LESSON IX.-SABBATH, MARCH 3, 1894

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 19, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 16.

LESSON IX.—SABBATH, MARCH 3, 1894.

PREACHING WITH POWER.

22. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth: and they said, Is not this Joseph's son?

23. And he said unto them, Doubtless ye will say unto me this parable, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in thine own country.

24. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is acceptable in his own country.

25. But of a truth I say unto you, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land;

26. And unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

27. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them were cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.

28. And they were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things:

29. And they rose up, and cast him forth out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong.

30. But he passing through the midst of them went his way.

31. And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath day:

32. And they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority;

33. And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil; and he cried out with a loud voice,

34. Ah! what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

35. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt.

36. And amazement came upon all, and they spake together, one with another, saying, What is this word? for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

37. And there went forth a rumor concerning him into every place of the region round about.

38. And he rose up from the synagogue, and entered into the house of Simon. And Simon's wife's mother was holden with a great fever; and they besought him for her.

39. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she rose up and ministered unto them.

40. And when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hand on every one of them, and healed them.

41. And devils also came out from many, crying out, and saying, Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking them, he suffered them not to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

42. And when it was day, he came out and went into a desert place; and the multitudes sought after him, and came unto him, and would have stayed him, that he should not go from them.

43. But he said unto them, I must preach the good tidings of the kingdom of God to the other cities also: for therefore was I sent.

44. And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

LESSON SUMMARY.—Our last lesson left Jesus in the synagogue, with the people's hearts burning and responding as he uttered gracious words, proclaiming liberty to the captives of sin. But now we hear the people beginning to question and doubt, and soon the blessed influence of the word is gone. Jesus showed them by illustrations from the past that because of their unbelief they would be passed by, and others whom they despised would be saved. After his expulsion from the synagogue, he came to Capernaum and preached. Verses 33-37 relate to the casting out of a devil from a man in the synagogue; verses 38, 39 tell of the instantaneous healing of Peter's wife's mother; and the remaining verses tell of his healing multitudes of people. The lesson may be summarized thus: Jesus rejected at Nazareth; preaching in Capernaum; casting out an unclean devil in the synagogue; healing Peter's wife's mother and multitudes of others.

While the words of Jesus were winning the hearts of the people of Nazareth, what did they begin to say?
What did Jesus reply to them?
What did he say about a prophet's acceptance in his own country?
What of Israel in the days of Elijah?
Unto what widow only was he sent?
What were there in Israel in the time of Elisha?
Yet who only was healed?
Can you tell what lesson Jesus meant to impress upon the men of Nazareth by these references?
How were the people affected by these things?
What did they endeavor to do?
Were they successful?
To what place did Jesus go and teach?
What accompanied his word there?
What afflicted man was in the synagogue as Jesus was teaching?
What did he say to Jesus?
What did Jesus say? and what was the result?
What did the people say?
What was the effect of this miracle?
To whose house did Jesus go after he left the synagogue?
What did he there find?
What did he do? and what followed?
What did the people do when the sun set?
What did Jesus do for all that came?
Where did he go when it was day?
What did the people desire of him?
What was his reply?

NOTES.

1. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?—And with that saying they lost the blessing that they had received. The fact that their hearts burned within them as Jesus spoke to them from the word, and that the blessing of God came upon them as he set forth the application of the scripture, was evidence of truthfulness of Christ's claim. If they had cherished the light that came to them, a flood of light would have burst upon them, and mighty miracles would have been wrought among them. But unbelief shut out light. Only those who believe can understand. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Rom. 1:17. "By faith we understand." Heb. 11:3. Let men who count it a virtue to question and criticise, who think it a sign of a strong mind to doubt, and of a weak mind to believe without cavil, learn a lesson from the men of Nazareth.

2. In the reference to Elijah and Elisha, Jesus showed the people why he could not do the works in Nazareth that he had done in Capernaum. They did not believe. His miracles were not done to gratify curiosity, nor to break down unbelieving prejudice, but to bless those who felt the need of blessing. The widows of Israel might have had the blessing of Elijah's presence, if they had believed. But only the poor widow of Sarepeta, in Phœnicia, had faith enough to receive the prophet. The lepers in Israel might have been healed, but none of them had faith. But Naaman, the Syrian, was healed, because he believed. It was no injustice to the Jews that they were passed by. As Paul at a later date said to other unbelieving Jews, they judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life. See Acts 13:46. These cases to which Jesus referred showed that God is no respecter of persons. He puts no difference between Jew and Gentile. All are alike in his sight, and all have an equal chance of salvation, since all must receive it by faith. Rom. 4:16. The words of Jesus implied the rejection of the Jews, because of their unbelief, and the salvation of the despised Gentiles who would believe; therefore the Jews were filled with anger. Behold how quickly a little doubt will turn one who is rejoicing in the light into a bitter persecutor. The people of Nazareth furnished a notable example of "men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness." Rom. 1:18, Revised Version. "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." Heb. 3:12.

3. And they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with power.—How powerful the word was is shown by the miracle that followed. Right here at the beginning of the record of the miracles, by Luke, let us stop to see why they were recorded. John writes: "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." John 20:30, 31. With a word Jesus healed Peter's wife's mother. From a raging fever, she was brought by the word of Jesus to perfect health and strength. With a word Jesus cast out the devils. "And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out." Why do we not more readily learn the lesson that these miracles were intended to convey, namely, that there is power in the word of Jesus to cleanse from sin? We cannot understand how he can cleanse from sin, any more than the people of Capernaum could understand how the unclean spirits could be cast out with a word; but those instances were placed on record so that we might believe it without understanding it. There is a mighty power in the word of God. If in time of temptation, and in all times when the Spirit brings some word to our remembrance, we would yield ourselves to its power, we should have proved to us that it is both living and powerful. Heb. 4:12. The miracles of Christ are object lessons for us. They show us the power of Christ to cleanse and save from sin. It is the spirit of Satan that works in the children of disobedience (Eph. 2:1, 2); but Christ is as able to cast out evil spirits now as he was then, for he says, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Matt. 28:18.