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THE K I N G ’ S BUSINESS —Nicholson. Somehad thought of Him only as an avenging, triumphant king. —Carr. Blessed is the man who can look on me who am meek and lowly in heart, preaching glad tidings to the meek, healing the sick, raising the dead, suffering for righteounsess’ sake, go ing to the cross—who can do all that and hot doubt.—-Denney. v. 7. What went ye out to see? It was no waverer that ye went out to see. John’s message was clear, his faith was strong then.— Camb. Bible. v. 11. He that is least in the king dom. Previous inspired ones had shown the door of life far off. John had put his hand on the latch. Yet even this attainment, great' as it was, is hot so great a thing as to open the door and pasS in.— Lewis. Those who are in Christ’s spiritual kingdom and have clearer spiritual knowledge of God, have higher privileges than the great est of those who lived before the time of its opening.— Carr. The least in a higher dispensation has great advan tages over the greatest in a lower one, —Devo. Com. The word “ least" may be translated “ less” or “ younger," pos sibly meaning Jesus Himself.—Bullin- ger. v. 12. Kingdom suffereth violence. Literally “ The Kingdom of heaven is crowded into and the energetic grasp it.”— Strong. “ The earnest win their way into it."— Camb. Bible. Only the resolute would press into it.— Scofield. Forces itself upon men’s attention.— Comp. Bible. I would repeat the les son taught by .the poet Whittier— “ Identify yourself actively with some righteous' but unpopular cause.” The kingdom of heaven is forcibly won and forceful are they that enter it^gfe Whiton. v. 13. Prophesied until John. John was the last representative of those who belonged to the prophetic period of expectancy.—Wendt. John may
because they were works of mercy. These were not the sort of works he had expected Messiah to busy Himself with. He looked for judgment and be hold, unaccountable patience, and the grim Hebrew prophet was astonished.— Bruce. Many find difficulty in recon ciling John’s present questioning with his former clear faith in Christ as the Lamb of God and the baptizer with the Holy Ghost, but those who know men, even the mightiest men of God, and especially those who know their own hearts, will find this story most natural. — Torrey. v. 4. Ye do hear and see. The mir acles of Christ are the seal of heaven upon Him, evincing His divine ; com mission and proving to this day the truth of His doctrine.— Sum. Bible. v. 5. The blind receive their sight. To a lamentable extent there has been a misapprehension and mistake on the part of Christian people as to the way of advancing the kingdom Jesus was establishing. Has the church ade quately imparted and expressed through the centuries His spirit of earnest sym pathy and helpful service? Instead of trying to carry on Christ’s saving work amidst the world’s millions, it has earned for itself a reputation as a de bating ground where gladiators fight for their respective tenets and where preachers show their skill in drawing hair splitting distinctions in regard to matters far apart from ordinary human interests. Let abounding profession be translated into Christlike lives.— Tay lor,. v. 6. Blessed Is he. This is the beatitude of unfaltering faith. Temp tation to unbelief may be inward and experimental rather than speculative in its origin. It starts in wounded af fection rather than in revolt of the rea son. Beware of that subtle disaffection of heart towards Christ that threatens to destroy faith.— Selby. Not offended In me. Literally “ scandalized” in me.
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