The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-05
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
March 6, 1sos-Matthew xii, lib.

The Sabbath was the ''bloody angle" in the
contest between the Pharisees and Jesus. They
had idolized the Sabbath-had converted it into
vertable Juggernaut, whose ponderous weight
they were rolling over mems hearts and homes.
Their NEUROLOGY would have been ludcrous il it
had not been exercised upon something so sacred.
With this spirit-destroying liberalism Jesus
took strongest issue. OF set purpose He broke
the tradition. while He yet kept the Sabbath. He
wrought seven conspicuous cures upon many
sabbashs, as If to show the mercfuI character
and uses of the day But He could not expect
TO lay His hand thus rudely upon this 1harisaic
fetch without raising din and cry and being
branded sacrilegious person
On this occasion the Pharisaic espionage fol-
lowed Him in hopes that It would discover that
lie took one step more than the two thousand
cubts allowed for Sabbath-days journey 1t
congratulated itself upon st greater find
It threw. up it's hands in we-feigned horror at
the dread BAL infraction; not the disciples
reapng and threshing on The Sabbath? Accord
ing to the rehnernents of their traditions. pluck
ing the ripe wheat kind of harvesting,
and rubbing them between the hands and blowing
the ehaf away was kind of winnowing. What
sin.
is your hero-king IL is not possible you are ig-
of what he did in emergency: how,
flying from saul and famishing he took, not
standing corn in the field, like my disciples have,
hut the shevbread from, the golden table before
the very presence of the Lord; and that. too,
when it had been freshly laid there, and there
was none TO replace It. David did this! How
i3 it that you find fault with him?' The
law Of mercy in this instance supplanted the law
of sacrifice.
the synagogue, but the issue remains the
The cripple is used as bait to catch Jesus with.
Jesus called the unfortunate man to q conspic-
uOus position.
The alternative which He proposed put them
TO confusion: Which accorded better with the
spirit of the Sabbath aw-to do good. as He pro-
posed. by setting this unfortunate free from his
malady, do evil, they doing when
they entertained Jealous and inhuman spirit;
to life, He soon would making the poor
now (cherishing the spirit of murder in their
hearts,? No wonder they were silent. Jesus was
unanswerable
MOSAIC FROM COMMENTARIES.
Disciples pIucked corn: Just what sufficed for
present necessity.--wesley.
Thy disciples do that which is not lawful:
Those who know not the spirit and design of
divine law are often superstitious to inhumanity
and indulgent TO impety.-Clarke
Read what David did: Our Lord is not arguing
for proper breaking of the law, but for its true
Observation-Disclosures.
Priests profane Sabbath: The double offerings.
etc. could not be prepared every Sabbath without
good deal of servie work.. +. Il.
One greater than temple: Therefore able to dis
pense with ritual sanetites when they come in
Mercy not sacrifice: Disciples, In imitation of
David. shad claimed prerogetive of mercy, and
the PhArisees had violated it by their rash judg-
ment-Bengel.
Son Of man Lord of Sabbath: Therefore they
guiItless, 1t only this account, that
they act by my authority.-Wesiey.
He means not. am Lord of the Sabbath law,
and therefore may break it, but am The Lord,
whose work must be done upon the Sabbath, who
also can decide its obligatons-Osh
For to work the works of Cod belongs to every
place and time and is the true priestly sanctica-
ton of the Sabbath and the sanetuarg.g-Stier
THE TEACHERS oUIvER.
The teehnsm Of piety reached its c1mpletest de-
veopment under the har-splitting genius of the
1'harisees
They enumerated 500 prohibitions, @4S commands
equal to the number of bones in the body. 61S
preceptB number of letters in the Decalogue)
Their dislectica skill was especially busy in
framing the casuistry of the Sabbath: determin-
ing whether it right to cat egg laid
sabbath, ct.
There we a serious side well as ludicrous
in this excessive legal's Hebrew pilots dropped
the hem on approach of Sabbath Hebrew SOL
diers flowed them Give. to be putchered rather
than tight on the Sabbath.
Jesus crushed these hollow traditions, showed
how intent of the Sabbath perverted by them.
He did abolish the Sabbath. Lord of the
it a repealed institution. He was Lord of
the day in the sense of Kidding 1t OF the barnacles
OF trau4tion, eevating it and filling it with life
and Sanctity.