LESSON XIII.—SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 1899

LESSON XIII.—SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 1899

By Editor

REVIEW OF THE QUARTER'S LESSONS.

LESSON I.—The Raising of Lazarus. John 11: 32-45. In this the crowning miracle of His earthly ministry, Jesus demonstrated that He is "the resurrection and the life." He had permitted the death of Lazarus, and had remained away until His friend had been dead four days, on purpose that the glory of God might be manifested. He had before raised the dead, but here was an instance of one being raised after decomposition had commenced. In this was proven that there is no limit, in the matter of time after death, to His power to raise the dead. The resurrection is re-creation, and as Christ was the active agent in the original creation of man, He is therefore able to re-create.

LESSON II.—The Anointing in Bethany. John 12: 1-14. This lesson illustrates a very common contrast, namely, the personal sacrifices of the true disciples of Christ are always deemed unnecessary waste in the mind of those whose affections are set on the things of the world. But no material substance is ever so profitably invested as that which is expended in honor of Him who gave His life for our sinful race.

LESSON III.—Jesus Teaching Humility. John 13: 1-17. In order to emphasize forever the principle that His disciples were to esteem others better than themselves, and to rebuke for all time any ambition to be greatest, Jesus set the example of washing their feet. Then He gave this admonition: "I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." An example is not a theory, or a mere sentiment; it is something to be imitated in fact. "Ye also ought to wash one another's feet."

LESSON IV.—Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14: 1-14. This lesson is designed to teach that in going to heaven to complete His work as Mediator, the Lord was not deserting His faithful followers. He was intrusting them with great responsibility as His representatives in the earth, which they were to carry out by faith in Him until His return. Then they would receive their reward. The same lesson is for His disciples to-day. We are "workers together with Him," receiving all we need from Him, occupying the field until He comes again.

LESSON V.—The Comforter Promised.—John 14: 15-27. The Lord knew by experience the magnitude of the trust He was reposing in His disciples when He went away to make the atonement for them in the heavenly sanctuary. He also knew the intricate nature of their work. So in lieu of His bodily presence, He would send them a more expedient Comforter—His own Spirit, that would be available in all places, at any time, as a comforter and unerring instructor in the Word. This Word, interpreted by the Holy Spirit, is able to thoroughly furnish and perfect the man of God "unto all good works." See 2 Tim. 3: 16, 17.

LESSON VI.—The Vine and the Branches. John 15: 1-11. This lesson teaches the utter dependence of the disciple upon the Lord for life and daily sustenance, as well as for ability to bear fruit. If the branch does not abide in the vine, it must wither and die. Also it "can not bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine." It is just as necessary for the disciple to maintain an unbroken union with Christ, through the obedience of faith, as it is for the Son to have an inseparable connection with the Father. Herein lies the never-failing power of the Word. See verse 10.

LESSON VII.—Christ Betrayed and Arrested. John 18: 1-14. The time had come when the power of darkness should have temporary sway over the Light of the world. And even a professed friend was the means of the betrayal and arrest, using his knowledge of the Master's place of often resort to carry out the evil design in the still hours of the after part of the night. But the Son of God suffered this apparent victory of His human foes that even they might have opportunity to see in his disgrace the fulfilment of Scripture, and be convinced that He was the Son of God.

LESSON VIII.—Christ before the High Priest. John 18: 15-27. Here was fulfilled the scripture that Jesus "came to His own, and His own received Him not." They officially rejected Him of whom all their offerings were typical. All this was the result of substituting their own traditions for the Word of God, just as the masses of His professed followers are doing to-day. The denial of Peter, who had been a professed believer in His Messiahship, added keeness to the stinging humiliation of the Saviour of the world at this moment of His rejection. But if all these were without excuse, what shall be said of those who reject Him under the far greater light of these last days.

LESSON IX.—Christ before Pilate. John 18: 28-40. Condemned by the Roman governor after being pronounced innocent, just to please the Jewish officials, and making no defense, presents a picture of absolute submission to undeserved injury and insult that never has had a parallel. Surely His kingdom was not of this world; that was proved in the fact that neither He nor His subjects offered resistance. And "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Rom. 8:9.

LESSON X.—Christ Crucified. John 19: 17-30. He bore His cross, was "numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12), suffered outside the gate (Heb. 13: 11-13), the soldiers divided His raiment (Ps. 22:18), and accomplished all that the Scriptures had said; yet the learned teachers of Israel could not see it. Do the teachers of to-day, learned in the wisdom of the world and traditional doctrines of the church, have any better knowledge of Jesus and His Word than did the scribes of old? They "made void the law" then, how is it to-day? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself."

LESSON XI.—Christ Risen. John 20: 11-20. The climax of physical proof that Jesus was the Messiah, was His resurrection, and this because of its being still another link in the fulfilment of Scripture, bringing the disciples to that point where they, for the first time, practically understood the many fulfilments of the Word in His life. Not until then was their understanding opened (Luke 24:32, 45-47). He remained on earth forty days, meeting with His disciples on various occasions, one time "above five hundred brethren" being present (1 Cor. 15:6). Thus was left indubitable proof of the fact of the resurrection.

LESSON XII.—The New Life in Christ. Col. 3: 1-15. In this lesson is brought to view the full meaning of discipleship. It means death to the world and a new life in Christ, as publicly professed in the ceremony of baptism. It is putting off the "old man [sinful life] with his deeds;" and putting on the "new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him." It is to "set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." It is to have the peace of God in the heart, being in full harmony with His law, to the last jot and tittle, rather than to let sin have dominion, which means to be in continual transgression of the law.