LESSON VI. - February 8. DARKNESS AND LIGHT.- Luke 11: 14-26, 33-36. COMMIT v. 23. GOLDEN TEXT.-Look therefore whether the light that is in thee be not darkness.- - LUKE 11:35. Place. If THE TEACHER AND HIS CLASS. of A.D. 28, when also Jesus was warning Dr. J. H. Jowett of New York preached the Pharisees, as he was in the 11th of Luke. -If (1) he was in Perea. one of his strong and telling sermons, on (2) he was in Galilee near the sea, just before he began to speak in parables. THE ROUND TABLE. FOR RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION. Devils or demons. Rev. 15, the introduction to which may be used effectively in securing the attention of the class to the real subject of this lesson, The Victory Over the Beast. "In the mystical and mysterious Book of Revelation there is a strange and jubilant song sung by them that have gotten the victory over the beast.' I am not concerned to iden- The miracle of Jesus in healing dumb demoniac. tify any particular beast over whom these Why Jesus would not work another sign from heaven singers had proved victorious. The beast The divided versus the united kingdoms. may very well and justly stand as typical of The teaching of the man from whom a demon had been cast out, with nothing good taking the demon's all that is unspiritual, the general beastliness place. which man has to encounter as he struggles Hiding our light. towards his crown. Tennyson gives me the suggestion I seek in his description of the four tiers of symbolic sculpture which adorned the walls of Merlin's Hall: for the Pharisees. The gain of letting our light shine. PLAN OF THE LESSON. II. DISCUSSION: TO WHICH OF THE TWo III. "And what was the burden of their song? First of all they sang the eternal righteousness of God. Righteous and true are thy IV. ways.' That is ever the main theme of psalmist, prophet, apostle, martyr, and saint; that is the groundwork of the heavenly music, the very stuff and substance of the song. "And, secondly, their music wanders among the wonders of God's progressive providence. Great and marvellous are thy works!' The singers are contemplating the truth in its conflict with falsehood. They are watching the wonders of holiness in its hallowing ministries among the children." LEARN BY HEART. KEEPING OUT EVIL BY REPLACING IT LIGHT OVERCOMING THE DARKNESS, THE TEACHER'S LIBRARY. COMMENTARIES on Matthew and on Luke. The Miracles of Christ, by various authors, where "Demon-possession" mira cles are discussed. Facts about modern demon-possession in China, in Dr. Nevius' Demon Possession Maclaren's Medical and Allied Themes. Men in the Time of Christ, R. Wilson, M.D., pp. 142-144. In His Footsteps, McLennan, p. 118. THE LESSON IN LITERATURE. Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A bright story for children, of last century, called John Jack. Edwin Arnold's Light of the World. Dr. Chalmers' famous Sermon on The Expulsive Power of a New THE LESSON IN ITS SETTING. α 14. And he was casting out a devil' and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, wondered. a people was the dumb man spake; and the multitudes marvelled. 1 Matt. 9: 32; 12: 22. a Gr. demon. I. The War between the Powers of Good and of Evil, v. 14. Every person who is born into this world is born into a conflict between Good and Evil. The forces of Every child Evil are on every side, and so are the forces of Good. "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness." knows of this conflict. By means of it he can grow strong and good if he will. business to be arrayed on the right side under the leadership of Jesus. Make this fact very plain to him. Let him see clearly the character of the two sides or forces. Have him set down on paper or blackboard the two contending powers, as set forth in the New Testament. AN ILLUSTRATION. THE DUMB DEMONIAC ON ONE SIDE, AND JESUS ON THE OTHER, V. 14. And he, Jesus, was casting out a devil, Gk. "a demon," so Am. Rev. Its especial characteristic was that it made the man dumb. Was casting, as if the process was difficult, and required a little time. When the devil, "demon as in all such cases, was gone out, the dumb spake, and the people wondered. All three narratives (here, Matt. 12:22, and Mark 3:20-22) suppose a great throng to have been present, including hostile observers, and strangers. From Am. Com. They wondered because the result was different from that of the common incantations of those who pretended to cast out demons. To understand this miracle and the conversation that follows, it is necessary to make some real distinctions. 