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THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S
January, 1938
plete joy until we are with the Lord. 5. "New cloth on an old garment . . . new wine into old bottles” (vs. 21, 22). It is barely possible that these two illus trations were suggested by our Lord’s illus tration o f the bridegroom in verses 19 and 20. It would be perfectly natural for the thought of the wedding to suggest the two things associated with such an event, gar ments and wine. The old garment and the old bottles point to the dispensation of the law which was about to give place to the dispensation of grace. There is abso lutely no congruity between the two. The new wine of the gospel of G od’s grace can not be shut up within the old bottles of legalism. In mixing grace and law we lose both. The bottles burst, and the wine is lost. Said Bishop W . F. McDowell before the first national convention of Methodist men: “ I would not cross the street to give India a new theology; India has more theology than it can understand. I would not cross the street to give China a new code of ethics; China has a vastly better code than ethical life. I would not cross the street to give Japan a new religious literature, for Japan has a better religious literature than religious life. But I would go around the world again, and yet again, if it please God, to tell India and China and Africa and the rest o f the world: “ ‘There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains.’ ” —A Modern Cyclopedia of Illustrations, by Hallock. When Jesus Had Dinner with Matthew M ark 2:13-22 Memory Verse: “W e love him, because he first loved us” (I John 4:19). Approach: Last week we talked about how the Lord Jesus came to this earth with one great message. He came to tell people how they could have their sins forgiven. Golden Text Illustration M ark 2:17
was different from what a tax collector does today. He was a Jew, but he had hired himself to the hated Romans. He took money from them for collecting the heavy taxes which his own people had to pay to the Romans. Besides this, he overcharged them whenever he could and kept the extra money he took from them. You can imagine how all the other Jews hated publicans. How surprised Jesus’ followers were, then, when one day, as He passed by the place where Matthew sat, He said to Matthew, “ Follow me” ! They were more surprised when Matthew rose up and followed. But you see, Matthew knew that he was a sin ner, and he wanted the Lord Jesus to do something about it. The Jewish leaders didn’t like it at all when Jesus went to Matthew’s house to eat, for Matthew gath ered together all o f his publican friends and asked Jesus to come and eat and talk to them. The Pharisees couldn’t under stand why Jesus went. Jesus had to ex plain to them that He went because He wanted to help those who knew that they needed help. Jesus is ready to help us today, but first we must come to Him and tell Him that we are sinners.
H. A . I RON S I DE every week IN THE T I ME S Beginning with the lessen for January 2nd, Dr. Ironside, pastor of the great Moody church of Chicago, will write the leading lesson article every week in Wife £*>uniiai> £§>cf)ool Wimtz Dr. Ironside preaches twice on Sunday to congregations of over 3,000 at each service. Every Friday night he teaches the Uniform lesson to the teachers of his Sunday School (with a membership of nearly 2,000). In evangelistic work some 40 years, and author of more than 30 books, he is a man of God, with a message from God, which he delivers in the power of God. A ten weeks get acquainted subscription for 25 cents will bring you ten of Dr. Iron side’s lesson studies, or better yet a 24 weeks subscription for $1.00 will bring you nearly all of the studies in the Gospel of Mark. Dr. Ironside’s first article appears in the Times of December 18th (lesson for January 2nd), and your order sent now mentioning his article will insure your receiving this issue. Points and Problems 1. “Levi the son of Alpheus" (Mk. 2:14). This Levi is the man named Matthew in the four New Testament lists of the apos tles (cf. Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). Proof that the two names refer to the same man may be found by comparing Mark 2:14 with Matthew 9:9. The name “Matthew” means “gift of Je hovah,” and was probably given to Levi by our Lord, as also He had given a new name to Simon. It is interesting to note that Matthew, in his own account of the call, uses the new name in speaking of himself (9:9 ). It was doubtless very pre cious to him. 2. “As Jesus sat at meat in his house" (Mk. 2:15). The name “Jesus” here is not in the original text. The Greek says simply, “ As he sat at meat in his house.” Some commentators think the “ he” refers to Levi rather than to Jesus. I am inclined, however, to believe that it refers to our Lord, as indicated by the Authorized Ver sion. But “his house” refers to the house of Levi where the feast was being held. 3. “How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?" (v. 16). It is interesting to note that this question is one of four that occur in this chapter, and which raise tremendous issues. The first is in verse 7, the second in 16, the third in 18, and the fourth in 24. 4. “ Then shall they fast in those days" (v. 20). These words constitute one of the many proofs that the present age of our Lord’s absence from His own is not the final or perfect state. There can be no com The Sunday School Times Dept. E , 325 N . 13th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Object Lesson P ills a n d I l u
Objects: Three bottles containing pills. Lesson: Would any of you like to buy some of these pills this morning? They are very pretty. “ No, we are not sick, and do not need them.” You are right—pills are only for those who are ill. In looking at these pills, I am reminded of what the Lord Jesus said: “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to re pentance” (Mk. 2:17). Not every one is sick physically, but every human being is sick spiritually, and needs Christ. W e are told in Romans 3 :23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Pills are not to look at— they must be taken. A pill might be very pretty, and a sick man might spend much time in looking at it, but unless he took it, it would not help him. There are those who admire Christ’s life and teachings, but never take Him as their personal Saviour. It is not enough to admire Him— He has to be ac cepted as Saviour before deadly spiritual sickness is cured. If pills are to be of benefit to a sick per son, they must be taken by him personally. A mother might say to her child, “ The doc tor says to take this for your fever. He once gave me these pills for the same kind of fever, and they helped me.” The child
There were some peo ple in that day, just as there are now, w h o t h o u g ht they we r e r e a l l y v e r y good, and didn’t need to have sins forgiven because they didn’t sin! These people who thought them selves so good were called the “ scribes” They were religious
c H ■ g s e s H H j j i j j j p l i j jM L D R i e r . m m r\ 5 - D i v i s i o n and the “ Pharisees/
leaders, and they stood before the people every day and cried in a loud voice tell ing God about themselves and how good they were. These were the people who found it very hard to understand Jesus’ message. But there were others who knew that they were sinners, such sinners that . they needed to be saved from their sins. Such a man was Matthew. Lesson Story: Matthew—whose other name is Levi—was a tax collector or “ pub lican” as they were called. What he did
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