The Sabbath School

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 17, 1881

The Sabbath School.

LESSON FOR PACIFIC COAST.—NOV. 26.

Luke 17:11-19; John 7:10-31. LESSON COMMENTS. "THE calm rebuke of John and James for their anger and revengeful spirit, and the return of good for evil in the sending forth of the seventy to preach the kingdom throughout the Samaritan region, had shown that the rudeness Christ had received had not ruffled his spirit. He was now to add another proof of his serene and loving nature. As they approached a border village, a dismal spectacle was presented. Ten men, hideous with leprosy, ranged themselves at a distance from the road, as similar sufferers still do, before their huts at the Zion Gate at Jerusalem. It was a law in Samaria that no leper could enter a town, and hence the unfortunate creatures accosted Jesus while he was still outside the village. Misery had broken down all prejudice of race or faith, and had brought together even Jew and Samaritan, as it still does in the leper haunts of Jerusalem and Nablous. The ten had heard of Jesus, and the wonderful cures he had performed on such as they, and no sooner saw him than they broke out with the common cry, 'Unclean, unclean! Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.' As they stood afar off, their lips covered with their abbas, like mourners for the dead—for they were smitten with a living death, which cut them off from intercourse with their fellows—the pity of Jesus was excited, and without even waiting to come near, sent hope to them in the words, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' They knew what the command meant, for no one who was not cleansed could approach a priest, and as they moved off, the disease left them. The Samaritan would have to show himself to a Samaritan priest; the nine Jews needed to go up to Jerusalem for an official certificate of health, at the temple; but it was the least either the one or the others could do, when they felt their cure, to return, if only for a moment, to thank their benefactor for a deliverance from worse than death. But the nine Jews were too much concentrated on themselves to think of this. Only one, the Samaritan, showed natural gratitude, and came back and threw himself at the feet of Jesus, in humble acknowledgement of the goodness shown him. 'Were there not ten cleansed?' asked Christ; 'where are the nine? The only one who has returned to give glory to God is this Samaritan, whom Jews call a heathen, and an alien from Israel. Arise, go thy way thy faith hath made thee whole.' The twelve had received another lesson of universal charity.

"The Feast of Tabernacles was one of the three great feasts which every Jew was required to attend. It was held from the fifteenth of Tisri to the twenty-second, the first and last days being Sabbaths—the latter 'the great day of the feast.' It commemorated, in part, the tent-life of Israel in the wilderness, but was also, still more, a feast of thanks for the harvest, which was now ended even in the orchards and vineyards. Every one lived in booths of living twigs, branches of olive, myrtle, fir, and the like,—raised in the open courts of houses, on roofs, and in the streets and open places of the city. All carried in the left hand a citron, and in the right the lulab—a branch of palm woven round with willow and myrtle. On each of the seven feast days the priests went out with music and the choir of Levites, amidst the shouts of vast multitudes, to draw water in a golden vessel, from the spring of Siloah; to be poured out at the time of the morning offering as a libation, on the west side of the great altar, amidst great joy, singing and dancing, such as was not all the year besides. On the evening of the first day a grand illumination, from huge candelabra which shed light far and near over the city, began in the Court of the Women, and torch dances of men were kept up, in the court, with music and songs, till the Temple gates closed."—Geikie.

"At the commencement of the Feast of Tabernacles, the absence of Jesus was commented upon. The Pharisees and rulers anxiously looked for him to come, hoping that they might have an opportunity to condemn him on account of something he might say or do. They anxiously inquired 'Where is he?' but no one knew. Presently a dispute rose among the people in regard to Jesus, many nobly defending him as one sent of God, while others bitterly accused him as a deceiver of the people.

"In the midst of the feast, when the dispute concerning himself was at its height, Jesus walked calmly into the court of the temple, and stood before the crowd as one possessed of unquestionable authority. The sudden and unexpected appearance of one whom they believed would not dare to show himself among them in the presence of all the chief priests and rulers, astonished the people, so that a sudden hush succeeded the excited discussion in which they had been engaged. They were astonished at his dignified and courageous bearing in the midst of many powerful men who were thirsting for his life. . . .

