The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-06-15

I the admiration of Jesus, as it does all
men.
Occasionally Jesus was moved to
irony and satire. We do not think of
his as using other than soft and gentle
| words, but listen to the keen sarcasm
[ of this, What went we out for to see?
"a man clothed in soft raiment? Be
mold they that wear soft raiInent are
| in kings houses" Again hear Him, as
he pictures the people like unto chill
oren in the market place, Wisdom is
justified of all her children The gen.
tie Master knew how to employ with
ering scorn, biting satire, and terrific
il,vective as well seductive invita-
ton Every form of speech that will
convey truth should be at the service
of the teacher of truth The soldier Of
God needs to know how to use many
weapons, even as did his Captain
A Paradox of Greatness.
The favor of the king is the sue
cess of the servant. John won this
accolade of knighthood from Him
whose messenger he was. What mat
tered the curses of the crowd or the
hate of Herod? Jesus praised him.
Men love thee, bless thee, praise
thee not;
The Master praises; what are men? ?"
A strange paradox was involved in
the words of Jesus, Verify 1 say unto
you, among them that are born of
women there hath not arisen a great
er than John the Baptist; yet he that
is little in the kingdom of heaven is
greater than he" Jesus could not re-
sist linking the significance of Johns
life up to the present
That was His way: He wanted His
hearers to understand that John
greatest of the old order, was not as
highly privileged as those who be-
longed to the new kingdom which
Christ Himself introduced. TT is
better to enter the kingdom than to
herald its coming" Or, as DIR. Alex
ander MacLaren puts it, the dwarf
farther than the giant; and the least
in the kingdom are nearer to Jesus
Christ than the men of old could
ever be, because possessing the full
revelation of God in Him is greater
than the greatest without" The
pathetic limitation of Johns knowl-
edge of Jesus is shown by the ques-
tons he asked concerning Him.
Disdain for the Crowd.
No man can be truly great who
has not a measure of disdain for
popular opinion. A distinguished
great American by saying, "he keeps
just one step ahead of the crowd, and
is ever looking over his shoulder to
make sure that the crowd is follow
ing him. In that phrase he pointed
out the essential weakness of this
kind as never other man loved them;
yet He never made them His master.
You can not serve the public to the
full if you fear them at all. The
real leader of men must be willing to
differ with, and if necessary defy
men in his pursuit of their service.
The fickleness and foolishness of
public opinion is strikingly set forth
by the Saviour in the words, But
shall 1 liken this genera
Mt bn nh Sif
ting in the market place, which call
unto their fellows, and say, we piped
unto you, and We did not dance; we
walled, and We did not mourn For
John came neither eating nor drink
ing, and they say, he hath a devil.
The Son of Man came, eating and
drinking and they say, behold a glut-
tonous man, and a wine-bibber, a
friend of publicans and sinners! And
wisdom is justified by her children"
Here is pointed out the danger
that besets this ear of the dominance
of ''voX popuH.' Without abating one
jot of our faith in democracy we are
bound to recognize that the world |
has made it's substantial progress
through leaders who have gone be- !
yond the crowd and, who, like John !
and Jesus, have been done to death |
by popular opinion. 1t is the way |
of history that the "Hosannas' have |
scarcely ceased to echo before we hear |
Cruelty Him! Cruelty HIM" The |
will of God and not the words of man |
are the real standard as both Jesus |
and John set forth.