River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-06-15

Christ himself appeals to us, as he
did to the Jews of old when he says:
Judge not according to the APP
2earance, but judge the righteous
Judgment"
And we'll we need to heed the ap-
peal. To judge by appearance is a
most common weakness. OF all his
torical characters who have been sub
jected to the misjudgment of his fell
low men does not Christ stand en-
phatically marked as the Misjudged
One? Misjudged by his townsmen.
misjudged by the spiritual leaders of
his time. whose duty it was to have
watched the signs of their times pre-
dicted by the prophets and SO clearly
fulfilled before their own eyes that
he that runneth might lead, and yet
the majority failed to recognize the
Amounted One
Misjudged by scribes, Pharisees,
the Sanhedrim with two notable ex-
ceptions, he did not even escape the
total misjudgment of his own dis
ciples and his own kin.
Not only did Christ's contempor-
aries fail to Judge the righteous judg-
ment. Others of other times, yea,
even of our own, have shown the
same lack of judgment. With the
Jews as nation and within the
church, among the gentiles, though on
different lines, misjudgment of Christ,
that somber specter of unbelief has
tacitly adhered throughout the ages
as doleful heirloom.
Mary, in her lack of appreciation
of the divinity of her child, fails to
judge a righteous judgment when she
found him in the temple questioning
and hearing, and receives as a re-
buke: twist we not that | must be
about my fathers business?"
The scribes saw in him only the
carpenters son and, arrogant in their
classical pride, asked with super
cilious contempt, whence hath he
then this learning?"
The Parisees, blinded by their self.
righteousness which amounted to
self-worship and created around them.
selves an air of exclusive sanctity in
nothing second to the caste feeling OF
the Brahman, seeing Jesus receiving
sinners and eating with Them" and
Judging by appearances, saw IN him
only one of the puebel aspiring to a
thing beyond his reach and ken and
said: praise God, we know that this
man is a er!"-John 1924.
The priesthood, who, with the
Parisees only added burden to burden
upon the people, without aiding them
with their smallest finger, as we'll as
the Sanhedrim as a whole, looked
upon this Jesus who did well, helping
all, as one playing to the galleries for
Interior purposes; a usurper and an
nterloper within.
The Jew of today judges most
harshly of him who has done most to
exalt the nation whose only excuse
Tor existence is that he, the despised
one, should come through it, for the
despising Of whom they are today
despised, but through whom they
shall see him whom they have pierced
and acknowledged him the Messiah.
The Mohammedan judges of him as
the prophet whose term has expired
only to be supplanted by another.
The Unitarian, the TheosOphist, the
Brahma Sumaj, Reformed Buddhist
and others of similar stamp, agree
In assigning to Christ place in their
systems as a good man, the best man,
a teacher, a model, a prophet, yea,
even a God, lacking in judgment and
failing to judge the righteous judg.
ment
And why? For, says Jesus, Eye
Judge after the flesh, John 8:15,
Spiritual things must be spiritually
iiscerned God is a spirit and those
that worship him must worship him
In spirit and truth. Only those who
have been spiritually regenerated,
thus having received the spirit OF
God, can Judge righteous judgment
IF the person and divinity Of Jesus
Christ No man can say that Jesus
Is the Lord but by the Holy Spirit
Cor. 1878. "Who is q liar but he
hat denieth that Jesus is the
Christ? He is anti Christ who denieth
he Father and the SOM John,
2:22.
Is then Christ misjudged by all?
No, blessed be God, he has yet a
remnant preserved unto himself,
1000 knees who have not bowed
INTO Baal."
Then asked Jesus of them, Whom
say We that I amp" And Simon
Peter answered and said, "Thou are
he Messiah, the Son of the living
God" And Jesus answered and said
into him, blessed are thou, Simon
Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not
revealed it into thee but my father
which is in Heaven
The man who was born blind
healed by Jesus, driven out of the
synagogue by the blinded priests and
pharisees, judged righteous judg
nent and acknowledged and wor
shipped Jesus as the Son Of Cod
John Q.
Jesus himself said (John 10), "I am
the Son of God, and furthermore the
Father and I are one, he who seeth
me seeth the Father"
At his baptism and at the trans
6guration God himself by voice Out
Of Heaven bore him witness. This IL
a sure saying worthy Of all accept
ance. Let US ask of him and he will
give you the spirit who will lead us
into all the truth as it is in Chrisi
Jesus.