The Tupelo journal., 1910-04-29
Two Sabbath
Incidents
Sunday School Lesson for May !. 1910
Specially arranged for This Paper

and Luke place the event earlier tnhh
Matthew's grouping would indicate.
PLACE.-Some field and synagogue In
Galilee; probably in Capernaum.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
A Work of Necessity.-Vs. 1-S. The
Cause of Criticism ". u. What act
of the disciples seemed to defy the
law Of the Sabbath? Can you not
imagine that quiet Sabbath afternoon
walk through the ripening corn-ields!
The sun is declining in the western
sky, there is not a cloud In the blue
heavens, the breath of wind stirs the
~wheat-field now white with harvest.
Tomorrow busy reapers will be here
with the sickle, to begin the great
work of the year-the cutting and car
rying of the grain. Then the heavy
ears and the light ears, the scarlet
poppy and the ~blue-bottle and the
purple corn-cockle will be mown down
together. AS Jesus and the twelve
walk through the corn-fields they are
hungry, and they pluck the ripe ears,
rub them in their hands, blow away
the light husk, and eat the hard
brown-yellow grains that remain in
their palms."-Rev. S. Baring-Gould.
The Charge (v. y. What was 1t In
the act that the Pharisees, spying
upon them, objected to? Not taking
the grain or eating it, but the manual
work involved. Reaping and thresh-
ing were properly forbidden on the
| Sabbath, and the Pharisees insisted
49, -I,aIo~ r,at,, xuith tho hands
was a kind of reaping, and rubbing
the husk off was a kind of threshing!
G. The Fourfold Reply Tvs. 3-S).
Our Lords answer to the Pharisees'
charge is especially interesting be-
cause of its variety.
First Reply. the Example of David
Tvs. 8, A., who, when fleeing from
Saul, persuaded Ahimelech the priest
to feed him and his hungry followers
with the twelve symbolic loaves of
bread kept on the golden table in the
Holy Place of the tabernacle to signify
that God was the provider of the peo-
pies food.
Moreover, this was lone on the Sab
bath, the day when the loaves were
changed (see Inductive Study -, and
no one but the priests was allowed
to eat that sacred food. Thus Jesus
met them first on their own ground;
because life is more than law, even
according to rabbis Tan Maclaren."
1t was an illustration of the far great
er Importance of human need than
any ceremonial requirement or out
ward form, however sacred. per
haps there may be just a hint in the
double. Have We not read? that they
could not produce Scripture for their
prohibition, as he would do for the
liberty which he allowed. The first
illustration is perhaps chosen with
some reference to the parallel between
himself, the true King, now unrecog-
nized and hunted with his humble fol
lowers, and the fugitive outlaw with
his band."-Alexander Maclaren. DID.
Second Reply, the Example of the
Priests Tvs. 5, g., for whom h Sab
bath is the busiest day of the week.
But no one blames them, but rather
all men praise them, because they are
serving Gods holy temple.
Third Reply, the Laws Real Re
quirement (v. y, which is mercy, and
not sacriice-a point upon which the
prophets often insist.
Fourth Reply, Christ's Authority ".
81. Marks account precedes these
words with the potable utterance,
"The Sabbath was made for man, and
not man for the Sabbath" The Sab
bath was not made to annoy man, re-
strict him, ~impoverish him, but to en-
rich him, free him from bondage to
toll, bless him with the highest joys
that God can bestow upon him.
A Work of Mercy.-Vs. 9-14. A. The
Blessed Opportunity Tvs. 9, 10). What
is the best test of correct Sabbat
keeping? See whether it conforms to
Christ's example! Seven of his re-
corded miracles were performed on
the Sabbath; amoAg them, this Of the
withered hand.
What sad last won Christ's sym
pathy? A man which had his hand
withered,-his right hand. the most
useful one, as Luke the physician
carefully noted.
Tradition says the man begged
Christ to heal him, and Luke tells us
that the scribes and Pharisees were
there watching him, as they had
logged his steps through the wheat
field.-watching him furtively, the
Greek implies.
How was the cure performed? With
a look of sorrow and indignation cast
upon the cold-hearted Pharisees
mark, and with only a calm com
mand to the cripple, Stretch forth
thine hand" Perhaps only the hand
was withered, but probably the arm
also was paralyzed, and II the man
had stopped to think and reason, In
stead of promptly obeying. be would
not have been healed. And 1t was
restored whole
The Unmerciful Pharisees ". 14).
What effect had the miracle on h
Pharisees? They could bring no
charge against Christ, for he had done
no work; he had merely spoken q
quiet sentence. Nor could they pro-
coed against the cured man, for ne
had only stretched out his hand. And
vet their fanatical spirits were more
enraged by Christ's defiance OF their
absurd Sabbath restrictions than by
anything else he ever did. They at
once began to plot how they might
destroy him. To such depths a a
mans selfish pride bring the human
heart!