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His disciples (Luke 18:14; 22:24-27; Matt. 20:24-28). 2. Christians should be childlike in humility (1 Cor. 14:20) and in sub mission (Eph. 6:1), but not in mind or speech (1 Cor. 13:11; 14:20). 3. As John Dean, a Quaker evangelist, very quaintly put it: “Humility is the last thing thee learns; when thee thinks thee has it, it is sure proof thee has not.” 4. Jesus, on one occasion, showed His own humility by a powerful object les son, the washing of the disciples’ feet (John 13:1-15) ; indeed, His whole career was an illustration o f the fact that He had “emptied himself” (Phil. 2:5-8). 5. Weak Christians may be stumbled and led into sin by bad example, by ridi cule, by flattery, etc. To cause such an one to err is a sin against God and a terrible injustice to a fellow man. Fur thermore, it reacts upon the guilty one and makes him more wicked. 6. With what infinite love God seeks the erring 1 In contrast, with what wick edness men often cause their brothers to err! And with what unconcern some Christians look upon the lost and com placently say, “Am I my brother’s keeper ?” 7. God’s “little ones” may be despised at times by the thoughtless, because they are poor, ignorant, faulty, etc., but God is not ashamed of any who trust in Christ. 8. It is a very serious mistake to take no interest in children. Do not stop at bringing them to church and Sunday school; bring them to Christ. 9. To humble one’s self and become as a child, is to take a lowly place, to sub mit to the will of God, and to seek a sphere of service. Only by such an atti tude can one enter the door o f the King dom (John 10:9). Yet it should be re membered that salvation is by faith and not by character. Humility is the fruit of Christianity, not its source. * * * G olden T ext I llustration A little girl had learned the verse,' “ Suffer the little children to come unto me,” to repeat at a meeting. She stood on the platform and began, “ Suffer”—it was her first attempt at speaking in public. She was frightened, and stopped for a moment, then began again, “ Suffer little” —again her fear overcame her, but being a determined little one, she made a third attempt, and said, “ Suffer little children.” Then she looked afraid at the many faces, and stopped. With a last grand ef fort she said, not exactly the verse, but these words: “Jesus wants us all to come to Him; and don’t anybody try to stop us.” A new and true version of Matthew 19:14. * * *
the subject o f which He had been speak ing. “Little ones,” in this case, are perhaps childlike believers, who may also be young in years, but not infants. Careless, thoughtless actions may bring harm to such weak Christians (Rom. 14:1-6, 13- 22; 1 Cor. 8:9-13). It were better. In comparison with the awful fate that is before this guilty one, physical death would be less tragic (cf. Luke 17:1, 2). Millstone. The margin of the Revised Version indicates that the word means a millstone much larger than that used in the ordinary household. III. Instructions about Love for the Erring. V. 12. How think ye? Jesus makes an appeal to the sober judgment and good sense o f His hearers. Will they not ac knowledge that God is as watchful of His children as a shepherd is o f his sheep? Have a hundred sheep. This same par able was used on a later occasion, with some variations (cf. Luke 15:4-7). The loss of one sheep in a hundred might seem but a trifle, yet that one is precious to the shepherd; how much more precious to God is one of His “little ones.” Go unto the mountains. A difficult and dan gerous errand, symbolic of .Christ who left the glory, “emptied himself,” and “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,” in order to save the lost.' V. 13. I f . . . he find it. This ex pression implies that even God Himself cannot force a wilful straying sheep to go home. He rejoiceth. To Christ, a human soul is of infinite worth. He loves the returning lost sheep all the more be cause it cost Him so much to rescue it. V. 14. Not the will of your Father. Nothing is more clear or more certain than that God loves the sinner and has done all that is necessary, from the divine side, to accomplish his salvation. Over against that love stands in contrast the iniquity of those who, because they do not love; would cause one little one for whom Christ died, to stumble and perish. IV. Children Brought for a Blessing. 19:13. Brought unto him little children. These parents, having received blessing as they listened to the teaching of Jesus, sought similar blessing for their children.. They were evidently small children, for He took them in His arms (Mark IQ:16). The Jews had always thought much of the “blessing” of any great prophet or rabbi. TheVTalmud says that it was a custom to bring young children to the synagogue for this purpose. Disciples re buked them. Perhaps they resented the interruption of their conversation with Jesus on the important subject o f mar riage and divorce (19:3-12) by what they thought was a trivial matter. They had a wrong conception of childhood and o f the Lord Jesus, the Friend of children. They had apparently forgotten the rebuke that they had received some months be fore when He had set a child in their midst as an object lesson to teach them humility and to rebuke their ambitions (cf. 18:1-6). V. 14. Suffer the little children. Mark (10:14) says that Jesus was “moved with indignation.” Instead of repelling chil dren, He gives them a double invitation, expressed positively—“suffer”—and neg atively—“ forbid not.” To such belongeth
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the kingdom. That is, to those who have the childlike spirit (cf. 18:3). V. 15. Laid his hands on them. Doubt less there was also accompanying prayer for their blessing. We have no means of knowing what- results followed, but we cannot imagine that it was all a matter of empty form. Children brought thus to Jesus Christ by sincere, earnest, God fearing parents, cannot but be blessed. The verb “blessed” here is a compound word in the original that could be trans lated “ feverently blessed.” * * * L esson Q uestions V. 1. What question did the disciples ask? What suggested the question? Did similar questions arise later (cf. Matt. 20:20, 21; Luke 22:21-24)? V. 2. How did He answer the ques tion? How large a child did He call? V. 3. What is the force o f the word “verily” ? From what were the disciples asked to turn? In what respect must they become like little children? In what re spects should they be unlike children (cf. 1 Cor. 14:20; Eph. 4:14)? V. 4. Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? What is meant by “humble himself” (cf. 20:26, 27; 23:11, 12)? V. 5. How did our Lord emphasize the preciousness of these little ones? Did He mean a literal child or a childlike be liever? What is meant by receiving such? What is meant by “in my name” ? V. 6. What solemn warning was given? How can we cause others to stumble (cf. 1 Cor. 8:9-13)? V. 12. What parable is given? Is the same parable found elsewhere (cf. Luke 15) ? How many of the human race have gone astray (cf. Isa. 53:6) ? In wh a t sense did the Lord Jesus leave the ninety and nine to seek the' straying sheep on earth? V. 13. How does God feel when He finds a lost sheep? How great is His joy? V. 14. What application is made o f the parable? Is God willing that any should perish (cf. John 6:39, 40; 2r Pet. 3 :9 )? 19:13. Who were brought to Jesus? How old were they (Luke 18:15, R. V .; Mark 10:16)? For what purpose were they brought? How did the disciples re gard it ? V. 14. How did Jesus feel toward the disciples? What did He say? What did He mean by the words,'“ Of such is the kingdom of heaven” (cf. 18 :l-3) ? V. 15. Did -the laying on o f Jesus’ hands impart blessing? ♦ * * P ractical P oints 1. Ambition is a disease hard to cure. Jesus often had to deal with this trait in.
The Child and the K ingdom Matthew 18: 1-6; 12-14; 19:13-15
Golden Text: “ Suffer the little chil dren, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for to such belongeth the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Approach .—Ask the children to name boys and girls in the Bible (Joseph, Sam-
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