The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-21
Pharisees Would Have Been Glad to
 Have Jesus on Their Side

with the Sadducees, although the lat ter were practically unbelievers, be- cause they were of the wealthier and therefore more respectable class: but they entirely ignored and would not eat with their less particular brethren. whom they in general styled "sinners" i" regardless of their having true moral status.
 Our Lords disciples were nearly all gathered from this lower or less ortho- dox and less educated class of Jews Because of our Lords talents the Phar- isees would have been glad to have Him as one of their number, provided that He would side with them and up hold them in their more or less hypo- critical pretentions of perfection and holiness. But Jesus denounced the claims of the Pharsees as hypocritical and told the common people plainly that there were none righteous, mo- not one"-that all needed divine mercy, and that the humble and contrite/ would be much more acceptable to God than the boastful, the proud, the self-conceited.
 The scribes and Pharisees watched Jesus closely, and when they perceived that he He ate and mingled with the less respectable and less orthodox, they disesteemed Him also and put the question squarely to Jesus desciples :: How is it that your Master eateth and drinketh with publca=s and sinners, and yet claims to be holyes.
 This afforded Jesus the opportunity which He desired of giving a great lesson in few words. He replied to them, "They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. I came to eall. not the right eous, but sinners" Each must learn tha, he himself Is a sinner and un- der divine sentence and needing for .giveness before he can come into fe- 1nn chi xrrffh nr ptaly yar of Gods provision for eternal life Jesus Illustrated this matter in one of His parables saving, certain Phar- isee went to the temple to pray. and, full of self-con idence thanked God that he was not as other men. nor even li< c the poor publican near him. The pub lican also prayed; but In humility, feel ing that he was a sinner, besought divine forgiveness. Jesus declared that the publican was nearer to divine jus tice than the more careful. more up- right, more orthodox Pharisee. be- cause the latter failed to acknowledge his sins, his imperfections. which could be forgiven only through theil acknowledgements
 ''Thy Disciples Fast Not
 About that time a fasting season was observed by the Pharisees, and by those who had accepted the teaching of John the Baptist; but Jesus had said nothing to His disciples about fasting Now the question arose. Why was this The Savior's explanation was that while He was with them it should properly be considered a time of rejoicing anc feasting rather than a time of fasting and sorrow. They would have plenty of opportunity to weep and fast after He would be gone and while waitins for His return.
 Fasting should not be considered { matter of obligation or command, bu rather voluntary sacrifice of presen and temporal good things that the minC and heart might go out the more earn estly after the things not seen as ye but hoped for. Thus for & centuries Gods people have been fasting ana