The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-13

Golden Test--The sabbath was made
for man. and not man for the sab
bath.-Mark 1927.
Historical Setting-Time-Ear in
the summer of a. ID. -. Piaces--near
and in Capernaum.
The Lesson Text in Everyday Dress.
One Sabbath while Jesus was pass
| ing through a grain field near Caper-
naum. some of his disciples who were
with him plucked a few ears of barley
and after rubbing them in their hands
to get rid Of the chaff, began to cut
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 1t was the SAB
bath. and the rabbis had taught that
plucking the ears was sort OF reap
ing, and that rubbing them in the
| hands was a sort of threshing, and,
therefore, he who did such things on
the Sabbath day broke the command
ments, and was worthy of death. While
Jesus did not cat the barley himself,
It was easy for the Pharisees, who
were In the crowd to hold him re-
sponsible for his disciples conduct,
and their eyes flashed with indigna-
ton against him as they demanded.
why do they on the Sabbath day
that which Ia not LAWFUL" Jesus ac-
! copied the responsibility. Prudent
| enough to refrain from that which he
| had right to do to avoid giving oc-
casion for ofYense, he had none of that
prudence in vogue in our day which
| takes advantage of a technically to
shift responsibility that we do not care
! TO carry He did not say. at is none
| Ct my business. they can speak for
| themselves"
! His answer seems to have been given
! for the benefit of his followers rather
! than for the obstinate critics whom
! he could not expect to convince. Be
! fore passing judgment upon the con-
! duct OF his disciples. they might do
| we'll to look at 1t from a different
standpoint. 1t was easy to see sin ia
! the conduct OF those they despised: he
would call attention to a similar case
! in which one OF their own favorites
| figures. What Jew ever thought that
| David sinned by ehvering the taber-
| nacle on the Sabbath day, and eating
! the shewbrea which was not lawful
! for him to eat? And what Jew was
ever go bold as TO declare that the
! priests in the Temple sinned by at
| tending to their duties on the Sab
| bath? What was lawful for the ser
wants OF the Temple was lawful for
his servants, for he was greater than
/ the Iempie. but. ne auQcu, you
would never have looked at 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 q false basis. You look on the out
ward appearance--God looks on the
| heart; you are concerned about man
made institutions--<iod Is concerned
about man; you think man was made
! for the Sabbath--God made the Sab
| bath for man..
The Pharisees saw their opportunity
| and seized it: henceforth the Sabbath
| question should be kept to the front.
~ 1t Was perhaps on toe Hane Sabbath
| that he went into their synagogue"
tThe Authorized Version Of Luke says.
ION another Sabbath; but the pas
sage may be translated simply. "on a
Sabbath") In the congregation there
was a man whose hand had been with
cred by paralysis. The Pharisees we're
there also. Matthew tells us that they
asked Jesus. rs 1t 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 tina man
with the withered hand to stand up. he
said, 1T IL lawful to 90 we'll on the
Sabbath day: and suiting his action
| to his words Che could always do that!