The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-12-24

vi Ills lltc. ne ID QlniuS, Dy luylIhJlOuI
at the table Of Simon the pharisee A
woman who is sinner, having heard
| that he was there, brings In an ala
I baster box of ointment, stands at his
feet behind him weeping. washes his
feet with her tears, wipes them with
the hairs of her head, kisses his feet
and anoints them with the ointment
Meantime the pharisee says to him.
self: This man, II he were a prophet
would have known who and what
| manner Of woman this is that toucheth
him: for she is a sinner" Jesus.
| reading the pharisee through and
through. says: simon, have some
what to say to thee
Master, say on"
There was a certain creditor who
had two debtors. The one owed him
five hundred pence and the other fifty,
and when they had nothing to pay he
frankly forgave them both. Tell me,
therefore, which one of them will love
him most?',
The case Is we'll fitted to the mental
caliber OF Simon, and he answers: Il
suppose that he to whom he forgave
most. Thou hast rightly judged"
says Jesus, who, turning to the wom-
an continues: "Seest thou this wom-
an? entered into thine house; thou
gavest me no water for my feet. But
she hath washed my feet with tears,
and wiped them with the hairs OF her
head. Thou gavest ME no kiss; but
this woman, since the time came in.
hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My
head with oil thou didst not anoint
but this woman hath anointed my feet
with ointment. Wherefore say unto
thee, her sins, which are many, are
forgiven; for she loved much. But to
whom little is forgiven, the same low
eth little"
Now it is perfectly plain that this
woman Mary Magdalene- loved Jesus
before she saw him at the house Of
Simon. She had not been known to
him, but he had been known to her,
and she had loved him-"loved him
much Her preparations for meeting
him prove this to be true, and her
manner OF meeting him makes 1t
doubly sure that her great love pre-
ceded her visit. This love had
been awakened by that which was SUI
premely lovable in him. She had
seen him working for the relief OF the
distressed, for the elevation Of the de-
graded, for the publication Of the i'm
pure, and her womans mind had intui-
lively caught what her woman's heart
deeply felt,-that he was Just the
savior of whom she stood in need.
Whether he was man or God she
probably did not know, or even care
to know, for she was not a student OF
theology. But she most firmly be-
lieved that he was endowed with the
aower of God and with the love OF
God; and this belief, based in love
that was equally strong and pure, was
her faith-Iher creed-and it was the
only creed she had.
AS this fafth-simple as that pos
sessed by the children whom Christ
took up and blessed-was hers, SO it,
AAAouAo, toudS, uc OuTS. mo OIuer is
required. No obstacle has SO much
impeded the onward course of Chris
tianity as that of dogmatic theology:
and the world is now crying aloud for
the salvation that comes, not Of the
ology, but Of Christ,-not of a deep
understanding OF formulated doctrines.
put OF a faith whose life Is the sin
cere love Of Him whose boundless
synpathies with our frail humanity
make him an amply sufficient God for
all our wants.
For this love-the much" love OF
Mary observation-disclosures us to that
faithful following of the example OF
Jesus which literally transfers his life
to ours, purifies and expands our at.
fections, and ilIumines our souls with
light in which are revealed all the
beauties and glories of the universe.
Granger, Mo-, Dec. %.