1. Christ makes it clear that there are in the world Two DISTINCT AND OPPOSING SPIRITUAL KINGDOMS, GOD'S KINGDOM AND SATAN'S KINGDOM, and this fact pervades the whole New Testament (see Matt. 25:31–46; John 8:38; 14:30; Eph. 6:11–16; 1 John 3:8-10; Rev. 12:9-11; 20: 1). All the Satan's kingdom is composed of all evil beings, evil men, demons, and all who embody the principles of sin and its consequences. All selfishness and its whole brood of sins, crimes, hatred, and all that seeks good for itself at the expense of others. diseases and sufferings of body and of spirit, the wrongs of society and of the individual, that are the fruit of selfishness, belong to this kingdom of evil. We see this kingdom pervading the whole history of man; we see it everywhere around us, and in us. Exactly opposed to this is the Kingdom of God. Jesus is its king. Angels and the spirits of just men made perfect are its ministering spirits. Love is its motive. All the fruits of the spirit; everything that makes for the welfare of man, body and soul; whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, and just, and pure, and lovely, and if there be any virtue or any praise, these things belong to the kingdom of God. Just so far as individuals embody these principles do they belong to the kingdom of God. The two kingdoms are intermingled in each individual and in the community. The question for each person to decide is, To which side do I belong? Am I on the side represented by Christ, or on that of which the demon is the representative? 2. We must distinguish between (1) the ancient popular belief in almost all times and peoples, that sicknesses of body and mind, and misfortunes of all kinds were caused by malignant demons, to be warded off or cured by magic and exorcisms and not concerned with moral character. It is such as these of whom Jesus said to the Pharisees, By whom do your sons cast them out? And (2) the demons whom Jesus cast out were representatives of the kingdom of evil. of the Satan who tempted Jesus himself. There was always an element of moral evil in them. They were called unclean spirits because they are impure, unholy, defiling, and produce such effects both in the body and the spirit of those whom they possess. The outward filth was a type of the moral defilement. The cases which Jesus cured were allied with disease, often closely allied to the wild, raving insanity known in every insane asylum, so much so that many physicians think that insanity covers the whole disease. But modern Psychology and Psychotherapy, which have lately received a new impulse of investigation, though yet in the dawn,have revealed and emphasized some facts which certainly make demon influence possible if not probable, the "subliminal self"; the fact of a double or multiple personality, which makes Stevenson's story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde a scientific possibility; the strange experiments reported by Prof. Morton Prince, M.D., a medical author of international note, in his recent book The Dissociation of a Personality which gives an account of a young woman who had three distinct personalities, the saint, the sinner, and the real woman. Each character acted out its own nature, but while it was acting was unconscious of what the others did when they had control. Everything the woman did as either character was perfectly rational, only the two characters were as different as Cain and Abel." 66 There is nothing contrary to.our present knowledge in the statement that evil spirits may sometimes gain control over men in connection with the disease of insanity. There is no certainty that such cases do not occur at the present time, and there is much to suggest that "active agents of evil do beset the human spirit," and this is the most reasonable way of interpreting the "tragedies of human sin" and the "unexplored remainders" in human life. Sir Risdon Bennett, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S., declares, “science is not in a position to deny, nor can those who receive the Bible in any true sense as a divine revelation doubt that it teaches the existence of angelic beings, both good and evil." These are symbols of the possession morally by an evil spirit, as Judas when "Satan entered into him," or Ananias, when "Satan filled his heart," which makes the soul unclean, fills it with moral pollution and defilement. While the possession does not imply that the victim was the worst of men, yet at some point the victim must have yielded to the tempter, as Faust to Mephistopheles; for the soul is a castle which Satan cannot enter without permission from within. JESUS CURED the demoniacs both physically and morally. They became true, natural men. His cures were blows at the whole kingdom of evil. They were symbols and illustrations of the cures of intemperate, vicious men as in the rescue missions, and as described in Twice-born Men, of selfish and worldly men by conversion, such as we have often known. They