The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-04-30

always at his heels were on their way
to the synagogue at Capernaum. In
the crowd were u number of Pharisec3
VINO possibly had been sent out from
Jerusalem to gather material for
bin of charges which might justify
his arrest As they were passing
through a field, perhaps of barley.
now apparently just ready for the
sickle. some OF the disciples plucked
a few ears of tho grain, and atte~
rubbing them in their hands to get
rid OF the chaf, began to eat them.
In this they did only what the law of
Moses allowed. and what any one
rich or poor~--wouid have done on any
other day. But it happened To be the
Sabbath. and the rabbits had declared
that plucklng the ears was sort or
rcaping ana that rubbing them tn the
hands was a sort of threshing. and
therefore. he who ala such things on
the Sabbath day broke the command
ments and was worthy of death.
While Jesus did not eat the barley
himself, 1t was easy for the Phari-
secs, who were in the crowd to hold
him responSi nie-ior-A disciples eoT=-
| duct, and their eyes flashed with IN
/ dignation against him AS they de-
manded, Why do they on the Sab
| bath day that which is not lawful 2
Jesus accepted the responsibility,
Ills answer seems to have been
given for the benefit of hi9 followers
rather than for the obstinate critics
whom he could not expect To con-
vince. Before passing Judgment upon
the conduct of his disciples, they
might do well to look at II from
different standpoint. 1t was easy 10
see sin in the conduct OF those they
despised; he would call attention to
ii IL sEN..3f n
lfavorites figured. What jew ever
thought that David sinned by entering
the tabernacle on the Sabbath day,
land eating the shewbread which was
| not lawful for him To eat? And what
Jew was ever SO bold as to declare
that the priests in the Temple sinned
| by attending to their duties on the
| Sabbath? What was lawful for the
! servants Of the Temple was lawful for
! his servants, for he was greater than
the Temple But" he added, you
would never have looked " ii in suCh
/ A light II you had realized what God
meant when he said he would have
mercy rather than sacrifice. Your
whole system Of Sabbath rules rests
on Il false basis You look on the out
ward appearance-tiod looks on the
heart: you are concerned about man
made institutions-tiod Is concerned
about man; you think man was made
! for the Sabbath--Cfod made the SAT-
( bath for man"
( The Pharisees saw their opportunl-
ty and seized it, henceforth the Sab
bath question should be kept to the
front.
1t was perhaps on the same sab
bath that he went into their syna-
gogue" (rhe Authorized Version Of
Luke says, ION another Sabbath" but
the passage may be translated sim
I ply, ION a Sabbath.o In the con-
. gregation there was n man whose
hand had been wlthered by paralysis.
The Phnrisees were there also. Mat
thew tells US that they asked Jesus,
is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath
days ?" that they might accuse him.
He saw the trap. saw their hypocrisy.
and he burned with indignation.
! Commanding the man with the with
cred hand to stand up. he said, ut
is lawful TO do well on the Sabbath
day; and suitIng his action to his
/ words Che could always do that,) he
restored the withered hand. though
he knew the act would eventually cost
him his life.
This SO incensed the Pharisees that
they Immediately went and held "a
consultation to devise plans for put
! ting him to death.
! The Heart of the Lesson.
Is it right to do this on the Sab
| BATH Is II wrong to do that9 How
are we TO decide questions of this
sort? Jesus gives us a rule to 70 by.
| God wants mercy, he says. not sac
| ritice-~not mere formal service, He
! laid down this test principle by the
side of the Sabbath observance
of his time and found it wanting.
| The rabbini rules called for mere
! forms not for mercy Indeed. they
were themselves unmerciful, And be-
cause they neither moved to mercy
nor showed mercy themselves he
condemned them 1T is lawful to dc
well on the Sabbath day.
Let us lay down this rule by the
side Of our own Sabbath keeping. A
religious form of observance Is in
| tended to help men, not to hurt them.
! That is a wrong keeping of. the Sab
| bath that shuts up the door of mercy,
or any door through which we may
send or receive that which is good
For the Sabbath was made for man,
not man for the Sabbath.
The highest law of the Sabbath is
not the command to abstain from
work, but the command to keep the
| sabbath holy. If, IN the effort TO
keep the Sabbath holy one must work,
as the priests did in the temple, and
| as the preacher must do In the pulpit,
| there Is no sin, for the higher law
eclipses the lower. The law calls for
cessation from labor In order that
| one may have opportunity to look
| after his highest interests Cessation
| from work alone is not obedience 10
the law. for we know that an idle
! brain Is the DEVILS Workshop. But
while deeds of mercy find a favoring
atmosphere on the Sabbath day we
should not allow even these to crowd
out the quiet hour which the soul
needs to look into Its own affairs.
| Am I in doubt as to whether i
ought to do certain thing on the
Sabbath day. The test principle is
before me-: let me apply that Is 1t
All act of mercy? Very wei, God
wants mercy--wants to zee no ,nel'-
ciful. wants 70 zee me doing merciful
dseds-whether !. q Sunday o. Mon
day. n
What the sabbath Is For.
/ The Sabbath was designed 70 bene-
At the whole man---his body mind and
spirit. His body by relieving II from
the daily grind and giving 1t a chance
TO renew Itself. His mind nv loosen-
Ing 1t from the sordid Thoughts which
are so apt to dominate 1t through the
week and giving Ii chance to try
it's wings in better atmosphere Ills
spirit by shutting out the naise and
strife and WORRY and care Anu petty