The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1914-02-12

This is a strange breakfast episode
! Ito dine" means literally, to break
FAST. Jesus accepted three such
invitations from the Fharisees and
was accused of being a glutton and a
wine bibber, Matt. 11-19; Luke 1886,
! SO, A. In this instance we are told
plainly ". 54) why he had been asked
to this feast. At later time, e. gr
during the Passion week, Jesus deliv'
cred a special discourse against the
! Pharisees Matt. 23) in which he re-
peated many of the things we study
today.
Must Be Clean.
/. False VS.. True cleansing (vv. 81.
! 44). The orthodox Jew is very pune.
tilious to avoid ceremonial uncleanli.
ness. In Christ's time this ceremont
alism was at its highest development
! To be defiled was far worse than TO be
morally unclean. This Pharisee mar
veled" that Jesus was not likewise
concerned with his outward acts ".
80, Sc also Matt. 1925, 26). To have
a clean cup and platter was more i'm
| portant than to have a clean heart.
In a fragment of Gospel found at
Oxyrhyncus, Jesus is reputed to have
said TO a Pharisee; Thou hast
washed in waters wherein dogs and
! swine have been cast, and wiped the
! outside skin which also harlots
anoint ard beautify, but within they
are full of scorpions and all wicked
ness But / have been dipped in the
waters of eternal life which come
| from the throne of God" Pious plat
ters, presented in pride, must be in
wardly purified.
Jesus pronounces three woes"
griefs that like an avenging nemesis
hang over men OF such a character.
! CD A woe" against those who make
a show Of tithing the common garden
mint and herbs and at the same time
avoid the weightier matters OF just re-
lations to their fellow men and love
to God ". 42). We are not TO neg
! lect our churchly duties at all, but
these cannot be substituted for
righteousness (see Micha 6:S). (2)
A woe" against those who love the
places of pre-eminence (v. AZ CT. Matt
1886, -. This spirit has not departed
from the church after lapse of cen
turtles. 1t is unchristian, unchrstlike
The great one must be the servant OF
all Matt. %: IL, 20:2S, John 1874, 10,
Phil. 2:5-S). GO ". 49,, The third
woe" is directed against hypocrisy.
To touch a grave was to become I'M
clean, and hence they were white
washed to give men warning. Many
Christians are without beautiful to be-
hold, yet within full of dead mems
bones and all manner of uncleanliness.
The Three Wees.
ii. Real VS.. Sham Lives wv 40
54). The lawyers were the theologians,
the expounders OF the Mosaic law. Ev-
identity the words Of Jesus produced
great conviction. The word "repToach-
est" ". 45) means Ito entreat spite
fully" and the probabilities are that
he spoke to Jesus as if TO rebuke him.
Jesus at once pronounces three woes
upon him and his class. Cd A woe"
because they laid burdens upon others
which they themselves would not even
touch with one of their fingers Matt.
23;4. That is, they added to the law
minute and troublesome details,
which they declared to be more i'm
portant than the law itself. (2)
". 47) A woe" is pronounced upon
them for honoring the dead prophets
and at the same time rejecting and
prosecuting those that were living.
To honor dead teachers, to praise the
prophets of the past, those whom we
cannot endure while living, is form
Of hypocrisy which costs but little. 1t
implies that had they lived in the days
of their fathers their conduct would
have been Indifferent, yet they are with
the living prophets. following the ex-
ample OF their fathers. God foresaw
this ". 49, and the faithful minister
of his word must expect a like treat
ment (Mk. 1929, 800. (3) ". 12) The
third woe" was pronounced against
these religious teachers because, pos
sessing the key to knowledge, they
neither entered themselves nor would
they allow others to enter; we enter
not in yourselves, neither suffer ye
them that are entering in to enter"
Matt. 23:13. Am. Rv). These law
yers, theologians, were professedly in
terpreters of the law, that law which
was the foundation and bulwark Of the
Jewish nation. In fact, however, they
had so obscured and explained" that
law as to leave men in darkness
| Supposed to lead men into truth, they
were shutting them out of the truth.
What a terrible indictment OF many
| of this present age.
We quote from the letter of Wis
consin business man: The average
man is interested in the teachings OF
the Bible II the Bible cannot stand
upon its own feet II il foolish to boil
ster it UP by any personal ideas. We
make too many apologies for Scrip
lures aud do not stand squarely by
what II teaches" Not few who oc-
cupy the position of teachers obscure
the truth of God and they shut men
out OF a real knowledge of him. Jesus
thus replies 10 both Pharisees and the
/ -