Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-01-04
~ CHRIST CAME,

SpeculatiOns as 10 what the master
would do, Il He came In the flesh to
Salt Lake City, or any other modern
community may properly be consigned
to the cass that Is best characterized as
idle. The probability is Chat His assoc
citation with His fellowmen now would
be as much different from the common
standards OF morality and proprloty as
It was two thousand years ago, and
that He would again be octracs2d, per-
haps slain, on one pretense or another
Human nature Is not essentially differ
ent from what It was.
AS for politics, Chris carefully avoid
cd taking part with any Of the factions
Of His day. 1t seems He was even Of
fered the leadership Of the patriotic
faction that plotted for national inde-
pondcnoe but lie was as far from ac-
cepting any such Offer as He was
from declaring for the policy Of humlli-
alton and national degradation, His
Kingdom not being "of this world"
His political platform had one excellent
plank. Render therefore unto Caesar
the things which be Caesars, and unto
God tho things which be Gods
AS for religion He associated with
no sects To His discerning eye Phar-
isoes and sadducees were equally in err
ror though In opposite directions, one
were "hypoorites blind leaders" and
"whltcned sepulchres,' and lie told
them so; the others were lgnoramuses,
knowing neither the Scriptures nor the
power Of God and they were denounced
as such Christ did not hesitate to
sweep down upon the mercenary priests
Of His people, who had made althy
stable Of the precincts Of the sane
tuary, and there Is no reason to believe
that He would act differently in this
age In a generation when the people
were burdened with unbearabe taxes
to maintain a corrupt priest caste; when
the rich oppressed the poor, refusing
them even the crumbs that fell from
their sumptuous tables; when vice was
rampant In the highest circles ana the
moral standards were lowered ana the
leaders fought for spells, there was
no room for Him whose entire mission
was TO do the will Of the Father, and
who had no other ambition, The
question U.s. TO what extent present CON
ditions are different from those then ex.
listing, A candid consideration Of that
question would help US to understand
partly the position of the Master,
should He appear among modern sec
tarlans.
As to His social habits, Christ was
not an ascetlc as that term Is generally
understood Neither was He llonlzed
by society We find Him In the COM
pany Of His humble country friends and
relatives, or as host breaking bread to
thousands who had followed Him, with.
ont provisions for a prolonged stay
with Him IN the mountain region: we
read Of Him conversing with a samar-
itan woman with something Of repu-
tatlon, and Of His partaklng OF the hos
pltallty Of the two sisters, on which
occasion, however, he declared
that only zone thing" was
necessary for His temporal wants.
Occasionally on invitation, He
honored wealthy and influential
citizens with His presence at their ia
bles. but It sometimes happened, on
such occasions that He MORALLY Of
tended their sense Of propriety by sui
terlng Sinners is to say, In the
p0rlance OF modern times, social out.
casts'-to enter with Him, and thus lie
was not often invited by the exclusive
set In fact lie had a reputation for
being "lhe friend Of tax-gatherers and
sinners" two classes that, in the day,
were rigldly excluded from refined"
society,
The Master went everywhere where
duty called Him, whether to high or
low, rich or poor, saint or sinner Bur
he went as q missionary, always bent
on proclalmins the truth and saving
souls Would He not do so today9 lie