The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-07
The International Sunday
School Lesson.
SECOND QUARTER. LESSONGIl.
Matthew l2:l-4 April s., 1906.
Tesus and the Sabbath.
Copyright. 1906. by the International
Religious Literature Bureau.
The REV. DAVIS w. CLARk,4 .. D.
Editor, Cincinnati.

The Sabbath was the bloody angle" IN
+ the contest between & the Pharisces and
Jesus. They had idolizcd the Sabbath had
converted it into a veritable Juggcrnaut,
whose spondcrous weight they were rolling
over mems hearts and homes. Their MI
croloyy would have been ludicrous II 1t
had not been exercised upon something
so sacred. tt With this spirit-de-
stroying liberalism, Jesus took strongest
issue. G.. set purpose Flo broke the t1;'-
dition, while He vet kept the Sabbath. 7e
wrought seven conspicuous cures upon as
many Sslbbaths, as II to show the meal
full character and uses Of the day. But
lie could not expect to lay His hand
thus rudely upon this Pharisaic fetch
without rnising din and cry. nd5beins
branded us Il sncrilgiotls person. :
On this occasion the Pharisaic espionage
followed Him In hopes that it would dis
cover that He took one step more than
the two thousand cubits allowed for Il
Sabbath days journey. It congratulated
Itself upon a still grenter ::nl"a IT
threw up it's hands In we'll s.iyntd horror
at the dreadful n.raction: for wcre rot
the disciples 1'caping and thresnins Oh the
Sabbath?
According TO he retincments OF their
traditions, plucking the, ripe wheat ears
was q kind OF harvesting. and rubbing
them between the hands and blowing the
e char away was "a kind OF wlnnowng.
What sin! The reply OF Jesus
king. It is not possible you are ignorant
or what he did In an emergency; how,
FLYING from Saul and furnishing, he took,
70, standing corn II the field IKE my. my
the golden table before the very presence
Of the Lord: and that too. when It mad
been freshly laid there, ,nnd there Vas
is II that you ind no fault in him." The
law Of mercy in this instance supplanted
the law OF sacriGe The scene
snits nov from no, TIE Whet field to h he
same. Tho cripple is used as a bait to
catch Jesus. Jesus called the unfortunate
mnn to q conspicuous position.
them to confuslon Which accorded better
with the spirit of the Sabbath law-to do
good, MS he proposed, by setting this UNI
evil. as they were doing when they enter.
tanned Jealous and inhHmnn spirit 70
save life, as he soon would (naklng the
poor. mans lto worth ltying) or to XII,
of murder In their hearts,? No wonder
they We're silent. Jesus was illnansWcr-
able,
THE TEACHERS LANTERN,
s The technsm OF piely reached ys COM
pletest development under the hair-spllt-
ting-scnlls Of the Pharisecs, Ihey
enumerated 3l5 prohibition, one for nve,y
day IN the year; rs commands, e ~ lr 70
cepts, number Of letters IN the, Decalosue'
Their dialectcal skill was especinl-
ly busy in framing the casulStry or ine
Subbath determination whether It was
right TO eat IN egg laid on Sabbath, ana
whether walking on the grass with NOD
nailed shoes was NOT an lnirnctlon o.
tho Sabbath, being n kind OF ttireshlns;
ana catching flras was also. being a KIM.
or hunting There was n serious
side us well as iudlcrous one in tns rx,
ccssive lcEalsm, Hebrew pilots dropped
Ala ,PS "a
soldiers allowed themselves to pc pulth-
cred rather than fight on he SilDpH N
Jesus crushed these hollow traa'-
lions, and showed how the intent OF me
Sabbath was perverted by them
lIe did not abolish tho Sabbath, LORD
of the Sabbath would have been no lloil-
orahle title II. IL was repealed @lnslitu-
ZION Hc was Ford Of the day u me
sense OF Kidding 1t Of the bnrnacles or
liza Ira'i ama snnctitys .Ths incident
was not merely a text for q serm On, On
tho true nature and use Of the SupphtH.
Jesus came TO the defense OF lis aulsci-
pies, whose worry lives were in peril. Ihere
was a death penalty for such an ntrac-
tion Of the ;abbntll as they mad hcen
guilty of. ' lOnGfell0W carcatured
the o,lsterites OF tho Puritan sabbath,
which shut out the sunshine, and nude
OF the day OF rest n dungeon OF despair
(John IGndicotD, Al lsssg ssls