There being no set lesson for this date, we present a few fragmentary notes on certain portions of the lessons that have been studied during the quarter.
The Work of Faith
Some of the first lessons were records of notable miracles performed by Jesus. These were performed in response to faith exercised by the individual, and should serve to direct our minds to the power of faith.
The 11th chapter of Hebrews gives a list of things that have been done through faith, and the inquiry might naturally arise, "Whence does faith derive this extraordinary power?"
The answer will be found in an examination of what faith is, which we can give only in the briefest manner.
Faith is confidence in another. It is a giving up of one's own ideas and will, to some other who is thereby acknowledged to be superior. It is trust, such as the innocent child reposes in its parents' word.
Now anybody knows that whenever such confidence is reposed in any person, it always produces a certain degree of consideration for, or tenderness toward, the trusting one. The traveler who is appealed to for guidance by a fellow-traveler, feels an interest in that other; the fact that a stranger has confided in him makes him feel kindly toward the unknown one. Even the hardened ruffian could scarcely find it in his heart to do harm to one who, trusting to his honor, would unhesitatingly cast himself upon him for protection.
Now whatever good things there are in man, are from above, and exist in the heart of God as much more strongly than in the heart of man, as God is greater than man. So when Abraham, with child-like trust, believed God when He made a promise which to all human appearances could never be accomplished, his simple belief "was counted unto him for righteousness." (Romans 4:3)
It is not irreverent for us to say that such trust touched the heart of God, and made Him feel especially tender toward Abraham. Faith accomplished what nothing else could.
And let it be remembered that there is good reason for this. Perfect faith implies perfect worship. Faith and humility are inseparable. The greater one's faith in another, the lower his opinion of himself. So that perfect faith in God, such as Abraham exhibited, implied perfect willingness to do whatever God required of him.
Such faith is as powerful today as it ever was. It suffices to secure pardon for sin, even as it did for Abraham, and nothing but such faith will secure pardon. The cleansing of a sinner from the defilement of sin is the greatest of all miracles, and it is one that is daily being performed in response to faith.
Whenever God sees such trust and submission in the heart of anyone, nothing that that one can ask for can be denied. Then who would not pray, "Lord, increase our faith." (Luke 17:5)
Workers Together With God
Jesus said to His disciples, on one occasion, "Truly the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few." (Matthew 9:37)
This suggests the query, Who are the laborers? and how do they stand related to the work of Christ? Their relation to Christ is most intimate. Christ is the great source of light:
Colossians 2:9 In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
And, "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)
His disciples derive the light from Him, and are, in turn, to be the light of the world. "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." (Matthew 5:14)
Thus they are sharers in Christ's work. He himself said to the Father: "As You have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." (John 17:18)
Thus the disciples become "workers together with God," and prepared, by the only means possible, to receive the cheering words, "Enter into the joy of your Lord." (Matthew 25:21)
Only those who are sharers in Christ's work can be partakers of His joy.
Freedom Only in Christ
The lesson for November 20 (Judgment and Mercy) is a most important one. In it occurs these words: "Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, andI will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
There is no freedom outside of Christ. The Christian is the only man on earth who really has his liberty. Sin and lawlessness are a grievous yoke of bondage, and Christ alone can break this yoke from off our necks.
Anarchists fight against all law; they feel that something is galling their necks, and they imagine that it is the law, and so they would fain abolish law. But that which galls them is the yoke of sin which they bear.
The law of God in Christ Jesus is not a grievous yoke. There is no man so much at liberty as the one who keeps the law of God, and this can be kept only when one is in Christ. The one who perfectly obeys the law never feels it. Said the psalmist: "I will walk at liberty; for I seek your precepts." (Psalm 119:45)
And our Saviour set forth the whole matter in the following words: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abides not in the house for ever; but the Son abides ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)
Before this He had said: "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)
This agrees with the other, for Christ is the truth. "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)
Parable of the Tares
The parables in the 13th chapter of Matthew seem to be the most expressive of any in the Bible. The parable of the tares utterly refutes the comparatively modern idea of a temporal millennium.
In the parable, the man who owned the field is represented as saying to his servants who asked if they should not pull up the tares: "Nay; lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn." (Matthew 13:29-30)
In the interpretation of the parable, the field is declared to be the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom, the tares the children of the devil; the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. The Saviour then says: "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 13:40-43)
This declaration is so plain that no comment can make it plainer. It shows conclusively that there is never on this earth a time of righteousness and peace until the wicked have been destroyed, and that the punishment of the wicked and the reward of the righteous do not take place until the coming of Christ and the end of the world.
Parable of the Net
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down,and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:47-50)
The parable of the net that was cast into the sea seems to be of a little different nature from that of the wheat and tares. There would be no object in giving two parables in close connection, to teach exactly the same thing. In this chapter many parables are given illustrative of the kingdom of Heaven, because all its features could not possibly be represented in one parable.
The parable of the net is, we think, more limited in its application than the parable of the tares and the wheat. The latter represents the good and bad as living together in the world until the final Judgment; the former represents both good and bad persons as being taken into the church, and remaining there until they shall be separated by the decisions of the Judgment.
Notice that in this parable there is first a gathering out from the sea, which doubtless represents the world. Into the net are gathered a quantity of fishes out from the great mass of fishes. The net contains both bad and good.
When it is drawn ashore, the catch is sorted, the good being preserved, and the bad thrown away. "[Even] so shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:49-50)
The company here brought to view by the fishes in the net is a company of supposed good people, of those whom it is proper to expect that they will be good. The church is just such a company. According to their profession, all the members of the church ought to be good; but they are not. Many that say, "Lord, Lord," will be cast out at the last day. "Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but He that does the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
No one has any reason to feel safe, simply because his name is on the church roll. The gospel net gathers in both bad and good. This does not mean that any of those whom it gathers in are good in the sense that they are fit for translation, but that they are composed of good material out of which to make saints.
The work of the gospel, after it has gathered them out, is to transform them fully into the divine image. But some are bad; they will not be transformed; they resist the good influences that are cast around them, and so grow worse instead of better.
This parable takes all the point out of the infidel cavils concerning church members who act dishonestly or who fall into gross immorality. Christ has told us beforehand that there will be false professors. Therefore there is no point to the cavil that infidels love to make against religion, when some professors show that they are unsanctified in life.
We learn that both bad and good are drawn into the gospel net. The church is Christ's school, and Christians are learners of Christ, striving to follow the divine pattern, until at last they may come "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)
Who has any right to say that the church is a failure, because it contains some dull scholars, and some who refuse to perform their allotted tasks? We judge a school and a teacher, not by the dull, the lazy, or the obstinate pupils, but by those who follow the instruction given them. If those who obey orders show improvement, we say that the school is a good one, and the teacher competent; and we do not pass sentence of condemnation because those who refuse to obey are not benefited.
So we must judge of the church of Christ and of Christianity, not by the lives of false professors, but by the lives of those who heed the example and teachings of Christ, and who yield themselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit.--Signs of the Times, December 8, 1887--Original title: General Review--Timeline: IV-34 (Mission of the Twelve), 32 (Jesus' Eulogy of John), 24 (Sermon by the Sea)--Matthew 9 to 13.