May 1931
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
223 yras the Christ, or did he speak in deri sion? What kind of salvation did he want? Vs. 40-42. Did the other robber have the same feeling? In what way did he rebuke his companion in crime? Did this penitent robber confess that he was just ly condemned? Did he recognize that Je sus was guiltless? Was he in a position through confession of his sin and ac knowledgment of Christ to be saved? What plea did he make to Jesus? Did he recognize that Jesus was truly a King who would some day receive His king dom? V. 43. What promise did Jesus give to the penitent thief? Was it a promise of immediate favor or of blessing in some distant time? Where would he have fel lowship with Jesus? Vs. 44, 45. What is the explanation of the darkness over the land? How long did it continue? Where was the great veil of the temple? Was it an easy mat ter to rend it in two pieces? What typi cal meaning is there in the rending of the veil (cf. Heb. 10:19-22; 2 Cor. 3:12-16)? V. 46. What were the last'words of Jesus on the cross ? Did His crying with a loud voice show that He had His physi cal strength to the last? Does this prove that He laid down His life by an act of the will (John 10:17, 18)? Does His language indicate perfect confidence in the Father? * * * P ractical P oints 1. The physical suffering and mental torture borne by the Saviour were very great. But it is wrong to dwell too much upon that side of the story. The evan gelist is wise when he merely says: “There they crucified him.” 2. The real suffering of the cross came to our Lord when He was made sin for us and as a consequence was, for the time-being, forsaken of the Father (John 3:14; Gal. 3:10-13). 3. What an awful indictment of human nature lies in the fact that Jesus Christ, the sinless One, was the 'only | sufferer that day who had to'endure reviling. The world hates the holy and loves the wicked (John 15:19). 4. Jesus made no effort to answer His revilers, but put His trust in God. We may do the same when we “suffer for well-doing” (1 Pet. 2:23; 3:14-17). 5. It was indeed true that the Lord Jesus had saved others. But because He was a Saviour, He could not accept the challenge of those who tauntingly asked Him to come down from the cross. He was the Christ of God, and He proved it by His .obedience unto death (Phil. 2:5-9; John 10:11; Matt. 20:28). 6. The gospel of Christ is for the whole world, as is suggested by the fact that the superscription on the cross was written in Hebrew, the language of re ligion, Greek, the language of culture, and Latin, the language of Rome, the great world power. The church is bidden to tell “every creature” that Christ died for sinners (Mk. 16:15; Matt. 28:18). 7. Jesus Christ went to the right hand of the Father by way of Calvary. His death has opened the way into the holiest for us (Heb. 9:7, 8; 10:19-22). 8. By saving the penitent robber dur ing the last few minutes of His life, the
His lips and snatched it away before He could drink, even if He desired to do so. Another Messianic prophecy was ful filled (Psa. 69:21). V. 37. I f thou art the King o f the Jews. These Roman soldiers despised the Jews and were happy to have opportunity to heap insults upon them as well as up- ’on their “King.” V. 38. A superscription over him. Each of the evangelists gives this superscrip tion differently. Mark says: “The King of the Jews.” Matthew gives i t : “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” Luke says: “This is the King of the Jews.” John gives it more fully: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” It was written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. It has been suggested that the differences may be ex plained by supposing that Matthew and John followed the Hebrew reading, Mark the Latin, and Luke the Greek. The three languages gave the message to all in the crowd that looked upon the scene. They were a fit symbol of the fact that the Lord Jesus by His death on the cross bore the sin of the whole world. The Jewish authorities begged Pilate to change the reading to : “He said, I am King of the Jews.” But the governor refused their plea (John 19:21, 22). V. 39. One o f the malefactors . . . railed. Matthew states that both robbers reproached Him (Matt. 27:44). The Greek word used by Matthew is much milder than that which Luke employs. Apparently the one robber was hardened in heart by his sufferings and the other brought to penitence as he beheld the dy ing Lord. The robber who reviled de manded that Jesus prove His Messiahship by working a miracle for the deliverance of them all from death on the cross. III. The Saviour and the Penitent Rob ber (40-43). Vs. 40, 41. Rebuking him. Perhaps this hardened criminal had been convinced by Jesus’ prayer for His enemies that He was indeed a Saviour. He may have known something of the Lprd Jesus be fore. Dost thou not even fear Godt Is it fitting for one who is soon to stand in the presence of God, the Judge of all the earth, to be defiant, especially since he knows that he is receiving the just pen alty for misdeeds? Behind this man lay a lifetime of sin, both against God and against society. He had entered upon his course with full knowledge of its pos sible end. This man hath done nothing amiss. Did he get this opinion of Christ merely from what he saw of Him on the cross, or had he known of His character and work previously? Truly, no man had lived like Jesus, and none had ever died like Him. V. 42. Jesus, remember me. This is an acknowledgment that Jesus is the Christ who is to return to earth and set up His kingdom. The suppliant begged for a place in that kingdom. He did not seek a high place, as some of the disciples did, but he merely asked that he might , not be utterly forgotten. V. 43. Today shalt thou be with me. The robber hoped for a place in the kingdom. He was promised immediate fellowship with the Lord in paradise. Je sus had been taunted because of His claim that He was Messiah, the Saviour, and He very soon made good His claim,
Lonesome for K. B. We thought we would get along without the magazine for a while, but we find we are lone some .without it. The Sunday- school lessons interest us much. -—From Warren, Ohio.
not by coming down from the cross, but by drawing a sinner to Himself (cf. John 12:32). [V. Jesus, the Dying Saviour (44-46). Vs. 44, 45. About the sixth hour. The sixth hour would be noon. A supernatur al darkness came over the whole land un til three o’clock in the afternoon. Was not this such a sign in the heavens as the Jews had demanded? It did not bring any of them to repentance so far as we know. The veil of the temple was rent. This veil separated the holy place from the most holy place. It was sixty feet long and thirty feet high. It was said to be so heavy that no less than 300 priests were required to handle it. The veil was rent from top to bottom, as if to signify that the work was done by a hand stretch ed down fro.m heaven. V. 46. Crying with a loud voice. Death on a cross ordinarily involved a gradual depletion of physical strength. But it was not so in the case of Jesus. He had strength at the last to give forth the loud shout of a victor. Father, into thy hands. His life closed in triumphant trust in God. He was more than conqueror. He gave up the ghost. In each of the Gospels, the language of the evangelist indicates that Jesus did not die as other men die. By an. 1 be will, He yielded up His spirit to God. He had “power -to lay it down” and “power to take it again” (John 10:17, 18). * * * L esson Q uestions V. 33. To what place was Jesus taken to be crucified? Who were crucified with Him? What prophecy was fulfilled (Isa. 53:9, 12)? V. 34. For whom did Jesus pray? What did He ask in prayer? Were the Jewish authorities ignorant of what they were doing (cf. Acts 3:17)? Were the soldiers ignorant? Was Pilate ignorant? What did the soldiers do with His gar ments? What prophecy was fufilled (Psa. 22:18)? V. 35. What did the people do? Does the language imply that they were awed by the solemn spectacle? What did the rulers do? Was it true that Jesus had saved others ? Could He have 1saved Himself and still remained a Saviour of sinners ? Vs. 36, 37. What did the soldiers do? Did they really think He was King of the Jews, or were they speaking in deri sion? If they were Roman soldiers, would they be glad to have this opportuni ty to revile the Jews by insulting their “King” ? V. 38. What superscription was put over the cross ? In what languages was it written (John 19:20) ? Did the chief priests want this superscription changed (John 19:21, 22) ? ^ V. 39. What did one of the robbers say? Did he really believe that Jesus
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