LESSON III.—SABBATH, JULY 21, 1894.
PREPARING FOR HIS COMING.
41. And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all, 42. And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom the Lord shall set over his household; to give them their portion of food in due season? 43. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. 45. But if that servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46. The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the unfaithful. 47. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; 48. But he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required; and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more. 49. I came to cast fire upon the earth; and what will I, if it is already kindled? 50. But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! 51. Think ye that I am come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division! 52. For there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53. They shall be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; and mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 54. And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it cometh to pass. 55. And when ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a scorching heat; and it cometh to pass. 56. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to interpret this time? 57. And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58. For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; lest haply he hale thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer shall cast thee into prison. 59. I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite. 1. Now there were some present at that very season which told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2. And he answered and said unto them, Think ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they have suffered these things? 3. I tell you, Nay; but except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish. 4. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, think ye they were offenders above all men that dwell in Jerusalem? 5. I tell you, Nay; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. IN studying this lesson, do not forget to review the whole chapter until you can "think through" the whole of it. This lesson is rather difficult of close analysis, and perhaps the heading of the lesson may be sufficient to indicate that portion of it which is in the twelfth chapter. Close study will enable you to master the details. The necessity for repentance may serve to keep in mind the subject of the first five verses of the thirteenth chapter, although it does not indicate all the lesson that is to be learned from them. - With what illustration did the last lesson close?
- What question did Peter ask?
- How did the Lord answer him?
- What will be done by the faithful servant? Compare Rev. 21: 7.
- What other class of servants is mentioned?
- How does he say, "My Lord delayeth his coming"?
- What is the outward evidence of what he is saying in his heart?
- What will be done to such a servant?
- What is said about the degrees of punishment?
- What did Christ say he had come to send on the earth?
- What will the gospel of Christ cause?
- How do people judge of the weather?
- When people can so readily read the face of the sky and of the earth, what else ought they to be able to do?
- With what exhortation and lesson does the chapter close?
- Of what did some who were present tell Jesus?
- What did Jesus say of them?
- What did he say of those upon whom the tower in Siloam fell?
- What did he say of all who should not repent?
1. THE gospel of Christ is the "gospel of peace" (Eph. 6: 15), yet it causes division and strife, because of the hardness of men's hearts. The Lord, through the Psalmist, says, "I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war." Ps. 120: 7. 2. Do NOT make the mistake of trying to make an application of all the details of the illustration in the close of chapter twelve. Remember that we are not told what the adversary, the officer, the magistrate, and the judge signify, or that they are designed to have any particular significance. Consequently, any attempt to apply them in detail, as to God, the law, Satan, etc., can be nothing but idle speculation. In the absence of any application of the terms in the Scripture, it is sufficient to be admonished by the illustration to give diligence to be at peace with God, and to be delivered from the bondage of sin. 3. CHRIST teaches that it is a mistake to suppose that every calamity is a punishment for some specific sin. This is shown, not only in the present lesson, but in John 9: 1-3. The entire book of Job shows the same thing. Jesus does not say that these Galileans and the others were not sinners, but that they were no greater sinners than others who had received no injury. Read the seventy-third psalm, and learn that God does not settle accounts in this life, and read also the book of Job, to learn that affliction is not necessarily a sign of God's displeasure. See also James 5: 11. WORD THOUGHTS.—Fire (v. 49). "God is a consuming fire." He will consume the sin and leave us pure if we desire. He will consume us at last with the sin if we choose that instead of God.—Straitened (v. 50), constrained, pressed.—Division (v. 51). Christ's gospel is healing. It causes division by calling men out of death into life, and many will not come.—A cloud (v. 54), literally, the cloud, the particular kind of cloud which indicated rain.—Discern (v. 55), to test or prove. The R. V. has "interpret," with the margin "prove."—Hale (v. 58), haul or drag.—Officer, from the verb prassō, to effect or accomplish, to bring things to an issue, to exact. See R. V., margin.—Mite (v. 59) from leptos, peeled, husked, and hence thin or fine. Therefore of a very small or thin coin. Vincent.—Sinners (v. 4) literally "debtors," referring perhaps to reference in last chapter.