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LESSON VIII.—SABBATH, AUGUST 19, 1899

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Aug 2, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 31.

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LESSON VIII.—SABBATH, AUGUST 19, 1899

By Editor

MISSION OF THE SEVENTY; THE GOOD SAMARITAN.

Judea, A.D. 30.
Lesson Scripture, Luke 10:1-42.
1 "Now AFTER these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two and two before His face into every 2 city and place, whither He Himself was about to come. And He said unto them, The harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He 3 send forth laborers into His harvest. Go your ways; behold, 4 I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes; and salute no man on the way. 5 And into whatsoever house ye shall enter, first say, Peace be 6 to this house. And if a son of peace be there, your peace shall 7 rest upon him; but if not, it shall turn to you again. And in that same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give; for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from 8 house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they 9 receive you, eat such things as are set before you; and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God 10 is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye shall enter, and they receive you not, go out into the streets thereof 11 and say, Even the dust from your city, that cleaveth to our feet, we do wipe off against you; howbeit know this, that the 12 kingdom of God is come nigh. I say unto you, It shall be 13 more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in 14 sackcloth and ashes. Howbeit it shall be more tolerable in 15 Tyre and Sidon in the judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, shall thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt be 16 brought down unto Hades. He that heareth you heareth Me; and he that rejecteth you rejecteth Me; and he that rejecteth Me rejecteth Him that sent Me.
17 "And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the 18 devils are subject unto us in Thy name. And He said unto 19 them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing 20 shall in any wise hurt you. Howbeit in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
21 "In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes; yea, Father; for so it was well- 22 pleasing in thy sight. All things have been delivered unto Me of My Father; and no one knoweth who the Son is, save the Father; and who the Father is, save the Son, and He to 23 whosoever the Son willeth to reveal Him. And turning to the disciples, He said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see 24 the things that ye see; for I say unto you, that many prophets and kings desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not.
25 "And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted Him, 26 saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And 27 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. 28 And He said unto him, Thou hast answered right; this do, 29 and thou shalt live. But he, desiring to justify himself, said 30 unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Jesus made answer and said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, which both stripped him 31 and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by 32 chance a certain priest was going down that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And in like manner a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, 33 passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he was 34 moved with compassion, and came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine; and he set him on 35 his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, I, when I come back again, will repay 36 thee. Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved neighbor 37 unto him that fell among the robbers? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. And Jesus said unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
38 "Now as they went on their way, he entered into a certain 39 village; and a certain woman named Martha received Him 40 into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also 41 sat at the Lord's feet, and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving; and she came up to Him, and said, Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister did leave me to 42 serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. But the Lord answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art 43 anxious and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful; for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
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.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

  1. Upon leaving Jerusalem to make a tour of Judea, what provision for a more extended work did the Lord make? Luke 10:1. Note 1.
  2. What reason did Jesus give the seventy for thus sending them out? Verse 2. (1 Cor. 3:14, 15.)
  3. Mention the special points of instruction the Lord gave His departing missionaries. Verses 3-11. Note 2.
  4. Upon what cities did Jesus pronounce woe? For what reason? Verses 10-16. (Matt. 11:20; Eze. 3:6.)
  5. In what spirit did the seventy return from their mission? What did they report? Verse 17. (Acts 3:6; 4:10.)
  6. What reply of caution did the Saviour make? Verses 18-20. Note 3. (Phil. 4:3; Ps. 69:28.)
  7. What caused at that time the secret rejoicing of Christ? Verses 21, 22. (1 Cor. 1:26-31.)
  8. In what did He say His disciples were more blessed than any people before them? Verses 23, 24. (1 Peter 1:10-11.)
  9. What question did a certain lawyer then ask Jesus? For what purpose did he ask it? Verse 25. (Matt. 22:35-40.)
  10. How did the Lord answer? With what result? Verses 26-28. (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18.)
  11. In his attempt to justify himself, what question did he raise? Verse 29.
  12. How did Jesus answer his question?
  13. Relate the parable. Verses 30-35.
  14. What question did the Saviour then ask the lawyer? V. 36.
  15. Give the lawyer's reply, and the Saviour's advice to him. Verse 37.
  16. In His journeyings, into whose house was Jesus received? Verse 38. Note 4. (John 11:1.)
  17. What complaint did Martha bring about her sister? Verses 39, 40. (Acts 17:11.)
  18. What did the Lord say of Mary's course? Verses 41, 42. (Ps. 27:4.)
Side Lights.—"Desire of Ages," chapters 53, 54.

NOTES.

1. The Feast of Tabernacles came late in the autumn, after the ingathering of the harvest, in the seventh month. Lev. 23:34. The feast of the dedication, to commemorate the purging of the temple, and the rebuilding of the altar, after Judas Maccabeus had driven out the Syrians in B.C. 164, was held in the ninth month. As Jesus' time was getting very short, and as little labor had been bestowed upon Judea during His ministry, He therefore organized the large force of seventy disciples to go before Him in the various towns as heralds of His approach. In this way, the people would be prepared for His coming, and much more could be accomplished in the short time left for His earthly ministry. This is a significant fact, and one that should influence our actions, the nearer the end draws on.
2. It will be noticed that after telling the seventy how to conduct themselves upon entering a house, and receiving its benefits, the Lord laid obligations upon them to return a blessing upon the household. This was on the principle that in caring for the Lord's messengers, the people were entertaining the Lord Himself (Matt. 25:40), which act could not fail of its reward (Matt. 10:40-42).
3. The statement of the fall of Satan, or the adversary, was to remind the disciples that the Lord's conquering power had already vanquished their enemy, and that they should not be elated as though their ability had accomplished the work. The only thing for any to rejoice in is that the Lord has elevated them from the depths of sin, to have their name registered among the family of heaven.
4. Bethany, the home of Martha and Mary, was situated on the east side of the Mount of Olives, about fifteen stadia, or nearly two miles, from Jerusalem. It is said to have been, in the days of Christ, a beautiful, retired spot, amid green fields, hidden among the surrounding heights. It is now a wretched, ruinous village, of not more than a score of families, existing under the name of El-Azarieh or Lazarieh.