Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-03-06

pride arrogance, retaliation. and the
belief in the wisdom and rightfulness
of these, it is no wonder that they
could not recognize the meek ana
lowly peasant-carpenter as their king
or master, the ideal OF their seers and
prophets, the prince of Peace" the
Light" and the legitimate ruler Of
the world.
Jesus Mission.
What Jesus came to do, what he
taught, did. and lived, may well be
taken as his mission, as the ideal OF
the prophets--the ideal Judaism. and
as absolute christianity. what was
this mission?
An ancient custom, still followed
among the Jews, is that of honorlng
distinguished visitors by calling upon
them to read from the Scriptures at
services in the synagogue. This honor
was conferred on Jesus, when at the
beginning OF his ministry he visited
his home in Nazareth. In respond
ing to II, he turned 20 the book Of
Esaias and read: THE Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel
{good news) to the poor: he hath sent
me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering Of sight to the blind
TO set at liberty them that are bruis-
ed, to preach the acceptable year u
the Lord. This day Is this
Scripture fulfilled in your ears" At
another time he announced that he
came to fulfill the law and the pro-
phets and again that he came ito
bear witness unto the truth" He
also said, Il have come that they
might have life, and that they might
have it more abundantly;" and de-
filming life he said, And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee
the only true God" This may he
said to be a summary of Jesus mis-
sion, given in his own words The
statement is again simple, direct and
definite. There is not a word in it
that could in any way mislead, be
misunderstood or twisted to mean
anything else.
Jesus came to preach NE gospel or
good news to the poor. Did this
mean that they should remain poor?
He came to heal, to liberate, to de-
stroy the operations of evil of every
kind in human experience, to confer
abundant life as a result of the knowl-
edge of God which he taught, and to
usher in an era acceptable to God, IN
which God should be accorded ali
power and reign over all absolutely
and completely. Did he fulfill this
mission?
Jesus preached very little, but did
great deal. The gospels show this.
From boyhood he was about his
Fathers business, but he preached
only one sermon of which Il record
has come down to us. This business
consisted of teaching by example as
well as by precept what God is, what
God does, and how God does what He
does. In providing the wine at the
marriage feast in Cana, the tax
money in the draft of fishes, and in
feeding the multitudes. he showed
that God provides for the most sim
pie and common needs. In healing a
few sick people in Nazareth, the no.
bleman's son of fever and the case
of dropsy recorded in Luke. he show
ed that spiritual means should be
sought and applied not only in eXz
treme cases but in minor ailments. In
restoring sight tosthe blind, speech 20
the dumb. hearing to the deaf, IN
healing leprosy, epilepsy, the withered
hand, paralysis, and dementia of var
ious kinds he showed that God heal
eth all thy diseases" and that none
are incurablc to Him. In loosinS the
woman from the evil which had
bound her many years. and the multi
tudes from sins of all kinds, he show
ed the emancipating power of God. In
disappearing in the midst of multi
tudes. entering through closed doors,
sitting the storm, and walking upon
the water he showed the unreality Of
matter and of material forces: IN
raising the rulers daughter, the
widows son, and Lazarus from the
grave. he showed that God does give
life and that He gives it abundantly
No Miracles.
Here again the good Christian may
exclaim that Jesus indeed did these |
things. but that they We're the mira |
cles of our Lord, and to look for such /
things now would be sacrilegc; and the !
great multitude of the unchurched I
may again content itself with saying.
II erends myths While the word ,
miracle originally had the meaning OF /
marvel or sign, in common usage II
has come TO mean an act setting dslue
OF breaking a law of nature. WITH TINS /
view of Jesus works, it IS not 10 DC
wondered at that good Christians look I
with horror on any attempt to essay
such works. and that others, lookihs |
upon such acts as never having been !
consider them imposslplc' |
Jesus gave signs or evidences OF ms
Messianic mission, ana these slHhs
were and are marvellous TO the hu-
man sense of things He came, how
ever to fulfill law, and he was not
n lawbreaker. His acts were con-
trarv to what was and still IS looked
npon as law, but they were Nerltaple
of law, the law OF ma
tlre's God; and far from looking up
on the reception of his works as sac
rilepe. the command he gave TO an
his followers to repeat them was mn
perative. ,,
Jesus. Works the Result of His CHRIS
tian Science.
II has been shown that the ancient
,ronhets had given evidences OF some
knowledge of God. that "A compiets
Of such knowledge was
looked for by them and that Jesus
fulfilled this expectation.
Science is defined as the "kno"l-
edge of principles and causes. Now
If Jesus did the works which have
been cited-and that he did them is
attested by those who have been look
ed upon as the best and most honest
of men. men who witnessed them--did
he do them through ignorance or
mere belief IN something, or did ne
do them because of a specific, aceur-
ate and demonstrable knowledge 81
their underlying Principle or cause
:. ..--...I i. oi,,.c ns.nlill for a moment |