are victories over the kingdom of evil, such as are now won by the multitude of instrumentalities that are working for the betterment of social conditions, the removal of diseases, the conquering of sin and crime and all that debases man. NOTE that while evil is around every child, it is not wise to dwell too much on this aspect of life with children, but to emphasize the need of striving against the evils they see and know. "For men, 'tis not enough to be alive, I once asked a doctor how he could endure to live in constant contact with so many awful diseases and pains. He replied that he was happy because he looked on disease and suffering from the curative standpoint. He dwelt on the cure more than on the disease. The minister of Jesus, seeing and knowing the sins and wrongs around him, finds his greatest joy in looking upon these from the curative standpoint. He rejoices with joy unspeakable because it is his privilege to help men away from sin and its consequences, into the kingdom of heaven on earth. Teach the children to feel this joy, the joy of victory over faults and temptations; the joy of the hero. But All boys are familiar with the Marathon races in our own country, and abroad. they may not be so familiar with their origin. At the supreme moment of Grecian history, a runner brought to Athens the news of the victory of the ten thousand Athenians over one hundred thousand Persian soldiers at Marathon, about twenty-five miles away. "Worn, panting, exhausted with the effort, he sank in death on the threshold of the first house he reached with the tidings of victory, and sighed forth his gallant soul in one great sob almost in the very same words as those used by the Apostle" Paul concerning his preaching of the Gospel of Christ, Chaireté, Chairomen, Rejoice Ye, We too Rejoice. By Be-el ́ze-bub the prince of the devils casteth he out 15. But some of them said, 1 He casteth out devils through Be-el'ze-bub the chief of the devils. 16. And others, tempting him, 2 sought of him a sign from heaven. 3 17. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; "and a house divided against a house falleth. if 18. And Sa'tan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Be-ěl'ze-bub. by 19. And if I by Be-ěl'ze-bŭb cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast out? therefore shall they be your judges. them them 20. But if I 5 with the finger of God cast out devils, 18 of God come upon you. no doubt the kingdom then is a Or, and house falleth upon house. 5 Ex. 8: 19. Every child in the home, every scholar in the Sunday school, who gains a victory over sin and temptation, dying to the past, but living for the days to come, brings the same joy to parent and teacher, "Rejoice Ye, We too Rejoice." II. Discussion: To which of the Two Kingdoms did Jesus and His Opposers Belong? vs. 15-23. Jesus claimed that he was the representative of the kingdom of God; as shown by his teachings and his works. The Scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 12:24; Mark 3: 22), the leaders of the Jewish church, who were looking for the Messiah Deliverer, claimed that they represented the kingdom of God. They bitterly opposed Jesus. The Multitudes, when they saw the miracle Jesus had wrought by casting out demons from the tormented man, "were amazed, and said, Is this the Son of David?" the Messiah whom they expected to bring in the kingdom of God. He is on the side of Good, and opposed to Evil. The Scribes and Pharisees said He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. They charged that Jesus was in collusion with the prince of evil, who permitted him to cast out inferior demons so that he would appear to be on God's side while he was in fact undermining the real kingdom of God of which the Scribes considered themselves the representatives. They urged that under the cloak of seeming goodness, he was seeking to gain currency for evil teaching. Others, tempting him, putting him to a test, sought of him a sign from heaven, some great marvel like those Satan proposed to him in the temptations in the wilderness. But this, even if he had done it for them, would not have proved that he was from God; while healing the sick, and delivering men from the over-mastering power of evil, was the natural proof that he was serving the kingdom of God. