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THE KING’S BUSINESS
(cf. ch. 15:37-39). Missionary work was too hard for Mark and so he forsook his post of duty. But the day came when Mark did better and stayed with Paul even when others forsook him (Col. 4:10), and was a real help to Paul (2 Tim. 4:11) . It does not do to judge that because a man fails once he can never be depended upon after that. Nevertheless much mischief came from Mark forsaking his post of duty at this time. Paul always sought the syna gogue on the Sabbath, i.e., on the Jewish seventh day Sabbath. His reason for doing this was not because he himself felt the seventh day Sabbath was still binding upon Christians (cf. Col. 2:16, 17), but because that was the day on which the people he wished to reach gathered together, and he could meet the people and preach Jesus to them better than on any other day. Mis sionaries among the Jews today, even though they regard the first day of the week as the Lord’s day, as the Christian’s day, nevertheless have their services for Jews on the Jewish seventh day Sabbath. Paul put himself in the way of opportunity, and opportunity came. He had simply taken his seat in the synagogue without asking an opportunity to speak, but, following the usage of the synagogue, he and his com panions were called upon for any word of exhortation that they might have. Tuesday, January p. Acts 13 : 16 - 22 . Paul had found just the opportunity that he was seeking. Like Peter on the day -of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-34) and Stephen before the council (Acts 7:2-49), he began with an exposition of Old Testament Scrip ture and Jewish history, but he was using all this to lead up to Christ. By this method he gained the attention of the people and their favor before they realized in what direction he was leading them. It is always the part of wisdom, in dealing with men, to begin with the things which they do believe and thus lead them on to the things that they need to believe. Paul briefly outlined the history of Israel as far as David, with the specific purpose of point
ing to Jesus, whp was the promised seed of Davi^. Wednesday, January 10 . Acts 13 : 23 - 31 . God’s promise to David, to which Paul refers here, had a temporary and partial fulfillment in Solomon, but its abiding and complete fulfillment was in Jesus of Naza reth. Another prophecy had foretold the coming of John the Baptist as the fore runner and herald of the Messiah. To the fulfillment of this prophecy Paul now refers. John was a true herald, he did not try to take to himself the honors which belonged to his King who was to follow him. Many a modern herald of King Jesus differs sadly from John in this. John went so far as to say, speaking of the One who was to come, whose forerunner he was, “Behold, there cometh one after me, the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to- unloose.” Oh that all modern heralds of King Jesus felt this same way regarding the King whom they herald. But when the King heralded by the Old Testament prophets and whom Paul proclaimed actually came He was not received, but con demned and slain, and those sin-blinded men fulfilled the very prophecy that they were ignorant of. Their ignorance was totally inexcusable, for they heard these prophecies read “every Sabbath” in their synagogue. It is one thing to hear God’s Word read and quite another to understand it and take it in. They were so occupied with their own opinions that they missed utterly the force of God’s Word. And there are many today who are so satisfied with their own notions that they utterly mis sthe meaning and truth of God’s Word. They are just as blind regarding the plain prophecies of God’s Worn con cerning the second coming of the Lord Jesus as the Jews were regarding the plain prophecies concerning "His first coming. If today you bring to many some truth they do not like they simply reply, “But I think so and so.” They are just like these Jews who heard God’s Word but were still ignorant of it because they rejected its
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