Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 99, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1914 — BROOKLYN TABERNACLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE

/ —Lv— BIBLE-STUDY.ON -“"TO''.

LAWFUL ON THE SABBATH, „ Luke 13:10-17; 14:1 -6—March 15. ■* The Sabbath it as made for man, and not mart for the Sabbalh.’ r —llark 2:2 Ttt I'CH confusion prevails r-> IwV spec-ting the Sabbath. I I ” realize that God's arrange i ments with Jesus' followers are totally different from those which He made with Natural Israel under the Law Covenant. Everything under tliUt Covenant contained a valuable lesson for Christians: but to mistake type for antitype is to confuse our minds and to miss the force of the antitype. There was no Sabbath before tL■ - Jewish Law. except that God rest- <1 on the seventh great Day of the Creative Week. Enoch. Abraham, and others pleasing to God. knew nothing about the Sabbath, even as they knew nothing about the Atonement Day sacrifices or other matters appertaining to Israel’s Law Covenant. Israel a House of Servants—the Church ■' a House' of Sons ■ Israel was a House of Servants, under Moses; but the Church is a House, of Sons, under Christ. (Hebrews ::: 1-6.1 God s method

of dealing with the House of Servants very properly differed from Ilis method with the House of Sons. Commands are given servants without explanation why or wherefore. But to the true <': . istiau tlie-Heav-enly Father makes known His purposes. that Ilis sons

may sympathetically enter inti* those plans, by joyful obedience to the ex tent of self-sacrifice. Jesus and the Apostles were Jews, and were under the Law Covenant until Jesus by Ilis death became “the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth.’’ Since then Jesus' followers are in no sense bound by the Jewish Law, In dealing with the House of Sons God. through the Head of that House, has set up a' new Law, which means much more than Moses' .Law was understood to signify. It is the law of Love. Jesus said: “A new commandment 1 give you, That ye love one another as 1 have loved you.” ■■■-,■---la Early in the Gospel Dispensation Jesus' followers bewail to meet on the first day of the week. Jesus arose from the dead <>n that day, and appeared several times to His followers. Apparently it became a custom amongst the disciples to fellowship on that day. because of their desire to remember the Master. Quite probably they kept the Sabbath as well, for a time. Evidently they had difficulty in realizing how completely they had passed from the domination of Moses' Law to be under the Headship of Jesus To Do Good on the Sabbath. Jesus did many of His miracles on the Sabbath, partly no doubt to eiu phasize the fact that the Great Sab bath, the seventh thousand-year Day of earth's history, will be the time of His Kingdom, in which mankind will be privileged to be healed from sin. sorrow and pain, and brought to the full perfection! of human nature, lost in Eden and redeemed at Calvary. Since Jesus was a Jew. and therefore bound by tlie Jewish Law. He could do nothing contrary to that Law Hut He corrected certain uiisappivbensions of the law. which had crept in through the- ’.cachings of the Doctor.-. of the Law and the Pharisees, For show these exaggerated the letter of the Law in:; respects, w hile eu tirely ignoring its spirit. In various ways they made God's Law’ appear unreasonable: and while particular in inconsiderable trifles, they set aside the much more weighty matters of justice, love and mercy. In today's lesson, we have two in stances of healing on the Sabbath Jesus l-ealed a womaii who ha! been bowed down for eighteen years with at: infirmity. But the ruler of the synagogue was

indignant, and said to the people. There are six days in whi elt you can come and be heal ed. rather than oiti the Sabbath. This was intended as a special rebuke to Jes us. intimating that He violated the Law. But the Lord’s reply put His adversaries to shame.

The other case was that of a man troubled with drop sy. Jesus, kuowiug their mental attitude. discussed the subject in advance, asking the Doctors of the Law and the Pharisees. "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?" They made no an swer. Then He healed the sick man. and inquired of the critics; "Whi h of you having an ass or an ox fall into a pit would not straightway draw him but on a Sabbath day?” They could not answer. A proper understanding of the Sab bath, the rest which God has provided for His people, is a great blessing—a I>erpetual joy. Without regard to which day. the Apostle suggests that we forsake not the assembling of outselves together, as the manner of some is; and so much the more as we see the glorious Da3 - of Messiah’s Kingdom approaching, and the shadows of darkness, ignorance and siqterstitiou passing away.—Hebrews 10:23.

Confusion on the Sabbath Day

Threshing Wheat on the Sabbath.