The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-04-04

hunger of his heart for human SYM.
pathy. Into the room where they
were all gathered Mary came with an
alabaster box full of precious oint-
ment and poured it on his head, fill
ing the whole place with its rich per-
fume. There was murmuring against
this waste-"it might have been sold
and given to the poor" Can we not
enter into his feelings when he said
"Let her alone; why trouble ye the
woman, for she hath wrought good
work upon me. The poor ye have
always with you; but me ye have not
always. For in that she hath poured
this ointment on my body she did it
for my burial. Verify l say unto
you, wheresoever this gospel shall
be preached in the whole world, there
shall also this, that this woman hath
done, be told as a memorial of her."
Not Peter, nor James, nor John, but
one only of all his followers, and that
one a woman, touched him with the
sympathy for which he hungered.
She felt the coming storm of popular
fury. She felt that his death was
near at hand. She felt the awful in
justice of it, and with her pure soul
quickened in its sensibilities she
knew the troubles in the great soul
of her Lord; she trembled as she saw
how deep was his sorrow and she
touched him with her sympathy and
rested him with that touch. The
amounting was her way of revealing
what words could not tell. Her Lord
was blessed and strengthened. God
and this woman helped him to bear
the cross in whose shadow he was
even then standing.
The next day great multitudes met
him and escorted him into Jerusalem
by the waving of palms, and shout
ings of "Hosannah; Blessed is he
that cometh in the name of the Lord"
1t was grand pageant. But Jesus
was not deceived; he knew that in
the great stress these people could
not be depended upon, and deeper
still did plying sorrow sink into his
heart. Yet these shoutings of low
were grateful to him though the pop
ular feeling was not deep nor strong,
yet the people were happy and had
they not been deceived by the lead
ers of the priestly party, they would
not have turned against him. An in
cident shows how greatly Jesus felt
the occasion. Some of the Phari-
sees from the multitude said unto
him, Master, rebuke thy disciples,
and Jesus said, tell you that if
these should hold their peace the
stones would Immediately cry out"
1t was cry from the pent up feel
ings of his heart as if he had said,
"Ye murderers in heart, ye hypocrites,
ye wolves in sleeps clothing, can
you not permit even this before you
nail me to the CROSSE" He reaches
the temple and teaches the people
with divine earnestness, and contin-
ues this work Monday and Tuesday;
Wednesday he rests and on Thurs
day comes again into the city to eat
the Passover Judas leaves the table
and goes out to betray him. Then
comes the last instructions to his dis
ciples, and bursting from his great
heart comes the prayer in which are
these words, 20 righteous Father,
the world hath not known Thee"
Then he leads his disciples out, late
on Thursday night, into Gethsemane.
In imagination, and well prepared
by our review, can we not now come
with bowed heads and hearts full of
sympathy into the presence OF this
sacred sorrow. In some degree at
least we can feel how exceeding great
it is. The very act of selecting from
the company Peter, James and John
and leading them little further on
into the shadows of the garden is an
act full of pleading for sympathy.
He wanted those who could feel his
sorrow to be near him, and to watch
with him. Separating himself little
way he fell on his face and prayed,
20 my Father, if it be possible, let
this cup pass from me; nevertheless
not as l will, but as thou wilt" Re-
turning to his disciples he found
them sleeping, and he said, "What,
could ye not watch with me one hour9"
We cannot tell, but it seems that no
sadder cry ever came from his sacred
lips than this cry; it came as such a
cry might come from one who felt
himself deserted and all alone in the
hour of supreme anguish. He prayed
the second time and returning found
them sleeping again! and the third