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July 22, 1914.
A FAMILY PAPER.
Inthe Sabbath School
1 esson VI August 9, 1914.
THE BARREiN FIG TREE AND THE DEFILED
TEMP'LE.
By the Rev. Owen F. Thompson.
Golden Text.—By their fruits ye shall know
them. Matthew 7:20.
Lesson Text.—Mark 11:12-33.
rfime—First part of the Passion Week, A. D. 30.
Suitable Psalms.—65, 1, 51, 27.
Exposition.—The golden text is one of the interesting
verses of the Bible, for it is very plain
and we are applying it every day of our lives.
You drive along the road and see the peaches
and apples on the trees and say, "Look at the
peaches and apples. That is a fine orchard." It
'is the fruit that has attracted your attention. In
the winter most persons would go by an orchard
without thinking what kind of trees were in it.
You walk along the path in the woods and
speak of the violets and the blood root flowers
and others that are bright colored and you never
speak of a dozen other plants that you pass which
have no blossoms that' you can see. It is the
blossom and the fruit that attract your attention.
Is it not that way with the people we see You
sit in the railroad station and watch the persons
who pass byj One face will be marked with
drmk and impurity and all kinds of sin. Another
will be swearing at everything that does not go
well Another will have a furtive glance as
though fearful of being discovered. Perhaps
there will be a woman with fine clothes and
looking about with a proud air as though the
whole world were doing nothing else than admiring
her beauty. Perhaps another woman wili
be there with little children about her and always
attentive to the little ones, not sparing
herself but doing everything she can to make
them comfortable. Perhaps you will see another
whose kindly face attracts your attention. He
looks about with interest upon all that he sees.
If he is spoken to, he returns the greeting with
a smile. Everyone seems to brighten up after
looking into his face.
Then you might see other things. You look
at one person and say that he is a doctor. An
other you will say, is a minister. Another is a
business man. Their lives show in their faces,
in the cut of their clothes, in their actions and
in their bearing. Those things are the fruits of
their lives. Perhaps those things are more like
the blossoms on the plants and the things that
they say and do are like the fruit. By these you
know them.
The firstverse of the lesson says that Christ
was hungry. I am glad that we are told that
he was hungry. That makes him more like us|
None of our wants return mure often than hunger.
We breathe all the time, but we do that unconsciously.
When a hungry person sits down
to a good meal he is perfectly conscious of the
pleasure.
We have Christ described so many times in
connection with eatng. It brings us closer to
him to think that he was hungry when the meal
was late. But does it not make us think of
other things that are far more important than
eating bread and meat He said "Blessed are
they that hunger and thirst after righteousness
V they shall be filled." Christ sat by the
well while his disciples went to the town to
buy food. While they were gone he fed the woman
with the bread and water of life. He must
have eaten along with her, for when they came
back expecting him to be hungry with the long
wait, he said that he had food to eat that they
knew not of. There is another kind of hunger
that is stronger than that for food and the satisfying
of it gives greater pleasure than eating
bread,
Christ was always hungry for souls. He longed
for men and women to come to him and be saved.
hunger fin'shed and kind longing. for right persons road but His that mendation the The the which who bread appearance never are to of soul with fig be presence for who food. are above Have had of feel tree called was God Do the not live life the no He bread you satisfied which but right well of peace Christians fruit, close Do Master spent they and hungering you was nigh might that till enough their his meat are after fo.r you covered or life starving comes represent your hearts. not souls church to are for your Do satisfying tor life bearing the those with as from you taking They service members, the to for Christian
Do hungei us things leaves being fruit have com­
that them
you
did
Christ called them hypocrites. How much of
your Chr.stianity is leaves and not fruit
Christ cleansing the temple might represent to
us his cleansing the human heart today. He
comes to us and thinks to find a stopping place
in the heart, for he says that we are the temple
of the living God. In place of that, how otten
he finds the heart the abode of evil spirits such
as Pride, Jealousy, Hatred, Envy, Strife, Impurity,
Anger and many others.
Sometimes he purifies the temple with the
scourge of affliction or bereavement, or suffering
or losses, and we ought to be glad even though
the cleansing is painful. It pays to be a clean
temple if Christ is to dwell in our hearts
Perhaps it might represent Christ cleansing
his church. Can we say of our own church that
Christ has created a hungering after righteousness
by bringing us into spiritual fam ne for
many years, till we could no longer be satisfied
with the light bread that we have been eating
and must have something of the bread of life
—the bread that came down from heaven You
remember the verse, "Behold, the days come,
saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine of bread nor a thirst
for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord;
and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from
the north even to the east, and they shall run
to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and
shall not find it." That is what the Lord says
shall come to those who neglect him. Has that
come to us and are we finding the feast room
now—^the banqueting room where we may be
filled
The next lesson is about prayer and the
answer to it. Christ says for us to have faith in
God. Could there be any more simple direction
than that to one who is asking for things from
God Have faith in God and you can remove
mountains. That is the simple truth. How many
of us have come to the mountains in our path
and they seemed impassable, but when we prayed,
the way opened up and we saw the pass
through to the other side and then there was
no mountain there any longer to block the way.
The last lesson is that there are some questions
that do not need to be answered. In fact
there are many that ought not to be answered.
