The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-03-26
ECCLESIASTICAL COLUMN.
Rev. S. K. Arbuthnot, pastor st. Paul's NJ. E.
Church, Editor.
Palm Sunday and Passion Week.

The writer expresses his indebt-
edness for many facts and figures
to DR.. Edersheim's valuable book,
"The Life and Times of Jesus the
Messiah.
Throughout christendom, but es-
pecially among the ritualistic
churches, the Sunday preceding
Easter is called Palm Sunday, and
the week intervening is known as
Passion Week. The first is SOL
emn festival celebrating Christ's
only triumph which he received
while upon earth from the populace.
The latter is sad but sweet re-
membrance of the last week of our
Lord prior to his crucifxlon. The
current calendar fixes Palm Sunday
on the Goth of March and Passion
Week is from March Both to April
4th. Palm Sunday cannot but
bring to every true follower of Jesus
emotions both of joy and of sorrow.
Joyful emotions when we only look
upon the surface of the scenes
enacted upon that "brlght spring
day in the year 30 when the festive
procession set out from Bethany to
60 up to Jerusalem" In our I'M
agination we follow Christ and his
disciples with the ever increasing
crowd as they slowly make their
way to the Holy City Of David as
the two disciples bring the ass's
colt, and the two streams of people
meet, one seeking Jesus from the
city and the other following Jesus
from Bethany, it is no wonder the
meeting crowd should be kindled to
the highest pitch. For had they
not in their midst and as the CEN
trail figure "Him of whom Moses
and the prophets did write?" No
wonder the disciples spread their
garments on the colt and the null
titude cast their loose outer gar
ments in the way, and all joined IN
waving palm branches and shouting
hosannas Of welcoming praise to
"Him that cometh in the name of
the Lord" This is the bright side
of the picture and stirs our hearts
even to-day as we read the inspired
account as related by the eyangel-
lists.
However, while the joy of the
multitude is rising to almost fever
heat, there are some in the throng
who are not sharing in the rising
enthusiasm. The Pharisees, His
constant enemies, who through
curiosity or some baser motive,
mingle with the multitude, exchange
dark lowering looks as they whisper
one to the other, "Behold how We
prevail nothing; see, the world has
gone after Him." 1t brings to the
christian tinge of sadness as well
as reveals the mutability of our
weak humanity when we read only
a few days after this enthusiastic
outburst that the multitudes, for
getting or unmindful of their
hosannas are crying at the instiga-
ton of these same Pharisees, "Away
with Him, cruelty Him, cruelty
Him. But His enemies would
put stop to any further demon
stratlon, and seeing they are power
less to avail aught with the multi
tude, with brazen effrontery they
appeal to Him who is the centre and
cause Of the zeal and excitement of
the people. Gle could be silent
no longer, but pointing to the
rocks and stones he told those
leaders Of Israel that if the people
held their peace the very stones
would cry out. 1t would have been
so in that day of Christ's entry into
Jerusalem, and it has been so ever
since. Silence has fallen these
many centuries upon Israel; but
the very stones Of Jerusalem's ruin
and GesoIateness have cried out that
He, whom in their silence the rulers
rejected, has come to the world as
king in the name Of the Lord"
Travellers tell us that in going over
the road which the triumphal pro-
cession doubtless followed, from
Bethany to Jerusalem, the city