John 10:22-23 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.… National humiliation and rejoicing may at times be proper, but if annually perpetuated they may become unmeaning. In addition to fasts and festivals of Divine appointment, the Jews had this and others. With how much more reverence men treat Church institutions than those sanctioned by God. Christianity is contrasted with Judaism in as much as it is not an outward religion, has no feasts, attaches no sanctity to days and years, but is inward. 2. At this feast Jesus walked in Soloman's porch, and men sought to stone Him for asserting His Oneness with the Father. Men may attach greater importance to the sanctuary than to the gospel. What was passing through His mind? The contrast between the outward beauty of the Temple and the real condition of the Church? Or the little moral influence it had in the world? For the world's winter was only the symbol of its spiritual state. 3. What does the season suggest to us in the sanctuary? The ritualism of nature is most expressive, and furnishes us with types of spiritual ideas. Christ uses nature's illustrations exclusively. I. DEATH PRECEDES LIFE. Our year begins with winter, which prepares the way for all that follows. Winter is the type of death. It paralyzes old age, takes the colouring from childhood, and fills many a grave. 1. If mental life is to be developed how much have we to die to — early prejudices, mistaken opinions, confused conjectures. 2. If the spiritual life is to be developed, death must precede it. Old principles must be renounced, old habits abandoned. (1) There must be death to sin that there may be life to God. Crucifixion with Christ precedes Christ living in us. (2) There must be death to things seen if we would live to the things unseen. The world must be dead to us if we would seek the things above. (3) The body must die that it may live a new life. II. LIFE HAS ITS SUCCESSIVE DEVELOPMENTS. 1. Winter is necessary that one form of life may pass away to be succeeded by another. (1) It is not all spring. Earth's beautiful garments become worn and soiled, and must be laid aside, and in darkness and silence nature makes preparation for her new vesture. (2) It is not all activity and growth. There must be a time for the gathering up of energies. (3) It is not all fruitfulness; the fruits must be gathered in to answer the purposes of their growth, and the developments must begin anew. 2. The length of the year is adapted to the constitution of the world. If any change were to take place the wonderful mechanism would be disarranged and come to a stand, and so in the constitution of man. We get robustness not in summer but in winter, and grow more spiritually then. 3. These successive developments, though almost numberless in their forms, may be repetitions. Every year sees leaves, flowers, etc., like the last. But some forms may be succeeded by new manifestations of life, increase of beauty and fruitfulness. There is not a leaf that falls but has accomplished its purpose and makes way. for its successor. And so some successive manifestations of spiritual life seem copies of each other. These are necessary to Christian character, but they would not go on did not winter intervene, and some are replaced by manifestations far surpassing those that have preceded them. III. LIFE CONTAINS THE GERM OF ALL FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. Winter does not destroy life. The first act of faith contains in it the germ of all the future sinless and sorrowless life. (H. J. Bevis.) Parallel Verses KJV: And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. |
    |