Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1918-04-04
LESSON FOR APRIL 7.
JESUS SETS MEN FREE.

lesson TEXT-Mark 7:1-37.
GOLDEN TEXT-ff the son therefore
all make you free, We shall be free in
ed.-John S.36.
DEVOTIONAL READING 72:1-1Z
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR
EACHERs- Matt. 15;1-Sl, II Cor. SIT, IS;
PRIMARY AND JUNIOR ToPIc-Je
S and the deaf maH.
MEMORY vERSE-He hath done all
tngs we'll, he maketh even the deaf to
ar and the dumb to speak.-Mark 1857.
SENIOR AND ADULT TOPIC-Chris-
an liberty.
N This lesson deals with the last of
hose four events which mark the
.isis in the life of our Lord at Caper-
aum. 1t occurred just before the third
eriod of his Galielean ministry and
he time of his final departure for Jeru-
HEM. We have seen what the atti-
bde of Jesus was toward the law of
lis nation. In this lesson we see his
ttaknde toward the rabbinical tradi-
as of the people which were the
Unions Of men and not the Law OF
od. Just SO many today look upon
he forms and ceremonies OF the
>urch as being verify the law Of God.
recover, these traditions were made
Nretext whereby men evaded the
So today we find men very. relig-
Is and punctilious in their churchly
htfAes, who fail miserably In their APP
heat lion of the moral code to conduct.
me &anaIysis falls into four general
8iviEions One, the accusation, wv.
s.; two, the answer, wv. 6-13) three,
he application, ivy. 1929, and four,
he illustration, (vv. 24-3D.
1. The Accusation. wv. 1-5). The
rowing hatred of the Pharisees, led
hem to make long journeys from Jeru-
allen that they might spy on Jesus
nd find a pretext for accusation.
While they were studying him, they re-
called their ideas of the kingdom of
bod. They took special notice that
he disciples of Jesus ate without
flashing their hands. We must not I'M
lerstand this to mean so much the re-
noyal of defilement as the neglect Of
ceremonial observance over which
he Pharisees were punctilious, wv. 3,
}. Verses three and four illuminate
ertain traditions to which the Jews
dhered tenaciously. Thus exempli-
led we can see that their ideas of
ADn's relation to God were largely q
ter of external ceremony. Purity
aem was an outward matter largely
61rned by the traaitions Of men, ".
II. The Answer ". e-13). The an
swer of Jesus reveals the very oppo-
Bite ideal. He begins by calling the
f2harisees hypccrites. A hypoerite is a
mask. Applying the prophecy Of
isaiah, Jesus plainly tells the Pharisees
9hat they are hiding their true charac-
Ter behind the mask of ceremonial
cleansing. Such play acting is but a
poor imitation of the real heart con-
litien demanded of Cod (Psa. 81 :10).
Their hearts were far from God, even
hough with their lips they professed
to serve him. The love we express to
Mod consists not In ritualistic worship,
but in doing his will from the heart
Ill. The Application, ". 1929.
us takes advantage of this discus
Sion, and, turning to the multitude, up
on whom the Pharisees would bind a
gaevous burden of ceremonialism and
falsehood (Matt. 23:43, warns them
hat it is not so much that which en-
ers into a man that deailes him, as
that which issues from him ". 15). 1t
seems quite natural that in their per-
plexity the disciples should ask Jesus
what he meant by that In his reply
I(vv. 1929, Jesus shows very clearly
that "the issues of life'' (Prov. :23),
reveal the corruption which is within.
Zee Matt. IL :34, So; Gen. IS; James
t:1O-12). If the heart be not cleansed,
what will it avail if we wash the
hands? What then is the application
for this. present day? Clearly we are
-aught the danger of lip service with
but a change of heart. Substituting
good for the best is sin. Forms and
ceremonies are good and have their
Iplace luey are Significant LOT tIley are
important teaching factors; but they
muf not be substituted for pure
cart. We must beware lest we hide
behind such mask.
There is here also plain teaching as
o Jesus estimate of the Pentateuch
nd inferentially Of the prophecy of
isaiah. He specifically calls it "the
Word of Cod Surely we can accept
is estimate as eontrasted with the
Tradition of the elders or the ICON
ensus of modern thought"
Less talk and more walk,
1ess wishing and more doing,
-ess preaching and more practicing.
.ess organization and more of the spirit.
Finally, we have two illustrations
to how Jesus sets men free. (a)
esus' silence appears to deepen faith
h the pleading Syrophenician woman
", 24-3O).
-. - a