Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-19
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For July 22nd-JohH
BY DR.. MARION MICH. HULL


and God abideth in him. 1 Jobn
4:16.
To-day We study another one Of the
4nner circle Johns father was
Zebedee, his mother Sa.ome, his
brother James. il is possible that
his mohter was sister Of Mary, and
If so. he would have been the first
cousin of Jesus Of Nazareth. He
: was one OF the fishermen partners;
He had joined John the Baptist when
Peter did He was one of the two
hat spent the DAY with Jesus and
then went and found his own
brother He was with Jesus all the
times that Peter was, Is we learned
last week. Was with Jesus a. the
raising of Jairus' daughter az the
TRANSPORTATION, in the garden, at the
trial latter having fled at firS0, ana
at the cross. He was the first man
at the tomb and was convinced pN
what he saw; but alas, he TOO was
one Of those who lost heart and went
back to his fishing job. But he 1t
was who recognized the LORD on the
shore when the nets began to drag
and he was one who saw HIM 60
into Heaven.
= He is so modest that he never
calls his own name in the gospel or
either of the epistles, and there are
only bare references to him in the
great prophetic book of the New
Testament He was the one, how
ever, whom Jesus loved and who
leaning on JESUS breast at the last
supper had whispered in his ear the
secret of the betrayer. 1t was this
John whose care Jesus entrusted
His mother as He hung on the cross.
and we may be sure he discharged
his responsibility we'll
After Pentecost John was associ-
'ated with Peter in the active leader
ship of the church until Peter went
down to Jaffa. But after that Paul
speaks of him as one of the pillars
of the church. There is a long inter
pal of silence in his life then, which
g. is not broken until after Peter and
Paul and all of the other apostles
had been martyred. He is said to
have been the only one Of the apos-
Ties who died a natural death. hut
even he was an exile on PatmoS for
the testimony Of Jesus when he was
a very old man.
"t Hot Headed
W len he IHSG tdIIlt III 'oiiNei' I
with Jesus the characteristic that
DISPLAYED itself most prominently
although il was far from the chief
characteristic of his lfe-Was MS
ihot. headedness. When the Samari-
taf1s were inhospitable to. Jesus be-
scause He was a Jew John and his
brother James wanted to call down
fire from Heaven to consume them.
s~Jesus. did YOU notice the, character
of the faith which it displayed0
Then later he saw someone casting
out demons, and because he was not
one of Jesus disciples he forbade
him doing it again. On both of
these occasions he was rebuked by
Jesus. who called him and his
brother sons of thunder as char
,acterizing their life. John meant
well in, both instances. 1t was his
love for his master that prompted
this action-but he had not yet
learned that zeal. is not hot
Medicines.
He was ambitious. and bit selfish
with it, for he and his brother tried
10 get in by the side door into the
highest places IN the new kingdom
They finally reached a very high
place. but it came by the way of
the cross.
when the Holy Spirit came upon
him at Pentecost. all was changed.
He who had wanted to call down fire
on the heads Of the Samaritans went
there with Peter TO lay his hands
upon them in blessing. The ambi-
tious self-seeking youth became the
most modest and retiring of all the
apostles. The son of thunder grew
Into the apostle of love. He was just
as jealous as he had ever BEEN but
he learned that zeal was not hot
heeadedness, but ot-headedness and
,hencefOrth his heart glowed with a
warmth Of love not known before.
HOt-hearted
The Holy Spirit had enkindled a
flame of sacred love in Johns heart.
ard it glowed vita warmth and af-
fiction toward all men. Read his
gospel which he wrote so tEat all
might believe that Jesus is the
Christ and believing, that they might
have life in His name. Read his
first epistIe which was written that
their joy might be full. Read the
two short epistles and see how he
@elatiCn of Jesus Christ TO john md
see how he loves his Lord. He has
lost none of the old fire and fight;
he takes up the cudgel and wields
st with tremendous power and force,
5but now it is not against individuals,
but against all forms of untruth that
would in any wise discredit his Mas
Ter. And yet he does it with a mod
. Grafton that can Only come from a
heat controlled by IoVe-hOt-headed
no longer; hot-hearted always now.
The Witness
= Johns earlier life, however. pales
into insignificance compared with his
later life. Long after Paul had re-
V6aled the mystery which had been
hidden in the heart of God FOR ages
the omen secret now OF the church
@-long after Paul had expOInded NJ
word and by per, the great doctrines
that had been given him by direct
revelation from GOd-the doctrines
Of the righteousness which Is by
faith rather than by law; the saliva
tion which is a GIFT and not the re
suIt of works; the liberty Of the sons
of God; the relation of Christ to the
church as. bridegroom to bride, ana
the blessed hope Of the church, the
coming again Of her Lord-long after
this and after Pauls death there ne
gan to grow ub in the church Ger
tain heresies. (They seem very mod
prn tcdayJ Men of learning teSdn
nv placing Greek philosophy on III
aslstic teaching TO develop religion
of Their own. They were "know-d1ls
-gnostics-and their chief attacR
was on the deity OF Christ They rec
ognized the historical Jesus, but they
denied that the Christ had come II
the flesh. The Jesus Of NazaretE
and the Christ were one except tha'
they were different. according &c