The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1911-12-28
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TIE INSANITY OF JESUS

ever written. Every cha pter tells
new woe. Surely prophecy was true
he would be "a man Of sorrow. :h.-
quainted with grief" but no imagina-
ton had ever pictured the least of it.
Thirty years Of enforced silence.
Wrongs there to be righted. but his
hour mot yet come" The regiment
under FIRE and permission withheld to
charge Truth everywhere on the
scaffo!d wrong everywhere Oh the
throne. Hypocrisy, violence. poor
downtrodden, widows unavenged, re.
iigion hollow mockery. Yet he was
dumb; he opened not his mouth" He
must wait till the slow years drag
their leaden heels. His face aged I'M
der it. The Jews said. Thou art not
yet fifty years Old" Then came the
public life, the temptations. hardships.
insults Of Pharisees. contempt OF rul-
ers, stupidity of followers. rejection OF
the people, attempted asscsSinations.
Gethsemane. the judgment hall. Cal
vary.
"Et tn, Brute!"
If there are shades Of darkness this
is the blackest The text event has
a bitterness all Of its own. Tie hatred
of the Pharisees was one thing. the
vindictiveness of the rulers ano:her.
This blow was from hands that ln"ca
him. They had doubted hi-:' f"a:n :he
first. John says, Neither dill his
brothers believe in him." and among
the Jews there was a grave suspicion.
Many of them said: He hath Il 4"!il
and is mad Why hear ye hi:,::'
Cate. the significance of it? When
he stands at the door of the caii.an!er
shop, brushing the shavings fror, his
hair, looking toward the setting san.
there's a gigantic dream in his heart.
He dreams, this carpenter. Foolish
fellow! They are watching him. For
some time they remark growing
strangeness in his manner He has
said so many strange things, done so
many strange acts. What does it all
mean? Where end? One sad day it
eliminated. 1t was clear enough now.
He was not quite responsible for what
he was doing. They tapped their
heads significantly. 1t vas his mind.
alas. that was affected. In plain Eng
lish, he was mad. An awful thing
to say when true, more awful when
not. Fearful when coming from enc
mics, more fearful when from those
we love. There should have been one
spot on Gods earth for the Son Of
Man, one roof under which be would
be understood. where there would be
a mothers pride, sisters love. broth
er's affection. But even that is denied
him. Furtive eyes are watching him
askance; one whispers to another
asidei suspicious glances instead of
frankhess; hands once kind itch to re-
sssSin, finally the overwhelming an
nouncement. "He is beside himself"
Truly, "He came unto his own and
his own received him not!'
The Truth of a Falsehood.
Sometimes Cur saintliest men, driven
by overwork, pain Or Quivering nerves
become sweet bells out Of tune" for
season. Alexander Cruden at work
upon his concordance; William Cowper
the sweet singer; Maltbie Babcock. the
Christ man of century-the world
loves them more tenderly for the
shadow Of the mental cloud. But, listen
oh, my soul! From the worlds stand
point the charge against my Lord IS
true. 1t is useless to denounce it as
libel, a bitter, blasphemous calumny.
It is not so. 1t is true! They had no
alternative. Either be was the Christ.
the Son of the living God, or he was
beside himself. Either be was God
ssThe Father and are one"-or he was
a maniac prating Of his kingdom. Three
years pass, three brief, swift years.
He is hunted as a criminal, seized.
hung on the cross, laughingstock.
They mock him; they taunt him; they
spit upon him. The bubbles burst. The
dreams ended A dead mans on the
gibbet. That is the end Of all. But, Oh.
my God! Two hundred centuries later
his name is whispered with awe; be
leads armies who never buckled sword;
he fills libraries who never wrote a
book; he lights the worlds canvas who
never held brush. At his name the
worlds millions bow their heads. Is
this the Carpenter? Yes, the mighty
Builder, the great Architect Of the uni
verse, who framed the vault Of the
sky and the dome Of eternity.
The Eccentricity Of Goodness.
And the Christian? Yes, be. too. Is
'ebeside himself in the eyes Of the
world. 1t was always so. Paul, thou
art beside thyself." said his lustful,
wicked accuser Truly. holy life is
always phenomenon. What is being
beside oneself? What is madness?
Man acts different from others. We say
he is eccentric. he gathers old coins
or collects stamps or bugs or beetles
Other wheels In the machine shop re-
volve about a central axis. describing
q perfect circle. Over at one side IS
one with. changing curve The en-
gineer tells you it has ps7culiar cen
ter, is eccentric. When the Christ came
the world revolved about one circle.
one center to human life-self. BE
came to teach a new center-God If
mans center was right, then Christ
was wrong. eccentric a lunatic. II
Christ's center was right. then not be,
but man. was eccentric. insane. God
IS the center of the universe. What
ever is out of God is out Of center.
Sin draws men away from the center.
Sin, not goodness. Is madness.
For The Monument Fund.