The Jackson Standard

The Sunday Schools.

LESSON FOR NEXT SUNDAY.
Fourth Quarter...
Nov.13,1887.

LESSON VII. Christ's Witness To John.
Matt. 11. 2-15

2 Now when John had heard in the prison
the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should
come, or do we look for another?
4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and
show John again those things which ye do hear
and see:
5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame
walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up, and the poor have the
gospel preached to them.
6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be
offended in me.
7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say
unto the multitudes concerning John, What
went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed
shaken with the wind?
8 But what went ye out for to see? A man
clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear
soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet?
yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Be-
hold, I send
my
messenger before thy face,
which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that
are born of women there hath not risen a great-
er than John the Baptist; notwithstanding, he
that is least in the kingdom is greater than he.
12 And from the days of John the Baptist un-
til now the kingdom of heaven suffereth vio-
lence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophe-
sied until John.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias,
which was for to come.
15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

GOLDEN TEXT.
He was a burning and a shining light. Matt.
5.35:

TIME.-28 A. D.
PLACE.-Capernaum. John the Baptist in
prison at Castle Machaerus.

The language of the Lesson would seem to in-
dicate that even John, the rock, the divine
messenger, could give way to the human side
of his character, to the human side of his char-
acter, to the physical weakness of his being. He
sends the seemingly despondent inquiry as to
whether this is really the Christ. In return he
receives the testimony of the wonderful mira-
cles wrought by the Savior. Then, upon the
departure of the messenger to John, bearing
testimony of the miraculous power of Jesus, the
Savior teaches the multitude concerning the
humility and humble state of the true gospel
workers.

John's implied doubt as to the identity of Je-
sus should have great weight with the Bible
student of to-day. We start out full of religi-
ous zeal and enthusiasm, we proclaim the joy
of the new light. Yet we find ourselves getting
careless and forgetful, and from carelessness it
is only a step to real doubt. We should strive
to emulate the example of John the divine
messenger, rather than John the doubter.
Truly we have all seen, from a spiritual stand-
point, at least, the dead brought to life, the
blind made to see, and the lame to walk, we
have abundant evidence of his Messiahship.
Let us trust him, and follow him.