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FTER this, many of his disciples went away

AF

and followed him no more. Jesus said to the twelve, "Will you, also, leave me?" Peter answered, "Lord, to whom can we go? You alone have the words of Eternal Life. We believe, we are certain, that you are the Divine One of God."

Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the twelve, and one of you even, will prove to be a devil." (He referred to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who was one of the twelve and who afterward betrayed him.)

SOME of the Pharisees that had come from

Jerusalem observed that some of the disciples of Jesus ate their food with unwashed hands. This was in direct violation of the ceremonial law of the Jews, for they hold in accordance with ancient traditions, that before eating,

Matthew 15: 1-20; Mark 7: I-23.

the hands must be carefully cleansed. There are many other rules in regard to cleanliness, such as the necessity of bathing after returning from the market, rinsing all cups, jugs, and basins.

The Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, therefore, why it was that his disciples did not observe these traditions of the ancients. Jesus replied: "Why do you transgress the commandments of Sovereign Love, in trying to live up to these traditions? It was such hypocritical conduct that Isaiah rebuked, when he wrote,

"This people honor me with their lips, But their hearts are far from me.

In vain do they worship me, when they teach as divine,

The commandments of men.'

"Moses said, 'Honor thy father and mother,' and 'He that speaketh evil of father and mother must be put to death.' But you have a traditional custom, that if a son devotes to the synagogue his property or income with which he should right

fully support his father and mother, and then say to them, 'My property is all given to the Lord,' he is legally relieved from all responsibility for their further support. By this custom you certainly reject the commandment of Sovereign Love, that you may keep your tradition. This is only one instance of many."

HEN turning to the multitude that was standing by, he said, "Listen to this for I want you to understand it clearly. These Pharisees object to our eating with unwashed hands because of the defilement. It is not that which goes into a man's mouth that defiles him, but that which comes out."

The disciples came to him privately and asked if he knew that the Pharisees were seriously offended? He answered them by saying, "Every plant that my Father in the Spiritual Realm does not plant shall be rooted up. Pay no attention to

them. They are blind guides and you know that if the blind try to guide the blind, they both fall into the gutter."

After they were alone in the house, Peter asked him to explain the parable to them. Jesus said to them, sadly, "Are you, too, without penetration? That which goes into a man's mouth does not go into his soul, but goes into the stomach and goes out through the intestines." From this they inferred that Jesus held that there was no such thing as food that was ceremonially unclean. Jesus continued, "That which comes out of a man, is what defiles him. Evil thoughts, sexual vice, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, cruelty, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, reckless folly, all these wicked things come from within a man's heart and they are the things that really defile him."

CHAPTER SIX.

PREMONITIONS OF THE CRISIS.

JESUS then left that part of the country and

went to the north, toward the borders of

Tyre and Sidon.

He went into a house and tried to remain unknown, but was not successful. It was not long before a Canaanitish woman came crying out and begging him to have mercy on her. "Oh Lord, Son of David," she cried, "My daughter is possessed of a devil. Come and heal her." At first Jesus paid no attention to her, but as she continued to cry out, his disciples asked him to send her away. Jesus said to them, "Yes, I know that my mission is to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but―"

Matthew 15: 21-28; Mark 7: 24-30.

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