II. Warnings. From those who know the danger. From conscience. From religion and the Bible. From the experience of friends and companions. From our knowledge of the power of habit. The Bible is full of warnings against all such temptations, pointing out the danger. III. The Effects of Yielding. Strong drink is an enchantress which changes men into beasts. It promises them thrones and kingdoms, and gives them in the end the lowest and basest place. Illustration. Moths and insects are attracted by the brilliance of the light, but are singed and burned in the flame. So we have seen in summer time multitudes of dead insects on the ground near an electric light. Illustration. Mr. Edward Carson, in a lecture, spoke of a magician who offered to change any bright boy into an idiot. A mother consented to have him try his power on her son. The boy went forward; the magician made his passes; soon the bright look faded away from the boy's face, a vacant stare took its place, and the boy became an idiotic fool. At length the mother asked the magician to change him back again. But to her astonishment, this he could not do. He could turn bright boy's into idiots, but had no power to change idiots into bright boys. Illustration. How powerfully Shakespeare portrays this evil power of strong drink; for example, in his Cassio, an honest, kind-hearted man, who allows himself occasionally to be overcome with wine, when he says to Othello : Reputation, reputation, reputation! I have lost my reputation. I have lost the memorial part of myself; and what remains is bestial!" Again, Iago says, "O thou invisible spirit of wine! If thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil." Once more: O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains that we should with joy and revel transform ourselves into beasts." The Koran has truly said, "There is a devil in every berry of the grape.' IV. The Flower of Safety. The only safety is in total abstinence from all that can intoxicate. If you have not already signed the pledge, turn to Lesson IX of the Third Quarter, and sign the pledge there given. Get every one you can to sign the pledge, especially those in the Sunday School. PETER'S GREAT CONFESSION. - Matt. 16: 13-24. GOLDEN TEXT. Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.—MATT. 16:16. Additional Material for Teachers: Mark 8: 27-38; Luke 8: 19-26; John 6: 66-69. Primary Topic: A FATHER WHO TRUSTED IN JESUS. Lesson Material: John 4: 46-53. Memory Verse: The man believed the word that Jesus spoke unto him, and he went his way. John 4: 50 b. Junior Topic: WHAT PETER CONFESSED. Memory Verses: John 6: 68, 69. Intermediate Topic: WHAT IT MEANS TO CONFESS CHRIST. Senior and Adult Topic: THE MESSIAHSHip of Jesus. Additional Material: Isa. 9: 1-6; III-10; 49: 1-6; 52: 13-53: 12; THE TEACHER AND HIS CLASS. The truths contained in the lesson came to the disciples very slowly. The time of Peter's confession was a distinct crisis, in which Jesus planted a new truth in their hearts, to grow and unfold gradually. There is much truth here that we must study well before we can bring it forth to our classes. We may call this day a Decision Day for Peter, and such of the disciples as were ready to accept him as their spokesman. Decision Days are coming more and more to be observed in the Sunday Schools and the young people's societies, as days on which the scholars and members are brought face to face with the question, "What is Christ to you?" No more important question could be asked. This lesson serves wonderfully well as the introduction, in the work of the wise teacher, to a compelling appeal to the scholars to search their own hearts and minds, and see what they themselves think of Christ Jesus. THE TEACHER'S LIBRARY. Commentaries on the first three Gospels. "St. Peter" in the Temple Bible Handbooks. Articles on 66 Messiah in the Bible Dictionaries. On vs. 18, 19, see Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament. On Cæsarea Philippi and Mt. Hermon, see Kelman's The Holy Land Painted and Described, pp. 14, 48, 59; George Adam Smith's Historical Geography of the Holy Land. Prof. Shailer Mathews' The From a photograph. Messianic Hope in the New Testa istry; about six or seven months before the crucifixion. Place. The picturesque region around Cæsarea Philippi, at the base of Mt. Hermon (9000 feet high). It was 25 or 30 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee, near the head waters of the Jordan. THE ROUND TABLE. FOR RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION. ment. THE LESSON IN LITERATURE. What Will You Do With Jesus Christ? by Dr. Wilfred D. Grenfell (Pilgrim Press). Who is Jesus Christ? A Northfield address (Pilgrim Press). The City of No-Cross is a helpful allegory. The Cross Bearer has twelve illustrations of different ways of bearing the cross (Am. Tract Soc.). Gotthold's "The Christian without Mark Hopkins' Sermons, Why did Jesus ask concerning the people's thought of Emblems, him? = How much did Peter mean by his confession? Why should not the disciples reveal that Jesus was the The Messiah of prophecy: the glorious king. The suffering Messiah in prophecy. The Messiahship of Jesus: how different from the popular idea? Why did Jesus so strongly rebuke Peter? What is it to take up the cross? a Cross 307, "Self-denial," vol. 25. vol. 24, and Life,' Dr. Huntington's sermon on "The Cross a Burden or a Glory," in his Christian Believing and Living. THE LESSON IN ART. Pictures illustrating Peter and the Keys, by Perugino, Rubens, Raphael,* Giotto, Ingres,* Guido Reni.