If you have a message to another you do not
want them to be talking about other things and
asking about the things that happened along the
way. You want to deliver the message that you
carry.
When Christ, your King, sends you with the
message of life to another, you ought not to let
anything keep you from delivering that message.
Often they will ask questions such as this, "What
day of the week ought we to keep" "How can
you explain predestination" "Who was Cain's
wife" "How can God be just and send all the
heathens to burn in hell for ever" "How can
God Lesson be VI just and damn infants to August eternal 9, punishment"
LESSON FOR THE CHILDREN.
1914.
Those questions By Anna do Pritchard not need George. to be answered
except THE BARREN to say that PIG they TREE are AND things THE that belong DEFILED to
God and that any TEMPLE. answer of yours would not
settle them at (Temperance all. You have Lesson.) a message which
proves God to be Mark. a God 11:12-33. of love and of Justice
and Today so you we can will safely talk about leave a those figtree things that to would Him
and not bear not fruit worry and about how them Jesus at cleansed all. He the will Temple. settle
them On the right. table pile up the sand for the Mount of
Olives. As the Mark messenger the road of the winding King you around do not it need from
to Bethany stand to cross Jerusalem. examination Here from the road everyone goes you down
meet. into the It Valley is your of place Kidron, to now tell up them again that to Christ Jerusalem.
died All for along them and the that road he stand loves these them leafy and
l:as
that twigs if in they the will sand accept for trees. Him they With will these be saved. stones
form the wall of Jerusalem, with the gate left
open where the road enters the city. Just inside
the wall on this hill is the beautiful Temple.
"What is the temple. Buster "God's house." What
do the Jews in the Temple, Mary "Pray and
worship God." Just as we do in our church. This
large white box left open at the cop so we can
see inside, will mark the outside walls of the
Temple. Lay off the Temple courts using this
white cardboard for the marble pillars. This large
outer court is called the Court pf the Gentiles.
This is the only place of worship for those who
are not Jews but who wish to come to church.
These clothespins are Jesus and his disciples
walking along the road from Bethany. Jesus is
hungry, and looking ahead sees a figtree covered
with leaves. That means there should be fruit,
for the figs come with the leaves or sometimes
before them. Jesus goes forward to gather the
figs, but there are none. The tree is only putting
forth leaves this year—not bearing fruit. The tree
makes a big show with its many leaves, making
folks at a distance think it is covered with good
fruit. But it is all show, has no good fruit at all.
Just like the saloon with the strong drink. Does
the saloon make much show, John "Yes, it has
pretty lights." And inside it is fixed with beautiful
mirrors and has attractive music. And the
men who sell the drink tell you that the fruit of
strong drink is happiness.and comfort and friends
and health and many other good things. The
beautiful saloons and all these fine promises of
good fruit attract folk just as did the leafy fig
tree with the promise of good figs. And tobacco
promises the same kind of good fruit. But are
any of these promises made for alcohol and tobacco,
true, Jeanne "No." We know they are false.
Alcohol and tobacco do no good and much harm.
Our Golden Text says, "By their fruit ye shall
know them." And the fruit of strong drink is
misery and wretchedness on every side. Jesus
says to the barren fig tree, "No man eat fruit
of thee for ever." And the next day when Jesus
and his disciples pass by, they find the tree withered
away. Whoever lives without bearing good
fruit for Jesus is as useless as this figtree and
deserves the curse of Jesus.
After Jesus curses the figtree, they go on t6
Jerusalem and enter the Temple. What would
you expect to see there, Ellis "People praying."
That is what God's house is for, and all
should be quiet. But right here in the outer court
where the Gentiles wish for quiet so they, can
worship God, are men with doves and cattle for
sacrifices and people rushing back and forth
buying and selling. -Use cardboard birds and animals,
and sticks for the people. Here are small
round tables covered with money, and men sitting
beside them who give strangers Jewish money
in exchange for foreign coins. But they charge
So much for doing this that the strangers become
angry. So they are quarreling and arguing. The
whole place is in an uproar. Can the Gentiles
learn much of God in this place. Bud, or can
they pray and worship God in all this confusion
This is what Jesus finds as he enters the Temple
—his own house.
Jesus steps over to this man selling cattle, and
casts him out of the Temple, and the next man
too. He overthrows the tables of the money
changers and drives out the men selling doves.
Here they are hurrying down the road from the
Temple, driving their cattle and carrying theii*
doves and their tables. Jesus thoroughly cleanses
the Temple of all these wicked men, and will
not permit anyone to carry even a vessel through
the Temple. He wishes is kept absolutely tor
worship and praising God. "Is it not written,
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all
the nations but ye have made it a den of robbers."
(R.V.)
Is our church the only Temple God has given
us to keep pure and holy for him, Eleanor What
is our K verse "Know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost" Yes, we not
only have our church to keep free from the
worid, but our bodies too. What are some of
the things we must drive out and keep out if
we wish Jesus to dwell in our hearts, Gladys
"Bad thoughts." "Tobacco." "Whiskey." Yes, and
all strong drink, for it is the cause of most other
ing we evils. this Montclair, can all Will "Bad the keep Jesus N. time, words." our J. want Temple "Will "Selfishness."
me Jesus clean to think want for this" Keep Jesus. me to think­
Then do