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, perhaps not hearing what they said in v. 15, but knowing their motives and designs, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Therefore it cannot be true that I by Beelzebub cast out devils. Beelzebub is too wily to do that. Then again, your own conduct refutes your charge. If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons, the Jewish exorcists, cast them out? Those men at least pretended to cast out demons, and the Pharisees had never charged them with being in league with Satan; therefore the malice of their charge against himself was evident. But our Lord does not stop with this negative conclusion. His mode of casting out demons was with the finger of God, and quite different from the method employed by the Jewish exorcists. It proved itself divine in changed lives, purified hearts, as well as in transformed bodies and clarified intellects. The kingdom of God, and not the kingdom of Satan, showed itself by the result in all of Christ's miracles. This is a fundamental distinction. "The Then Jesus makes his argument plain by the illustration of a castle, or palace. human soul may be justly compared to a palace, for it is a most beautiful, noble, and magnificent edifice, an edifice formed of imperishable materials, a house not made with hands, the masterpiece of the all-wise and all-powerful Architect, who formed and adorned peace: 22. but all guardeth But 2 when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 3 23. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 24. dry The a he walketh through return 4 When the unclean spirit when he is gone out of the man, passeth waterless places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will my house whence I came out. is turn back unto wicked 25. And when he cometh; he findeth swept and garnished. 26. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more evil than himself; and they enter in and dwell there: and 5 the last of that man becometh worse than the first. 1 Matt. 12:29; Mark 3:27. state state 2 Col. 2:15. 3 Matt. 12:30. 4 Matt. 12:43. 5 John 5:14; Heb. 6:4. 66 it for his own use." Edward Payson. Satan has taken possession of this house, and holds it by strength and arms. Most evidently in the case of a demoniac, Satan had possession of the house. Now how," Christ asks, "could I enter the castle unless I were stronger than Satan? And how could I regain the spoil that Satan has stolen, the rich spoil of health and character and happiness, without proving myself the enemy of Satan?" He finally clinches his argument by the simple fact that a person cannot be on both sides. He cannot serve God and Mammon. He cannot belong to both kingdoms at once. And since His character and teachings, and deeds, all were characteristic of the kingdom of God, He belonged to that kingdom. QUESTIONS. To which kingdom do you belong? To which kingdom do you propose to belong? In what ways can you show to which you belong? III. Keeping out Evil by Replacing it with Good, vs. 24–26. Jesus warned the man from whom the demons had been cast out, and who doubtless kept near the Master during the above discussion, that there was only one way in which his redemption could be permanent. If he did not fill his cleansed life with holy thought and good works, the devil would again seize upon his mind, and would bring with him seven others, all more wicked than the first. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, any supposed individual. He walketh through dry places, deserts, where there is nothing attractive, and he is restless because he finds no congenial home. This explains why he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out, to his familiar haunt in the man. The sinful heart is the natural home of the evil spirit. 25. And when he cometh he findeth it swept and garnished. Nothing new, no great interest, no fulness of the Holy Spirit had taken his place. Here was the fatal mistake of the man. The emptiness of the house was an invitation to the evil spirit to return. 26. Then he taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself. Even bad spirits want company; sins grow in clusters. Evils are allied one to another. And dwell there. They knew they could remain in a heart that being once cleansed did not put good in the place of the evil. In this warning to the saved demoniac, Jesus laid down one of the great Principles of Reform, both of individuals and of churches, and also of nations. Jesus himself applied it to the Jewish nation, "even so shall it be also unto this evil generation (Matt. 12:45). They had cast out idolatry, and the neglect of God's worship and of God's Word. The nation had "become empty, swept, and garnished, swept and garnished by the decencies of civilization and discoveries of secular knowledge, but empty of living and earnest faith." They had not filled the nation with piety, with good works, with labors for the salvation of men. The place of the old had not been filled. Then entered impurity and selfishness, ambition, hypocrisy, adultery, false swearing, narrowness, hate of what was good, love of money, and love of praise. The end was that the nation and the temple were destroyed, and destroyed by these very evils, |