Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-03-30
WEEK Of OUR LORDS PASSION

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his last word to his people the last
public utterance that fell from his
Hips. Surveying all the history Of the
folly and Wickedness OF the long past
declaring the significance of that
hour which he alone understood. fore.
casting the fatal future which he
alone could see, he broke into cry
in which was uttered all the pathos Of
his passion. II was cry whose pa
thos the world can never forget. and
whose significance every generation
must consider II was not for Jerusa-
lem alone That proud, bigoted and
selfish city was but the type Of hui
manity. Here is. infinite. divine yearn-
ing. And here Is the hope OF a final
apprehension. II Is not for Jerusalem
alone. It is for the world, which God
so loved, that he gave his only be-
gotten 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
for the father. And never more won
derfully than here. -
. It was not for himself, 1t 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 concern. that
he sought to lead them from their fol-
lies 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 refusal that de-
.liberate human rejection of divine
grace. We see the truth and beauty
of the appeal of Jesus. And yet how
little our day is different to that
Men still think they know better than
the Master what Is good. He seems
t. show them an impossible and i'm
practicable way of blessing They
think happiness is In seIfishness, and
they still say, we will not have this
man to reign over US. Jesus princi-
pies of discipleship seem too high. We
cannot. follow the teachings of his
POSITIVE perfection. Jerusalem would
not, and Europe will not, and Ameri-
ca 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 mat business would
have been abandoned II Jesus prin-
ciples were enforced; national life
would be impossible; society could not
exist; civilization would disappear;
there would be. no law, no property,
no incentive to labor, no ambition.
Sometimes such men belong to the
church, but they viii no. be disciples
of Jesus. Sadly our Lord looks at our.
wealthy, prosperous life and says to
US: How wondrously could trans
form it; with what different spirit
men could work. What brotherhood
of brain and hand there would bel
How all the hatred and oppression
and commercial inluuity would vanish,
If were leader! And there would
be no less wealth and progress, bat far
more Oh America. America, how of.
ten 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. If
the religion that Jesus has can dc
anything for us give us bread and
butter-we will accept it. But mis-
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 Ii
does not know him. II docs not care.
He is here as he was IN Jerusalem
with notwithstanding power opening
the way to glorious life ard beauty.
They do not know; they do not care
II is not deliberate rejection Of him.
but IT is deliberate rejection of all the
holier, higher calls of life. And Jesus
cannot save them as he would.
That love, infinae and yearnins. Of
the heavenly Father, has never ceas-
ed. No rejection has lost 1t 10 any
soul. Jesus cry is not sentence Of
condemnation, but still a c:iIl to repen-i
lance He did not leave Jerusalem to
its fate, but came back that. he might
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-i
lem still offered mercy! And each
of us, however much we have rejected:
Jesus and his light and leading. are
still offered his salvation to the ut.
termost today.