HE TWO FOUNDATIONS.-Matt. 7:15-29. TH LESSON KEY-NOTE:-"Become doers of the word, and not hearers only." Time:-Summer of A. D. 28. Place: On the Horns of Hattin, the "mount" where the great "sermon" was delivered. It is about seven miles southwest from Capernaum. Jesus was at this time in the thirty-second year of his age. This lesson is a part of the "Sermon on the Mount." 15-18. False prophets are those who either talk but do not the truth, or preach a false doctrine. The sheep's clothing on the wolf means hypocrisy. The hypocrite is contemptible at best. They who write and say one thing and live the opposite way, are hypocrites. Their race is not yet extinct. I despise hypocrisy. What they do and how they live will always show what teachers really are at heart. Their words are not proof conclusive. The fruits cannot deceive. One is what his fruits show forth-not always what he says or writes. 19-20. Verse 19 is parenthetical, which means that it may have been inserted by the writer and not spoken by Jesus. Should be a fire, instead of "the fire." The reference is entirely to cleansing away errors and the dross of sin. It is a purifying process-not a destructive destiny. By their works and the radiation of their moral at mosphere you know people. We can feel the quality of their thoughts and hidden deeds whenever we come near them. We all betray ourselves. 21, 22, 23. It is not profession and prayers that win acceptance with the Christ. It is the genuine life of unselfish deeds. The one who does what seems to be a heroic deed and then asks for a reward on account of it, is not a hero at all. If you find money or a valuable article, try to find the owner. When you do, take no reward. It is a shame to do so. A reward for being honest enough not to steal another's property when you had an opportunity to do so? For shame, I would scorn such honesty (?). 24-29. Here is the illustration of the two builders and the two sorts of foundation. To know the truth and not do it is followed by disaster. The doer of the truth is the saved, happy man. This closes the great sermon. Jesus taught direct from his own convictions of truth, and did not, like the priests, have a "thus saith" for it. 1. What are false prophets? 2. What are fruits? 3. Who is truly sincere? 4. What is the sure foundation? 5. What the unsafe foundation? JESUS AND THE SABBATH.-Matt. 12:1-14. day to keep it holy." Time:-Summer of A. D. 28. Place:-Some field and neighboring synagogue in Galilee; probably at Capernaum. 1-5. The act of the disciples, plucking wheat heads, rubbing out the grains in their hands and eating them, just as you and I have done many times, was natural and right. If the owner of the wheat had objected, there would have been some reason in it; but for the Pharisees to hold that God was mad about it because it was done on the rest day, (Sabbath is a Hebrew word and means rest day,) was utterly ridiculous. But that Sabbath folly still clings to us, thanks to the preachers of past superstitions. It has at different times been held that kissing one's wife on the Sabbath, making bread, walking over grass with nails in your shoe soles, catching a flea on your person, eating a fresh egg on the day following the Sabbath, as the hen may have prepared it on the Sabbath, were violations of the Sabbath day. Jesus, knowing that the Pharisees based everything on the authority of their scriptures, met them with two cases in point quoted from their law. He cared nothing for such authority himself. 6, 7, 8. Then the Master comes back at them with an original statement. The Christ is greater than even your sacred temple. Mercy to the needy and unfortunate is worthy of far greater consideration than all the sacrifices, sermons and prayers of the world. Sacrifices and pleadings to God are utterly worthless, a mockery, a blasphemy against Holy Spirit. The Sabbath was made for man. Let him use it for his own best advantage, and not venerate it for fear of God. It is your day. 9-14. The Pharisees set a trap to catch Jesus. They brought a man with a withered hand and asked Jesus if it would be lawful to heal him on the Sabbath. You notice he quoted no statement of their law in his reply, nor the traditions of the Fathers. He only showed what reason and common sense would dictate, what merey would lead them to do, and then did the work. Then these orthodox church people sought to have him slain. It has always been so. We should use each day for the best of mankind and not venerate one more than another. Jesus so taught. 1. What offense was charged? 2. What was the Sabbath? 3. What was the penalty of violation of the Sabbath law? 4. How should we use the days? 5. What was Jesus' authority? 7. Is man lord of the Sabbath? Lesson III-April 15. JESUS' POWER OVER DISEASE AND DEATH. -Luke7:1-17. LESSON KEY-NOTE:-"Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection and the Life." Time:-Summer of A. D. 28. Place:-Capernaum and Nain, two cities of Galilee, the latter about seven miles from Nazareth 1-5. After Jesus finished the Sermon on the Mount, he went to Capernaum. The Centurion was a heathen Captain in the service of Herod Antipas. He believed in Jesus, and besought him to heal a favorite servant who was very sick. 6, 7, 8. Great humility and veneration for the Master were expressed in the Centurion's conduct. He believed the absent word would heal the man. He sent to Jesus because he did not feel worthy to go himself. He asked for an absent treatment because he thought his house not worthy of so holy a guest. 9, 10. The faith of the man was great and was really the power that healed the sick servant. All things are unto us according to our faith coupled with action. We must do with the might of the will what faith sees to be done. Faith and works must be joined. We show forth our faith by our works as the Centurion did. 11-15. This is an account of one of the three instances of raising "from among dead ones" by the word of Jesus. The other two were those of Lazarus and Jairus' daughter, performed later. There was no request in any of these cases. Lazarus' friends and sisters and the parents of the girl did not expect Jesus to act after death had taken place. There was no request at all in the case of the widow's only son. Compassion for the sorrowing mother led Jesus to deny the appearance of death here. It was a great work Yet not so great as the awakening of a soul that has been dead, to a realization of Infinite Life. These three people died again in a few years at most and went the way of mortality. A resurrected soul lives on forever. They did not They had read 16, 17. The people were afraid. understand such exhibitions of power. about Elisha raising the son of the Shunamite woman but that was long ago. They could believe ancient history. But here was a neighbor doing equally great deeds. It scared them. Yet they said, this is a great man, surely. 1. What was the first miracle of this lesson? 3. If there is no death, can there be any resurrec 6. What is a greater work than these? 7. Does anything living ever die? |
