64
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1933
LESSON Golden Text Illustrations B y A lan S. P earce
COMMENTARY Children’s Division In Holy Places B y H elen G ailey B y H erbert H . T ay
Outline and Exposition B y B. B. S utcljffe
Blackboard Outlines B y B essie B. B urch
MARCH 5, 1933 JESUS GIVING UFE AND HEALTH M ark S :21-43
little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come.” This is the sort of cry which always arrests the attention of our Lord and brings blessing from His hands. The compassion o f Jesus was at once awakened and, leaving the multitude, He went immediately with the troubled father to restore to him his little daughter. No heart cry ever goes unanswered by the One who loved the world enough to die that men in sorrow and distress and de spair might find relief. While the cry of Jairus was born o f sorrow, it revealed that measure of trust in the Lord which is the only pathway to the blessing He can bestow. II. T he A ppearance of F utility (35-40). While on the way to the house o f Jarius, a messenger came saying that the little daughter had died. One can easily imagine the grief of the father’s heart as the hope dispelling message reached his ears. ¡But immediately Jesus gave this father a word calculated to restore hope and dispel his fear. “Be not afraid, only believe,” the Lord said. When the company finally reached the house, the appearance gave the lie to the words o f Jesus (cf. 37-40). Many were gathered there weeping and wailing be cause of the death of the child. There was no question in the minds o f those who were present but that death had actually visited this home and taken the girl away. They were so certain of this, and hence so sure that the case was beyond all help, that they dared to laugh the Lord to scorn when He spoke to them to quiet their weeping. It was true that the girl was beyond all human aid, but there was One in their midst who, had they but known it, could as easily recall one from the realms of death as He could speak to the living. When He speaks, even the dead obey, In all creation, there is nothing that refuses to hear and obey the voice o f the Son of God, except man. The beasts of the field and the fowl of the air obey the voice of the Lord, as He speaks through the instinct He has given them. Man, being a part of creation, has the same instinct, but unlike the beasts and birds, he often refuses to obey it. Greater respon sibility is his because, having reason and understanding, he proves himself lower than the beasts, as he willfully tramples these things under feet. The lesson here is that, even when all appearances are against it, the event is never beyond the reach o f our Lord. This was not a real resurrection however; it was a restoration only. There was no resurrection until Jesus Himself rose from the dead, the firstfruits of them that slept. III. T he A pplication of P ower (40-43). Why the Lord should allow only the three favored disciples, together with the father and mother o f the girl, to accom pany Him as He went into the chamber o f death is a mystery. Our curiosity is never satisfied. But all that is necessary for our instruction is fully told, and the
Lesson T ext: Mark 5:21-24, 35-43. Golden T ext: “ The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Psa. 126:3). The Ruler of the Synagogue a ir u s was “the ruler of the syna gogue.” We do not know just what office he _held, but he was evidently one in authority. Small synagogues had a college o f elders presided over by a ruler. This ruler was the chief rabbi, or teacher, and led in the worship of the synagogue. In W -“ ®*®®®**®** l a r g e r synagogues, there was an officiat- i ing minister who was 1 the delegate of the ' congregation. He had the duty and respon sibility of r e a d i n g from the Holy Scrip tures, and of praying for the people. Under him were the “min isters,” whose duties were much the same as those o f the deacons in the early Chris tian church. They were to attend to the matters of routine duty in connection with the buildings and arrangements for the services. Besides these, there were ten “patrons” attached to every synagogue. They were usually men o f leisure, and able to attend all the week-day as well as Sabbath services. The chief rabbi, pr ruler, of the small synagogues conducted the regular servmes for the people. As is mentioned in the book of Acts, Moses, or the law, was read every Sabbath day. The rabbi always stood while reading from the law. After this came the second lesson, which was taken from the prophets. Then the rabbi sat down and delivered his sermon. Any comments upon the reading, and any per sonal message from the rabbi, were deliv ered while he was seated. Sometimes these official duties were delegated to another person. This was especially the case if some distinguished stranger worshiped in the synagogue. Thus the Apostle Paul always had the opportunity to speak in the synagogues of the cities which he visited on his journeys. Outline and Exposition A comparison o f this passage with the account of the same incident in Matthew and Luke reveals that while Matthew and Luke give the dispensational aspect of it, the lesson from Mark presents the indi vidual aspect. It is the recognition of in dividual faith relying upon love, which stands out in our lesson today. I. T he A ppeal to J esus (21-24). A multitude was always ready to gather about our Lord, because o f His gracious words and His wonderful deeds. It was largely curiosity which drew these people
to Him, and, as far as the record goes, they received little or no benefit from Him, because of the absence of faith. The peo ple were not necessarily helped because they followed Him, but their responsibility became all the greater from hearing His teaching and seeing His works. Moreover, large crowds may be atten tive to a teaching, but this does not always mean that the teaching is from God. The crowd is ever ready to follow that which is new or spectacular. People follow, not for spiritual profit, but from curiosity; human nature is ever the same. “Take heed what ye hear” should be warning enough for those who desire to learn of God. But into the midst of this crowd of curiosity seekers there came one who had a real and earnest desire to get Something which only the Lord could give. This one was a prominent member o f the com munity, Jairus, whose little daughter was then near to death. Jairus broke through the barriers of class and caste and appealed directly to the Lord for help. When there arises a need for what the Lord alone can give, all barriers will be broken down; the rich man will kneel with the poor man, the moral man with the immoral, and each will find the Lord to be as gracious to him as to any other. The gospel brings all to one common level. Jairus came humbly, falling at the feet of Jesus to make his request. Even in his distress, he would approach this great Rabbi with the respect due to such an one. There is frequently altogether too much familiarity in our approach to the’ Lord in these modern days. One could almost believe, listening to some prayers today, that the Lord Himself is blit a man, and not a very dignified man at that. We should learn a lesson from this approach of Jairus and remember always that Jesus of Nazareth is also the Lord of glory. Jairus made no promises or resolutions concerning what he would do if help was granted, but in his intense eagerness, he presented his case in the fewest possible words. In his appeal, there' was a cry by which the heart of any man, to say nothing o f that heart which beat in sympathy with every human ill, would be touched. “My BLACKBOARD LESSON
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