LESSON XI.—SABBATH, SEPTEMBER 15, 1894.
23. But when he heard these things, he became exceeding sorrowful; for he was very rich.
24. And Jesus seeing him said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25. For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27. But he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28. And Peter said, Lo, we have left our own, and followed thee.
29. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or wife, or brethren, or parents, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake.
30. Who shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the world to come eternal life.
31. And he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written by the prophets shall be accomplished unto the Son of Man.
32. For he shall be delivered up unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully entreated, and spit upon;
33. And they shall scourge and kill him; and the third day he shall rise again.
34. And they understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them, and they perceived not the things that were said.
35. And it came to pass, as he drew nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging;
36. And hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant.
37. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
39. And they that went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace; but he cried out the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
40. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him; and when he was come near, he asked him,
41. What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight; thy faith hath made thee whole.
43. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
In this lesson we have the remainder of the story of the young ruler, Christ's death foretold, and the healing of the blind man. The entire chapter may easily be analyzed. Do it for yourself, and do not be content to go on with the next lesson until you can give a brief outline of the contents of this chapter.- Repeat the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus.
- What question did he ask?
- To what did Jesus refer him?
- What did the young man reply?
- What did Jesus say that he lacked?
- How did the ruler receive this counsel?
- What caused his sorrow?
- When Jesus saw his sorrow, what did he say?
- How difficult is it for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God?
- What was said by those who heard this?
- What did Jesus reply to that?
- What did Peter say?
- What did Jesus say that those who leave all should receive?
- What did Jesus then reveal to the twelve?
- How minutely did he foretell his sufferings and resurrection?
- How much of it did the disciples understand?
- Why did they not understand? See note 2.
- As they came near to Jericho, whom did they find?
- How did the blind man learn of their approach?
- When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth passed by, what did he cry?
- What was said to him by those who went before?
- What effect did this have?
- What did Jesus do?
- What request did the blind man make?
- What did Jesus say to him?
- What did Jesus say saved the blind man?
1. "It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." This expression implies absolute impossibility, and so it was understood by the disciples, who said, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus said that the thing that is impossible with men is possible with God. The rich man who submits to the Lord will cease to be rich in this world's goods, but will become rich in faith, and then he may enter in. But it is as impossible for a man to enter into the kingdom of God as a rich man, as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The Babylonian Jews, using the same proverb, which was a very common one to denote impossibility, have "elephant" instead of "camel." Many attempts have been made to strip the words of Christ of all force by saying that he had reference to a certain gate in Jerusalem called "the needle's eye," which was so small that in order for a camel to pass through he had to have his load stripped from him and then get down and crawl through on his knees. This is pure fancy of the most absurd kind. The term "needle's eye" applied to small gates is a modern one, which has originated from the attempt to destroy the force of this verse. There is no trace of any such name in ancient times.
2. In the case of the twelve we see an instance of the effect that preconceived opinions, without foundation, have on one's reception of truth. So firmly fixed in the minds of the disciples was the idea that Jesus was going to be a temporal ruler, and that his kingdom was to be of the nature of earthly governments, that what he told them about his death and resurrection had no effect on their minds. It was as though he had said nothing. Yet, if they had been diligent students of the prophecies, they might have understood his words, and thus have been prepared for the event. For all the prophets foretold the sufferings of Christ that should precede the glory. 1 Peter 1:10, 11.
3. The healing of the blind man should not be passed lightly by as an ordinary story. It was not given merely to excite our wonder, but to cause us to trust in God. Note the readiness with which Jesus received him and healed him. This was the mercy of the Lord. Note that it was the faith of the blind man that brought him his sight. He was poor, a beggar. He could do nothing for himself. But he could call upon the Lord and plead his mercy. That brought him sight. We are in the same plight that he was. We are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Rev. 3:17. If we come to the Lord Jesus as the blind man did, we shall receive our sight as readily as he did. This miracle was recorded for no other purpose than to show how spiritual sight and riches are to be obtained.
"Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
"Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because thy promise I believe;
O Lamb of God, I come, I come."