* 13. When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14. And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. I. A NEW STAGE IN THE EDUCATION OF THE DISCIPLES. Jesus had accomplished a great work in Galilee, and it was nearing the end. The tide of opposition had been rising. The Jewish authorities had been attacking Jesus in every possible way. He now leads his disciples away from these scenes of contention and controversy, which are the gathering clouds and muttering thunders of an approaching storm. They cross the Jordan at Bethsaida where it enters the Sea of Galilee (Mark 8: 22-26), and move leisurely up the eastern side of the Jordan till they come to the retired and picturesque scenery near the base of Mt. Lebanon, the region of Cæsarea Philippi." 66 This journey marks a new stage or epoch in the education of the disciples. They are drawing toward a great crisis. It is only a few months before the crucifixion and resurrection, which are to end Jesus' visible career. For these events and the great changes they must make, his disciples must be prepared. Hence Jesus reveals to them more clearly his nature as the Messiah, and the nature of his kingdom, and for the first time shows them the necessity for his sufferings and death. II. WHAT THE PEOPLE THOUGHT OF JESUS, Matt. 16:13, 14. One day in the vicinity of Cæsarea Philippi, a new and beautiful city with various villages around it, Jesus was praying alone, in some secluded nook (Luke), as was his custom in any crisis. His disciples came to him here, and he asked them, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? His object seems to have been to From a photograph by Wilson. Cæsarea Philippi. lead up to the next question, and so to draw out the faith of his disciples, and to reveal to them more fully his nature and his redeeming work. He would put into definite form what they had been gradually learning from his words and works, that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, and correct any errors through their misunderstanding. 14. They said, various ones among the disciples, probably, reporting whatever each had heard among the people. Some say... John the Baptist, returned to life. Among this number was Herod (Matt. 14: 1, 2). Some, Elias, i.e. Elijah, the forerunner of the Messiah, but not the Messiah himself. Others, Jeremias, the Greek form of Jeremiah. Of course in the same sense as Elijah a forerunner of the Messiah. 66 Jeremiah is placed first, because in Jewish canon he was placed first among the Old Testament prophets," and was regarded as among the greatest. Perhaps also because of the character of his preaching, mingling denunciation with hope. Or one of the prophets, i.e. " that one of the old prophets is risen again (Luke 9: 19). Note that this variety of opinion shows that the people were thinking and discus 15. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. sing, but had come to no certain beliefs. None of them speak of Jesus as the Messiah, for his appearance was in too great a contrast with their expectations. Dr. Morison well says: "The great body of the people could not entertain the idea that he was the glorious King of kings. What was there of the kingly in his circumstances? Where were the crown, the sceptre, the throne, the princely followers, the treasures, the armies ?" But we remember that just after the feeding of the 5000 by Jesus there were those who tried to make him king because he could feed an army by his word, cure wounded soldiers, and raise even the dead to life. Ye, III. PETER'S GREAT CONFESSION, vs. 15-17. Then Jesus brought the question directly home to the disciples. It is no longer," what is the common report about me?" but whom say ye that I am? "Ye" is emphatic in the Greek. whom say ye that I am? What have you learned about me during these past two or three years you have been with me? Is your idea of me the same as that of the men who have heard me preach, and seen me heal the sick? Or has living with me in close intercourse given you a different knowledge of me and my purposes? And Peter answered, as the spokesman for all. The practical Peter came quicker to conclusions than the more philosophical John. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, the expected Messiah, the one for whom the people had been for so long looking and hoping. "Christ" is the Greek, and "Messiah" is the Hebrew for" anointed." Anointing was the method by which kings, and sometimes prophets, were set apart for their work. The Messiah, the Christ, was the one appointed by God, and foretold by the prophets to be the Deliverer and King, the Redeemer of the World. Simon Peter was one of the quickest to perceive truth, and the readiest to proclaim his thoughts. He had no doubt formed his opinion fully before this time, but now Jesus' question was like a match to powder, and the convictions within him, condensed in a compact form, burst out from the fulness of his heart. "The Son of God in the highest sense, which could be asserted by no other being. God is here styled living God, not only because he is distinguished from dead idols, but also because he is the author of all life and existence, hence self-existent, eternal. The Son of the living God was one who partook of that living, self-existent, and eternal nature. In this confession we have thus brought to view the humanity and the divinity of Christ." - G. W. Clark. 17. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona (son of Jonah), because thou hast opened thy heart to the truth; because thou hast broken from the bondage of Jewish prejudice and worldly vision; because thou hast such firm confidence in such a Saviour. Faith, knowledge of Christ as the Son of God, almighty to save and infinite in love; a heart in which truth finds a natural soil; a character in harmony with Jesus; broader outlooks into truth, are all exquisite blessings. For flesh and blood, man, hath not revealed this unto you. It has not its origin in mere human knowledge, in the workings of the human mind. But my Father which is in heaven. God flashed forth the truth, and Peter did not close his eyes that he might not see. IV. THE ROCK-FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH, vs. 18-20. Thou art Peter, Greek Petros; Cephas in Aramaic, the common language at that time. A name given him long before in prophecy (John 1: 42). And upon this rock (petra in the Greek original) I will build my church. Petros (in the Greek) usually means a stone, a piece of rock; petra, the rock in mass, the foundation rock as distinguished from a stone, or separate piece of the rock. Peter was a stone, a rock, a fragment of the great foundation Rock. This is a promise to Peter, and was gloriously fulfilled when Peter's sermon on the 19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Day of Pentecost won three thousand souls to the kingdom; but it is a promise to Peter only as a representative of the rest of the Twelve, who were to enter the promise by making his confession of Christ their own. Thus in Eph. 2: 20 the church is said to be "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets," and in Rev. 21: 14 the names of the twelve apostles are written on the twelve foundations of the wall of the city of God. Of course, this truth must not lead us to forget that Christ himself is the one foundation stone (1 Cor. 3 : 11), the bed rock on which the human foundation is laid. Nor must we fail to see that all Christians, in proportion as they receive and obey the spirit of Christ, are, as Peter himself said, living stones" in the great temple, the Church of Christ (1 Pet. 2: 4-6). Thus the true interpretation of this passage includes all the different views of it. Church. This word (ecclesia, whence our ecclesiastical ") appears here for the first time in the New Testament. 66 The Church is represented as a great building, a temple of the living God. Jesus Christ is the builder, the architect. Peter, as one of the apostles, and a representative of all, filled with living experience and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, is a rock, one of the great foundation stones on which Christ is rearing the building, his enduring and glorious Church. The Church is the new society the kingdom realized on earth. A society of men with Peter-like faith in Jesus the kingdom realized. - From Exp. Grk. Test. = Other Views. There are two other principal views of this verse, held very strongly by their advocates, among whom are some of the leading scholars. 1. That the rock is the confession of Peter, i.e. the Messiahship and divine sonship of Jesus. Here the rock is a doctrine, and indeed the central doctrine of the Church. other view is that the rock is Christ himself, who is, indeed, the foundation of the Church (1 Cor. 31). As if he had said, Thou art Peter, " a piece of rock"; and I will build my temple on the Rock of Ages, of which you are a portion, since you are filled with me. And the gates of hell, or Hades, the kingdom of Death, and hence of Satan, the king of death. "Hades is regarded either as a castle, or better, as a walled city or enclosure, in which the ' gates stand for the entire wall, and this again for all which it encloses. The meaning is, the realm of death shall have no power over it; it shall be indestructible.". - Prof. Kendrick. "The gates, being the places where business was often transacted and assemblies held." 2. The 19. And I will give unto thee. Peter still represents also the other apostles, for the history shows that nothing was conferred upon him which the others also did not receive. In Matt. 18: 18, 19, the others are specially included in the promise of the last part of this verse. See also John 20: 19-23. The keys of the kingdom of heaven. The keys are the means by which one enters a house, a city, a treasury. The kingdom of heaven, not the abode of the blest, but the kingdom of God on earth, is represented under the figure of a city with gates, or of a large house with gates for entrance, and doors of treasure rooms. Guido Reni. Louvre. Christ giving the keys to St. Peter. |