T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
February, 1941
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Soulwinning ..............
(R. V.). Whose voices prevailed:? Why, the voices of the priests, the rulers, and the people! Here you have religious, civil, and democratic powers combining to crucify the Lord of Glory. And how humbling it should be to all of us, with our pride in democratic achievement, to recall that of all the men involved in that awful situation, only one, the des pised Pilate, a Roman despot, made any sustained effort to check the torrent of human hatred. His motives were low and despicable, it is true, and he yielded too easily to the mob, but even Pilate does not deserve to be made the sole scapegoat of that terrible situation, as the world has tried to make him. It was humanity, from its lowest to the highest, that joined in the cry against the Son of God. The story bears wit ness against us all, for there is no dif ference. 2. “And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required” (y. 24). The law in this matter was very clear, and Pilate knew it. Neither under Ro man law nor Jewish law had any case been made against the Sinless One. "I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man” (v. 14), is the verdict of the Roman ruler, yet by the same ruler He was sentenced to death. And why? Well, here you have a people willing to violate their own laws in order to carry out their evil desires, and the ruler, whose business it is to stand against the passions of the mob, surrenders to the tide. It is government by mobs and men, instead of by law. And the tendency is sweep ing the nations of the world. 3. “He delivered Jesus to their will” (v. 25). If we had nothing more than the record up to this point, it would be blacker than the night, and we might well wonder whether God had not com pletely abdicated His control over hu man affairs. But we would be wrong. For God was never more sovereign than in the darkness of this scene. His con trol over human wrath and circum stance was never more complete. Even Peter, the denier of his Lord, had his eyes opened to see this clearly when he said that the Son of God had been de livered to Calvary “ by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). Thus the light of divine sovereignty shines in the awful dark ness of the night of human sin and re bellion. And we shall not be afraid. Golden Text Illustration M atthew 27:22 T. C. Horton entered an elevator one day and called for the floor at which he wished to stop. Always ready to see an opportunity for rehearsing what God has done for a world of lost sinners, he turned to the elevator boy, and asked, “Are you bound for heaven or hell?” “I—I don’t know,” the startled young man replied.
and the people were making choice of the rebel and the murderer in their de sire to have Jesus slain. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit injects the word concerning Barabbas, “who for . , . sedition . . . and for murder” was in prison, and who was released, while •Jesus was crucified. This iact illumi nates the story and allows us to see the spiritual forces at work in this memorable overthrow of justice, which God allowed to fulfill His own pur poses. Here we see the truth that Satan and his own are ever fulfilling God’s purposes while they are doing their utmost to thwart those very pur poses. HI. T he P assion of J esus (32-34) Christ’s offering of Himself as a “sacrifice for sins for ever” (Heb. 10:12) occurred at “the place of a skull” (v. 33, margin), which is the meaning of the word “Calvary.” The crucifixion was the means of saving one of the malefactors who was put to death with Jesus. Whether the plea of Jesus for for giveness was on behalf of the Jewish people, or the Romans, or the people of the whole world, or whether these words must be limited to the soldiers who were ordered to crucify Him, can not be definitely determined. But at a coming day it will be revealed just who was included in this prayer for forgiveness, a prayer that will cer tainly have its answer. In teaching this lesson, we should remember that there can be no appli cation of forgiveness to those who willfully reject it. But forgiveness may be possessed by any one. Here is a wonderful opportunity to press the gospel home upon the heart of every unsaved member of the class. Points and Problems 1. “The chief priests and the rulers and the people” (L>k. 23:13). It is a popular theory, in our day and place, that the great crimes of history are not the work of “ the people” but of their “rulers.” Some have even sought to lay the responsibility for all our trou bles on the “priests” and religion. Now there is no question in my mind but that the so-called “rule of the people” is the safest in the long run for our very imperfect world. But this does not mean that democracy has a perfect record. Look at the terrible scene which led to Calvary. Notice the three classes specifically named by Luke: “priests,” “rulers,” “ the people.” And notice that it was not merely the priests and the rulers who shouted for Christ’s death, but the people as well. The Revised Version says, “They cried out all toge ther, saying, Away with this man” (v. 18). And in verse 23 we have the dreadful sequel, “Their voices prevailed”
CHALK TALKS 14 lessons for young and old.............coin 25c Folding blackboard and easel« 3x4% ft. |6.00 “Beautiful H ym ns” for J u n i o r s ...............10c Highly recommended for Christian workers. REV. FRANK A. MILLER, SUPT. Children’s Evangelistic Union 125 So. A re. 60 Los Angeles, Calif. COME AND WORK One of our workers in Poland, while waiting for his support from here, had to exist on the little food the few Chris tians in the villages could give him; but he faithfully continued to minister to the distressed people with the Word of God and prayer. We can help the evan gelists, refugees and orphans only with your donations. Are you entitled to their gratitude ? Can they thank God for your love and sympathy, or does their spir itual and physical hunger mean nothing to you? Come and work with your prayers and gifts through The Russian Missionary Society, Inc. M iss M . N . Fetler, Secretary 1844 W . Monroe St., Boom 2, Chicago, iy .
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