LESSON 13.—MARCH 27.—REVIEW OF THE QUARTER'S LESSONS.
Golden Text.—"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness." Matt. 4:23.
LESSON I.—The Boyhood of Jesus. Luke 2:40-52. Golden Text: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." Verse 52. At the age of twelve years Jesus understood better than most men what it meant to be about His heavenly Father's business. Yet He was subject to His parents, and was content to work at ordinary labor until He was thirty.
LESSON II.—The Preaching of John the Baptist. Matt. 3:1-12. Golden Text: "Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Verse 2. The mission of John was to prepare the hearts of the people for the reception of the Messiah at His first advent, and His message was, "Repent." The message to the last-day church is like unto it: "Be zealous," and "repent." See Rev. 3:14-22.
LESSON III.—The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus. Matt. 3:13 to 4:11. Golden Text: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Ch. 3:17. Young converts are sometimes deceived by the idea that their troubles will be over when they are baptized. But that was not the experience of Jesus, or of any one else. But the obedience of faith will bring to the tempted one grace to overcome.
LESSON IV.—Jesus Rejected at Nazareth. Luke 4:16-30. Golden Text: "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." John 1:11. In all ages people have been slow to believe that one whom they have long known has been specially called of the Lord to some exalted position or to some great work. "A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country."
LESSON V.—Jesus Calls Four Disciples. Luke 5:1-11. Golden Text: "If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed." John 8:31. When Jesus entered upon the work of giving the Gospel to the world, He immediately began to select others whom He could educate as co-laborers. Thus He set the example of association and counsel in the great work.
LESSON VI.—A Sabbath in Capernaum. Mark 1:21-34. Golden Text: "He laid His hands on every one of them, and healed them." Luke 4:40. As a preacher, Jesus always accompanied the good words He spoke by good works. Hence His success in getting the attention of the people. Most people are willing to listen to one who they know is ready to minister to their necessities. No matter how many applied to Jesus, or at what time of the day or night, there is no record that He ever complained of being too tired to attend to their needs, or ever turned any away on any account.
LESSON VII.—Jesus Forgives Sin. Mark 2:1-12. Golden Text: "The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins." Verse 10. All the work that Jesus did had this end in view. His purpose was to draw men to Him that they might have faith to be forgiven. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Tim. 1:15. True, He had great sympathy for those who suffered bodily affliction, because of their physical suffering; but He experienced a much deeper sorrow for them because of their sin-sickness.
LESSON VIII.—Jesus and the Sabbath. Matt. 12:1-13. Golden Text: "It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days." Verse 12. The fact that it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath day does not mitigate against the sanctity of the day, nor does it argue that the day is not to be observed in a special manner. Jesus still recognized the Sabbath, and enjoined its observance upon His disciples. When warning them of the destruction of Jerusalem, which came about thirty-six years later, He exhorted them to pray that their flight be not on the Sabbath day. Matt. 24:24. Thus, as Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), He evidently had no intention of abolishing His memorial of creation (Gen. 2:2, 3) and of redemption (Deut. 5:15).
LESSON IX.—Hearers and Doers of the Word. Matt. 7:21-29. Golden Text: "Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only." James 1:22. There are many precious promises in the Word of God, but hearing them does one no good, unless the conditions of receiving them be fulfilled. The condition to each individual is faith, demonstrated by the obedience of faith. "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Luke 6:46. The doer of the Father's will will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 7:21), and His will is expressed in His law (Ps. 40:7, 8).
LESSON X.—Jesus Calms the Storm. Mark 4:35-41. Golden Text: "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still." Ps. 107:29. Jesus demonstrated His ability to calm the raging waves of the sea, and He is just as able to bring a peaceful calm to the troubled soul when the enemy would fain convince that he is without hope. Faith "believeth all things, hopeth all things" (1 Cor. 13:7), "which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast" (Heb. 6:19).
LESSON XI.—Death of John the Baptist. Matt. 14:1-12. Golden Text: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Rev. 2:10. John paid the world's penalty for faithfulness in proclaiming the truth. He was the victim of a woman's revenge because he carried the Gospel message to her husband, the king, who was somewhat inclined to at least regard the messenger favorably. To have harkened to John's warning would have been fatal to Herod's unlawful marriage. Altho John suffered martyrdom, he won the approval of his Master, which should be the main object of life.
LESSON XII.—Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand. Matt. 14:13-23. Golden Text: "Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of Life." John 6:35. In this miracle of feeding the multitude in a "desert place" we have illustrated the ability of our Shepherd to provide for His people under any and all circumstances. He knows our every want, and only asks us to trust Him and obey His Word, which also supplies our spiritual needs. He is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Then let us "trust and obey." Our Lord has given His life for us, and He will not fail to provide for us, if we faithfully follow Him.
