St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-05-07

wyl& HE scene OF our
/. !: !. ! !:
! ANN WMMA text was in an up
| ~ IA per room at Jeru-
y V[Ef1a|1fs:s}h|WI9 1i1Dh salem, possibly the
Ia HIM t0shff M1N||I very place where
W klll tEYI NDnW Jesus had last
'IKZ &gb A|RI lV met with His dis
.SS&Rt3IIM ciples and had
1 NNW%NW VIZ. eaten the passover
wI&|X$SlyS&f supper. Behi n d
] yLXNWM,MyIM bolted doors the
.MOEEI AWY Inv fearful an d
lMNIllN4t VIM troubled and per-
NJ EIa picked disciples
W. had gathered to
talk over the won
derful events of that eventful Resur-
rection day. The empty tomb, the Wis
ion of angels and their story OF risen
Lord, the appearance of Jesus first to
Mary Magdalene, then to the other
women, then to Peter, and then to the
two disciples on their way to Emmaus
all these strange things troubled
them. Within their hearts was a
strange mixture OF fear and hope, OF
guilty conscience and superstitlous
dread, coupled with the terror of the
Jewish rulers who had wrought such
bloody work in the condemnation and
crucifixion of Jesus. No wonder they
were ill al ease and troubled in spirit.
One of them only few hours before
had cursed and sworn and denied that
he knew Jesus. Two others had been
clamoring under the very shadow OF
| the cross as to which should have the
chief place in His kingdom. Three OF
them had fallen asleep in the hour OF
His agony in the garden, when most
of all He needed their sympathy. And
all of them had forsaken Him and
fled and left Him alone to endure the
indignities and fortunes Of the trial
and the suffering and death on the
cross. And, with all this dark back
ground of memory, is it strange that,
as they gathered in that upper room
after the surprising events of that day,
they should be fearful and troubled?
Realizing that their Lord was risen.
and yet not understanding its form
and meaning, conscious that in the
darkest hours of Jesus need they had
proved faithless, is it to be wondered
that as Luke tells us "they were terri
fed and affrighted?" And it was to
such a group of disciples that Jesus
came and spoke His reassuring words
of Peace" -
A LMOST the last words which Jesus
n had spoken to His disciples on the
night before His crucifxion had been
the sweet, reassuring message: Peace
l leave with you; My peace l give unto
you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be
I troubled, neither let it be fearful"
And now His first greeting to them is,
'l'eace be unto you" During those
terrible days when the power of
darkness" held sway, and like sheep
without a shepherd they had been scat
tered, fearing for their lives, if they
recalled Jesus words, peace leave
with you; my peace give unto you,"
they must have wondered what He
could have meant. Surely they knew
no peace of heart or life. Instead Of
peace were dread and awful fear and
crushing sorrow. But that Resurrec-
ton day was to bring its message and
lesson of peace. They were to begin
to know the full and blessed meaning
OF Jesus words, peace leave with
you; My peace give unto YOU" But
those disciples in that upper room at
Jerusalem were not the only ones
who need to hear the message and
learn the meaning of those words
Ever since that day there has been
need of the same message to Jesus dis
ciples and the same necessity of real
izing its significance There are Chris
tian people everywhere to-day who are
troubled in spirit, who are utter stran-
gers to that peace which Jesus brings.
In the upper room with Jesus in the
midst they would be just as terrified
and affrighted" as were the disciples.
They need to hear Jesus say, Peace
be unto YOU" and they need to learn
In Colossians, the first chapter and the
twentieth verse, that Jesus has made
peace through the blood of His cross. -
And the realization of that peace
comes as the soul expands to the won
derful thought of the reality of the
resurrection. This is the first message
of the risen Lord. This is the lesson
of the resurrection.
UDEACE!" peace which passeth all
| ! understanding" Peace which
makes the troubled sea a calm. Peace
which makes the soul Indifferent to en-
| emies without; to trial, persecution,
hardship, danger. Peter who had cow
| cred before maiden and in fear de-
MED his Lord, learned what that peace
meant, and he could face Jewish mobs
and preach fearlessly; he could stand
boldly in the presence of the Jewish
rulers and charge them with the death
of Jesus And so with all the other dis
ciples. AS the peace of the risen Lord
came to rule in their hearts they were
| Indifferent alike to dangers, or trials,
or prosecutions. They always rode
above the storm, for they knew the
meaning and power Of the resurrec-
| ton, and that no peril, no difficulty,
no assault of the enemy could come to
them except it was the will OF their ris-
en- Lord and for His glory and the ad-
| vancement Of His kingdom among
| men. Heace! that wonderful peace
| which comes from the conscious pres
ence of the living Lord. Surely, If
| that message of peace marked the Res
direction day so long ago, it should
continue to be the message for all
time, for consider how He who made
| neace through the blood of His cross, /"