Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-04-07
WEEK Of OUR LORDS PASSION

the y apostles and return again
nr.SCner. But before he left he spoke
lis last word 10 his people. the last
uHl.c utteranCe that fell from his lips
surveying all the history OF the folly
AID wickedness Of the long past. De
CARING the significance OF that hour
which he alone understood, forecast
ing the fatal future which he alone
could see. he broke into cry in which
was uttered all the pathos Of his pas
stem 1t was a cry whose pathoS the
world can never forget, and whose sig
nificance every generation must con-
slider 1t was not for Jerusalem alone.
That proud, bigoted and selfish city
was but the type of humanity. Here
is infinite, divine yearning. And here
is the hope of final apprehension
1t is not for Jerusalem alone. 1t Is
for the world, which God so loved,
that be gave him only begotten son.
that whatsoever believed in him should
not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus is ever to US the revelation Of
God. He shows US Gods attitude.
He unveils Gods purposes. He speaks
fer the father. And never more won
derfully than here.
1t was not for himself, it was not
for a mere religious interest apart
from the great human interest, it
was for the men themselves, because
he loved them and because their
highest welfare was; his supreme con
Germ, that he sought to lead them
from their follies to His faith. 1t was
infinite and divine yearning to bless
them. But they would not. There is
the tragedy Of human life in that re-
fusal, that deliberate human rejection
CT divine grace. We see the truth and
beauty of the appeal Of Jesus. And
yet how little our day is differer: to
that! Men still think they know bet
ter than the Master what is good. He
seems to show them an impossible and
impracticable way of blessing. They
thing happiness is In selfishness, and
they still say, we will not have this
man to reign over US. Jesus prin-
ciples of di3cipleship seem too high.
We cannot follow the teachings of his
possible perfection Jerusalem would
not. and Europe will not, and America
will not The rejection Is repeated
over again.
There are some who really think,
like the Saddeuces, that Jesus pro-
gram of life means the destruction of
the social order. Ananias and Gaia
phas led the assault upon our Lord
because His success meant, as they
supposed, the interference of the Ro-
man and the disruption of the state.
Men tell US today that business would
have been abandoned if Jesus prin-
ciples wore enforced; national life
would be impossible; society could
not exist; civilization would disap.
pear; there would be no law, no prop
erty, no incentive to labor, no ambi-
ton. Sometimes such men belong to
the church, but they will not be dis.
ciples Of Jesus. Sadly our Lord looks
at our wealthy, prosperous life and
says to us: How wondrousIy could
transform it; with what different
spirit men could work! What brother.
hood of brain and hand there would
be! How all the hatred and oppres,
SIGN and commercial iniquity would
vanish, if l were leader! And there
would be no less wealth and progress
but far more. Oh America, America,
how often would have led you to
the way of life-and we would not"
And more among us are like the
tickle people of Jerusalem, who will
not think and will not be earnest. II
the religion that Jesus has can do
anything for us-give us bread and
butter-we will accept it, But his
ideals are far away; his fellowship
with God means nothing to us; we
have our interests and our pleasures
And so the great world goes on its
way. 1t is not rejecting Jesus, but
it does not know him. 1t does not
care. He is here as he was in Jeru
salem with Notwithstanding power
opening the way to glorious life and
= beauty They do not know; they dc
not care. 1t is not deliberate rejec
ton of him, but it is deliberate re
lection of all the holier, higher calls
of life. And Jesus cannot save them
as he would.
That love, infinite and yearning, Of
the heavenly Father, so wondrously
revealed in Jesus, has never ceased
No rejection has lost it to any soul
Jesus cry is not a sentence of con
demEation, but still a call to repen
lance. He did not leave Jerusalem tt
its fate, but came back that he nigh
die for his people. And the last mes
sage of the risen Christ sends the her
aids of salvation to all the world, be
ginning at Jerusalem. Guilty Jerusa
lem still offered mercy! And eacf
of us, however much we have reject
ed Jesus and his light and LEADING
are still offered his salvation to tn,
uttermost today.