Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-12-03
IMPROVED UNlfoRM INTERNATIONAL
SUNhNSQlOOL
LESSON
(By REV. P. B. FITZWATER, D. D.,
Teacher of English Bible in the Moody
Bible Institute of Chicago.)
(0. 1920, Western NEWSPAPER Union.l
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 5
THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM.

THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM.
LESSON TEXT-Matt. 13:24-33.
GOLDEN TEXT-Fret not thyself be-
cause of evil-doers.-Ps 97:1.
ADDITIONAL NATERIAL-Gal $50.
PRIMARY TOPIC-Jesus Story About
Good Seed and Bad Seed.
JUNIOR TOPIC-The Story of the Wheat
and the Tares.
INTERMEDIARY AND SENIOR TOPIC
Wheat and Tares.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
How the Kingdom of Heaven Grows.
The parallels of this chapter set
forth in graphic way the condition
of affairs in the interval between
Christs going away and His coming
again.
|. The Parable of the Wheat and
Tares wv. 24-3G, cf. 36-43).
1. The Sewers. ~ The Son Of
Man ". 37). He is the One who sows
the good seed. The field in which they
are sown is the world. ~ The Devil
". 39). He is in a peculiar sense
Christ's enemy He intensely hates
Him, and with relentless energy is
striving to defeat His purpose in saw
ing men. While men slumber, he sows
tares among the wheat.
2. The growing crops. They are
not easily distinguished while growing,
but the effects produced when eaten
are quite different The wheat Is
wholesome. but the tares produce ILL
ness. The chief danger in the tares
lies in their resemblance to wheat. The
chief danger of the devil is that he
strives to initiate God.
8. The harvests There comes a
time when the fruitage of the growing
crops shall be gathered. For the tares
there is a furnace of fire where there
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The righteous shall be gathered into
the Lords garner and shall shine forth
as the sun in the kingdom of the
Father.
II. The Parable of the Mustard
Seed wv. 81, 32).
1. Its important beginning. 1t be-
gins as the least of all seeds and grows
to- be the greatest among herbs. The
parentage and humble circumstances
of the King greatly perplexed the peo-
pie. That twelve unlettered fishermen
should be selected as His royal ad-
visers is still more amazing. The propt-
ct said concerning Him that He
should be despised, rejected, forsaken.
2. Its vigorous growth. From very
small beginnings the influence of the
Christ has gone forth SO that there is
no power or influence so great as that
of Christianity.
8. It's lodging capacity. The birds
which find lodgment in the tree do not
represent the children of men which
find safety and salvation in the church.
Birds constitute no part of the tree.
The bird is something foreign to and
Independent of the tree. The branches
increase the growth of the tree, but
birds are injurious and burdensome to
| it. They are redatory-waiting to
| pluck the tender buds or to prey upon
| the ripened fruit The effect of such
lodging is evil, blighting and spelling
to the tree. In Christ's Interpretation
of the parable of the sower He said
| that the fowls represent the wicked
| one ". 19). The same Greek word is
used in both cases, and the circum
| stances are the same; therefore, he
| who would make the dodgers here any
thing else makes Christ's interpreta
! tion farce.
| Ill. The Parable of the Leavenec
Meal ". 33).
Three things should mainly occupy
our attention in this parable the meal
the woman, and the leaven. Wher
the scriptural significance of these ele
ments is known, the Interpretation i!
| easy.
1. The meal. Meal has wholesome
and nutritious effect. 1t was used il
one of the sweet-savor offerings, whicl
typified Christ (Lev. 2:1-3, R. W; i
was food for the priests Qev. 6:15-17
R. W; Abraham had Sarah kneat
cake out of three measures of mea
for the angelic messengers (Gen
! 1870; Solomon's royal table was pro
vided with meal Il Kings 4 :22) Elijal
was fed upon cake made of mea
(II Kings 4 4:4D; Elisha used meal a
an antidote for the poison of death il
the pot II Kings 4 4:3S-41.
2. The woman. The woman is no
the head of the home, but it's admins
traitor. Her responsibility is to tax
the bread provided by the head, pre-
pare and distribute it to the children
In Scripture we find false doctrine be
ing taught by a woman Grew. 2:20)
Dealing with doctrine is forbidden t
woman Il Tim 2 :12). In 1 Tim. 4 :1-3
II Tim. 2:17, IS; 4:3, 4; II Pet. 2:1-e
we find that apostasy will be brough
in through false teachings within
the ranks of Gods people. TIL
meaning, then, of the parable is tha
the true doctrine, the meal given fo
the nourishment of the children of tn
kingdom QI Pet. 2:2; Tim. 4 :6)
would officially be corrupted by falls
doctrine. The children's food is col
rupted by the mother.
3. The leaven. In Scripture, leave
is invariably type of evil. Let tn
following examples suffice as proof
O All through the Old Testamen
leaven is continual and unvaryin
type of evil (Ex. 12:15; Lev. 2:11,
(2) Jesus himself makes leaven t
denote sin Matt. 16 :6, II; Mark rs
(3) Paul uses leayen in its usual bibl
cal sense Il Cor. 5 :6-8; Gal. 5 g, 90,