Evening star., 1923-01-06
Sunday School Lesson

side laws" While He was preaching in
the -Perean synagogue Upon .pronaply
some phase Of the kingdom or Goo snat
would sive 2 correct eoncnpsiNn o the tns
Messiah. the Master saw In the crowd
woman, who had suffered for eighteen
years at the hands of Satan an amlc,
tion which had made her helpless ana
hopeless of ever being cured. some
! would diagnose her inhrmity az q case
of inner spiritual derangement that
produced her pathetic physical condi~
| tion. Others would have seen q pyscno-
logical spirit Of infirmity," that was
Jesus recognised that Satan was re-
sponsibls for hef trouble, which had
ciouded her reason with q spirit OF mel
| ancholy. He was moved with the spirit
of compassion for the suffering "daush.
was lawful to do good upon the Sab
! bath, He knew that His enemies would
| take advantage Of II. but He did not
| hesitate to cure her
His voice attracted her attention by
| it's sympathetic tone. He probably
called her by name. He aroused her
faith and developed her hope when
He spoke to her. summontng the
affiicted one to come to Him. The
congregation was fiiied with excite
ment, when they saw Jesus touch her
with His hands and heard Him assure
her that she was free from her in
trinity; His touch helped her faith
relaxed. the bent form regained It's
earlier grace, for in a moment Christ
had relieved her from her incurable
| infirmity 80 that she was made
straight and glorifed God. Our Lord
stil heals men by various methods
and means. He alone gives us the
/ fulness Of life and frees men from the
pernicfous work OF the prince of the
power OF the air whose destructive
power has filled the world with its
| sickness and sorrow.
The superintendent Of the syna-
gogue was a Pharisee. He was filled
with their jealous partizanship for
the observance of the Sabbath. He
was scandalized by the miraculous
cure. Forgetting the instincts Of
humanity. he protested against the
/ people coming to be healed upon the
| Sabbath. such brutal lack Of in
sensibility stirred Jesus to indignant
reproof; even an OK is watered on the
| object to the restoring OF one who
had suffered for eighteen years" Be-
! fore the Masters scathing exposure
OF the rulers hypocrisy, His adver-
! saries were silenced, especially when
they saw that the public opinion was
mon people rejoiced "over all the
/ glorious things that were being done
by the Lord" made them more deter
mined to destroy Him.
Jesus found that IL was almost i'm
possible for Him to make the true
| impression. which His personality
| ought to have made because He was
| obliged to contend constantly against
| their raise ideas concerning Himself
ana HIS mission. He had either to be
tional ideals. Christ determined 70
| be true to Himself and His mission,
1t cost Him His life. Tradition and
conventional custom always seek to
oend every soul to their plan and to
mold men according to their program.
You can standarize production. but
4 YOU cannot standarfze personality.
The Pharisees could not conform
Jesus to their ways OF doing so they
deliberately framed up their plan to
cruelty Him. S -
Jesus left us no rules or regulations
concerning the observances of the
saebath beyond the principles re-
ferred to in this lesson. He observed
law. for He came to fulfil the law
and not destroy It The spirit of the
Lord of the Sabbath would condemn
many things done in modern life,
especially on His day. We ought to
apply HIS principles and practice in
servance of the Lords day. This day
arose as a memorial Of His love. life
and labor giving for US. We ought
to observe 1t as day Of rest and
Christian service. While above all
other days. II should be a day OF
woreh3p. II In a day when, foilowing
our Lords example. we should visit
1.-THE sick and perform other spirit,Ial
Iservices. We should only engage I'm
those things that will promote the
highest development of Christian life
and civilization. Human welfare
/ the coming Of q better civilization
are wrapped up in the application" OF
was made for men, and not man for
the Sabbath" Let US do all the good
we can upon His day. fer, 'it is law
full to do good upon the Sabbath day
and glorify Him by our daily toll and
service. -.