The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1921-03-10
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Prepared Especially for The Republi-
can By DIR. U. S. Wright.

SUNDAY, MARCH 10.
THE LORDS SUPPER.
Matt. 26:14-30. Read Mark 14:10-26;
Luke 22:1-1O; John IS.
AS often as We eat this bread, and
drink this cup, We proclaim the Lords
death till He GOMEZ Cor. IL &c.
THE TIMELESS FEAST.
Jesus struck timeless note when
He touched the Communion. 1t has
never been a lost chord nor will it be-
Singularly enough, it is the one fea-
ture of the church's life that is as wide
as the race and as long. When we come
to it there is the representation of the
flesh and blood offered upon an altar
And no people however degraded or
civilized have been found who have
not had some form of altar place. The
earliest record of the Garden reveals
the saddened pair leaving it clothed in
skins, evidently from the offering of
some slain beast. That smoking bit
u llGSIl anu UlOOd all lllLOuSll ali
tory and was adopted by Moses as the
symbol of the nations deliverance in
the Passover. And Jesus kept that
old timeless memorial with the con-
seriousness of its wonderful inspiration
in the hour of His passion. Radical
though He may be called He was al
ways building upon the best of the
past in order that the future might
hold more of the same past's promise.
The radical kicks away the ladder
upon which he has climbed; Jesus, as
every constructive soul has done
merely added another round and left it
for the feet of the race to step upon.
And He pointed surely to the far fu-
ture when He said: II will not eat it
until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of
God" For this is the timeless ele-
ment in the church and will outlive all
other features. John saw in heaven
the Lamb that had been slain so that
there also the significant feature will
be an abiding thing and it was an eter-
nal note that Jesus was stunning
that night in the upper room. There
was no sense of impending separation
held in its elements. 1t was not an
afterthought, but the significant bind
ing into one of all the believers of
every time and place so that there
might be indeed a real and living body
of Christ in the life of His world.
THE OCCASION.
That fateful Tuesday of conflict had
passed. Wednesday had brought its
quiet restfulness in the Bethany home
and Thursday saw the beginnings of
preparation for the national celebra-
ton. If the crucifixion came upon the
hour of the Staying of the paschal
lamb then the meal was not the real
Passover, but there is no question
about what the Disciples prepared If
it were eaten before the hour it was to
satisfy the desire of Jsues for the min
istry of the Feast. Absolute secrecy
concerning the place was maintained
lest Judas cause the interruption of
the intimate intercourse that has mad >
John 14-17 the most loved bit of writ
ing in the world. Those hours of fell
lowship must be secured. Therefore
the Peter and John were sent with no
hint of the house except the signal
which Jesus knew, for He led the
others to the place at the appointed
hour. 1t was not the first time He had
seen the Goodman of the house. 1t
seems to have been the father of John
Mark. When they came there was the
struggle for place among the Twelve.
Each wished to sit beside his Lord.
Judas secured it, for he was close
enough to be reached bit of bread by
Jesus, and when one is reclining the
arm cannot be extended very far.
John had the other side, for he leaned
upon his Masters breast, so that Ju-
das was to the left. 1t speaks the
power of Judas that he should be ac-
corded this coveted honor, even tho
to fill the places. John, whose duty as
there was discussion as to the persons
the youngest was to wash the feet Of
the rest, evidently grabbed his position
and would not get out of it for fear
that if he performed his task another
would secure it. No other writer men
tons the wonderful lesson in service
that their Lord staged, for it would
not be desired to hurt the feelings of
the beloved John by reminding him of
the occurrence. Fine old John; the les
son had gone home and he would not
be silent when he told the story of
that night. Not upon the justice of his
claim, but upon the passion of his
love rested the hold upon that nearest
point of contact and that Jesus allow
ed it while he rebuked the abandoned
duty, shows the place He gives to love
in the life.
THE CLOUD
All that the occasion might do for
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