Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For Dec. II. Luke 1O:58-H:54
BY DIR. MARION McH. HULL

You can do what you have to do lots
better if you Will just do one thinS
get in touch with me. and let me
do it for you. That is the thing that
Mary had sensed and done, and it
shall never be taken away from her y
All of which gives us little
glimpse into the heart of Christ. He
craved friendship. He didn't want
food-just enough to keep the body
going was all that was necessary;
but He did want the understanding
of a friend that feeds the soul. Mary
seems to have sensed this more than
anyone else. She understood Him
better than His own mother or any
of His disciples. So she did her
work with the thought of Him and
His presence constantly in her
time to sit at His feet and have
fellowship with Him and His pres
ence and His plans.
AT His feet. further behind Him,
hidden but in hearing. That was
Mary's place, it seems. A few
months later when Lazarus died. she
went out to meet Him. and we find
her again at His feet John III. Then
the next April, just the day before
He entered Jerusalem as the King
and was rejected, she was found
again at His feet amounting them with
the precious nard, and wiping them
with her hair, for she sensed His
danger and desired to show Him
by giving Him the best that she
had that she understood Him and
felt for Him. John 12). That is the
place for the friends OF Jesus-not
idle: but in His presence, hidden
while He is being revealed; doing
His will, at the same time under
standing His plans and His purposes:
rejoicing IN His presence more than
IN His presents.
Other friends of Jesus saw Him
praying one day and asked Him to
teach them to pray, for they saw
that He had something that they
had never found. The disciples
prayer the Lords prayer falsely
called was what He taught them
a prayer for the closet, not for pub.
lie utterance; a prayer that is based
on a relationship, and which can
not be uttered except in blasphemy
by anyone who has not adopted into
the Fathers family; a prayer which
makes any repetition easy and pos
sible if the first two words can be
honestly spoken; prayer which any
friend of Jesus can gladly utter, but
only by friend of His.
He added this truth about prayer
that persistence is potent, 1t is
a wonderful parable-the fellow in
bed; the children just gone to sleep;
the knock on the door, keeping it up
until he gets up and gives, not be-
cause he is his friend, but because
he is afraid persistent knicking will
wake the children up, and then he
will have a terrible time getting them
back to sleep. Then lest they should
think that God is like that, Jesus
showed them how much more willing
the Heavenly Father is to give than
we are to ask. The persistence is
not necessary from Gods stand
point but from ours.
Not all were Christ's friends. In
fact, his foes outnumbered his
friends. 1t cropped out on all sides.
One day he cast a drunk devil out of
a man. His foes said He was in
league with Bulzibab, the prince of
devils! others doubted and wanted a
sign to convince them. In the course
of the conversation Jesus laid down
a very clear cut conditional way to
determine whether you are friend or
foe. HE that is not with me is
against me; and he that gathereth
not with me scattereth," There is
no middle ground; you are either
His friend or His foe. eye are my
friends if you do the thing 1 com.
mand you" If you are not doing
these things, there is but one name
to give you-you' are a foe Of Jesus
Christ.
Luke tells us of another meal to
which Jesus was invited. This time
it was in the house Of a Pharisee.
He was critical in the extreme. He
was surprised that Jesus did not go
through all the additions he thought
necessary before eating the meal.
Which gave Jesus the opportunity
to let him know what he and his as
sociates really were-men who had
lost their sense of relative values,
who were self-centered and proud,
who were a menace to the spiritual
life of others because they concealed
the things that were dangerous in
their lives so far as others were
concerned.
They were sticklers for outward
forms and for minute details of
worship, but inwardly they had no
care for the deeper things of the
Spiritual Life. We would call them
religionists today, nominal church
members, very correct in their out
ward worship, but utterly devoid of
real spirituality. They loved praise
and homage; always wanted to r.
consulted and be given the chief
places. They were dangerous as
open graves covered Ger with
leaves, for the real menace could
not be seen. 1t looked good, but it
was a pitfall for any one who came
near it. Men who are outwardly
correct do much more harm than
the confessed bum, for unsuspecting
people who are looking to them
have no idea of the real danger that
following them will bring.
SC-h plain statement from Jesus
about the Pharisees reused the law
yers who were present at the dinner
party. I'm saying thus they said,
you condemn us. Hadn't you bet
ter be careful how you talk?" To
which Jesus replied: You lawyers
are just as guilt. You put intol-
cradle burdens on the people by your
Interpretation of the law, and vet
you do not turn SO much as your
little finger to help them out Of it.
You have taken away the key Of
knowledge; you have not entered in
yourselves and you are preventing
others from entering so far as you
are able to do so.'
This is so down-to-date that we
can almost rub our eyes to see wheth-
er it is being id of certain preach
ers and teachers today who have
taken the key of knowledge to them.
selves; they have not entered in
themselves, and are doing all they
can to hinder others from entering.
, Too often they have high sounding
titles and are we'll known in religious
and social circles