Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-06-09
A BOYS vIsIrloAls OLD HOME.
By Rer Russell n. conweH. ID. d.

'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me-"
Luke iv., IS.
When l read the chapter of Christs
homecoming it seems to express clear
ly how Christ, in His sensitive home
sickness, His love for His home, a part
OF His character, and His appreciation
of all that was L0meSuc and holy in
life He must have felt that day when
he was going home to Nazareth for
the first time after his mother had
taken her family and moved away
with them years before.
Oh, to think of Him walking up to-
wards that old home alone, forgetful
of the past few years and unconscious,
in measure, of the change that must
have come to the old people, thinking
Of the old folks who had grown up
and married, and hardly realizing that
new generation had grown up nearly
to marriage since He left. Yet He goes
IN 10 II with an idea somehow that the
years amount to nothing, and that He
would find them all the same-that
those who loved him, those who cared
for him, those who sang for him in
the old days, would do the same again.
The years had gone by and the boy
was returning home.
AS he entered the synagogue he was
noticed by every one. There was some
thing about his manner and his face
which they recognized, and he became
at once the center of attraction. Whis-
perings went around the synagogue,
"Who is that?" THAT is Jesus, the
man who has performed so many mir
acles; the young man who turned the
water into wine at Cana; the young
man who healed the sick at Caper-
naum and is now the idol of all peo-
ple." AS the whisperings went around
they stared at Him still the more.
Seeing, Jesus present, the minister of
the synagogue who had charge of the
ark in which the scrolls were placed
went to Him and asked Him, as a
stranger, to take the roll of Isaiah and
read. When He read the text He gave
the scroll to the custodian, who put it
back in the ark; and when He sat
down all the eyes were fastened on
Him, expecting Him to say something
strange. They heard such great things
about Him from Capernaum that they
were curious. He could perform great
miracles and they wished to see one.
N1,n 81 70 ,HnA
would do. But He still kept His seat
as His custom was in the synagogue.
Then He went on with His sermon:
This day is the scripture fulfilled in
altogether too broad for those sensa-
ton seekers. He said to those bigoted
Israelites in Nazareth that when the
prophet Elijah was sent by the Lord
he was sent out to Serepta, unto
woman that was widow. And many
lepers We're in Israel in the time of
Elisha the prophet, and none of them
were cleansed save Naaman, the
Syrian, who lived in far off Damascus
He said unto them that no prophet was
without honor save In his own coun-
try, among his own kin, and then he
said: II can do no mighty works here
because of your unbelief." And when
they found out that He would not per-
form any great miracles, and that He
had practically spoken against Nazar-
eth and His own people by saying that
the Lord had people outside Of Nazar
eth whom He loved as much as He did
the Israelites, then Indignation TOOK
place of their admiration and hate sue
ceeded love. They arose in mob and
replied with angry words, and finally
drove Him out Of the synagogue.
wonder if one, in that great con-
gregation, still retained respect for
Him and a recognition of His heaven
ly spirit and still retained love for
Him. | think the subsequent historic
events are confirmatory of the local
tradition that there were two in that
synagogue in that day who still held
their faith in Him, who sympathlzed
not with the rage Of the populace and
who felt that in Him was the divine,
and who followed Him to Capernaum
to become afterwards the founders of
the great church in Nazareth which
Influenced the age from the time Of
Christ down to the time Of the Cru
saders. To them, as He should be to
all, He became that day a citizen Of
the whole world.
FRIENDSHIP AND BUSINESS.