The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1918-04-04
LESSON FOR APRIL 7.
JESUS SETS MEN FREE.
LESSON TExT-N1,rh 7.1-a7

shall make you free, ye shall be free in
Z 2mIoNAL READIMG-rsa. 7a;l517 i;
TEACHERS--N Matt. 151-3l; II Cor. 3:17. IS;
Gal. 51-25
PRIMARY AND JUNIOR ToPIc-Je-
sus and the deaf man,
MEMORY VERSE-He hath u, all
things well, he maketh even the dear 10
hear and the dumb to speak.-Mark ?:3i
SENIOR AND ADULT TOPIC-Chris'
tian liberty.
This lesson deals with the last Of
those four events which mark the
crisis in the life Of our Lord at Capcr-
naum. 1t occurred just before the third
period of his Galielean ministry and
the time of his final departure for Jeru-
salem. We have seen what the att-
tudc Of Jesus was toward the law of
his nation. In this lesson we see his
attitude toward the rabbinical tradi-
tions Of the people which were the
opinions Of men and not the law Of
God. Just so many today look upon
the forms and ceremonies of the
church as being verify the law of God.
| Moreover, these traditions were made
a prctcNt whereby men eraded the
| law. So today we find men very relig-
| iouS and punctiliOuS in their churchly
| duties, who fail miSerably i'll their APP
| plication OF the moral code to conduct.
The analysis falls into four general
divisions: One, the accusation, wv.
ID; two, the answer, wv. G-13) three,
the application, wv. 1929, and four,
the Illustration, wv. 24-3O.
I. The Accusation. wv. 1-5). The
growing hatred of the PhnrsccS, led
them to make long journeys from Jcru-
salem that they might spy on Jesus
and find q DrctcXt for accusation.
While they were studying him. they re-
Hcalcd their ideas Of tho kingdom of
God. They took special notice that
the disciples Of Jesus ate without
washing their hands. We must not un-
dcrstnnd this to mean so much the re-
moval of dcfilcmcnt as the neglect of
ceremonial observance over which
the Pharisccs were punctilious, wv. 3.
! ~. Verses three and four illuminate
| certain traditions to which the Jews
adhered tenaciously. Thus eXempli-
fed we can see that their ideas Of
mans relation to God were largely a
matter of external ceremony. Purity
to them was an outward matter largely
| governed by the traditions Of men, ".
| ~.
II. The Answer ". 6-13). The an
swer of Jesus reveals the very oppo-
site ideal. He begins by calling the
Pharisees hypocrites. A hypocrite is
play actor-onc who hitlcs behind
mask. Applying the prophecy of
Isaiah, Jesus plainly tells the Pharisees
that they are hiding their true charac-
ter behind the mask Of ceremonial
cleansing. Such play acting is but
poor imitation Of the real heart con-
dition demanded Of God, (Psa. 81 10Y.
Their hearts were far from God, even
though with their lips they professed
to serve him. The love we express to
God consists not in rltualistic worship,
but in doing his will from the heart.
III. The Application, ". 1929.
Jesus takes advantage of this discus
sion, and, turning to the multi .e, up
on whom the PhariSeeS would bind Il
grievOus burden of ceremonialism and
falsehood (Matt. 23:4), warns them
that 1t is not SO much that which en-
tcrs into a man that deflles him, as
that which issues from him ". 15). It
seems quite natural that in their per-
plcxity the disciples should ask Jesus
what he meant by that. In his reply
Wv. 1929, Jesus shows very clearly
that "the issues Of life" prov. 4 :23),
reveal the corruption which is within.
(Sce Matt 1884, 35; Gen. 6 IS; James
3'1O-12). If the heart be not cleansed,
what will 1t avail If we wash the
hands? What then is the application
for this present day? Clearly we are
taught the danger Of lip service with
out change Of heart. Substituting
good for the best is sin. Forms and
ceremonies are good and have their
place; they are significant for they are
important teaching factors; but they
must not be substituted for q pure
heart. We must beware lest we hide
behind such Il mask.
There is here also plain teaching as
to Jesus estimate of the Pentateuch
ana lnfercntially of the prophecy of
isaiah. lie specifically calls 1t 'thc
WORD or God.' Surely we can accent
his estimate as contrasted with the
'r"o'''ol Oh the elders or the "cOn-
scnsus Of modern thought"
Less talk and more walk,
Less wishing and more doing
Less preaching and more proctic,no
Less organization and more OF the an,rt
Finally. we have two illustrations
as to how Jesus sets men free. (a)
Jesus silence appears to dcepen faith
| in the plpadinp Svronhenjo,on ,,o,,,,