El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-03-05
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON x, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH 6.

ory Verses, 1O-I3-Golden Text. Math.
xii, s-Commentary by the Rev. d. M.
Stearns.
copyright. 1897. by D. NJ. Stearns.1
1. AT that time Jesus went on the Sab
bath day through the corn, and His d1sc1-
pies were an hungered and began to pluck
the ears of corn and to eat. The lesson
today touches the Sabbath question, the
one which, according to all the gospels,
determined the Pharisees to kill Christ.
See verse IA Immediately following our
lesson, then Mark iii, 6; Luke vi, IL;
John v, 16. Dr. Weston says that the Sab
bath was the Jewish national flag; other
nations practiced circumcision, offered
sacrifices and had temples and religious
rites, but in the Sabbath the Jews claimed
a peculiar relation to God as their Creator,
Redeemer and Rest. AS the nation grew
in national feeling and pride and In the
thought of separation from and superiority
to other nations, they became more and
more tenacious of their Sabbath Ii we
keep in mind that it was their national
honor they were thinking of and not the
honor of their God and His Word, we shall
understand many things otherwise dark
e. But when the Pharisees saw 1T they
said unto Him, Behold, Thy disciples do
that which is not lawful to do upon the
Sabbath day." The Sabbaths were sign
between God and Israel, not to show how
holy and honorable they were, but to hon.
or Him and delight in Him and magnify
Him If eating little corn, even fresh
from the field, would quiet the body that
the soul might the better commune with
God, 1t was well SO to do (See E1- XXI
10, and lisa lviii, 13)
g. but He said unto them, Have ye
not read what David did when he was an
hungered, and they that were with him?'
They would hardly wish or dare to find
fault with David, their great king, whom
they praised so much, even if they were so
unwilling to recognize the Son Of David
and Dayid's Lord in Him with whom they
now find fault.
T. "How He entered into the house OF
God and did eat the shew bread, which was
not lawful for Him to eat, neither for
them that were with Him, but only for
the priests. God would have us consider
the spirit of His law rather than the ex-
treme letter of it. He would have us to
1t is better to know Him than to be wise,
or mighty. or rich. He delights in loving
kindness, Judgment and Righteousness
(Jer. TX, %, 24).
5, 6. "Or have ye not read in the law
how that on the Sabbath days the priests
in the temple profane the Sabbath and are
blamelessP But say unto you, That in
this place is one greater than the temple.
Thus He directs them to their king and
priests as both doing that which by the
strict letter of the law was forbidden, and
yet they are blameless. In verses Al and
40 of this chapter He says He is greater
than Jonah and Solomon. He now says
He is greater than the temple, and implies,
what Is elsewhere taught, that He is
~, Tn, oh
we read that He is greater than angels or
Moses, or tabernacle, or sacrifice. He is
our great Priest King
2. "But if ye had known what this
meaneth, will have mercy and not sacri-
fee, ye would not have condemned the
g,1iltless. What comfort that we are
to have righteous Judgment, and our Judge
will not decide by what He sees or hears
lisa. ri, 8, A, and will never without
cause condemn either a person or a work |
Let us have more of His Spirit, remember
ing Cor. iv, 5.
s. For the Son of Man is Lord even Of
the Sabbath day" AS Son of Man He is
Lord of all earthly institutions and the
direct object of all earthly allegiance. All
things were created by Him and for Him,
and by Him all things consist (Col. /, 49,
I'D. He shall yet subdue all things unto
Himself, even all kings shall fall down be-
fore Him and all nations serve Him Il
Cor. XIV, 90; Ps. kxii, 1I). We feel like
saying, "Oh, that these people had known
Him, that they might cheerfully receive
Him and submit to Him instead of judg-
ing Him.
g. And when He was departed Themes
He went into their synagogue" If He
could not get good, He would be where He
might do good The Scriptures were read
in the synagogues, and there is nothing on
earth like the Word Of God Whether
those who read see much or little of God
in His Word He is in every page of it and
opened eyes and ears will see and hear
Him.
10. And, behold, there was a man
which had his hand withered And they
asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on
the Sabbath days? that they might accuse
Him" The impotence Of the man was
very suggestive of the spiritual condition
of the nation, but he knew his condition
and they did not. They were blind, and
deaf, and lame and palsied, and leprous,
and thought that nothing allied them, but
that, on the contrary, they were the only
righteous people on earth
IL. And He said unto them, What
man shall there be among you that shall
have one sheep, and if it fall into pit on
the Sabbath day will he not lay hold on it
and lift it out?" One has well suggested
that He did not say see sheep but have
Sneepi Gne pOlnG Is UnaG OF ownership
He is the Lord of the Sabbath day. The
law commanded to help creatures not your
own If you saw them in trouble (Deut. xii.
A.
10. "How much, then, is man better
than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to
do well on the Sabbath days" Better
than many sparrows, better than all beasts,
Gods own property every day. and, though
oft in rebellion against Him, yet loved by
Him and watched longingly to see if he will
turn to His good and loving God. God is
good to the unthankful and to the evil,
but how little they think that His good
ness is intended to lead them to Him.
ID. "Then saith He to the man, Stretch
forth thine hand And he stretched it
forth, and it was restored whole like as
the other" The man could not help HIM
self, and he knew it, but Jesus healed him
instantly. The Pharisees were as helpless
to help themselves as this man, but they
did not know it and would not believe
when they were told, continued help
less and. worse. they gave place to the
devil