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the church, to say nothing of the continu ance of our American institutions, depends upon what kind o f training the youth re ceive. More than any other factor, the lack o f religious training results in deterioration in both the state and the church. II. T h e V alu e of th e C hild (18:12-14). The Lord used another illustration ; this time He spoke of a sheep that was lost. In verse 11, He said that He had come to save that which was lost. Speaking o f adults, He declared that He had come to seek and save them (Lk. 19:10). But the child does not need to be sought, though it needs to be saved. Given proper opportu nity, the child will gladly come to the Lord. It was in their youth that most Christians were saved. Because of its humble, de pendent mind and spirit, a child is more easily led to Christ than an adult. The value o f the child is illustrated by the shepherd’s concern for his lost sheep. The sheep which is astray claims more of the shepherd’s thought than do the ninety and nine that are safe in the fold (vs, 12, 13). The Lord then pointed out the reason for the child’s value (v. 14). I f the.literal sheep is so valuable in the eyes, o f the shepherd, the child is even more valuable in the eyes o f the Lord. The child’s place is in heaven, for “o f such is the kingdom of heaven.” There are no children in hell ; one o f the horrors of that place will be the absence of the sound o f a child’s voice and the patter o f a child’s feet. III. T h e P lace of th e C h ild (19:13-15). When a Jewish rabbi passed through the country, mothers would bring their babes to have the blessing of the rabbi pro nounced over the little ones’ heads. Think ing Jesus was a great Rabbi, mothers brought their babes to Him (v. 13). But the disciples, imagining that Jesus was too important a personage to be bothered with children, would have hin dered those mothers in the expression of their desire (v. 13). There are some peo ple today who, alas, share the disciples’ thought. They forget that the most impor tant person on earth is a child. It is not big, but it is great. There are untold pos sibilities in each child; each may grow to be a John, or a Judas; a Mary, or a Jeze bel.' Hence, children are not to be hin dered, but are to be allowed to come to the Lord Jesus (v. 14). Note the Lord’s implication that the chil dren will come, if they are given the op portunity. The older they grow, the more difficult it becomes for boys and girls and men and women to realize their need of a Saviour and to accept the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord said, “ For o f such is the kingdom” (v. 14), He did not refer to the particular children before Him, but to such as they ; that is, to those in the condi tion and possessing the disposition o f child hood. The helplessness, simplicity, de pendence, trustfulness, and latent possi bilities of the child must be found also in those who would enter heaven. The king dom belongs to none other than those of childlike character. It is not childishness that is needed,1 but childlikeness. The Lord’s teaching here is remarkable, in the light of modern thought which pre sumes that the child cannot understand, nor deeply appreciate, nor widely propagate the truth. The Lord says, “of such is the kingdom.” In the last analysis, it is only the child who can readily understand the mysteries o f the kingdom. Adults are prone to exercise their reason and to attempt to bring the great truths of the Scriptures within the compass o f the human mind.
from wood, painted the same colors as the real nails; and a small box o f dirt. Lesson : In thinking o f the resurrection of Christ, we are reminded o f His words: “ Because I live, ye shall live also.” W e will take these nails and bury them in this box o f dirt, letting them stand for the people who have died. There’ are four colors— red, yellow, black, and white, representing the four races of people. We will bury two nails representing each race. (Bury one nail and one imitation nail of each of the colors.) At the other end o f the box, we shall make the other nails stand on end, letting them represent people who will not have died when Christ comes. This large mag net stands for Christ, who has promised to return to earth and raise from the dead those who have accepted Him as Saviour. As the magnet comes near to the nails that are buried, you see the dirt move, and four nails come up—one red, one yellow,, one black, and one white. There will be some from all races who will be raised when Christ comes. No matter how near the magnet goes to the dirt, the other four nails do not respond to its drawing power. It will be so when Christ comes. Only those who have already accepted Him as Saviour will be called forth from the grave at the first resurrection. • After the graves have been opened, and the bodies of the dead Christians have been raised to life, the Christians who are living on earth at that time will be caught up to meet Christ in the air. See, only part of these' standing nails jump to meet the mag net. Those that thus respond to the mag net’s drawing power represent the people who have received Jesus Christ as Saviour. When Christ comes, “one shall be taken, and the other left.” Surely we need to accept Christ as Sav iour, in order that we may be ready, whether living or dead, to meet Him when He comes. possess a child’s innocency, for they could not secure that; neither did He demand that they show a child’s unselfishness or thoughtfulness, for children do not have these qualities highly developed. But it was the humble, trusting, dependent spirit o f childhood that He said His disciples needed and must have. Humility has been called the Queen o f the Virtues; its regal splendor, in its perfection, shines forth in the Lord Himself (Phil. 2:5-8). “Whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me,” our Lord said (v. 5). This statement refers to the hum ble saint, rather than to the literal child. The danger of offending one of this class is also pointed out (v. 6). It is better to die than to be the cause of another’s stum bling. The passage suggests the supreme importance o f the child. The condition of BLACKBOARD LESSON
Golden Text Illustration > A girl was badly injured in an automo bile accident, and was in a coma in a hos pital for nearly a month. One day, of a sudden, when her nurse was feeding her at breakfast, she uttered the longest sentence she had spoken since the accident: “Why do you always give me eggs when I want bacon ?” Having said this, she immediately became unconscious again. Think of that girl’s loved ones and their varied interests, to say nothing of all the affairs of the community and the world that were going on, the matters of time and of eternity, and it seems absurd, does it not? that the girl’s first extended utterance should have been of eggs and bacon. And yet it was very natural. How seldom, after all, do we really think of the things that are above ail others, not to speak of setting our minds firmly upon theml Now and then we give them a casual thought. . . . But we spend most o f our time in a coma o f worldliness. * — A mos R. W ells , in Devotional Year-Book, published by W . A. Wilde Co., Boston.
Object Lesson T h e F irst R esurrection
Objects'. A magnet; eight nails, two painted red, two yellow, two black, and two white ; eight imitation nails carved
APR IL 8, 1934 THE CHILD AND THE KINGDOM M atth ew 18:1-14; 19:13-15
Lesson T ext: Matt. 18:1-6,12-14; 19:13- 15. Golden T ext: “ Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come unto m e: for o f such is the kingdom o f heaven” (Matt. 19:14). Outline and Exposition ■I. T he G reatness , of th e C hild (18:1-6). B h e disciples had been di s c u s s i ng among themselves who should be the greatest in the kingdom, and Jesus, knowing their thoughts, asked them about their dispute (cf. Mk. 9:33-37; Lk. 9:46- 48). The Lord then called a little child to Him, and setting it in the midst, used it as an illustration. There must have been something surpassingly gentle and kind about our Lord that caused the little children to come to Him so readily (v. 2). The Lord then pointed out to His hearers the pathway to true greatness (vs. 3-6). He declared that unless they became con verted, they could not enter the kingdom; and unless they became humble, they could not be great in that kingdom. “ Con verted” here means to have a change of mind or attitude: that is, a change from self-seeking to childlike artlessness. Hence, the path to true greatness apparently leads downward; but in reality, it leads upward. Jesus did not require that His followers
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