The Topeka state journal., 1914-02-14

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JoURNAI-SATURDAY
self especially to tho Pharisees, point
Ing out wherein. with all their boast !
ed hoAne9 they came Tar short Of |
what would be acceptable TO God
a Phar1see invited Jesus to dine |
with him Tho invitation was
promptly accepted; and Jesus passed !
in and sat down at the table with the |
washing customary to the Pharisees.
The host thought Of Jesus - . holy |
man. and remarked that 1t was
strange that He had not performed
the usual ceremony Of washing. Jo-
suc pointed out that much OF the re-
ligion which evsn the hottest Of Jews
practiced was merely ceremony. and
not true religion. OutW1rd1y they
were clean. but inwardly their hearts
were Inclean-eiven to extortion:
sought to show that in Gods sight
tho heart II tho important matter.
and the outward cleansing quite sec
ondary. The inside of the cup should
hrst be attended to. and afterward the
outside.
mony with the Lord. and who arc
cleansed by obedience to His Message
and its spirit, are thereby made clean
-outWardly ~ well as inwardly. Ev-
cry one who IL pure in heart win seek
70 be clean in person, in speech, in
his heart win influence al his words.
thoughts and doinGs.
From our Lord's expression It would
appear that one OF the great fatlings,
OF the Pharisees was covetousness. 40
cSsdins fSsd to the Greek, Jesus called
sion He told that this covetousness.
greed. love Of money, led them dis
honestly to disregard the rights Of
others. He said. "Ye devour widows
advantage Of widows to accumulate
property for themselves. Apparently
many OF the Pharisees were quito
rich.
Jesus pointed out that with such q
wrong condition of heart God could
not be well pleased with them. even
though they ever SO carefully observed
the outward regulations Of the Jewish
Law. He called attention to the fact
that in their outward Observance of
to those small seeds of which they
grew but a trif1ing quantity; but that
they neglected the, weightier matters
OF the Law-to deal justly and to have
not object to- their giving one-tenth
of everything, but declared that these
things they should do and not leave
the. moro important things undone.
He declared that they chose the
chief seats in the synagogue ana loved
salutations in the market-places. Their
covetousness took the form OF pride,
as well as dishonesty. They wanted to
be very prominent in things religious.
to be very popular and to be hailed
as "Rabbf'-master, learned one.
Jesus declared that they were like
sepulchres. outwardly clean and white
washed, but inwardly full Of corrup-
tion. uncleanness. They were holiness
ceremonial.
Without judging personally. we fear
that much OF the Christianity Of our
time is well described by the Apostle
Paul. Speaking Of our day he says.
''Having form Of godliness. but
tians. but inward1y skeptics-covetous.
extortionate, unjust Men are not
able to Judge rightly Of such matters
today. Some who are loyal and zeal-
GUS for the Lord are branded as hypo-
critics and deceivers; while others, dis
loyal. merely whited sepulchres, may
be lauded to tho skies as denomina-
| tiona1 idols or generous benefActors OF
earlyth systemA
I Some Of the Pharisees, especially
: educated, talented and we'll versed in
the Law and the Prophets, were styled
! lawyers-Doctors OF the Law, the
| equivalent of what today are termed
Doctors OF Divinity. Jesus upbrAided
the common people grievous burdens.
which they themselves would not bear.
He meant that they gave, such hard
interpretations of Gods Law as were
discouraging to the common people
setting before them standards OF per-
! lection which they themselves would
| not think OF even trying to live up to-
Apparently the thought was thereby to
the af tSs nsv with h
sepulchres for tho Prophets OF old
forgetful that their fathers, whose
spirit they had, were the very ones
who killed those Prophets.
Woe! Woe! Woe! Woe! Woei
While Jesus prophesied woes against
the Pharisees, we are not to think OF
Him a. condemning them to eternal
torment, nor as intimating that this
would be the nature Of the woe that
would come upon them. The woe to
the Pharisees was that they were
about to miss the great blessing which
God had promised to the Jewish ma
ton; namely. that of chief association
in Messiah's Kingdom. (Genesis
i 28:14.) Because Of their unprepared-
ness. it was taken from them. to be
given to another Israel. Had enough
Of them been 'Israelites indeed" tc
complete Gods foreordained Elect, the
Kingdom offer would not have gone
to the Gentiles.
The Pharisees were in the most IA,
ivored place for attaining joint-heirshiy
with Messiah: but they recognized mo-
what they were losing, as Jesus recog.
nized 1t. His expression. Woe unt<
iyou." is therefore to be regarded a
sympathetic. plying. This though
Is borne out in the context. which de-
} clares the great time Of trouble which
came upon their nation at the time o.
l NJ
Icompletfon in A. D. 20. in the total de-
struction Of their city and polity.
As the Lord declared. that awfu
trouble was a settlement OF JehovahI