Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-02-15

wilderness 1t is
the time in which particular emphasis
is laid in preaching upon the substi-
tutionary obedience and sufferings OF
our Divine Redeemer. and when In
thought, we follow him from the temp
tation in the wilderness to the tr1um-
plant issue of the resurrection morn
ing.
In harmony with this. our present
sermon deals with one of the tender
est events of a social nature occurring
in the last week of his earthly life
Then Jesus six days before the
passover came to Bethany" Then he
did 1t. If you would understand the
significance of the word then" you
must go back to the previous chapter.
which tells us that all the people
were gathering to Jerusalem for the
passover and all animated more or
less by the thought as to whether he
would come to the feast, for the chief
priests and pharisees had given
commandment that If any man knew
where he were, he should show It.
that they might take him. Then it
was that he came Before this on
different occasions he had hidden him.
self from his enemies, not through
cowardice or fear, but because his
hour had not yet come, he was not
yet ready to be offered, the Scripture
had not yet been fulfilled. Now, how
ever, the crisis is approaching, and
he advances consciously to met his
cruel death. IF ever there were a
calm, voluntary deliberate walking
up to death, it was this last visit of
Jesus into Judea."
Sympathy With Jesus.
But why is it that he seeks out this
little village two miles from Jerusa-
lem, and spends so much of his inter.
vening time there? Perhaps the fol-
lowing words supply the reason, since
we read that Lazarus was there,
whom he had raised from the dead.
Jesus loved Lazarus and his house
hold and, doubtless. like ourselves.
he liked to be as much as possible
with those he loved. If we knew we
were soon to die with whom would
we like to pass the closing moments
of our life, if not with those who un-
derstood US best and who sympa~
thized with us the most? Jesus. re-
member, was a man. Not merely a
man. but yet a mana perfect man.
And it is just such touches of his
humanity that bring him so near to
us, and solace us with the thought
that in him we have an high priest
who can be touched with feeling of
| our infirmities.
But what about our sympathy for
| Jesus, now that we are sure of his
| sympathy for us? Does he ever find
! a Bethany in our homes and hearts ?
He is still in some sense exposed to
| the persecution of his enemies in the
earth, for the kingdoms of this world
have not yet become the kingdoms of
| our God and of his Christ. An apos-
| tie speaks of some who cruelty our
Lord afresh, and put him to an open
| shame" IL this be so, then he still
/ loks for a quiet haven. and a minis
tration of love from those whom he
hath quickened when they were dead
| In trespasses and sins. Is it so with
| us?
A Strong Bible Proof.
canont leave this verse without
calling attention to it as one of the
most convincing arguments of the
truth of Christianity. What signii-
! eance there is in these words: Beth
any. where Lazarus was which had
been dead. whom he raised from the
dead There is evidence that this
gospel was known in Jerusalem at
least within seventy years after this
raising of Lazarus occurred There
| are grounds for believing, indeed
| that 1t was published within thirty to
| forty years of that date Surely there
must have been persons then, and
there, who could personally have tes-
titled to the falsity of the whole thing
| If IL were false! We cannot imagine
| any such event occurring in The
| neighborhood of Chicago. for example
not longer ago than that, and our be
| ing unable to find anybody to deny II
| frcm personal knowledge. IL it were
| to be denied2 But has the resurrec
ton Of Lazarus ever been denied
| Let the silence of the Jewish nation
and the Gentle world answer. So far
from the enemies of Jesus disbelief
ing this mighty fact, they SO entirely
believed that they consulted how they
! might put Lazarus to death, because
that by reason of him many OF the
Jews went away and believed or
1 Jesus