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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
January, 1936
FEBRUARY 16, 1936 JESUS HELPS A DOUBTER L uke , C hapter 7
" A School that is Different” W h e a ton C o lle ge Invites Students to Enter THE SECOND SEMESTER January 27, 1936 Wheaton Colieoe For literature and information, Address : The Registrar, B ox KB-2 Wheaton College Wheaton, III. imiwnnm WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOR? Here is a work of faith caring for the fatherless, feeding the destitute, binding up the wounds of the down-trodden in the heart of China. We appeal to you for help in this work of Christ s mercy. Aid us with your interest, your prayers, your gifts. This is the largest Christian orphanage in the Orient, Cares also for adults. Maintains a school for youth. Sustained solely by faith and the beneficence of friends. Write today for free booklet "Helping China’s Helpless. HOME OF ONESIPHORUS Taian, Shantung, China American Office281IN. HacineAye., Drawer 11, Chicago, 111. John. This word concerning John’s great ness has to do with time, and not with eternity. John the Baptist was great because he was loyal to God’s plan for his life; he was obedient to God’s call to service; he was faithful to God’s trust in him; and he submerged his whole life in God’s plan and purpose. Points and Problems 1. "A rt thou he that should come?" (v. 20). In this question, the words “he that should come” represent only two Greek words, “H o Erchomenos.” And these two Greek words in the days of John the Baptist had become almost a technical name for the long-expected Messiah. Lit erally they mean “ The Coming One." The question sent by John to Jesus was, there fore, “Are you the Coming One?” It is interesting to note that in several passages this name is applied to the Godhead. See Revelation 1 :4 : “Him which is, and which was, and which is to come.” The last phrase is “Ho Erchomenos.” . - >r 2. The title given to this lesson is “Jesus Helps a Doubter." And certainly the ques tion asked by John proves that his faith in Christ was wavering. But the important question is : Why did John begin to doubt? The answer is that John took the Old Testament prophecies of the kingdom lit erally. And these prophecies had declared that when Messiah came, He would estab lish a kingdom over all the earth, would deliver His people Israel from the yoke of the oppressor, and would usher in right eousness and justice upon the earth. And John, believing Jesus to be the King, had announced that the kingdom was at hand. Yet suddenly John found himself in prison,
was helped to rest in faith rather than in appearances. While appearances were all against him, and while his position in prison was a difficult one, John knew that Christ was his Messiah, his Master, and his Lord. And if the conditions were known to that Master, and He took no open action to change them, it was because it was best that no action should be taken. It is this infihite wisdom of the Lord that is the true ground upon which faith is to rest. The Lord would answer all our doubts today, as He did those of John the Baptist, by calling us away from the path o f sight to the path of faith. Whether we understand or not, we “ know that all things work together for good to them that love God” (Rom. 8:28). The Lord would have us make use of this knowledge in quieting the fears and the doubts that arise within our minds. Certainly the Lord could have opened the prison doors and could have set John at liberty; He could have satisfied John’s mind, although it would have been left open for further questionings; but Jesus wanted John’s heart to be at rest. John believed the prophets; he saw, in Christ Jesus, the fulfillment o f the prophets’ words ; hence John’s heart would find rest and peace, even in the prison. III. T he C ommendation of J ohn the B aptist 124-28). After John’s messengers had left, Jesus turned to the multitude and commended John’s independence of his times (v. 24). Here was a man who was not shaken like a reed by every changing wind. The cus toms and fashions of his day could not lure him from the path of rectitude and faithfulness to his conception of what was right. The Lord also commended John’s sim plicity of life (v. 25). It was a time when many people ostentatiously paraded their wealth and position. But, because he was a messenger of the King o f kings, John could afford to lay aside the pomp and luxury o f the world in order that his mes sage should have its full effect. John was no weakling, softened by luxurious living. He was a man o f the open, feeding upon the simple provision made for him by God. Moreover, the Lord placed John upon the pinnacle of Old Testament heroism (vs. 26-28). He declared that John was a prophet, and even more than a prophet. In his relation to the coming Messiah, the forerunner had been the subject of prophecies uttered centuries before his time (vs. 26, 27; cf. Mai. 3 :1). Furthermore, speaking dispensationally, the Lord declared there had not been one greater than John, among all those born of women (v. 28). But “he that is least in the kingdom o f God is greater” even than BLACKBOARD LESSON
Lesson T ext: Lk. 7:19-28. Golden T ext: “ Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mk. 9:24). Outline and Exposition I. T he I nquiry from J ohn the B aptist (19, 20). W hile John’s question revealed a measure of doubt, there was in it no intimation o f any eclipse of his faith. He had proclaimed Jqgus as the Messiah whose authority and rights should be recognized and acknowledged by the people. After this public proclamation, John had warned Herod the king that Herod’s manner o f life was unlawful; because o f this courageous rebuke, John was shut up in prison. His faithfulness to the Lord involved suffering for His name’s sake. While John was in prison, his memory would recall much that the prophets had said concerning the work of Messiah, and such passages as Genesis 49:10, Numbers 24:17, Deuteronomy 32:43, Isaiah 2:1-4, and many others, would come to his mind. Then the natural question would follow : “If this Jesus is truly Mes siah, why does He allow me, His herald and friend, to remain in prison?” John would be tempted to ask himself: “Was I mistaken ? Have I acted as a fanatic ? Have I deceived my disciples?” But he boldly faced his difficulty, and instead of troubling others to find an an swer to his query, he sent his inquiry to Jesus. The action o f the messengers reveals that John must have been a trusted leader, for the bearers of the word neither added to nor took from the question that John had given. We may learn from John to face our doubts boldly, put them into words, and place them before the Lord. And we may here learn from John’s dis ciples to deliver the message intrusted to us, just as it is given to us. “ Preach the word” (2 Tim. 4 :2) is our command, and that Word should be preached clearly and distinctly, so that all who hear may know just what the Lord says. II. T he A nswer to J ohn the B aptist (21-23). Jesus could have said “yes” to John’s question, and thus have ended the matter. But that reply scarcely would have satisfied John, as long as Jesus made no move to release him from prison. Such a reply would still leave John in his troubled state, and would bring to him fresh temptation to wonder whether Jesus might be an im poster, posing as Messiah. Jesus had a better way to answer John. Before the eyes o f John’s disciples, He healed many who were afflicted, and then the Lord Jesus told the messengers to return to John and tell what they had seen (vs. 21, 22). Here was unanswerable proof that Jesus was the Messiah. The prophets had declared that when Messiah came to earth, He would do these very things (cf. Isa. 61:1, 2). Jesus was sending John back to the Scriptures for his answer. There John would find that the Scriptures were ac tually being fulfilled in Jesus o f Nazareth, and in this assurance his question would be answered, his mind quieted, and his heart set at rest. I f Jesus was indeed the Messiah — and He was—He would not forget John’s circumstances. Thus John
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