Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-11
The Sunday School
Lesson for April ID.
WHICH DAY Is SABBATH?
Mark II, 23-iii, 6. April ID.
Text: "The Sabbath was made
for man, and not man for the Sab
bath"-Mark, ii, 81. .~. ..

That the. bible teaches some impor-
! tant lessons respecting the Sabbath Is
undisputed, but what that lesson is
is much disputed. The fourth COM
mandment of the decalogue refers to
the seventh day and requires it's OBJ
servance as a day OF rest, and no
more. The ten commandments as a
whole were the basis of the law
covenant, compulsory upon every Jew.
The Jew keeping all of those COM
mandments was promised everlasting
life. Failure to keep them all con-
demned him afresh. There can be no
doubt on. this point.
However, in our Lords time, Jewish
(religionists had become to consider
able degree Journalists, and greater
stress was laid upon the literal COM
mandments than on their real spirit.
Jesus reproved this on several occas-
ions. saying to the doctors of the law,
you bind heavy burdens upon the
people, For instance, to hunt for a
flea on the Sabbath was construed to
be violation of the fourth command
ment, breaking of the Sabbath, for
|, it was claimed that the man was hunt
ing as truly as though it were buff
falo or a lion.
Similarly, as mentioned in this les
son, fault was found with our Lord s
disciples. because, passing through a
wheat field, they rubbed out some of
the grains in their hands and ate
them. This was construed as viola
ton of the Sabbath because 1t was
threshing, winnowing, whether the
amount was small or great. Jesus did
not violate the Sabbath ordinance nor
teach men so. He was Jew and
bound to keep the Sabbath law tn
the full. He did object to such non.
sensical INTERPRETATIONS as We have
mentioned
| Jesus was LORD of the Sabbath, and
had A right to explain it's true import
Later he went into the synagogue
where there was man who had a
withered hand, and they watched him
to see if he would heal him on the
| Sabbath day, that they might accuse
him. The Savior was grieved and
angry with a righteous indignation
that men should SO seriously mistake
and misrepresent the divine arrange
ment. He healed the man.
Lord or the Sabbath.
No commandment was given by
| Jesus or the apostles to the church
respecting the Sabbath day. The early
church evidently did observe the Jew
| ish seventh day in many places, and in
some places the first day of the week
the anniversary of our Lords resur
rection; and sometimes they observed
both Of these days. But their observ
ance was not that of law or command
for the apostle wrote, aye are not I'm
der the law, but under grace" They
had the privilege of keeping either OF
both of those days sacred to the Lord
resting from earthly affairs and Civ
ing themselves peculiarly to spiritual
matters.
So with us today. We are, glad that
one day in the week is so generally
observed as day of rest. Sabbath
| (Sabbath day signifies rest day.. We
are glad that the day so generally sci
apart is the first day Of the week, be
cause it so beautifully commentaries
the Christians hopes, attested by oul
Lords resurrection from the dead or
that day. And if Gods people had two
Sabbaths, or seven of them, in the
! week. we believe they would have
THAT much more of blessing.
/ Instead. to the Christian, every day