Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 91, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1914 — BROOKLYN TABERNACLE BIBLE-STUDY-ON [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE BIBLE-STUDY-ON

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-WOE UNTO YOU, PHARISEES!" | Luke 11:37-54—Feb. 15. "St nqfc deceived; God is not inbeked.”-Gala- ' t ions ti:7. B MONGST the Jewish sects of our Lord’s day we have every reason to believe that the Pharisees constituted the one most loyal to God. The Sadducees professed no faith in a future life. They were infidels and politicians. The Es senes were a small sect not mentioned in the Bible, a kind of Higher Critics, of little faith and confused by mixing paganism with Judaism. The Pharisees were what might be termed orthodox Jews. Their name sig-

nifies "holy people.” In today’s Study Jesus, not deigning to mention the other sects, which had entirely departed from God, addressed Himself to the pointing out wherein, with all their boasted holiness, they came far short of what would be acceptable to God. A Pharisee Invit-

ed Jesus to dine at his house. Jesus passed in and sat down without the formalism of washing, customary to the Pharisees. The host thought of Jesus as a holy man, and remarked that it was strange that He had not washed. Jesus then pointed out that much of what even the holiest Jews practised was merely ceremony, not true religion. Outwardly they were clean, but Inwardly their hearts were unclean—given to extortion—spiritual wickedness. In God’s sight the heart is the important matter. The inside of thd cup should first be cleansed. From our Lord’s expressions, appar ently one of the Pharisees' great failings was covetousness. According to the Greek, Jesus called them "moneylovers.” Once He told them that this covetousness led them dishonestly to disregard others’ rights. Fie said, “Ye devour widows’ houses,” meaning that they took advantage of widows to accumulate property for themselves. Apparently many Pharisees were rich. Jesus pointed out that with such wrong heart conditions God could not be pleased, even though they ever so carefully observed the outward regulations of the Jewish Law. While they were particular to tithe even the small seed of which they grew but a trilling quantity, yet they neglected the weightier matters of the Law—to deal justly and to love mercy.

A Pharisee Invites Jesus to Dine. Their covetousness took the form of pride, as well as dishonesty. They wanted to be very prominent in things religious, and to be hailed as "Rabbi" —master, learned one. Jesus declared that they were like sepulchres, out wardly clean and whitewashed, but inwardly full of corruption. They were holiness people merely in the outward form or ceremonial. Some of the Pharisees, especially cd ucated. well-versed in the Scriptures, were styled lawyers— Doctors of the Law. equivalent of what today arc termed Doctors of Divinity. Jesus upbraided them, saying that they placed grievous burdens upon the common people, which they themselves would not bear. He meant that they gave such hard interpretations of God’s Law as discouraged the peoplesetting before them standards of per section which they themselves did not try to live up to. Apparently they wished to impress the people with the sanctity of the clergy. They built sep ulchres for the Prophets, forgetful that their fathers, whose spirit they had. were the ones who killed those Prophets.

Woe! Woe! Woe! Woe! Woe! We are uot to think of Jesus as con detuning the Pharisees to eternal tor inent, or as intimating that this would Ibe the woe coming upon them. The woe was that the Pharisees were about to miss the great blessing which God had promised Israel—chief asso elation in Messiah’s Kingdom. (Gen esis 22;18.) Had there been enough “Israelites Indeed” to complete God’s fore ordained Elect, the Kingdom offer would not have gone to the Gentiles. The Pharisees were in the most favored place for attaining joint-heir 1 ship with Messiah; but they recognized ■ not what they were losing. Jesus’ exj pression, “Woe Unto you,” is therefore to be regarded sympathetically. This thought is borne out by the context, which foretells the great time of trou

ble which came upon Israel at Je s u s’ crucifixion and reached com pletion in A. I). 70, in the total destruction of fheir City and polity. As Jes u s declared, that trou ble was a settle ment of Jehovah’s account for all righteous (flood for which no expiation had been

made. Little did those Pharisees kdow that their hypocrisy hindered from prep aration for a place In Messiah's Kingdom both “themselves and the people j Jesus refers to this, saying, “Ye have taken away the key of knowledge.” I Bible students very generally believe that the trouble which closed the Jewish Age pictured the Time of Trouble which will close this Gospel Age and bring woe upon many modern Pharisees, as well as tribulation upon all evil-doers, as a prelude to the Messianic Reign of Glory.

A Pharisee Invites Jesus to Dine.