The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-19

and we felt that Jesus the Messiah
was within hearing distance, would
we not cry for mercy Could We do
! anything else but cry Tor mercy?
l.Couid we offer him anything to come
/ and help us Is there anyone else to
whom We might cry for help? What
effect does the cry of the blind men
have upon the multitude2 They think
the Master is as they are: they think
he VIII be annoyed by the beggar S
/ cry. as We are annoyed by the cries
{ OF men for whom We have no sym
/ pathy. What effect does their cry
/ have upon Jesus? Suppose they had
not cried out? Suppose they had not
persisted in crying out@ Suppose they
had waited for a better opportunity?
Suppose they had allowed themselves
/ to be silenced by the frowns and
snecrs Of the crowd why does Jesus
/ stop? Are there not many other blind
| beggars needing help? After all that
we have learned about Jesus. can we
/ imagine him going on and shutting
I his ears To this cry for mercy? Does
/ IL not seem the most natural thing In
| the world that he should stop? Why
! then should we ever question In our
hearts whether he viii hear our own
| cry for mercy? What does Jesus do
| for the blind men? Note that he Is
not a mere dispenser OF charity. bur
that he Is helper of the helpless; he
lifts men out of their helplessness. He
does not giNe- the-Inan- handful of
pennies; he gives him that with which
he can earn his pennies What does
Jesus mean by telling the blind men
that their faith has made them whole
-ther faith in Jesus? Note that
their faith leads them to Jesus and
leads Jesus to heal them.
Here is n sinful man out on the
worlds highway. In what particulars
Is he like Bartmeus? What is his
only hope? What can he do? What
is Jesus ready to do?
When Rartimeus receives his sight.
what does he do? Could he do less
than follow Jesus? Can we who have
received as great blessings from him
as Bartimeus ever received--can we
do less than follow him?
The Heart of the Lesson.
1t was natural that the chosen
twelve should allow themselves to
think that they were superior TO the
other disciples. and II was Just as
natural that Jams and John should
imagine that they were worthy of
greater honors than the rest of the
twelve. And why should not Salome
think so too?
But the very fact that it was natu-
raj made 1t all the more dangerous.
and our Lord lost no time in showing
these men their peril and pointing
out a better way. Such spirit he
told them plainly. was of the earth
earthly Heather kings were accus-
toned to contend for place and to lord
II over men. and among little men of
the world the man who iorded II over
others was called benefactor; but
that was not the way in which II
would be looked upon in his kingdom.
There is no greatness in sticking ones
self up on a pedestal to receive the
enforced homage of the great or the
voluntary homage or the small. No
man IL great who calls himself great
or insists on being regarded as great
The ambition to lord II over others
/ is born only in small men. True great
ness shows itself In service. 1t Is ser
vice, In the eyes of God and In the
judgment of all good MEN the man
who sets himself up, sets himself up
because he is too small to be seen
otherwise. That man Is great who
serves and thereby deserves to be en-
shrined in the hearts of the people.
whether he Is enshrined or not In
word, that man Is great who most re-
sembles Christ. the servant of men
For though he was in the form of
God" yet "he made himself of no
reputation, and took upon himself the
form of a servant" He was conscious
of his equality with God, but he did
not regard it az something to be held
on to at all hazards; and SO he used
II, not as an opportunity for self-ex~
altatfon' but as an opportunity for
eif-abasement. Being exalted, he
enu1d affayl n Me htyr1sa1f ia
the idea plain? You and | think, per-
haps, that We are the people, that our
church Is the church, our doctrines
| the doctrines; very well, instead of
using all this as an opportunity for
seif-exaltation, why not use 1t as an
opportunity for self basement? Why
not do as Jesus did? Why not come
down from the heights and take upon
ourselves the form of a servant and
look on the things of others? If we
are really so high can we lose any
thing by Establishment? Did Jesus
lose anything? He who came down
lower and lower and lower until he
became ohedient unto death, even the
death of the cross-has not God high
~ exalted him and given him a name
{ which Is above every name? Is there
any other way than the way of humil-
ity for us who would be 'biameless
and harmless. the sons of God with
out rehuke. in the midst of crooked
and perverse nation" among whom we
would shine as lights in the world?
The story of the healing of the blind
men teaches US that His ear is ever
open to our cry.
Here Is Jesus on his way to Jeru-
salem to accomplish the mission for
which he came form heaven, We cam
not conceive of a mind being occu-
pied by a greater matter. In a few
| days all will be fipishsd. Yonder Is
utter poverty and helplesness A
| poor blind heggar fllls the air with
cries for help Men round about the
Master bid the beggar hush. They
would not have the H'eacher disturbed.
Presently he stops, turns about. calls
the pitiful beggar TO him. and with in
finite tenderness asks him what he
would have. The great throng must
wait: everything must stop until this
helpless one is helped. And the de-
spised beggar gets his hearts deepest
desire. Now let us ask these questions
! all over again. Does God care Is
! he concerned about MS people, How
silly it all sounds Suppose Jesus had
] not been moved by the beggar's cry?
| Suppose he had allowed his followers
| to silence the man? Suppose he had
: gone on with the cry ringing in his
ears" What would we think of him
Would We believe him to be the
Christ? Is not his conduct Just what
we would expect Of the Christ? Was
| II not the most natural thing In the
world? Would II nor nave peen the
~, oat unnatural thing fnr bs,,, m have