149
April-May, 1933
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
COMMENTARY Children’s Division In Holy Places B y H elen G ailey B y H erbert H . T ay
LESSON Golden Text Illustrations B y A lan S. P earce
Outline and Exposition B y B. B. S utcliffe
Blackboard Outlines B y B essie B. B urch
The Lord must again correct their false views. There is a false and a true ambi tion, and while it is a good thing to desire high places in the kingdom, the approach, as in this case, may be wrong. These two men were trying to “put something over” on the absent ones in their own desire to have the best, places. But we must remember that there is a proper ambition, that stated in 2 Corin thians 5 :9 (R. V.) : “We make it our am bition, whether at home or abroad, to be well-pleasing unto him.” This is the high est ambition any one can possess. It will lead to the humble mind which was con stantly present in the Lord Himself. The disciples revealed their ignorance of themselves (vs. 38, 39) when they de clared their ability ,to drink the cup of the Lord and endure His baptism. “The cup” the Lord spoke of refers to the inward sufferings He endured. It was taken voluntarily—“the cup that my Fa ther giveth me, shall I not drink it?” It was that cup to which He referred when He said, “I lay down my lifels “The bap tism” refers to the outward sufferings im posed upon Him by others—the Father as . well as His enemies. Could they, James and John, drink that cup and endure that baptism? Verily, they would soon forsake their Lord and flee from both the cup and the baptism! They did not know, nor does any one know, enough to choose their own lot or experience or circumstances. The Lord set before the disciples this prospect: Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.” After His own death and resurrection and glorification, the Holy Spirit would come upon them, enabling them to drink the cup and to endure the baptism. We remember that James was the first martyr of the church, and John, tradition tells us, was also martyred after a long life of trial. In verse 40, Jesus gave the final answer to the seekers’ request. The high position which they desired could not be given as a matter of grace. Such a position must be earned. The places are there, but they cannot be given with partiality. Every Christian may be sure that no one else can ever take his place, whatever that place may be, the highest or the low est. Each will find his proper place, the one for which he is definitely fitted. We should note that the Lord did not deny these two what they desired; it may be they will actually obtain those places, but tHeir seeking them in this manner re vealed that they were then possessed of a spirit exactly opposite to the one which would obtain them. II. T he R esentment of the T en (41). When the ten heard how James and John had attempted to outwit them, they were displeased. Their displeasure did not rise from an understanding of the revela tion of the selfish spirit of James and John, but because they thought an unfair ad vantage had been taken of them. They were in the same case with James and John, actuated by the same
MAY 7, 1933 JESUS FACES THE CROSS M ark 10:32-52
Lesson Text: Mark 10:32-45. Golden Text: “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Lk. 9:51). T h e W ay u p to Jerusalem , ,~y j r nd they were on the way, going §■*% up to Jerusalem.” Thus begins T — our lesson today. The determina tion of Jesus to go up to Jerusalem has often been pointed out as an example of His devotion to the work which His Fa ther had given Him to do, even though th e accomplishment of that work might i n v o l v e in tens e physical and spirit ual suffering. The “way up to Jerusa lem” is a geograph ical and topograph ical illustration of the spiritual suffer ing which He was to endure later. Let us consider that way, to see how it symbolizes suffering. It is a hard, tiresome ascent from the Jordan valley to the top of the Mount of Olives. One begins the climb from Jeri cho, which is tucked up against the base of the barren hills. The village lies about one thousand feet below sea level. From this point, the hills rise abruptly, cut by many sharp and rocky watercourses, to a height of three thousand feet above sea level. If one could travel in a straight line from the base to the summit of the Mount of Olives, he would cover not more than five or six miles. Yet that way would be so steep and rocky, that one would be ut terly exhausted when he reached the sum mit, if he reached it at all. It is also a dangerous way. This is the region in which the parable of the Good Samaritan is localized. It was in this desolate, barren waste that the man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell among thieves. Even to this day, the many cliffs and caves afford excellent hiding places for robbers and bandits, and tales of bold robberies in this region are common. If one escapes the dangers from men, he may fall a victim to the forces of nature. It is very easy for a traveler on one of the tortuous trails of this region to feel the treacherous rock and gravel give way beneath his feet, and to find himself precipitated headlong into some rocky gorge. Then, too, this is a lonely way. It is be cause it is lonely that robbers dare to do their work here. In the summer time, one may scan barren slopes in vain for a sign of any human traveler. Indeed, there is hardly a sign even of plant life. The bar ren hills, seared by the scorching heat, present a picture of bleak and barren lone liness. Not a sound can be heard, except the crunching of the loose gravel beneath
High Above All B y R obert C rumly High above all, the crimson cross-M g? The cross where Jesus died! Oh, hold it high!—though some may hate And censure and deride, As did the men who drove the nails When Christ was crucified. High above all!—for by that cross, And by that cross alone, May we obtain the perfect rest There purchased and made known, And stand at last, redeemed and blest, Around God’s radiant throne. High above all! Beneath that sign His saints need fear no loss: For though the countless cares of life Like angry billows toss, We yet shall conquer with the cry, “High above all—the cross!" one’s blistered feet, or the booming echoes, of some dislodged rock which has been hurtled into a cavernous canyon. Surely this region through which Jesus and His disciples passed is a material illustration of His spiritual suffering. O utline a n d E xposition I. T he R equest by J ames and J ohn (35-40). The disciples revealed their ambition to secure great places in the kingdom and also their doubt of their own fitness to get those places. They appealed to Jesus to give them whatsoever they should ask of Him. They wanted a sort of blank check to fill in as they desired. But the Lord cannot issue such checks, because the “whatsoever” is conditional. There are some things which He gives uncondition ally, but not all. To have given the dis ciples such a blank check as they asked would have been dangerous, because they did not possess the requisite knowledge. When Jesus asked what it was the dis ciples desired, they bluntly said, “Grant us to have the chief places in the kingdom.” BLACKBOARD LESSON
T O R T H E S O N o r M A N C A M E ....T O M IN IS T E R , A N D TO G IV E A t 5 „ L / E E A R A N S O M T O R m a n y '
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