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Christ’s Object Lessons
to the truth. They are content with a surface work, taking for granted
that they have all that is essential. They take the sayings of others for
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truth, being too indolent to put themselves to diligent, earnest labor,
represented in the word as digging for hidden treasure. But man’s
inventions are not only unreliable, they are dangerous; for they place
man where God should be. They place the sayings of men where a
“Thus saith the Lord” should be.
Christ is the truth. His words are truth, and they have a deeper
significance than appears on the surface. All the sayings of Christ
have a value beyond their unpretending appearance. Minds that are
quickened by the Holy Spirit will discern the value of these sayings.
They will discern the precious gems of truth, though these may be
buried treasures.
Human theories and speculations will never lead to an understand-
ing to God’s word. Those who suppose that they understand philoso-
phy think that their explanations are necessary to unlock the treasures
of knowledge and to prevent heresies from coming into the church. But
it is these explanations that have brought in false theories and heresies.
Men have made desperate efforts to explain what they thought to be
intricate scriptures; but too often their efforts have only darkened that
which they tried to make clear.
The priests and Pharisees thought they were doing great things as
teachers by putting their own interpretation upon the word of God, but
Christ said of them, “Ye know not the scriptures, neither the power
of God.”
Mark 12:24
. He charged them with the guilt of “teaching
for doctrines the commandments of men.”
Mark 7:7
. Though they
were the teachers of the oracles of God, though they were supposed
to understand His word, they were not doers of the word. Satan had
blinded their eyes that they should not see its true import.
This is the work of many in our day. Many churches are guilty of
this sin. There is danger, great danger, that the supposed wise men of
today will repeat the experience of the Jewish teachers. They falsely
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interpret the divine oracles, and souls are brought into perplexity and
shrouded in darkness because of their misconception of divine truth.
The Scriptures need not be read by the dim light of tradition or
human speculation. As well might we try to give light to the sun with
a torch as to explain the Scriptures by human tradition or imagination.
God’s holy word needs not the torchlight glimmer of earth to make its