:3S-4D.
| 2. The woman. In scripture we
find false doctrine being taught by
woman (Rev. 2:2O). Dealing with
doctrine is forbidden to women Il
Tim. 2:12). In I Tim. Alb; ii Tim.
2:17, 1s; II Peter . 2:1-3 we find that
the apostasy will be brought in
through false teaching within the
ranks of Gods people. The meaning,
| then, of the parable Is that the true
doctrine, the meal given for the nour-
| ishment of the children of the king
dom (II Peter 2, Tim. 4 80, will be
| officially corrupted by false doctrine.
| Woman is type of the church in
some sense. The church is hiding
away false doctrine, and its corrupt
ing effects are seen on every hand.
| 3. The leaven. In scripture leaven
| of OWL f11 All
through the Old Testament leaven is
a continual and unvarying type Of
evil (Ex. ~ is; Lev. 2:11). 1t is In
| conceivable that Jesus should arbi-
trarily change, without due notice
and explanation, a word from an
evil to good sense. which the Spirit
of God had SO unchangingly used for
two thousand years. (2) Jesus him
self makes leaven to denote sin Matt
16: IS, 70; Mark s:15). t3) Paul uses
leaven in its usual biblical sense Il
| Cor. 5 :6-S; Gal. SIS 81. Further, this
| is the only Interpretation that will
| harmonize with Christ's interpreta-
| tion of the first two parallels. Facts
patent to all prove that the professed
| church today is feeding upon the
leaven of Journalism and legalsm in
stead of the unleavened bread of sim
cerity and truth-the Word Of God.
Ill. The Parable Of the Hid Treas
ure ". 44).
| w. The Parable of the Merchant
man Seeking Pearls ". 45, 46).
v. The Parable of the Drag Net.
". 47-5o).
! (For a detailed study of the last
| three parallels see the Review for Sep
tember 2S.)