January, 1933
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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He called these men, and it is the service, too, unto which He now calls all His own. They were to have communion with Him, to have their commission from Him, and to be consecrated by Him. This is the purpose He has for each one who accepts Him as Saviour. He would have every redeemed one with Him in fellowship, in prayer, and in the study of His Word. This communion must always precede ac ceptable service for Him. It will be fol lowed by divine empowering, and the be liever will be sent forth whithersoever He may decide. We do not go. forth to per form miracles, as these early apostles did, but we go forth to proclaim the Word as these early apostles could not then pro claim it. The names o f the twelve are all set down as being known unto Him who called them. Some of them He changed, in order to better describe what their own ers were to become in their daily inter course with Him. These men were known to Him individually, not merely as a group. However many may be the servants o f the Lord scattered over the earth, His eye is- upon every one of them, His ear open to them, and His heart filled with love for them. There were among these twelve some who did not bear a good testimony all the time. Peter denied Him with oaths and curses; Thomas refused to believe in His bodily resurrection until he had ocular proof of it; and Judas finally betrayed Him. . They were far from perfect, but they each had a place in His service; each had power given to him, and each was sent forth to serve. Judas Iscariot was. among them; he re ceived the-same power and commission as the others. It is futile to discuss the ques tion, “Why did Jesus choose Judas, when He must have known what Judas was and what he would d o ?” ' There have been many answers given to this query, none of which satisfies the heart. However, we' know that it was not the mere betrayal o il his Lord that sent Judas to hell. The thing he did was little, if any, worse that Peter’s oaths and curses. But the difference is. seen in that while Peter repented and wept and turned back to Jesus for restoration, Judas had only remorse; he never returned to Jesus in penitence, but he went out and hanged himself. He went to hell, not be cause he betrayed the Lord, but because he rejected the Lord as his personal Saviour. The invitation, “Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out,’’ applied to Judas as it does to every one who hears the Word today. Lesson Questions Vs. 7-10. Why did Jesus withdraw Him« self (Mk. 3 :6) ? Using a map, locate the following: Judaea, Jerusalem, Idumaea, Jordan, Tyre and Sidon. Can you mention any events, connected with these places (ef. Matt. 3 :1 ; 2 3 :3 7 ; Gen. 3 :10, T l; Matt. 15:21-28, etc.) ? What drew the multitude? Were the people as interested in Jesus’ words as in His works ? Upon which did the Lord place the greater emphasis ? Vs. 11, 12. From a study o f the verbs in these verses, would you say that demons possess personality? In order to be saved, is it enough to acknowledge the deity of Jesus Christ? Why? What the demons said of Jesus was true; why did He not accept their testimony? Will He accept praise from any one who will not bow to His lordship ? What ,does personal ac ceptance o f the Lord Jesus Christ involve? Vs. 13-19. From what company were the twelve chosen? What four things were included in their commission? Why were the names of some o f the disciples changed ?
the country and great crowds o f people were gathering to hear Him preach, He needed special helpers to go with Him and help Him, and to prepare to do His work when He should have left this world. So the Bible tells us that He called the twelve disciples. And this was the third time that they had been called. Jesus chose His disciples that “they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,” /H e gave them, too, power to heal disease. The names of some of these disciples you know. There was Simon, who was called Peter, and Janies and John, the two brothers, and Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. These four were fishermen. There was Philip and Bartholomew and Matthew and Thomas and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus and Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot. These men were chosen by Jesus. Some o f them became His faithful friends, but one did not. Jesus calls us, too. He wants us to be His faithful followers. They Drop Before Harvest “ Cigarette-smoking boys are like wormy apples; they drop before harvest-time.” If you'do not believe this, ask any teacher who has to deal with those boys’ brain power ; ask employers who cannot rely upon these boys for carefulness, interest, wide-awakeness ; ask any physician who has to give the fatal warning long before harvest-time is due. They will all verify the Statement promptly, emphatically. Since it is a matter o f choosing for every individual, why not choose to.be as perfect as possible, physically, mentally, morally? — T h e W ellspring . . True Friendship He hath the substance o f all bliss, To whom a virtuous friend is given; So. sweet harmonious friendship is, Add but eternity; you’ll make it heaven. — J oh n N orris . planter. It consisted o f the usual crude wooden plow of the natives with a special attachment. Behind the handle of the plow was a funnel-like attachment made o f skin. From this funnel, a skin tube ran down behind the crude wooden plowshare. The sower carried a bag of grain tied to his waist, and as the oxen drew this rough planter through the field, he dropped the grain down the funnel so that it dropped into the furrow just behind the plowshare. It is when grain is sown broadcast that it falls upon the various kinds o f soil men tioned by our Lord. That which fell by the wayside fell upon the paths with which the grain fields are bordered. The roads of Palestine are little more than trails. They wind through the hills and across the plains following the lines of least re sistance. It is rtiost natural, when the grain is sown, that some o f it should fall upon these paths which go right through the fields, and that it should be eaten by the birds.. Outline and Exposition I. T he P arable of th e S ower . and th e S eed (1-10). Great multitudes followed Jesus to hear His teaching—so great that He had to use a boat, pushed out a little from the shore,
Golden Text Illustration When the government sands an am bassador to accomplish'some difficult and delicate piece of work, so long as he keeps sttictly to his instructions, he knows that he is backed up by all the resources and power of the nation he represents, If he went simply as. a private individual, he might well feel powerless to affect the current of international politics, but when his nation says to him, “ Surely. I will be with thee,” the case is entirely different. So it is with every worker whom God calls into His service. He goes to execute God’s commission, and God Himself will under take for him. — T h e F ree C h u r c h m a n . Jesus Choosing Special Helpers M ark 3 ¡13-19 Memory Verse: '-’“ As my Father hath sent me, even ' si> Sénd I you'tíj (John 20:21). • Approach: In:'our story today, Jesus’: disciples are being called to be His follow ers. This is the third time that they have been called. Lesson Story: You remember that, when John the Baptist was telling of the coming of Jesus, he pointed out Jesus to the people.
You remember how Peter and John and James and the men who were afterward to be Jesus’ disciples were there and saw Jesus and believed and were ready then to follow Him. That was the first time - they were Called. After -John the Bap tist ha. Jesus had begun to preach to the people, He called these same men to follow Him. This was the second time that they heard the call. Then later, when Jesus had gone about FEBRUARY 12, 1933 JESUS TEACH ING BY PARABLES— FOUR KINDS OF HEARERS M ark 4 :l-2 0 Lesson T ext: Mark 4:1-10, 13-20. Golden T ext: “Herein my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). The Sower T HE illustration o f the sower is one which could readily be understood by any person in Palestine in the days of Christ. It is quite familiar to the natives of the land today. The principal crop o f the Holy Land is grain. . Since the poor people live on little more than coarse, wh o l e - wh e a t bread and milk, grain rais ing is carried on on a large scale. Almost everywhere one trav els in Palestine, he passes through grain fields. How the na tive with his crude methods of cultivation can raise any crop at all among the stones o f the hills is a mys tery to the tourist. Most sowing is done by hand. The sower takes a bag of grain, ties it about his waist, and walks through the newly plowed field, scattering it with a sweeping motion of his arm. We stopped in one village in which we saw men with an improvised wheat
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