Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-08-06
AT THE LAST SUPPER.
The Supreme Interest of jesus Centerc1
About Others, Not Himself.

Aho cuprcme interest OIL JosuS Ccntor00
About Othors. Not Himself.
The supreme interest Of Jesus on the
eve of His own death centered not about
Himself, but about His disciples and
his Kingdom. The accounts the evan
gelists have given us of the conversa-
ton at the Last Supper are all marked
by the same dominant note. The things
that happened that evening which left
the deepest traces in the memory of the
disciples were the Masters kind rebuke
Of their childish anxiety for preem-
inence; the warning of temptation to
which they would be exposed; His So
licitude for Peter; His keen sorrow for
Judas; and His loving commentator
of the Eleven to God. With his usual
insight John condenses the total i'm
preston of that last evening into
single sentence, and says: Having
loved His own which were in the world,
He loved them unto the end" 1t is
such an indirect glance as this account
gives into the inner disposition of Jesus
that gives us the most vivid impression
of His relationship to His followers.
No one, too, can fail to notice how
our Lords recognition of defect and
failure Of the disciples Is coupled with
the most august forecast of their final
victory and honor. II startles us to read
in close connection with that account
Of unsecmly wrnngling, His words: II
appoint unto you u kingdom, as my
Father hath appointed unto me; that
we may eat and drink at my table in my
-, IA 1,.;,
the twelve tribes Of Israel" Never once
did the slowness OF the disciples to
learn His lessons or catch His spirit
discourage His fine and high anticipa-
tions of the ultimate issue. He had
faith in them, and faith in what they
had received from Him. Nothing more
shamos our impatiencc with our fell
low Christians, and our harsh, censor
ious judgments of their immaturity,
than n study of this attitude OF our
Lord towards conduct that would nat
urally have awakened misgivings as
TO whether all His work and influence
with these men had not been fail
ure. .....,...... .. q
And yet 10 complete the picture we
must recall that sinister figure Of the
traitor. Why, we sometimes feel like
asking, did not Jesus lift n hand or break
| out In an exrostulation against the sin
of Judas? Why was there such patience
and indulgence toward the II, and such
silent submission TO the working out
of the dark plot? The mystery OF I'M
godlincss is as impenctrable as the mys-
terry of goodness. IT is not for us to
fathom that dark abyss. But this, ut
least, we may confidently affirm. Be-
tween the loyal and single heart, and
the selfish and double-dcaling soul,
there is n great gulf fixed. There Is
I'M orbit whose curve sweeps the soul
OF man beyond celestial attractions. The
attempt TO identify sin with imma-
| turity, which finds almost sacrilegious
| expression In the assertion: "The fall
OF man is n full upward" does not cor
| respond to the facts of life, or to the
| witness Of conscience, but that should
| not blind us TO the truth that loyal souls,
| like those OF the II, nrc not necessarily
perfect, and that immaturity in grace
Ks the real explanation of many APP
parent failures. There is whole diam
etcr, OF difference between an imma-
| ture human life and an immature Chris
| tinn lifc.--Boston Waterman.