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42 - The Desire of Ages - Ellen Gould · Sacred Texts Archive

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  The scribes and Pharisees, expecting to see Jesus at the Passover, had laid
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  a trap for him. But Jesus, knowing their purpose, had absented himself
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  from this gathering. Then came together unto him, the Pharisees and certain of
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  the scribes. As he did not go to them, they came to him.
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  For a time it had seemed that the people of Galilee would receive Jesus
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  as the Messiah, and that the power of the hierarchy in that region would
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  be broken. The mission of the Twelve, indicating the extension of Christ's work
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  and bringing the disciples more directly into conflict with the rabbis, had excited anew
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  the jealousy of the leaders at Jerusalem. The spies they sent to Capernaum in
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  the early part of his ministry, who had tried to fix on him the
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  charge of Sabbath breaking had been put to confusion, but the rabbis were bent
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  on carrying out their purpose. Now another deputation was sent to watch his movements
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  and find some accusation against him. As before, the ground of complaint was
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  his disregard of the traditional precepts at an encumbered the Law of God. These
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  were professedly designed to guard the observance of the law, but they were regarded
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  as more sacred than the law itself. When they came in collision with the
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  commandments given from Sinai, preference was given to the rabbinical precepts. Among the
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  observances most strenuously enforced was that of ceremonial purification. A neglect of the forms
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  to be observed before eating was accounted a heinous sin to be punished both in
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  this world and in the next, and it was regarded as a virtue to
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  destroy the transgressor. The rules in regard to purification were numberless, the period
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  of a lifetime was scarcely sufficient for one to learn them all. The life
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  of those who tried to observe the rabbinical requirements was one long struggle against ceremonial
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  defilement, an endless round of washings and purifications. While the people were occupied
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  with trifling distinctions and observances which God had not required, their attention was turned
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  away from the eight principles of his law. Christ and his disciples did not
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  observe these ceremonial washings, and the spies made this neglect the ground of their
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  accusation. They did not, however, make a direct attack on Christ,
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  but came to him with criticism of his disciples in the presence of the multitude.
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  They said, why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?
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  For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. Whenever the message of
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  truth comes home to souls with special power, Satan stirs up his agents to
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  start a dispute over some minor question. Thus he seeks to attract attention from
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  the real issue. Whenever a good work is begun, there are cavaliers ready
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  to enter into dispute over forms or technicalities, to draw minds away from the
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  living realities. When it appears that God is about to work in a special
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  manner for his people, let them not be enticed into a controversy that will
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  work only ruin of souls. The questions at most concern us are, do
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  I believe with saving faith on the Son of God? Is my life in
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  harmony with the Divine law? He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.
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  And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life. And hereby
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  we do know that we know him. If we keep his commandments John three
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  thirty six First John two three. Jesus made no attempt to defend himself or
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  his disciples. He made no reference to the charges against him, but proceeded
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  to show the spirit that actuated these sticklers for human rights. He gave them
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  an example of what they were repeatedly doing and had done just before coming in
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  search of him. Full well, ye reject the commandment of God. He
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  said that you may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, honor thy
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  father and thy mother. And whoso curseth father or mother, let him die
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  the death. But ye say, if a man shall say to his father
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  and mother it is corman, that is to say, a gift by whatsoever
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  thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free. And ye suffer
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  him no more to do aught for his father or his mother. They set
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  aside the fifth Commandment as of no consequence, but were very exact in carrying
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  out the traditions of the elders. They taught the people that the devotion of
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  their property to the temple was a duty more sacred than even the support of
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  their parents, and that, however great the necessity, it was sacrilege to
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  impart to father or mother any part of what had been thus consecrated. An
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  undutiful child had only to pronounce the word corbin over his property, thus devoting
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  it to God, and he could retain it for his own use during his
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  lifetime, and after his death it was to be appropriated to the temple service.
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  Thus he was at liberty, both in life and in death to dishonor
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  and defraud his parents under cover of a pretended devotion to God. Never by
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  word or deed did Jesus lessen man's obligation to present gifts and offerings to God.
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  It was Christ who gave all the directions of the law in regard to
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  ties and offerings. When on earth he commended the poor woman who gave her
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  all to the temple treasury. But the apparent zeal for God on the part
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  of the priests and rabbis was a pretense to cover their desire for self aggrandizement.
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  The people were deceived by them. They were bearing heavy burdens which God
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  had not imposed. Even the disciples of Christ were not wholly free from the
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  yoke that had been bound upon them by inherited prejudice and rabbinical authority. Now
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  by revealing the true spirit of the rabbis. Jesus sought to free from the
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  bond of to tradition all who were really desirous of serving God. Ye hypocrites,
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  he said, addressing the wily spies, well did desious prophesy of you,
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  saying this, people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honorreth
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  me with their lips. But their heart is far from me, but in
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  vain they do worship me teaching for doctrines or commandments of men. The words
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  of Christ were an arraignment of the whole system of Phariseeism. He declared that
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  by placing their requirements above the divine precept, the rabbis were setting themselves above
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  God. The deputies from Jerusalem were filled with rage. They could not accuse
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  Christ as a violator of the law given from Sinai, for he spoke as
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  its defender against their traditions. The great precepts of the law which he had
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  presented appeared in striking contrasts to the petty rules that men had devised. To
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  the multitude, and afterwards, more fully, to his disciples. Jesus explained
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  that defilement comes not from without, but from within purity and impurity pertain to
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  the soul. It is the evil deed, the evil word, the evil
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  thought, the transgression of the law of God, not the neglect of external
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  man made ceremonies that defiles a man. The disciples noted the rage of the
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  spies as their false teaching was exposed. They saw the angry looks and heard
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  the half muttered words of dissatisfaction and revenge. Forgetting how often Christ had given
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  evidence that he read the Heart as an open book, they told him of
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  the effect of his words, hoping that he might conciliate the enraged officials.
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  They said to Jesus, knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard
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  this, saying, he answered, every plant which my heavenly Father hath not
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  planted, shall be rooted up. The customs and traditions so highly valued by
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  the Rabbis were of this world, not from Heaven. However great their authority
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  with the people, they could not endure the testing of God. Every human
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  invention that has been substituted for the commandments of God will be found worthless in
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  that day, when God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
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  thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil Ecclesiastes twelve fourteen.
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  The substitution of the precepts of men for the commandments of God has not ceased.
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  Even among Christians are found institutions and usages that have no better foundation than
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  the traditions of the fathers. Such institutions, resting upon mere human authority,
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  have supplanted those of divine appointment. Men clinging to their traditions and revere their
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  customs and cherish hatred against those who seek to show them their error. In
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  this day, when we are bidden to call attention to the commandments of God
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  and the faith of Jesus, we see the same enmity as was manifested in
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  the days of Christ. Of the remnant people of God. It is written
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  the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant
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  of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of
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  Jesus Christ Revelation twelve seventeen. But every plant which my heavenly Father hath not
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  planted shall be rooted up in place of the authority of the so called fathers
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  of the Church. God bids us except the word of the Eternal Father,
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  the Lord of heaven and earth. Here alone is truth, unmixed with error.
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  David said, I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy
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  testimonyes are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep
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  thy precepts Psalms one, nineteen ninety nine one hundred. Let all who accept
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  human authority, the customs of the Church, or the traditions of the fathers
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  take heed to the warning conveyed in the words of Christ in vain do they
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  worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men? End of Chapter forty two.