570
T H E
K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
September 1924
know how dear the temple was to our Lord, for we remem ber how He lingered behind when only twelve years old to talk to the doctors of the law. In the synagogue the peo ple sang and read the scriptures and the minister preached. The men all sat on one side of the building, the women on the other side. This day they asked Jesusi to read the lesson from the Bible. He explained the words He read, telling the people He was God’s Son, and that He had power to heal the broken hearted people, to give sight to the blind, to save people from their sins, and help them in- every way. The people would not believe that Jesus was God’s Son. Jesus spoke in such a wonderful way, that people would want to believe in Him, if their hearts were not so hard and wicked. The people said, “ Is not this Joseph’s son?” They began to talk with one another, and soon many of them became angry because Jesus said He was God’s Son, and they put Him out of the synagogue. They said if He was God’s Son He would be rich, and instead He was poor. But He became poor for our sakes because He loved us and wanted to save us.i The people took Jesus out of the city to one of the hill tops, so they could cast Him down and kill Him, but He walked through the crowd and went on His way. He came to His own people, but they received Him not. We know that Jesus is God’s Son, and that He is the only one who can save us. He has come to us. Have we received Him as our Saviour? If we went back to visit a place where we lived before, and were there on Sunday, would we be found in God’s house? Prayer. SEPTEMBER 31, 1924 JESUS MAKES A MISSIONARY TOUR Golden Text: “Thou canst make me clean.” Mark 1:40. Lesson Text: Mark 1:35-45. (Read Matt. 8 :1 -4 ; Luke 5:12-16). Devotional Reading: Psalm 65:1-7. The Lord had stolen out in the middle of the night, while His disciples were asleep and departed into a desert place to pray. When the morning came, those with sick ones who had not received the Saviour’s healing ministry on the previous day began to knock at the LESSON door and ask for Him. Then the dis- EXPOSITION ciples discovered His absence. They imme- F.-W . Farr diately pursued after Him (Greek). Know ing His prayer life and habits of devotion, they knew where to go. This is not only a tribute to His character, but a fine illustration of the difficulty of communion. The questing multitude, the cares of the outside world followed Him into the desert place. We have a similar experience. We find no leisure for the quiet hour. We have to make time for prayer. When the disciples found the Lord, Peter said with a suggestion of reproach “All men seek for thee.” These five words go far beyond Peter’s thought. They express a universal though an unconscious need. Peter’s appeal was local and selfish. He would keep Jesus in Capernaum. Christ had a wider horizon and a larger sympathy. “Let us go elsewhere” (R. V .,) he replied. He was always thinking of the “ elsewhere.” “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold. Them also must I bring.” (John 10 :16 ). Let us follow His example.
“To the regions beyond I must go, Where the story has never been told, To the millions that never have heard of His love I must tell the sweet story of old.” In the healing of the leper, there is seen not only the power but the tenderness of Christ. With splendid and courageous faith, the leper cried “ If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” The Lord immediately replied “ I will; be thou clean.” , The word itself would have been- enough to have healed the man at a distance even across the world. That would have shown His power. But He did more than this. Moved with compassion Jesus put forth His hand and touched Him. That showed His love. All the evangelists speak of this. It is the touch that reveals the heart of the Saviour. He was not only the healer of the body, but the lover of the soul. The compassion of Christ shines forth in the actions of Christ even more than in His words. Actions speak louder than words. The law declared that contact with leprosy caused defilement. Jesus laid His hand upon the leper’s loathsome, putrid flesh and received no contagion. On the other hand, the leper received health and cleansing from heavenly purity and abounding life. Is not this a picture and parable of the incarnation? He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh. He took hold upon the seed of Abraham. Throughout His earthly life, He was in contact with the leprosy of sin. “Why eateth your Mas ter with publicans and sinners?” “ Zaccheus make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house.” What is this but “ touching the leper?” All the while “He was holy, harmless and undefiled and separate from sinners.” “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.” Instead of being defiled Him self, His purity cleansed and saved the sinners that He touched. When He abides in us, we too may even live in Sardis and not defile our garments. V. 35. The day before had been a very busy and exhaust ing day with our Lord. He had taught in the synagogue, had cast out an unclean spirit, had raised Peter’s mother- in-law from her sick bed and at sunset had healed a great company of sick and cast out demons COMMENTS and been in the midst of a great crowd FROM THE vs. 21-34). Jesus’ healing work cost COMMENTARIES Him something, and the strain upon V. V. Morgan His intensely sympathetic nature, and the strain upon His vital force, was far beyond what we ordinarily think.— R. A. Torrey. Of many of the men of the Bible it is recorded that they were early risers (Gen. 2 2 :3 ; Judg. 6:28, 38; 1 9 :8 ; 1 Sam. 9 :26 ; 2 Kgs. 6 :1 5 ; 19:35; 2 Chron. 2 9 :20 ; Isa. 26 :9 ; Dan. 6:19; Luke 2 4 :2 2 ).— Rev. A. Black. Christ needed the refresh ment and the empowering that came from prayer. And if He needed it, how much more do we! The law of the manna, that what is heavenly cannot remain good long upon earth, but must day by day be renewed afresh from heaven, still holds good.—r-Andrew Murray. After wearying days and in anticipation of coming events, Jesus always spent long hours in prayer (Luke 6:12; Jno. 6 :15 ; Luke 22:39-46.— Torrey. Although to Jesus prayer was daily bread, vital air, the gate of heaven, yet, there were times when battles were to be fought, great questions to be settled, guidance given, power to be received, when eternal issues depended on the decisions of the hour; at these seasons Jesus would be a long time alone with His Father, in closest communion and earnest prayer. So now when beginning His Galilean min istry.^-Pract. Com. V. 37. It was an interruption, and Christ was contin ually interrupted in His work; but He was not fretted or offended, but regarded the interruptions as a happy part of His work. In this case, by rising very early, He had pro vided against the interruption that He knew would come. -—Selec.
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