Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-04

You will remember that Jesus had
been warning the people against the
Ieaven of the Fharisees, which is
hypocrisy; and had also told them
that their attitude should be orc
of Watchfulness in View of the fact
of His second coming being sud
den and unannounced Now He con-
tinues telling them that they must
all repent of their sins or be lost.
The occasion was the report to Him
by some present of the horrible
slaughter just before then by PLATE
of some Jews. They had been offer
ing their sacrifices at the altar
where by Pilates order they WcEc
slaughtered and their blood mingled
with that of the lambs of their offer
ing. The implication was that they
were GreatCr% sinners than anyone
else or God would not have allowed
this Jesus tells them this was by
no means so; but that if they who
heard Him did not repent they also
should likewise perish.
Not long before this the tower Of
| Sloan had fallen in Jerusalem and
! eighteen persons had perished
Jesus tells them that they must not
consider these eighteen worse sin
ners than any other in jerusalem
but that unless His hearers repent
cd, they also should perish. In other
words Jesus was impressing upon
! His hearers the fact that all were
sinners, that all must repent, or be
! lost.
| InasmuCh as lie was speaking 20
Jews. He used Il symbol, well-knoWn
| because for a long time applied to
| that nation, the symbol OF fig tree.
! While the application of the parable
| He told them was primarily to the
! Jewish nation, it is also most APP
| plicable to everyone. He told them
| of barren fig tree: for three years
the owner had come seeking fruit
from it, but had found none. He
was about to cut it down: but tho
| dresser of the vineyard asked for 4
! little longer respite, hop n@ to find
| fruit the next year. God is very
gracious; He does rot want to de-
stroy; bat eventually He must if He
does not find fruit.
The Bound Woman
One day Jesus WAS teaching in
| their synagogue or the Sabbath.
| Over on the wOm1ns side. lie
caught sight Of miserable creature.
She WIS Ill bent, could not straight.
en- up, and for eighteen years she
| had been in the grip of this infirrn-
| ty. From the description given by
| DIR. Luke. it would seem that she
was Il victim of the dope habit She
| had gotten in the grip Of Satan. who
had bound her with the iron bands
Of habit, and she could not free her
self from it. God pity the victims
Of habit morphine, whisky. tobacco
cO"aine-WhO are pCWerlCss aGainat
the strong bands with which Satan
has bound them!
Jesus called her to Him and sail
"WOman, thou art lOOsed from their
infiTmity." Then He laid His hands
on her. and Immediately she was
made straight, and Slorified God
Only Jesus can unloOse the bonds Of
any habit; but lie can and will,
whenever you will, if you are one
Ipf Satans victims.
| Wouldn't you have liked to have
been in the synagogue that day and
! have witnessed that scene?
Wouldn't you have reioced with
! that woman as she Strengthened uG
and gave God the glory? Then you
can hardly understand what hap
| pencd; for the ruler of the synA-
gogue jumped up, indignant, and
said to the people: There are six
days in which men ought to work: if
you want TO be healed come on one
of those, and not on the SABBATH.
He was too big a coward to Sc" it
directly to Jesus or to the WomC n,
but he meant his rebuke for the,
especially for Jesus.
You see the Jews regarded Jesus
as a Sabbath breaker, because He
refused to abide by all the restriC-
tons they had put about that day.
! For 900 years there had been no
reference 10 the Sabbath-not from
! he time of creation down to Moses.
God had given Moses the law of the
Sabbath as q sign to be kept by the
Jews as Gods chosen people. OF