The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-25
THE COMMON TASK.
lselected for The Times. pispatch.l }

IL, ~.
The man had been very sick. and
had been made we'll. His mind had
been affected, and his body: probably
his soul also. lie WAS in the black
depths of suffering. Then came Jesus
and spoke TO him, and he was we'll
The whole world was changed for Him.
lie was now man AS he sat at tho
feet of Jesus in his right mind he
was very grateful Some conNalesccnts
have short memories. OF the ten
lcpcrs, nine forgot to turn back Ii
WAS otherwise with this man of
Gadara. He had sought Jesus that he
might be with Him. That was a nat
ural desire. Ii has entered the hearts
OF men in all ages and all religions To
get away from the turmoil and trouble
of life, and from the questions that
we do not know how to answer. and
TO spend our time saying our prayers,
sitting in the sun by the shadow OF
a pleasant church-that is what we
sometimes think we want
But Jesus sent him away. saving.
Return TO thine own home and show
how great things God hath done unto
thee" lie told him TO 60; lie told
him where to go. and He told him
what to do when he got there lie was
to go away; lie was 10 go home, and
lie was there to tell his friends how
God had blessed him. Jesus sent him
away because it was the will of Jesus
that Ills disciples should no sharcrs In
the common life. He lived Himself in
cities. and knew men, and did not hold
himself aloof And the purpose Of
the Christian rcliGion-as Jesus taught
ii. and as His disciples commonly
understood II. until their thoughts
were turned away to the elaboration
OF creeds and the construction of
churches--was to help the fisherman
To he better fisherman. ami the
mother to be better mother aud the
merchant. tho lawyer. the teacher and
the mechanic to do their work rs i'm
the sight Of Cod. with new motive
and Il new spirit. Jesus came not to
society to save the world. and SO lie
sends this new disciple back to fill his
natural and accustomed place in the
common life. And the new life which
Jesus had in mind for this healed man
consisted not III doing new things. but
in DOING old things in now way
Thus sent away, the new disciple
was directed to his own home Re
turn 10 thine own home" That was a
hard thing to do. The poor man, ou,
OF whom the devils had been cast. had
10 go back to his accustomed place
and meet the questioninCs and tho
jests and the chances of those who had
known him in his evil state But Jesus
knew that salvation could not be
gained anywhere but IN the home; that
the service dearest TO God is the aerv-
ice nearest our hand, and when we
fulfill Il duty in that field we fuinlI
it in all And so He sent this disciple
back to do in Gadara quiet. unhur-
RED simple, personal. oven domestic
service, which the Lord Himself had
done IN Nazareth. Thus the man goes
to his own home, bearing This commits
sion: show how great things God
hath done unto thee"
You sec how personal that is. a
1
no" shall | set about ii? They will
ask me a hundred questions, they Will
perrlex me daily with discussions
about miracles. What shall answer?
The only thing that Jesus tells that
man is this: that tho message to the
men Of his town is to be found in his
own experience. Like the blind man,
he Was TO Say, one thing know. that,
whereas ! was blind. now / sec"
The word Of ours that really helps
is that which comes out of our own
heart and life. Jesus did not send this
new disciple TO teach theology, nor to
explain The scriptures; lie sent him TO
tell that which lie himself had thor
oughlN LEANED by his own experience
lie had found a friend. and that friend
had helped him and healed him and
made him a new man.
| That is a part of The meaning OF the
long sickness, and the bitter pain, and
the disaster and disappointment, and
inc darkness OF doubt. and the shame
OF SIN These things come into our
+ NNos' and 80 arc sore perplcXcd. They
seem to he great hindranccs set across
our path. VIC think sometimes Of the
service We would render if we were
only strong or rich or good But it
may "el be that our hard experience.
instead Of incapacitating us for scrv-
zee is making us better fitted for it,
And so, when tho now disciple went
back TO Gadara he found his terrible
experience was really part Of his APP
prcnticcShp. ana he knew now what
David meant when he wrote 1T is
good for mo tina, | have been in trou-
bic"
Ihus the new disciple is sent forth
IN tho gospels to bc our example. lie
went away into the common life, to
serve Christ III tho Christian fulnl-
'nch' OF his daily duty. He returned
10 MS own mouse. He ministered TO
ms friends and his ncighbors not OF
mat which he had merely heard of
| al IA