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LESSON X.—SABBATH, JUNE 3, 1899

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 17, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 20.

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LESSON X.—SABBATH, JUNE 3, 1899.

SECOND CIRCUIT THROUGH GALILEE.

Christ and the Pharisees at Capernaum.

36 "And one of the Pharisees desired Him that He would eat with him. And He entered into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And behold, a woman which was in the city, a sinner; and when she knew that He was sitting at meat in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster cruse of ointment, 38 and standing behind at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden Him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This Man, if He were a prophet, would have perceived who and what manner of 40 woman this is which toucheth Him, that she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to 41 say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. A certain lender had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, 42 and the other fifty. When they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him 43 most? Simon answered and said, He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most. And He said unto him, Thou hast rightly 44 judged. And turning to the woman, He said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest Me no water for My feet; but she hath wetted My feet 45 with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Thou gavest Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased 46 to kiss My feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but 47 she hath anointed My feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth 48 little. And He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And 49 they that sat at meat with Him began to say within them- 50 selves, Who is this that even forgiveth sins? And He said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. 1 "And it came to pass soon afterwards, that He went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good tidings of the kingdom of God, and with Him the twelve, 2 and certain women which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary that was called Magdalene, from whom 3 seven devils had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others which ministered unto them of their substance."
22 "Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb; and He healed him, insomuch that the dumb 23 man spake and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed, 24 and said, Is this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This Man doth not cast out devils, but by 25 Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And knowing their thoughts He said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house di- 26 vided against itself shall not stand; and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his king- 27 dom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges." 38 "Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, Master, we would see a sign from Thee." 46 "While He was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and His brethren stood without, seeking to speak to47 Him. And one said unto Him, Behold, Thy mother and Thy 48 brethren stand without, seeking to speak to Thee. But He answered and said unto him that told Him, Who is My 49 mother? and who are My brethren? And He stretched forth his hand towards His disciples, and said, Behold, My mother 50 and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother."
Side Lights.—Luke 11:14-36; Mark 3:22-31; "Desire of Ages," pp. 321-327.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

  1. What invitation did one of the Pharisees give to Jesus? Luke 7:36. See note 1. (John 11:2.)
  2. While Christ was eating in the Pharisee's house, who came behind Him? For what purpose? Verses 37, 38. See note 2. (Matt. 26:6; Mark 14:3.)
  3. Seeing this, what did the Pharisee say in his heart? Verse 39. (Luke 15:2.)
  4. Knowing what was in his mind, how did Christ draw from him a confession of the truth? Verses 40-43. (Matt. 18:23-27.)
  5. How did the Saviour then contrast the Pharisee's treatment of Him with the woman's? Verses 44-47. See note 3. (Ps. 23:5.)
  6. What did Jesus say to the woman? Verses 48, 50. (Matt. 9:3; Mark 2:7.)
  7. What question was raised by those present? Verse 49.
  8. After this, where did Jesus and the twelve go? Luke 8:1.
  9. What women attended these journeys, to care for the needs of the company? Verses 2, 3. (Matt. 27:55; Luke 23:55, 56.)
  10. At Capernaum what sort of case was brought to Christ to be healed? With what result? Matt. 12:22. See note 4. (Luke 11:14.)
  11. Upon witnessing the miracle, what question did the people ask? Verse 23. See note 5.
  12. Hearing, this question seriously asked, how did the Pharisees from Jerusalem reply? Verse 24. See note 6. (Mark 3:22, 30.)
  13. Knowing what the Pharisees were saying, what did the Saviour do and say? Verses 25, 26. (Mark 3:28-37.)
  14. What cutting question did He then ask them? Verse 27.
  15. Tell the moral and warning that Christ drew from His open conflict with these men. Verses 28-37. See note 7.
  16. With what request did some of the Pharisees interrupt His discourse? Verse 38. (1 Cor. 1:22.)
  17. What answer did Christ return? Verses 39-45. See note 8. (Luke 11:33-36.)
  18. The rumor having reached Nazareth that Jesus was "beside Himself," what did His mother and brethren do? Verse 46. See note 6. (Mark 3:21.)
  19. Upon being told of His mother's and brethren's presence, and their mission, what reply did Christ make? Verses 48-50. (Mark 3:33-35.)

NOTES.

  1. THIS was probably to draw the Saviour out in private company in a way to compromise Himself, so that evidence might be found against Him sufficient to condemn Him. For evidence of this, see Luke 11:37-54.
  2. THE custom of the Jews was to sit at meals, having the feet crossed beneath the body. See side texts with question 2. The same custom now prevails in the East, with tables about a foot high. In Christ's day the custom of the Persians, Greeks, and Romans, of reclining on cushions, had become common. The guest lay on his left arm, with feet extended outside.
  3. FOR the master of a house to meet his guest with a kiss on the cheek, and to invoke a blessing upon him, was a formal welcome. This was always followed by bringing water to wash the guest's feet, in order to remove the dust. The head and beard were next anointed with fragrant oil, either by the host or one of his servants. This last was an especial point of etiquet.
  4. THE Jews themselves pretended to cast out demons, but they had never shown power to make the blind see and the dumb speak. This was what so hurt the proud Pharisees. They could not deny the miracle, and, what was more, they saw that the common people would recognize its genuineness, and so they feared the result.
  5. THIS was an expression meaning, "Is not this the Messiah?" It was the first general public confession of Christ as to His true mission, and it only angered the Pharisees.
  6. BEELZEBUB.—The filth god. Mark says they charged Him with having an "unclean" spirit. The Phenicians assigned to this god the power to inflict diseases of all kinds. They implied that the unclean spirit on Him had made Him mad, and turned His brain. See also John 10:20. When this report reached His brethren, they went to take Him home, because they said He was "beside Himself."
  7. MATT. 12:28-37.—These verses are not printed. The lesson is that the condition of the heart determines the deeds and words; and the deeds and words show the condition of the heart. The warning is that there is danger of sinning beyond all recall, of resisting the Spirit till it can no longer affect the heart. Study the Scripture.
  8. VAST multitudes had followed John, and seemed temporarily benefited by his ministrations. The old, unclean spirit had, for a time, seemed to be gone out of the people. But inasmuch as they refused to let God's Spirit come in and fill them, Jesus predicted that their old spirit, with others still worse, would come in to dwell with them, and they would be worse than before. This was but to foretell His rejection by them. For application of the "diseased eye," see "Desire of Ages," p. 322.
NOTE.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further.