"His discourse showed that he was well acquainted with the law in all its bearings, and was a clear interpreter of the Scriptures. The question passes from one to another, 'How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?' Some, less acquainted with his former life, inquire among themselves in what school he has been instructed. Finally, the rulers recover their presence of mind sufficiently to demand by what authority he stands so boldly teaching the people. They seek to turn the attention of the multitude from Jesus to the question of heright to teach, and to their own importance and authority. But the voice of Jesus answers their queries with thrilling power:—

"'My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory; but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.' Jesus here declares that his Heavenly Father is the source of all strength, and the foundation of all wisdom. No natural talent nor acquired learning can supply the place of a knowledge of the will of God. A willingness to obey the requirements of the Lord, opens the mind and heart to candid inquiry, and diligent searching for the doctrine of truth.

"Jesus spoke upon the subject of the law. He was in the presence of the very men who were great sticklers for its exactions, yet failed to carry out its principles in their lives. These persons persecuted Jesus, who taught so pointedly the sanctity of God's statutes, and freed them from the senseless restrictions which had been attached to them. Since Jesus had healed the paralytic on the Sabbath day, the Pharisees had a determined purpose to compass his death, and were eagerly watching for an opportunity to accomplish their design. Jesus, penetrating their purposes, inquired of them:—

"'Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?' This pointed accusation struck home to the guilty consciences of the Pharisees and rulers, but only increased their rage. That this humble man should stand up before the people and expose the hidden iniquity of their lives, seemed a presumption too great to be believed. But the rulers wished to conceal their evil purposes from the people, and evaded the words of Jesus, crying out, 'Thou hast a devil; who goeth about to kill thee?' In these words they would insinuate that all the wonderful works of Jesus were instigated by an evil spirit. They also wished to direct the minds of the people from the words of Jesus revealing their purpose of taking his life.

"But 'Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers; and ye on the Sabbath-day circumcise a man.' Jesus referred to his act of healing the man on the Sabbath, and showed that it was in accordance with the Sabbath law. He alluded also to the custom among the Jews of circumcising on the Sabbath. If it was lawful to circumcise a man on the Sabbath, it must certainly be right to relieve the afflicted, to 'make a man every whit whole on the Sabbath-day.' The boldness with which Jesus defended himself, and interpreted the spirit of the law, silenced the rulers and led many of those who heard him, to say, 'Is not this he whom they seek to kill? But lo he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?' Many of those who lived at Jerusalem, and were not ignorant of the designs of the Sanhedrim council against Jesus, were charmed with the doctrine that he taught, and with his pure and dignified bearing, and were inclined to accept him as the Son of God.

"Many had received the impression that Messiah would have no natural relationship to humanity, and it was not pleasant for them to think of him whom they had hoped would be a mighty king of Israel, as one who sprung from poverty and obscurity. Therefore they said among themselves, 'Howbeit we know this man whence he is; but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.' The minds of these men were closed to the prophecies, which pointed out how and when Christ was to come.

"While their minds were balancing between doubt and faith, Jesus took up their thoughts and answered them thus: 'Ye both know me and ye know whence I am; and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him; for I am from him, and he hath sent me.' They claimed a knowledge of what the origin of Christ should be, while they were in reality utterly ignorant of it, and were locked in spiritual blindness. If they had lived in accordance with the will of the Father, they would have known his Son, when he was manifested to them."—Life of Christ, by Mrs. E. G. White.

Verse 28. Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am]. Perhaps they should be read interrogatively; do ye both know me, and know whence I am? Our Lord takes them up on their own profession, and argues from it. Since you have got so much information concerning me, add this to it to make it complete; viz. that I am not come of myself; am no self-created or self-authorized prophet; I came from God—the testimony of John the Baptist, the descent of the Holy Ghost, the voice from Heaven, the purity and excellence of my doctrine, and the multitude of my miracles, sufficiently attest this. Now God is true, who has borne testimony to me; but ye know him not, therefore it is that this testimony is disregarded.—Clarke.