The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-15

The time had come for Jesus to I'M
fold more clearly to his disciples his
MesEtantc character. Att along he
had been telling them little about
himself and mis- works had taught
thom more, but what they had learned
had been picked up in a desultory sort
Ci way ana their knowledge was very
vague. Now when the end wac
rapidly approaching they knew 50 mt
tie that Jesus found 1t necessary to
turn aside from his public work, and
spend much OF his time in unfolding
TO them his MeSsianic character. IN
beginning this more direct teaching.
IL was necessary to clear up their
minds, to bring order out OF chaos,
and enable them to see just where
they stood. This was apparently the
design of the question which Jesus
asked them when he was alone pray
ing and his disciples were with him.
Nv no do people say that l ?" lie
did not ask Tor mi ormaton, he knew
what the people said about him, but
the question would easily lead to
more personal one, and would also
suggest a contrast which would bring
out the faith OF the disciples In
clearer light, The people were divid-
ed in their opinions--some thought he
was John the Baptist, some Elijah,
! Some jeremiah or one OF the other
| prophets riAt n again. But who do
| you say that | am ?" The question
turned their minds from public opinion
| to look into their own hearts, and they
realized as never before the sharp
! contrast between what their hearts
felt and what the outside world be-
lioved. Peter answered for them all:
Thou art the Christ" 1t came from
the heart. 1t was not a matter ot
logic. ii was revelation. and there
fore Jesus called him blessed. And
| also say unto you" AIDED the Mas
ter your name Is Peter--a rock
! (Petros). and upon this rock petra
l Will build my church. and the power
OF darkness shall not prevail against
1t. And / VIII give you the keys to
the treasures OF the kingdom OF
heaven, and l shalr expect you to
open the door and let the people in
by preaching the gospel 10 them. And
what you do as my represSptative-
what you forbid or allow on earth
shall be endorsed in heaven this
| on the assumption that he would be
filed with the Holy Ghost John 20.
22-23).
| Then he told them that the Won
/ derful secret Of his divinity was TO
De Kept secret. for the popular notions
concerning the Messiah being radically
wrong nothing could be gained by
telling 1t until his work was completed
ana MS resurrection could be pro-
| claimed
The next step in his teaching was
to unfold little by little the charac-
ter and purpose OF his mission. Gent
| ~ as 1t was unfolded-hls arrest. his
surerings. his tragic death-it was
700 much Tor Peter. 1T must not be i,
! 1t shall not be-" he said Turning
away from him. Jesus said: Get be
hlhd me, Satan. for you are a him
| drance to me- And then he told
| MIN plainly that hts rrmonstrance
| saFored OF the short-sfghted. carnal-
| minded world. Not only am l GO
ing the way Of the cross" he added.
| bnt all who would come after me
! must go that way too. And he went
on to show that the way OF the cross
was the only possible way. 1t was
according to the nature of things. II
4 man undertakes to save his life he
WIN lose II, Tor he VIII think about
! hIihseH and plan labor for himself
more and more. until eventually he
VIII revolve wholly about himself. an
utterly selfish animal And selfish
ness Is death, for it is the cutting off
/ OF man from ones environment.
/ rs' "huSVeFer loses his lite Tor
Chrlsts sake-whosoever gives mis-
ne DAY BY day freely for Christ
HeVoting all that he has-expendinK
hIS1"ltal force in the service OF Christ,
shedding either blood or bloody sweat,
/ or both for him; whatsoever Yields
up his life for Christ viii save it; tor
| the Iite which he Is constantly shed
ding forth here will 60 on and on
| forever.
Heart of the Lesson.
! cope OFTEN ask, Why should
become member Of the church 3?
Why should l publicly identity my
I SELF IN any way with the cause Of
. Christ Why may l not be a seer ct
%lsciple? What has the world TO
! 30 with my religious sentiments any
now? What is the use in COMES
sion?
There are several answers TO these
! questions. One is that our Lord re-
| quires open discipleshtp. Another is
That he has promised that ii We viii
confess him before men he will con-
less US before his Father which Is IN
Il heaFeR Still another is suggested
I by the lesson before us.
There had been a sort of secret un-
4 Outstanding among the disciples tnat
Jesus was the Son of God. Little had
salu ABOUT II, mite hAu come directly
from his own lips. Gradually their
faith in him had risen higher ana its
grasp had become stronger But il
needed TO be more clearly defined in
their own minQs. There was a vague
ness about IL that could only be got
ten rid of by the effort to put INTO
words what they felt In their hearts
They needed to confess him. 1t was
to bring out this confession. and not
curiosity, that Jesus asked them:
Who do men say that | the Son of
man am % By asking what the peo-
pie thought OF him and then asking
what they thought of him, he would
force them to lay their own belief
alongsideS OF the peoples. and thus
their faith would be made clearer by
tie contrast. Quick. impulsive Peter
saw 1t at a glance and cried out; Thou
are the Christ. the son OF the living
God" The Holy Spirit had used these
two questions in a way that brought
out the truth more wildly than before.
1t was because this confession was the
result of flash of light entering Pc
ter's heart, and not the result of an
intellectual process that Jesus said.
| Blessed are thou, Simon, son OF iona 4"
The effect of the confession upon Pc
ter, and upon the rest 70 the disciples
was that it cleared up their minds
ard not only enabled them to see the
rock, but to settle upon 1t, That Is
what confession does for us. We start
out with a Vagae notion about Christ