The Holly chieftain., 1923-01-11
Si1192daySehoel .
' Lesson '
(By REV. p. b. FlTZwATER. D. D..
Teacher Of English Bible in the Moody
Bible Institute OF Chicago)
LESSON FOR JANUARY IA
JESUS TEACHING HUMILITY

Il AGSo6ON 1Eh4-l<uk0 41.f-1t.
GOLDEN TExT-God resisteth the
proud. and giveth grace to the humble.
| II Peter 6:6.
| REFERENCE MATERIAL-John s:l-
II; Phil. 2:b-I.
| PRIMARY ToPIc-The Story of .
Great Dinner.
JUNIOR ToPIc-Teaching Courtesy.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC
| Others.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
The Spirit of Christian Service.
!. Jesus Dimes With q Pharlses ". u.
Jesus entered freely into the common
social customs Of the day. We see
Him at wedding, dinner party, In
the home of sickness, and at funeral.
He was truly man among men,. He
was unlike John the Baptist In this
respect. The Christians influence Is
best when mingling with his fellow
men in all right relations and positions
in life, even though selfish and evil
minded persons are found among
them. This does not mean that he
should be partaker Of their evil
deeds. Jesus in thus moving in all
circles CT human society showed the
/ oANAhS oyhPuLhys w AAA0 OCoub WAS AA
society he was not of 1t. So should
the Christian be. Jesus was in COM
pany outwardly courteous but inward
ly hostile. Doubtless the motive Of the
invitation was to find an occasion
against Him. This Is implied in the
statement 'they watched Him."
II. Jesus Healing DropslcaI Man
wv. 2-8).
| l. Why This Man Was Present (v.2).
There Is no way of absolutely de-
termining 1t, but likely it was part of
a plot of the Pharisees to trap Jesus
| by getting Him to violate the Sabbath
rules.
2. Jesus Question ". 81. Jesus
| question was an answer to the thoughts
Of the lawyers and Pharisees who
were watching Him, for they had not
spoken. Before healing this man He
submitted the case to their judgment.
They were free on the Sabbath day to
hold feast where their selfish pride
and vanity could be displayed, but they
were Mortified that a fellow-man should
be healed on the Sabbath. They were
silent because their consciences made
them ashamed Of their heartlessness.
8. Healing the Man ". ~. While
they were in state Of embarrassment
Jesus healed the man and let him go.
4. Jesus Rebuked Them (vv. 8, 81.
He laid bare their hypocrisy by show
Ing them that their willingness to show
mercy to beast ON the Sabbath should
l fnhnn0 than fO rd mr. ctn f,,I
to relieve human being Of distress on
the Sabbath. They were again silent,
for they perceived their Inconsistency
and inhumanity.
III. Jesus Rebukes Selfish Ambl
tion (vv. 7-10).
1. The Occasion ". y. He observed
that the guests while taking their
places at the table chose the best
seats for themselves. This is still true
Of men and women. In the railway
cars, hotels, street cars, etc., they
scramble for the best places. In the
homes even members Of the same fam
lily will try to get the best food, etc.
2. Instruction Given wv. Sill.
When hidden to feast, take the lo&-
est place lest you suffer the humilia-
tion Of being asked to take lower
seat This Is more than a lesson IN
courtesy or table manners; 1t Is a
severe rebuke of that selflshness which
fllls the human heart, causing 1t to seek
to be ministered to instead of minister
Ing to others. Unselfshness will ex-
press itself in humbly taking the low
a r,1oea hot SI,ay,
ourselves. The fundamental principle
Of the philosophy governing the moral
world, Jesus declares to be-: "Whoso-
ever exalteth himself shall be abased,
and he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted"
~. The True Motive In Deeds Of
Charity (vv. 12-14).
Jesus takes advantage Of this social
occasion to teach great principle.
The Jews like many of the rich today,
made social dinner occasions for dis
play. They invited only those whose
wealth would enable them to recon-
pense them by inviting them In return.
Jesus took note Of the selfishness thus
displayed and set forth to them the
right principle, namely, that they
should extend their hospitality to the
poor and afflicted. All charitable deeds
should be done with unselfish motives.
Jesus assured them that compensation
would be made at the resurrection Of
the Just. This does not mean that
friends and neighbors of certain rank
should never exchange pleasant hos
pitalities. Wealth should be used to
confer blessings upon the poor and
needy instead Of ministering to the
pride and vanity Of the possessor.
II How Churches Grow.
Once there was Chinese laundry.