LESSON X.—SABBATH, SEPTEMBER 2, 1899
Jerusalem and Perea, A.D. 30. 22 "And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem; it was winter."
39 "They sought again to take Him; and He went forth out of their hand."
40 "And He went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John was at the first baptizing; and there He abode." 3 "And there came unto Him Pharisees, tempting Him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every 4 cause? And He answered and said, Have ye not read, that He which made them from the beginning made them male and 5 female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the twain shall 6 become one flesh? So that they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man 7 put asunder. They say unto Him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away? He 8 saith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it hath 9 not been so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and he that marrieth her when she is put 10 away committeth adultery. The disciples say unto Him, If the case of the man is so with his wife, it is not expedient to 11 marry. But He said unto them, All men can not receive this 12 saying, but they to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs, which were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs, which made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
13 "Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should lay His hands on them, and pray; and the disciples re14 buked them. But Jesus said, Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me; for of such is the kingdom of 15 heaven. And He laid His hands on them, and departed thence.
16 "And behold, one came to Him and said, Master, what good 17 thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And He said unto him, Why askest thou Me concerning that which is good? One there is who is good; but if thou wouldest enter into life, 18 keep the commandments. He saith unto Him, Which? And Jesus said, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, 19 Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor 20 thy father and thy mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor 21 as thyself. The young man saith unto Him, All these things 22 have I observed; what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, 23 follow Me. But when the young man heard the saying, he 24 went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions.
25 "And Jesus said unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, It 26 is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
27 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through 28 a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom 29 of God. And when the disciples heard it, they were aston30 ished exceedingly, saying, Who then can be saved? And 31 Jesus looking upon them said to them, With men this is impos32 sible; but with God all things are possible. Then answered 33 Peter and said unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and followed 34 thee; what then shall we have? And Jesus said unto them, 35 Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the 36 regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of 37 His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the 38 twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left houses, 39 or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or 40 lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and 41 shall inherit eternal life." 31 "In that very hour there came certain Pharisees, saying to Him, Get Thee out, and go hence; for Herod would fain kill 32 Thee. And He said unto them, Go and say to that fox, Behold, I cast out devils and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and 33 the third day I am perfected. Howbeit I must go on My way 34 to-day and to-morrow and the day following; for it can not be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her own brood under her 35 wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; and I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me, until ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." NOTE.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further. - At what feast did Jesus next appear in the temple? John 10:22. Note 1.
- When they sought to arrest Him, where did Jesus go? With what results? Verses 39, 40. Note 2. (Mark 10:1.)
- Finding Him in His retreat, what peculiar question did the Pharisees spring upon Jesus? Matt. 19:3. Note 3. (Deut. 24:1, 2; Mark 10:2.)
- What discreet answer did the Saviour offer? Verses 4-6. (Eph. 5:28.)
- How was the controversy pursued? With what result? Verses 7-9. (Matt. 5:31, 32.)
- Failing to entrap Jesus on the matter of divorce, what did they do? Luke 13:31.
- What reply did Jesus make to this warning? Verses 32, 33.
- What note of wo then escaped the divine lips? Verses 34, 35. (Matt. 23:37, 38.)
- How did the disciples receive the sayings about divorce? How did Jesus explain the matter to them? Matt. 19:10-12. Note 4. (1 Cor. 7:5.)
- When little children were brought to Him, what did He say of them, and do for them? Verses 13-15. (Mark 9:35-37; Luke 22:26.)
- As Jesus was leaving this point, who came to Him with a great burden on his mind? Verse 16. (Mark 10:17.)
- What divine instruction was given to this seeker for eternal life? Verses 17-19. (Luke 10:27, 28.)
- When the young man said that he had complied with all these requirements, how did the Saviour expand the commandments to show him his mistake? Verses 20-22. (Luke 16:9.)
- What comment did the Lord make concerning the course of the young man? How did they receive it? Verses 23-26.
- Upon hearing Christ's answer to their query, what question did Peter venture to ask? Verse 27. (Job 42:2; Luke 5:11.)
- What reply did Jesus make? Verses 28, 29.
Side Lights.—"Desire of Ages," chapters 56, 57. - Feast of Dedication.—This feast occurred in December. It was celebrated by daily reading of prayers and singing the "Hallel,"—"Praise Ye Jehovah." Josephus says that the festival was also called "Lights."
- Beyond Jordan.—There seemed but one retreat left for the persecuted Son of God. He had been rejected in Galilee, and now in Judea His life was threatened. But His life was yet to be extended. Jerusalem was the only place where fanatical zeal abounded enough to put to death such a being. Luke 13:34. So Jesus retired temporarily to the half-heathen country of Perea, east of the Jordan.
- Is it lawful?—Moses had said that on certain considerations, divorce was lawful. The rabbis had so construed the Hebrew word used by Moses expressing the cause for divorce, as to make it cover the most frivolous excuse. The whole thing, however, seems to be summed up in this: If one saw any other woman which pleased him more than his wife, the excuse for divorce was an easy matter. In the eagerness of the Pharisees to tempt Christ, and to entangle Him in His talk, they pressed the matter upon Him. Herod Antipas, in whose dominion Christ was then staying, was a noted adulterer, and if Christ could be drawn into a position which would be a condemnation of Herod's course, that ruler might be induced to put the hated Nazarene out of the way.
- He that is able.—Christ told the disciples, in substance, that all men could not receive their idea of the question. There were some, indeed, who must live single lives by circumstances of birth, or constitution; and some because of the mutilation endured through the cruel practices of bond-masters. Others there were of this class who, by special vow, had withdrawn themselves from society for the kingdom of heaven's sake. These were not better than others, but simply different. The marriage institution was created by Christ in Eden for a wise purpose, and must still be necessary, even though sin has overspread the world. 1 Cor. 7:2.