The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-02-04

them.-Luke 4i4O.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
in the synagogue. Mark 1:21-2s
" the synagogue. Luke 4:31-T
Healing IN Peters house....... Matt. S:l4. 1s
Healing In Peters house. Mark :29-31
Healing in Peters house. 80. Luke :3S-S9
Heaiing at the door. Matt. S:16, II
iieaiing at the door. Mark 1928
Time.-Ony a few days later than the
last lesson.
Place. = Capsrnaum. a beautiful and
thriving city on the Sea of Galilee QLake Of
GennesareO.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
Jesus and the four fishermen, Peter,
Andrew, James and John. left the fch-
ing grounds together and went to the
city Of Capernaum, which was full Of
men, women and children-for their
work was henceforth to be in the busy
world OF men. They we're to be mis-
sionaries. home missionaries at first,
then foreign missionaries. "On the
Sabbath day" Jesus experience in the
synagogue at Nazareth was on the pre-
ceding Sabbath. What must have been
His feeling as He entered the synagogue
here? "And taught" Jesus taught
great deal In the synagogue during His
early ministry. It's service was more
informal than that of the temple at
Jerusalem, the seat of the stiffest and
most orthodox Judaism. Though in
struction in the law was the main OBJ
iect of the synagogue, its services were
In the hands of laymen, not priests
(Geikia), and were more like our prayer
meetings than our church services.
Amid the dull, mechanical tendencies
which were turning the heart Of JuGa-
IN TO stone, the synagogue may have
been often center of life and rallying
place OF freedom. Dean Chadwick.
Taught them as having authority"
This is one of the most illuminating sem
tences in the whole story of Christ's
life. The meaning Is not simply that
He spoke as If confident that He was
right--the scribes were doubtless conf
dent they were right--but rather that
He did not back up His teachings by
reference to the standing authorities
(Moses, etc), but spoke the truth that
He felt to be true in His own soul de-
pending on the truth itself, to makeiits
own impression. His was a message III
rect from God.
Another surprise was in store for the
synagogue audience that day. "a man
with an unclean spirit" The belief
In demoniacal possession was common
among Jews and Gentiles in the time of
our Lord, and it long obtained in the
Christian church. BUTT has been point
ed out that most, If not all, the phenom-
ena as ociated with this belief are now
| diagnosed as forms of disease-insanity,
| epilepsy, hysteria, etc. ."-Adeney. We
should add what psychologists call dis
eases of personality, double conscious
ness etc. If the unfortunate in this
lesson was diseased rather than pos
sessed of foul spirit, why did Jesus
speak as If there was a spirit? "a Be
cause the man believed 1t was devil
that was troubling him. (2) Everyone
else believed SO, too. (3) The best way
to meet an insane person is to meet
| him where he thinks he is. "a Christ
was not here to correct all mems err
roneous beliefs; it would have done no
good and immense harm. It would have
been going off on a tangent. Whether
the man was an epieptic or possessed Of
the kind of devil that the Jews believed
In, was a matter of indifference so far
as the kingdom was concerned. The
| point Is that Christ healed the man
Christ allowed nothing to interfere with
! His main purpose. Come out of him.: a."
Everyone saw that the man was cured
What is this" What does all this
ueGn!" referring to the whole service.
"A new teaching unclean splr-
its obey HIM The two mar
vels Of the day. Both equally unlocked
ior--the former moral miracle the
latter physical; both revealing an i'm
parial spirit exercising sway over the
minds aud bodies OF men. Emcs.
Note the effect in verse %.
And straightway:" No time was
lost. How full OF service for others
the Masters days werel Game INTO the
house OF Simon" Jesus was the puesi
Of His new disciple, "A fever" Very
common IN the low, hot country about
the lake; commonly believed, like iu-
| sanity, to be the work Of evil spirits.
| Luke says Jesus rebulied the fever as
he had done in the case OF the man in
the synagogue. AT event" The Sab
bath ended at sunset. Picture to your
solf the scene. No painter has ever
been able to do 1t so well as we can In
our own minds. Remember the Mas
ter's commanding presence, but that lie
was at the close Of q hard day, sur
rounded by the poor and the needy not
| the unsympathetic Pharisees, and radi-
antly happy in being able to minister to
| them whom He considered as brothers
| ana sisters. Suffered not to
speak. because they knew Him" How
aid they know Him? Explanations are
plenty, but not such as explain. The
intuitions Of deranged persons are fire.
quently amazingly keen and true, and
can hardly be explained, Christ did not
want to be proclaimed the Messiah as
yet, particularly by these people who
were physically or mentally unsound.
The time was not ripe.
Rams Horn Blasts.
Works OF love are words Of life.
1t is a good thing to know period
when you see one.
/