It is only natural that you should want to pause now, and review some of the teachings that have been considered in these pages. Jesus came to the earth to attend to His Father's business. That business consisted of learning, Himself, to know God the Father, of teaching all other men to know Him, and of bringing about the salvation1 of the children of God. To accomplish His wonderful mission, Jesus taught clearly what men should know about the Father and about Himself and about the Holy Ghost; what men should know about the pre-existent life, and why they are now upon the earth; and how they should worship God, cultivate childlike faith in Him, and do the things that success in worship requires. All these teachings, as we have seen, and all the requirements, too, are in perfect harmony with natural law. To succeed in any kind of endeavor one must follow just such steps as are outlined by Jesus for attaining2 success in the struggle for exaltation. And, certainly, we cannot rightfully hope to drift into the success of eternal life, any more than we can hope to drift into the presidency3 of the United States of America. Successful achievement is the crown of persistent4 effort.
A few questions.
Now, as it is natural that you should want to pause at this point and review these teachings, so it is natural that you should ask yourselves such questions as these: Did Jesus intend that His disciples5 should associate themselves in an organized community? Did He have in mind the {146} organizing of a Church? Did He organize a Church? How did He expect those who accepted His teachings to retain their devotion, and to grow in their knowledge of God and His requirements of the faithful? If He did establish a Church, how shall we recognize it? In this lesson we shall discover what Jesus taught in answer to these questions.
Parables6 by the sea.
One day Jesus went "out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered unto Him, so that He went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore."
Teaching the multitude in parables, Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares8 among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth9 fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him. Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him. Wilt10 thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay11; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye 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 reapers12, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind13 them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."
"Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and His disciples came unto Him, saying, Declare unto us the parable7 of the tares of the field.
{147} "He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man: the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
"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 iniquity14; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing15 and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
The meaning of the parables.
Thus clearly did Jesus Himself see the condition of the world, and thus plainly did He teach it to His disciples. Now, for the purpose of this study, certain points appear. First, it is very evident that Jesus had in mind a distinct community life for those who followed Him. The kingdom of heaven, sometimes called the kingdom of God, is the organization in which dwells the righteous. Of course, all kinds of people gain access at times into the kingdom. In another parable, Jesus likens the kingdom to a net cast into the sea, which gathered of every kind of fish. When the net was drawn16 ashore17, the fishermen placed the good fish in vessels18, but the bad they cast away. Again, you see, the intent is that the followers19 of Jesus, or the righteous, are the children of the kingdom, and that the unrighteous have no place therein. The righteous in {148} their community—the believing community—shall shine forth as the sun. They constitute the kingdom of their Father.
The church and the kingdom.
You may object that this kingdom does not mean the organized Church, but the glorious kingdom embracing the whole world, over which Jesus is to reign20 as King. Perhaps you are right; but it makes no difference to the argument. For, in the first place, that kingdom must be organized. We are sure, then, that Jesus had in mind the assembling and organizing of His people. But, in the second place, that larger kingdom can never be accomplished21 without a smaller one from which it may grow. While the faithful number but a handful, they, too, must be organized and provision must be made for common worship, fellowship, and service. This smaller institution—included in the larger—is the Church. The wheat and the tares are even now growing side by side in the Church of Christ—in the kingdom of God—and will continue to do so until the day of the great harvest.
The testimony22 of Peter.
But there is recorded stronger evidence even than this that the disciples of Jesus are to be organized in a Church community. When Jesus asked testimony of His disciples, "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?" the disciples answered, you remember, "Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Then, when Jesus put the question to them, "Whom say ye that I am?" Simon Peter declared, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
{149} The testimony of Jesus.
This declaration is wonderful in its simplicity23 and unfaltering faith. But the answer of Jesus to it is even of greater significance: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven . . . . and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Its significance.
Here, then, is found the final answer to our questions. Jesus appointed and ordained24 twelve apostles, He called other seventy, because it was significance. His purpose to organize His Church. The disciples appointed and ordained elders, and priests, and teachers, and deacons, and other officers, because they, too, were building up the Church of Christ. Moreover, these words of Jesus point the test of the true Church. Not every Church assembly that cries, Lo, here is Christ, is necessarily the authorized25 Church. That only can be the true Church which is founded on the rock of revelation. An organized Church there must be—without the worship of the disciples would dwindle26 away. But the foundation stone of that Church must be revelation; for where there is no revelation the people perish.
THE REFERENCES
Matt. 13:24-30. Matt. 13:47-49.
Matt. 13:36-43. Prov. 29:18.
{150} THE QUESTIONS
1. Review the foregoing lessons.
2. What questions are aroused by what Jesus has taught to his people?
3. Explain the parable of the tares.
4. How does it answer the question, Did Jesus intend to organize His disciples?
5. What is the difference between the kingdom of God and the Church of Christ?
6. What is the principal evidence that Jesus intended to organize a Church?
7. What is the first test of the Church of Jesus Christ?
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1
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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presidency
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| n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期) | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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parables
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| n.（圣经中的）寓言故事( parable的名词复数 ) | |
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parable
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| n.寓言，比喻 | |
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tares
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| 荑；稂莠；稗 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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reapers
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| n.收割者，收获者( reaper的名词复数 )；收割机 | |
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bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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iniquity
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| n.邪恶；不公正 | |
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15
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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16
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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24
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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dwindle
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| v.逐渐变小（或减少） | |
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