15
January, 1945
Outline and Exposition B. B. S utcliffe Points and Problems H omer A. K ent Golden Text Illustration A lan S. P earce Blackboard Lesson ^ G retchen S ibley Children s Division M ildred M. C ook Object Lesson E lmer L. W ilder
I n t e r n a t i o n a l Lesson Commentary
FEBRUARY 4, 1945 JESUS’ ESTIMATE OF HUMAN WORTH M atthew 8 a n d 9
business the Jews hated him as being a renegade or traitor, and the Gen tiles scorned him as being a mere time-server who would sell himself for money. The Lord Jesus neither despised nor ^corned him, because He came to save such as he. Hence, Matthew was called to become a follower of Jesus., To respond to the call, he would have to turn his back upon everything for which he had sold himself. He must choose between temporal gain and eternal worth. Matthew did not hesitate. “He arose, and followed him.” Luke says* .“he left all” and followed. He left all earthly value; he gained all heav enly blessings—and these will be his throughput eternity. The call of the Lord Jesus is the same to men and women today, with the same meaning for all who follow Him. III. His E stimate of the U nlovely (10-13) Matthew gave a dinner to which he invited his associates among the pub licans. When the dinner was in pro gress many “sinners” came to the place. When the Pharisees saw that Jesus mingled with this class of peo ple, they objected. To them the pub licans and sinners were beyond the reach of God’s mercy, and they thought Jesus was guilty of wrong doing, because He did what they would not stoop to do. But to the Lord Jesus no human being was be yond the reach of divine grace. There fore He was willing not only to eat with sinners, but also to die in their stead that they might know the glory of becoming children of God by faith in Him. Jesus answered the Pharisees by saying that He had not come to min ister to those who felt no need of Him. But, like a physician, He sought those who were “sick.” Had the Phar isees only known it, they were in as much need of the Great Physician as were the ones who were called sinners (cf. Rom. 3:23). The Lord Jesus Christ
M atthew 9:1 A n d he entered into a ship, and passed over, and .came into his own city. 9 A nd as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew , sitting at the receipt of custom ; and he saith unto him, Follow me. A nd he arose, and followed him. 10 A n d it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, oenold, m any pubi.cans and sinners cam e and sat down w ith him and his disciples. ' 11 A nd when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, W h y eateth your m aster w ith publicans and sin n e rs? 12 B ut when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, T he y that be whole need not * physiciah, but they that are sick. 13 B ut go ye and learn w hat that m ean- eth, 1 w ill have m ercy* and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 18 W h ile he spake these thin gs unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and w o r shipped him, saying, M y daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 A nd Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 And, behold, a wom an, w hich w a s d is eased w ith an issue of blood twelve years, cam e behind him, and touched the hem of his garm ent: 21 For she said w ithin herself, If I m ay but touch his garm ent, I shall be whole. 22 B ut Jesus turned him about, and when he sa w her, he said, D aughter, be of good com fort; thy faith hath made thee whole. A n d the w om an w as made whole from that, hour. 23 A nd when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the m instrels and the peo ple m aking' a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the m aid is not dead, but sleepeth. A nd they laughed him to scorn. 25 B ut w hen the people were put forth, he w ent in, and took her by the hand, and the m aid arose. 26 A nd the fam e hereof w ent abroad into all that land. L E S S O N T E X T : Matt. 9:1, 9-13, 18-26. G O L D E N T E X T : “ Therefore all things w hatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them : for th is is the law and the prophets” {M att. 7:12). D E V O T IO N A L R E A D IN G : John 15:15-21. Outline and Exposition His E stimate of U nbelief (1 ) J ESUS “came into his own city” after being rejected by the.Gada- renes who thought more of swine than of human beings (cf. 8:28-34). The people’s unbelief caused the Lord Jesus’ departure, and with Him went heaven’s blessing. II. His E stimate of the D espised (9) Matthew was a publican, or tax gatherer, for the Roman government. He was of a class despised by both Jews and Gentiles. Because of his
G ladys B owman , I llustrator Lesson material is based on outlines of International Sunday School Lessons, copyrighted by International Council of Religious Education; used by permission. came to call all sinners. However, for those who considered themselves fit for God’s presence because of their religious rites and ceremonies, He had nothing then nor has He anything to day. His estimate of all men is that all need a Saviour, and He Himself is the Saviour they need. IV. H is E stimate of the T roubled (18-26) A ruler’s daughter had died, and the father had come to Jesus with a plea that He lay His hand upon her. The father had sublime faith that even -the laying on of the hand of Jesus would restore the girl to life. The Lord Jesus immediately arose to go to the child. He was always ready to respond to a cry of need. His es timate of those who are troubled to day is the same as in that lcgig-ago time, and He yearns to ‘ relieve their distress, to give joy in the place of sorrow. On the way to the ruler’s house, a woman wlio had been troubled for twelve years by an issue of blood came and touched Jesus’ garment, and immediately she was healed. Her simple faith had moved Him to com passion, and His power had made her well. When He reached the ruler’s house, He took the child by the hand and "the maid ’arose.” His estimate of human trouble brought the power of heaven to the body of the child, and the grace of heaven to the heart of the sorrowing father.
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