Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1900-03-01
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON. %

IN INTERESTING ANU INS I6OCTtve
Reflections of an Elevating Character
wholesome Food for Thought
Studying the scripturai Lesson In
teIIigentiy and Probably. ail
The lesson for March 4 Is found <yin
Mark / 21-34; its subject is Jesus Heal
ing in Capernaum." After his rejection
at Nazareth, Jesus made his residence at
Capernaum. This was an important town
on the northwestern shore of the Sea of
Galilee not far from its northern end.
The city stood ut the head of this busy
inland sea, which was then covered with
boats, large and small Capernaum was
an important place, having Roman gar
rison, u revenue station and fine syna-
gogue. Much caravan traffic passed
through il between north and south.
Nothing is known of it previous to New
Testament times, no mention OF 1t occur
ring in the Old Testament. 1t was in all
probability destroyed during the war
with Rome or the troublous times that
followed; and early and medieval trav-
elers speak only of ruins. u
Early in the Galilean ministry Jesus
summoned to his service the three men
who had been called some time earlier
in Judea-Andrew, Simon and John; in
addition he called Johns brother James.
Evidently the three had gone back to
their work as fishermen on the lake when
they returned to Galilee. They were now
TO leave ordinary occupations entirely,
and to be constantly with Jesus, who
promised to make them Fishers Of men,"
Luke tells us of the miracle by which
Simon's faith was strengthened ut this
time-the great draught of fishes duke
8: 40. The day of miracles in Caper-
naum which forms the subject of the les
son is described by Luke "A: 31-41) and
PARTIALLY by Matthew g.: 14-17). The
three accounts differ in unimportant de-
tails only.
Explanatory.
Again we find Jesus in the synagogue
on the Sabbath. There is no cause for
remark here in view of Jewish customs,
for attendance on this service was ex-
pected Of all Jews in good standing. But
one might think that Jesus, who was
undertaking to teach religious truth from
a new point of view, might regard the
Sabbath as good time TO employ for
teaching those who might be willing to
listen to him. He did not, however, in
terfere with the regular service. This is
suggestive in connection with many mod
ern religious and social undertakings,
good in themselves, which make the mis-
take of encroaching upon the regular
Sunday services of worship. Under GER
tain circumstances this may be justified.
Ordinarily it is unwise.
"As one that had authority, and not
as the scribes": this phrase has puzzled
some readers, who had the impression
that the scribes did teach with authority,
claiming to lay down ecclesiastical law
for the people. The point is, however,
that while the scribes claimed to decide
points of ceremony and Interpretation
merely on the basis Of ancient precedents,
Jesus spoke as one who needed no prece-
dents
"a man with an unclean spirit: the
subject OF demoniac possession as related
10 the gospels is one of the most difficult
of all biblical puzzles. A thoughtful stu
dent inevitably strives to arrive at some
conclusion, or at least some theory, on
this matter. The impression that is nat
urally derived from the expressions OF
the evangelists is not that the persons
thus afflicted were merely epileptics or
maniacs, but that they were in fact DOM
mated by an inner power alien to them
selves, which showed itself in physical
and psychical manifestations, uttered it
self by means of their vocal organs, and
could be east out by one of sufficient
power.
Among the Jews the widely spread be-
lief about demons took the form Of
superstition which held that these spirits
took possession Of men, entered into their
bodies. and dominated their wills, caus-
ing various sorts Of disease and moral un-
cleanliness. In the Book of Enoch, a
Jewish apocryphal work written in the
second and first centuries before Christ.
the demons, or lost angels, are represent
ed as entering into human bodies, caus-
ing commissions and other disorders. This
warfare between demons and human
souls is TO continue until the day OF
Judgment, but then the demons are to be
fearfully punished. Hence the reported
cry Of the demon to Jesus, Art thou
come hither 10 torment us before the
time?" Matt. 8: 19)
Having come so far in the considera-
ton of the gospel references to demons,
we have two alternatives. We may hold,
on the one hand, that there actually are,
or Mt any rate were, evil spirits, personal
invisible beings under the power of Sa-
tan, who in New Testament times did
take up their abode in human bodies; in
other words, that what the Jews believed
about the subject was scientifically cor
rect This view has been held by many
learned Christian scholars. The strongest
argument for this view, however, is the
unequvocal language of the gospels, and
the fact that Jesus nowhere denied the
popular belief on the subject, so far as
the record shows. Paul also seems to
have held the belief in demons; see l
Cor. 10: 20, as interpreted by some writ
ers. -
This view has muehbin its favor.
Against il will be urged that we have no
adequate scientific evidence for the ex-
istence OF such evil spirits. That argu-
ment we may remark by the way, APP
plies equally to Satan; and there is GER
tain inconsistency in the mental attitude
of those who hold that the existence of a
personal devil is proved by the Scriptures,
but that the actual existence of demons
subordinate to that devil Is not to be be-
lieved. Both in the gospels and in the
epistles there is about as much evidence
for real demons as for real Satan.
The other alternative is to hold that
the Jews of Chrst's time. dominated by
the prevailing superstitions about de-