February 1931
76
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
8»« International £esson Commentary JSesson O utline an d Exposition ¿Blackboard O utlines § o ld e n LSext Illustrations G hildren’s ¿Division ^ ‘By pf. &. c0aderquist By I. @. SHoft By ^Alun (§. ‘Pearce ¿By JHelen ¿/alley
represented a harvest field ready for the reaper. Laborers are few. Seventy work ers in a limited territory might, to some, appear to be amply sufficient. But how pitifully inadequate they were for the great task! What a pathetic situation! There was a very short time left, a very great need, and very few helpers. Pray ye therefore. Here we have the first of a dozen imperatives and the most impor tant one. If we would see laborers go into God’s harvest, it is vastly more im portant to pray much than it is to use much human effort without prayer. That he send forth. Some like to translate this “that he thrust forth laborers.” Mis sionaries are commissioned by missionary societies, but unless God sends them their errand will be fruitless. II. The Seventy Instructed (3-11). V. 3. Go your ways. Each pair of workers were appointed their own field. The whole program was planned in an orderly fashion. Lambs in the midst of. wolves. A lamb is a peaceful, helpless animal, an easy prey of the wolf. The lesson evidently is that Christ’s servants go forth without carnal weapons, risking their lives in the midst o f hostile peoples (cf. Matt. 10:28). V. 4. Carry no purse. They were to. travel lightly, .with the one business in mind to give forth the Lord’s message. No wallet, no shoes. The wallet was a traveling bag in which a Jew carried his food when he journeyed outside of Jew ish territory. The seventy were not in structed to go unshod, but were merely told not to carry an extra pair of sandals. Salute no man. The average oriental has little conception of the value of time. He may spend hours and days in almost meaningless social formalities. The Mas ter’s servants are not permitted thus to idle away their time. V. 5. Into whatsoever house. There would be no need to seek inns, for hos pitality would be offered them in every city. Peace be to this house. This was a common Jewish salutation which took on new meaning after Christ, who is our peace, became an offering for our sins. V. 6. I f a son of peace be there. That is, a man who had a peaceful disposition and was ready to receive the gospel of peace. Your peace shall rest upon him. The messengers of God’s peace radiated peace in every house which they entered. Shall turn to you again. If none in the house was ready to receive the gospel, the peace of God returned to the messen gers. V. 7. In the same house remain. Whether it was a palace or a hovel, they were to remain there. Such things as they give. The entertainment offered them was to be accepted as a gift; it was, in fact, the Lord’s wages paid to His laborers. Laborer is worthy of his hire. The only reward offered was a bare sub-
of Him who had “not where to lay his head” were placed before him. The sec ond heard the call, “Follow me,” and re sponded, but with this reservation: “Suf fer me first to go and bury my father.” Such a double-minded man was disquali fied at once. The third man did not ask to be permitted to turn back, but was re buked and refused because he was look ing back. The evident lesson is that fol lowing Christ is a serious matter. It demands that all that a man has and is should be invested in the business of the King. The seventy, therefore, must have been men who had, up to their light, ac cepted our Lord’s demands, and who were thereby qualified for His service. * * * H eart of the L esson I. The Seventy Sent (1, 2). V. 1. A fter these things. That is, af ter the events just described (9:51-62). Jesus had taken final leave of Galilee and' had begun His great ministry in Perea, Appointed seventy others. The number seventy is signifi cant. Moses had appointed seventy had seventy members, possibly because they were supposed to be the successors of the seventy elders, chosen by Moses. The number seventy had also come to be considered a representative number of the nations of the world. Therefore, the send ing of the seventy suggests the giving of the gospel to the “other sheep” (John 10: 16), whereas thé mission of the twelve was only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5). Two and two. For mutual encouragement and strength (cf. Matt. 18:19). " Whither he himself zvas about to come. Jesus Himself would follow them into the various cities where they could find a, people ready for the gospel. V. 2. The harvest. There were great crowds everywhere (cf. 9:37). To the disciples, these multitudes were some times mere mobs that should be sent away (cf. Matt. 14:15). To Jesus Christ, they elders to assist him in judging the peo ple (Num. 11:16). The S a n h e d r i n , composed of scribes, priests, and elders,
March 1, 1931 Jesus Sending Forth Missionaries Lesson: Luke 9:1 to 10:24. (Lesson Text: Lk. 10:1-11, 17, 21, 22.) Golden Text: “The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest” (Lk. 10:2). sjs s|s sK L esson in O utline I. The Seventy Sent (1, 2). 1. How sent—“two and two” (1; cf. Matt. 18:19). 2. Why sent—to prepare for His coming (1). 3. Where sent—into a harvest field i f | a. Its size—“plenteous. b. Its need—-“laborers are few.” c. God’s methods for supplying workers—j‘pray.” II. The Seventy Instructed (3-11). 1. Marching orders—“go” (3; cf. Matt. 28:18; John 17:18). 2. Warning of persecution from “wolves” (3).' 3. General instructions. a. Trust for supply of needs (4). b. Waste no time in formalities I (4).- I c. Bless those who receive the message (5, 6). d. Be content with God’s provi sion (7, 8). e. Heal the sick (9). f. Preach faithfully (9-11). HI. The Seventy Returning with Joy (17). IV. Jesus Rejoicing in the Spirit (21, 22 ). Because o f : 1. Revelation of the truth to “babes” (21; cf. 1 Cor. 1:19). 2. His resignation to the will of God ( 21 ). 3. The authority given to Him (22; cf. Matt. 28:18; John 13:3; 17: 2; Eoh. 1:20-23). 4. Revelation to the Son and to the sons of God (22). * * * A pproach to the L esson 'T H E ministry of the Lord Jesus was nearing its close. There was much territory yet to be entered with the gospel message. In order to complete the task, the Lord Jesus selected and trained cer tain disciples. The close of chapter 9 suggests that some professed disciples who were candidates for the ministry that He offered proved unequal to the required testing and discipline. Three such work ers are mentioned. The first appears to have been an impulsive man who offered his service, but who drew back when the privations to be suffered by the followers
M issed I look forward to T he K ing ’ s B usiness with delight and I miss it very much when it does not come. It has been a help to me for the past three years. —From Wetersfield, Conn.
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker