1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

"For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousnessand peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."--Rom. 14:17.THE STUDY TODAY shows that the Phariseesof eighteen centuries ago, while professingto keep carefully the Divine Law,and while even boasting of faithfulness inthis respect, had gradually gotten awayfrom God's Word and become followers ofhuman tradition. It is so with the Jewstoday. Although they read the Holy Scripturesof the Old Testament it is regardedas a sealed Book which they cannot understand;instead of endeavoring to comprehend it they studyand shape the course of their lives by the Talmud. Thelatter admittedly contains both wise and unwise statements,sound and foolish advice; but according to it theorthodox Jews shape all their religious sentiments.And surely the same is true of Christians today. TheBible is the recognized Authority and Standard, but eachdenomination of Christians has its own theory, its ownproof-texts, its own catechism. When the Bible is readthe gloss or interpretation of the accepted creed is beforethe mind and veils it. Thus it is that with Bibles in ourhands and with reverence in our hearts Christians aredivided into six hundred different sects, with very littleprospect of coming together, because each one insistsupon using his own creedal spectacles in the study of theBible.If truly wise would not all Christians cast aside anddestroy these creed spectacles which have so long separatedus, given false coloring to various passages ofGod's Word and confused our minds in general? Wouldit not be following Heavenly counsel and Heavenly wisdomto take a different course and to begin a study ofthe Word of God afresh in the light which shines fromone page upon another? We surely will all agree tothis theoretically; shall we not put our agreement and resolutioninto practice?EATING WITH UNWASHED HANDSThe Pharisees would have liked nothing better thanto have had so very able a person as Jesus to be one oftheir number--to conform to their usages and thus tomark them with His approval. They could not fail tonote the lofty character of His teachings along the linesof Justice, Mercy and Love. They could have forgivenHim for some of the truths which He uttered and madethem wince, if only He had enforced their formalism.As it was, He really suited nobody. To the impure Hewas too pure; to those of loud, hypocritical professionHe was too sincere; to the worldly-wise He was toofrank, too truthful.In this lesson the Pharisees inquired why the followersof Jesus were not instructed along the lines of the Talmud