Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-07-11
Zb@ 2UZlK
nosa-soRSeS1.~,s,<SN\
A SERMON Xxx. ID
~ THH REV. Ax@S
MWFENDEe5oN~s11
Subject: Jesus the Teacher

| bTOOKiyH, N. I.-TTedCulA6 dI Cno
Irving Square Presbyterian Church.
Hamburg avenue and Wierfield
| street, on the theme Jesus the
Teacher" the Rev. Ira Wemmell
Henderson, pastor, took a. his text
Matt. So, And He opened His
mouth and taught them" He said:
From the days of His youth when
He put the wise men of the temple to
shame to those last hours among His
disciples Jesus was teacher. The
teacher is the one who shows us how
to do things, how to achieve, how to
attain. Mere theorists may tell us
what we ought to do and be, con-
vincinG takers may tell us what the
end of true effort is; strong preach
srs may tell why we should be thus
and so; but to the teacher alone Is
given the task and the power to show
to us how we may become what the
orists, takers and preachers declare
we ought to be.
Fundamentally no teacher Is Of
good report save his teaching comes
from experience. The man who Is to
teach us how to do and become must,
first of all, have attained. We can
not impart to others what we do not
know ourselves. Ignorance cannot
enlighten. Jesus mad this rich per-
sonal experience in spiritual things,
and in the teaching of eternal prin-
ciples of the spiritual life He Is UNI
surpassed. This we will take for
granted in our estimate of Jesus as
teacher.
Let us consider some of the minor
qualities which inhered to the
preaching CT the Christ. Our Lord
taught simply, searchingly, realisti-
cally, purposefully, authoritatively.
The teaching of Christ was simple.
He did not try to mix matters or tho
mind Of men with complex rtate-
ments. Deeper than the sea, bound
less in their extent and scope, the
truths which Jesus taught were yet
simply told, were couched in the
language of childhood, and under
standable to all. The simplicity of
the teaching Of Jesus is charming.
The message of Christ does not be-
come silly merely because it is sim
pie. 1t Is not message for the
weak-minGed. Rather is 1t stay
for those of the finest and the broad
est intellect. Strong and sensible in
Its simplicity the gospel of Christ
reaches the hearts of all men.
The teaching of Christ was search
Ing. How He burned through sham
and cant and Hypocrisy, and hit at
the very vitals of sin. How often He
whipped the gates off at the whited
sepulchres, and revealed the hidden
iniquity within. No wolf under
sheepskin was safe near Jesus. Jesus
didn't take superficial glances; He
probed deep and to the bottom to
reveal the covered truth or error as
the case might be. With the water
from tho we'll Christ leads us to dis
Germ the everlasting springs of eter-
nal life. The good Samaritan is the
example of mercy. The Pharisees
and the scribes show us the folly OF
serving of the letter of the law for
Its own sake. The boy who grew
faint, homesick, and went back into
his fathers arms, is the type of us
ALL What could search out truth
more finally than that story of
mlsspent life? Lord, lord" we hear
men cry, and we know that the
Christ life Is not an affair OF declar-
alton so much as of doing.
Jesus taught realistically. He did
not go into metaphysics to explain
His points, but out into the world.
| He didn't pay much attention to
philosophic language. He had little
time for the impractical But how
realistic He made the truth. Sin is
exemplfied in the erring son. Sell
6shness is shown in the elder broth
or. The blowing wind Is the illus
Two % ipif I, a.
veals the essential union of Chris
tians with Christ. The two praying
In the temple mark sharply the diff
ference between dissatisfaction and
religious elf-sufticiency, and the
soul humble in its sense Of guilt.
That fellow who heaped money in his
Golfers and grain In his barns has a
lesson for every one. What differ
ence does 1t make to you who and
how many are the sinners forgiven.
when once you grasp the import or
the parable of the paying off of the
men who labored in the vineyard?
These are enough to show us how
realistic was the teaching of Christ
He forced His points home in the
language of the fields, the temple,
: the streets, the firesides. His illus
tratlons dealt not with impossible
situations but with daily occurrences
which might easily be paralleled in
the experience of each of His hear
ers. They knew how salf-righteous
the leaders of the people were. They
had more than once seen woman
sweep her house in search Of coin.
1t was no new thing to learn that a
shepherd would go out into the
mountains leaving the flock behind
to lend succor to some lost and lone
ly lamb. There were tares enough
and sufficient mixed ground in Judea
to enable the farming element to see
the point of the parallels of the tares
and the sower. They knew as well
as we know the pervading principle
of yeast. These and multitude OF
other realistic illustrations in the
teaching of Jesus gave charm to His
words and filled His messages with
power. Ald the preaching of men
will lose all its freshness and efiicen-
cy just so soon as the element of the
est Is left out.
Then, too, Jesus taught with pur-
pose, with an end in view. He didn't
Ialk just 10 near himself Idlk. lie
did not engage in vocal gymnastics
after the manner of SO many speak
ers of this day and generation. He
did not talk because there was "easy
money" to be made that way, or in
order that He might get notoriety.
On the contrary, Jesus talked pur-
posefully. 1t meant danger for Jesus
to take the stand He did. He ran
many and great risks in the speak
ing of the truth. But the Master had
purpose. He wanted men to see
what sin is; how defiling it IS; how
disintegratipg End disgusting its ct.
fects are. re wished humanity to
see and to know that sin is disobe-
dience to God; that 1t stains and
soils the souls Of men: that It wrecks