The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-24

person in childhood forever doome
one to mediocrity.
The Nazareth villagers thought they
had a complete answer to the claims
of Jesus when they said, rs not this
Joseph's SOM" mo man is a hero to
his valet'-the reason being, as one
has wisely supplemented, that the
valet himself is not a hero. 1t takes
like to understand like. These eager
eyed villagers, alert for every sign Of
egotism on the part of a visitor whom
they would not have vary one iota
from their little standards, were ready
to fume against Him, as later they
would be eager to fawn upon Him.
The Scorners Scorned.
The hostile atmosphere of the syna-
gogue was felt most keen1y by the
sensitive Christ. He feared not to
deal bravely with the situation, and
to shock His old neighbors into
consciousness of their condition. So
in words of scorn, whose bite was
scarcely realized, He pointed out by
Scripture parallels that Nazareth
could not have great works like unto
Capernaum because of its unbelief.
He cited to them the heather who
had been elected in Old Testament
times for divine ministry rather than
Israel
1t was as if to say that they were
less worthy than the Centiles whom
they considered beyond the pale.
y L
Jesus always dared tell the truth. He
sought to help men rather than to
please them. This episode is COM
mended to the study of those gelatin
Gus saints who think that Christian
speech should always be sugar and
never salt.
A Rioting Church.
The elemental passions of the self
satisfied and prideful villagers were
aroused. They made the answer of
| the small boy who says in reply to
| an argument But 1 can lick you,
anyway" The resort to force Is
primitive and instructive. We can all
understand why a riot should have
been produced by such statement as
Jesus made to these Nazarenes. Like
incidents are happening every day.
Losing control of themselves, the
shrieking, gesticulating congregation,
now become a maddened mob, hus-
| tied the Teacher from His Place, out
into the open and up to one of the
precipitouS hills that girdle the town.
| They meant murder. 1t seems hor-
rible to contemplate. Yet we remem-
/ Der that only a year ago this month,
lin the peaceful, church-going town
of Coatesville, Pa, men-whose de-
that they were members of Bible
classes and church goers-went forth
Ito a lynching that was more atrociouS
than any other in this land. These
l piOuS Jews 1ntenQeQ 10 stay Ine Mail
who had done nothing worse than to
point out the truth concerning their
own littleness and spiritual blindness.
They gave ocular evidence, even as
Coatesville has since done, that the
spirit of the small town was more
dominant with them than the spirit
of their Scriptures.
Their fell purpose was never con-
illuminated. The hour of the Saviour
had not yet come. Perhaps by a
miraculous Intervention, more prob
/ ably by sudden assertion of His own
majesty, the people fell back before
Jesus, even as the soldiers in the gar
den later did when He acknowledged
| His identity.
For, after all, they were only little
villagers, and He was the greatest
| Man who ever brought mighty
message of large truth to the world.
They rejected Him; and by that act
put themselves into the pillory of
eternal infamy.