The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-29

Among the pleasant fields of Holy Writ. t might despair -Tennyson. second Quarter. Lesson V. John xiii,
 1-14. April 30, 1905.
 yesus Washing the Disciples' Feet.
 The sadness of the Last Supper has been emphasized out of proportion. Jesus as host would certainly not al- low the occasion to wholly lose its res tive character. The room was spacious. The walls had been freshly whitened and It's tile floor secured. The low, gaiIy painted table was in position, with the couches, forming three sides of hollow square about It. Dlshes, basons, and water jars were all in po- sition. It was a goodly scene the we'll trimmed lamps shone down upon. The fresh turbans of blue, crimson, and yell low; the animated faces, the table GOV cred with damask well supplied-all made study for a painter.
 The presence of Judas was one ugly spot on this feast of love. Jesus. with out explicitly designating the traitor, announced that one of the twelve would betray Him. He did this for their sakes, that they might know He was perfectly aware of His impending fate, and not taken by surprise. He did It for Judass sake, also. It was the last appeal to the traitor. He gave Judas a prominent pIaC0 dL the IdDicI anu gave him his portion lovingly with His own hand. He let him know, however, that He read his wicked heart, and only when it was clearly of no avail, He bade him do quickly his wicked deed.
 The other blot upon the otherwise fascinating picture was the unseemly dispute as to procedure at table. The disciples scrambled for the most eli gibie places. It was in part to rebuke this that Jesus acted a significant par able before them. He performed the most meniAl task of the scuilery drudge, one that with their Oriental ideas they would hardly have performed for the Master Himself. Peters strong pro tsBt indicates the depth of the appar- ont degradation. But Jesus, with full consciousness of His origin and des- tiny, could still do this lowly service. Etfauette of court could neither make nor unmake this King of men who came from God and went to God. There must be an end of caste, of place. and precedence, when the Lord and Master washes the disciples feet. Henceforth they must cherish such a feeling to- ward one another as would make them willing to perform a service as lowly as that of washing the feet of an- other.
 Jesus, by His own Interpretation of His acted parable, leads to a more sub tie and universal meaning than that which appears upon the surface. He teaches humility and the spirit of ser vice. but He teaches more than that. To Peter, the protester. He affirmed that there was a washing (theologIc- ally, the washing of regeneration without which a man continued an alien and stranger, having no part nor lot in the Kingdom. Peter grasps the symboIical meaning at once, when he hut and head" Peters extravaganza gives Jesus another opportunity for subtle, but practical. discrimination. It is as If Jesus had said, One who has had a bath does not need to bathe again to be rid of the dirt that adheres to the feet on walking from the bath to the table. Washing the feet Is sufficient. So one who has had the washing of re- generation does not need to have 1t re- peated in order to be cleansed from Fresh guilt. Daily forgiveness for daily trespasses Is sufficIent.''
 The Teachers Lantern
 Tho upper room, where the Last Sup per was eaten, probably belonged to some well-to-do disciple. lJohn Marks father (ol It may have been the scene of the appearance of Jesus after His resurrection and of the Pen tecostal effusion of the Spirit. If so, it was the very cradle of the infant Church.
 The anchronism of Leonardo de Vim cfs lovely fresco of the Last Supper is curious. He represents Jesus and the disciples sitting in Occidental style at a very modern extension table. They did not sit at all. but reclined on couches. It was this reclining that made it natural for John to lay his head in Jesuss bosom. and for Peter and John to hold their whispered con- versation without Judas observing them. and finally for Jesus to wash the disciples feet, as they would extend over the edge of the couch and away from the table.
 This action of Jesus Is not a mere accident or incident. It exhibits the Fundamental principle. the very anI- mating spirit of His life and mission. He became a servant. We must un- derstand this action and initiate it, or we have no part with Him.
 Feet-washing can never rise to a sacramental dignity. The literal act is caricature In which the spirit is lost. The Lords commandment to wash one another's feet is only anoth- CT putting of His new commandment of love. Love is humility. Love delights to serve the necessities as well of the body as of the soul.
 The foot-washing parable signifies that 1t is Jesus who does the washing. It also teaches that those who have received His washing will need con- stant renewal to be rid of the soil of daily life, although this no way de- preciates the virtue of the original washing. Finally, persons who have been so renewed are furnished to be helpful to others
 Jesus's devotion to His disciples Is superb. Naturally He would have been absorbed with His own approaching suherings. and His attention diverted from His followers. But his self-ob- livion was complete. Under shsi Y of His cross He did not forget His Cwn.'' He loved them to the (EIis) end"
 Some one criticises the evangelist for giving Satan q place in his narrative. But he could not avoid it. Gods work al In r