480
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
October 1930
V. 12. The sons o f the kingdom. That is, those who by natural birth counted themselves members of the kingdom, but who were unwilling to really enter the kingdom by the new birth (John 3:3-5). Shall be cast forth. The “outer darkness” is the place o f exile from God who is . Light. Eternal darkness is essentially eternal separation from God. Weeping and gnashing o f teeth. A description fre quently used in Jewish literature to de- . scribe the punishment of sinners in Ge henna. This language o f Jesus must have startled Jewish hearers. Why s h o u l d they, children o f Abraham, sons of the covenant, not inherit the blessings of Ab raham in fullest measure ? Why should , Gentiles, they might further ask, who were strangers, aliens, enter into the bless ings o f the kingdom before them? It was then, as it is now, a question of heart ■relation of the individual to the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, it was a matter o f faith or unbelief, of receiving or rejecting the Son o f God. V. 13. Go thy way. After publicly ex pressing His great delight at the faith the centurion had shown, Jesus turned to him with this simple, assuring word which in dicated that his plea had been heard. As thou hast believed. The Lord Jesus always responded to faith and was frequently limited by unbelief (Mk. 6:5). So be it ■done unto thee. He did not say, “ So be it done unto thy servant.” The blessing was to the centurion as well as to the servant. Healed in that hour. Christ’s miracles of healing were in practically .every case in stantaneous and complete. There were no delays or partial healings which could sug gest that the power to heal,was less than divine., , * * * L esson Q uestions V. 5. To what place did Jesus come? What discourse had He given shortly be fore this? Who came to Him? How did he show earnestness? V , 6. By what title did he address Jesus? For whom did he make request? What was the nature of the need ? V. 7. What promise did Jesus make? Had He been asked to go to the cen turion’s home? - > ' V. 8. What language shows the cen turion’s humility ? What words show his great faith? Did he have any doubt as to the power o f Jesus? V. 9. What authority did the centurion have? What illustration.from this did he find to emphasize the authority of (he Lord Jesus? V. 10. What caused Jesus to marvel? Did Jesus marvel at great faith on other occasions (cf. Matt. 15 :28) ? When did He marvel at unbelief (Mk. 6:5)?, Had He a right to expect great faith in Israel ? . Vs. 11, 12. What is meant by the ex pression “sit down with Abraham,” etc. ? .Who are meant by. “the children of the kingdom” ? Why should they be “cast forth into outer darkness” ? Can any one come into the kingdom through natural birth? .May all enter who are willing to come by the way of a pew birth? V. 13. What was Jesus’ final word to ,the centurion ? On what .condition did he receive the answer to,,his appeal? When .was .the servant healed? J f Jesus had power to heal- by, a word,, did this prove Him to be the Son of God?
and looked into each other’s faces. This is but a faint picture o f that glorious mo ment, when those who were “ far off are made nigh by the blood of the cross” (Eph. 2:13), and when they “shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom o f God” (Lk. 13:29). ♦ * * A Man Who Believed Jesus Matthew 8 :5-13 Memory Verse. —“In every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteous ness, is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:35). Approach. —Jesus died for all the world, and lives to save, keep, and help all who call upon Him in the time of need and trouble. Lesson Story. —In the days o f Christ’s earthly life, Palestine was under Roman
Held. B y B eatrice C leland “I am continually with thee : thou hast holden me.’’ —Psalm 73:23. It isn’t that I cling to Him Or struggle to be blessed; He simply takes my hand in His, And there I let it rest. —Sunday School Times. P ractical P oints 1. The centurion was counted worthy by his Jewish neighbors because o f his good works (Lk. 7:4, 5). Before God he was worthy because of his faith. 2. The centurion’s faith was founded first upon testimony he had heard. Do not fail to tell others what the Lord has done for you. It may bring great blessing to some tried one. 3. Great faith, if genuine, is always coupled with great humility and reverence. 4. Little faith can accomplish great things (Matt. 14:28-32; Mk. 11:23). Great faith is very rarely found. 5. There is an infinite difference be tween the authority o f the greatest man on earth and that o f the Lord Jesus Christ. He has “all authority in heaven and in earth” (Matt. 28:18; cf. Phil. 2: 11). ■ | ■ ’ | g S 6. A sense ' o f personal unworthiness need not bar one from the throne of grace ; a way has been opened through the blood o f Christ (Heb. 10:19-22). 7. There were no desperate casés of sickness with the Lord Jesus. This one who was “at the point of death” (Lk. 7 : 2) was instantly and completely healed by a word o f command. 8. Israel’s willful blindness seems the more tragic when contrasted with Gentile faith. One day the veil will be removed from their blind eyes (Rom 11:10, 25, 26). 9. The centurion received all he be lieved for; God never gives less to a sup pliant. * * * G olden T ext I llustration .When the great St. Gothard tunnel was being constructed, workmen bored simul taneously from either side of the Alps. For nearly ten years they worked in the dark; but in. 1881 one o f the parties of workmen began to hear, through the less ening thickness of intervening rocks, the .pounds of the hammers and the voices of the workmen from the other side. On they worked, listening. One day they broke, down the intervening barrier. Men rushed from the other side, grasped hands,
rule. A centurion in those days was the l e a d e r or com mander of a hun dred men, corres ponding to a captain in our army. Soon a f t e r the S e r m o n on the Mount, Christ went to Capernaum, a fishing town on the western shore o f the
Sea o f Galilee. While He was there, there came to Him a delegation from a Roman centurion. Those who composed it were Jews (Lk. 7 :3-5). They told Jesus that this centurion was a worthy man. It seems re markable that the Jews.in this case were so ready to commend a Gentile to the Master. Jesus’ ready response showed that He came, not for the Jews alone, but for the whole world. In Luke 7 :6 we see the great faith of the centurion, and also his humility. He sent a message by others, fearing to presume; and believing that Christ could heal the servant for whom he sought help, if He only spoke the word. He believed’Jesus had power to heal, and his faith was richly rewarded. Sometimes, perhaps, we think that if we could only have been with Jesus long ago, and seen the miracles He performed, we might have found it easy to believe. The centurion never doubted that Jesus would answer his plea for help. So today _We may. bring to Him our own need, and the needs of our friends, and know that He will not turn us away. He delights to answer the cry of faith. ; Prayer. —^rO--- November 23, 1930 The R ich Young Ruler, Refusing a Life o f Sacrificial Service Lesson : Mark 10:17-27. Golden Text : “And he said unto all, If .any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, daily, and follow me” (Lk. 9:23). * * * L esson in O utine . I. Seeking the Kingdom (17). 1. An earnest inquirer. . 2. A wrong manner o f address— “good master.”
A Spiritual Tonic May I testify again to the value o f your magazine? It is a .spiritual tonic and a spiritual feast. O f all the Christian maga zines that I see, T he K ing ’ s B usiness is one o f the best and most helpful. —From British West Indies.
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