Mower County transcript., 1904-02-17
THE SuJNDA sc CHO Il
LESSON Viii, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
MATT MAJ SERIES FEB. 81.

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Memory Verses. 6-s-Golden TEXT,
Matt. xii, ,l2-CommentaryP Pre- pared
by Rev. D. NJ. Stearns. fSst IS
copyright, 1903, by American Press Association.
After the healing Of the paralytic,5
who came down through the opening
in the roof, the order, of events seems
to have been the call Of Matthew and
the feast given by him in his own own
house, then visit to Jerusalem and
the healing and discourse at Bethesda
(John Vs. We recently had the record
of a Sabbath day at Capernaum. the
healing at Bethesda was on q Sabbath
day, and now the cornield incident
and the healing of the withered hand
in today's lesson are both Sabbath day
events. Note also the healing of the
blind man in John tx. .t.5t
Why all these Sabbath day doings
when they SO stirred and angered the
Jews? Probably for the same reason
that Hezekiah destroyed the brazen
serpent which Moses had made. The
children of Israel made an idol of it
and burned incense to it. When the
Lord Jesus was on earth the Sabbath
day was Jewish idol, they worshiped
it rather than Jehovah, and the Lord
of the Sabbath was seeking to draw
them to Himself. Ii
Dr., Weston says that the Sabbath
was the Jewish national flag and that
by it they claimed peculiar relation
to God as their Creator, Eedeener and
t1onal honor rather than the honor of
their God and His word. The bone Of
contention on this occasion was that,
passing through cornfie!ds on the Sab
bath day, His disciples lad plucked
and eaten ears of corn. The Pharisees
said it was not lawful to do so. The
Lord Jesus justified His disciples on
four grounds-the example of David.
the law of Moses, the testimony of the
Spirit through the prophets (Hos. vi. 6;
Mic vi, 6-S) and His own authority as
Son of Man. -
Processing to honor the Sabbath. they
had no Sabbath stiffness in their souls.
but full of evil purposes they go their
own ways, find their own desires and
speak words out of their own hearts.
Contrast 1sa. lviii. 13. They did not
understand the significance of either
the Sabbath or sacriice; hence our
Lord said, go ye and learn what that
meaneth, I will have mercy and not
sacrifice" Compare verse and chapter
tx, 13). The design of both Sabbath
and sacrifice is not that men should do
Or bring something meritorious to God
to win His favor, but that God might
show favor and blessing to us. God
desires to give to us as sinners His
mercy and compassion.
The very first sacrifice on record
Gen. iii, 21) sets forth God giving to
helpless sinners redemption clothing:
they having nothing to bring Him but
their naked, sinful, helpless selves.
The first Sabbath sets before us man.
in the image of God, resting in and en-
joying the works of God. with which
he had nothing whatever to do but to
accept and gratefully enjoy. These
Pharisees were supposed to be well
versed in the Scriptures, but our Lord
had to say to them: Have ye not read,
have ye not read? If ye had known
Oversees 5. 5, .. And He is saying that
same sill, for mere Righteousness is al
ways ignorant of the Scriptures.
The second incident of our lesson is
the healing of man with a withered
hand in Il synagogue, the scribes and
Pharisees watching Him that they
might accuse Him. He referred them
to the law which taught that they
were to help creatures not their own if
they saw them in trouble Deut. xxi.
A.. He also reminded them that man
was better than sheep and assured
them that it was lawful to do well On
the Sabbath day, He being Lord even
of the Sabbath day oversees II. -. 81.
Then He healed the man, and the
Pharisees became so enraged that they
went out and held q count ::~,'':>.+
Him how they might destroy Him
(verse 14). The impotence Of the Ma,
was very suggestive of the s,7i,i u;,'
condition of the nation. but LIE kne:;
his condition and they did not. They
were blind and deaf and lame and pal
sled and leprous and thought that
nothing allied them, but that. on the
contrary, they were the only righteous
nation on earth. They We're really as
helpless as this helpless man. and tie
Lord was as ready to help them as
him, but they would take nothing from
such as they considered Him to be.
and why should they. for in their own
estimation they had everything and
needed nothing. Rev. iii. II. describes
them, as it also does multitudes TODAY :,
In reference to His saying about
sheep some one has we'll said that He
did not say ''see sheep" bnt have
sheep" The point is that of owner
ship. He owned them, they were His
sheep, at least professedly. and He
owned the Sabbath day, which He had
given to man for mans benefit, but
while He could control it and gave spe-
cial blessing in it. they would not let
Him control them. They persisted in
going astray Qsa. lii. g.. i. l.~->5s rs
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