THE UGLY THINGS IN IT by Elder H. A. St. John

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 19, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 20.

THE UGLY THINGS IN IT.

By Elder H. A. St. John

BY ELDER H. A. ST. JOHN.

"At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day." Jesus said, "But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day." Matt. 12: 1, 2, 7, 8.

The Sabbath of which Jesus was Lord, and which he and his disciples observed according to the divine command, was the same day as that observed by the Pharisees. But in the spirit and manner of observance there was an essential difference. They were identical in time only. The Sabbath of the Pharisees had in it the spirit of fault-finding, accusation, and tyranny. The spirit of criticism and accusation is clearly seen in the quotation above, and the spirit of tyranny in the Jewish or Pharisaical Sabbath keeping is clearly inferred by the Saviour's statement to these religious opponents, that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2: 27.

"And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in nowise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work; in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day." Luke 13: 10-14.

Here was manifested another ugly characteristic of that Jewish Pharisaical Sabbath. It was a spirit of indignation manifested by a high church dignitary toward Jesus for healing upon the Sabbath day, and toward the poor woman for submitting to be healed, and toward all the people because they rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Christ. Behold the bigotry, the ugliness, the hypocrisy of this professed Jewish Sabbath observance. Jesus so glaringly exposed their

hypocrisy that they were ashamed, but only hated him all the more.

"And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes." "Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day." John 9: 14, 16.

Again we find these hypocritical professors finding fault with the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus, in presenting to the world an example of true Sabbath observance, came in direct conflict with these self-righteous Pharisees, and they say of him that he is not of God. Again the ugliness of Pharisaical Sabbath keeping crops out:—

"Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked; and on the same day was the Sabbath." "And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath day." John 5: 8, 9, 16.

Said Jesus, "Are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath day? Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Worse and worse. Here we learn that these wicked observers of a man-made and Satan-inspired Sabbath, identical with the divinely-made and Christ-inspired Sabbath only in time, persecuted and sought to slay Jesus. Hence the Jewish Sabbath as observed in the days of Christ had the ugly things of persecution and murder in it.

"And it came to pass also on another Sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the Sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so; and his hand was restored whole as the other. And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus." Luke 6: 6-11. "And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him." Mark 3: 6.

Could a more wicked spirit animate anyone than the spirit that possessed and actuated these great leading religionists in their high profession of Sabbath sacredness and Sabbath observance?

Now let us put together the expressions of Holy Writ which reveal the spirit of the prominent, bigoted, hypocritical sticklers for a Sabbath loaded down with human traditions: "Condemned the guiltless," "Not lawful," "He keepeth not the Sabbath day," "Not of God," "Indignation," "Filled with madness," "Persecute," "Sought to slay Jesus," "Sought to destroy him," "Counseled with the Herodians [government favorites] how they might destroy him." Nor did they rest till they did crucify him, and by that wicked act they brought about the everlasting overthrow of their place and nation.

History repeats itself. God has set to his hand a second time to gather a remnant of Israel preparatory to the second coming of his Son in glory. This remnant will be like Jesus. They will observe the Sabbath that Jesus made and sacredly observed. They will honor the Lord of the Sabbath by honoring the Sabbath of which he is Lord, and they will honor it after the faithfulness and example of Jesus. For their loyalty and faithfulness, like Jesus, these true Sabbath keepers will be accused, despised, persecuted, and condemned. All this reproach will come upon them through leading professors and rulers in modern Israel, who are great sticklers for a man-made Sabbath, one, too, that does not even possess the one point of identity of time with the true. It is altogether another day, observed for altogether other reasons, and rests wholly upon tradition. Everywhere among its boastful advocates and adherents is manifested the spirit of accusation, indignation, condemnation, persecution, madness, fines, imprisonments, chain-gangs, and death. All these ugly things are in the Sunday sabbath movement, and some of them are already painfully manifest in different localities. Already these prototypes of the ancient Pharisees are counseling with the Herodians, or those in governmental favor, that their Sabbath ideas may be enforced upon all, under the pains and penalties of law. Already they begin to say that all this is to save their place and nation. But God doth know, and we and they all may know if we want to know, for it is revealed in the prophetic word, that, instead of saving anything, it will result in the everlasting overthrow of place and nation, and the eternal ruin of all who are on the wrong side, and make void the commandment of God by a tradition. Momentous times are upon us. Who will be on the Lord's side?