Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-16
March ID, 1917.
John s:l2, 3l-37-Goldsn Text; IF
the Son therefore shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed" John 8:3s.
March ID, 1917.

ye shall be free indeed" John s:ss.
Chapters 40 include connected re-
| cord of the vents occurring at the Feas:
of Tabernacles and Immediately after
| wards i'm October before the crucifixion
| Of Christ. They should be read and re-
| read a whole.
The brothers of Jesus were not believ-
ers i'm Himas yet They could not help
/ hut recognize that lie avs an unusual
| character. They had seen the miracles
| that lie did i'm alilee and appreciated His
| popularity. so they tauntingEy said to
| Him. III YOU are the Messiah why don't
YOU go down to the capitol and make
yourself known as such there" 1t was
on outrageous insult, for while they were
not willing TO recognize Him themselves,
they realized that If He were accepted as
| the Messiah in the capitol, they them
selves would shine with reflected glory
as being His brothers. Their plan was
not His, however. He left them to go
on with the companies who were travel
ing i'm their direction white He remained
i'm alilee. few days later He went up
quietly, reaching Jerusalem about the
midst of tn efeast and began teaching.
THE PUZZLE OF PALESTINE.
There were two questions which were
on the lips of everybody there: Where
is He?" and who is He?" He was the
topic of conversation. Some said He was
goo oman; others that He was de-
ceiver. Some said He was crazy. The
Jews regarded Him so dangerous a
character that they wanted to kill Him
and sought in various ways to do 1t,
but could not And yet He caused grea
wonder amongst them, for they could
not appreciate how one who had not been
educated at the University of Jerusalem
i 4
He told them that He was going where |
they coldn't go they could not understand
il. IT was beyond their conception that |
He could go to the entities, but they did |
suggest that He might go to the Jews |
dispersed amongst the Gentiles Others |
said He must be the Christ; surely the /
Christ could do no more miracles than
He did. Others asked Did the rulers
know that He was the Christi" Blu;
then their tradition confused them here,
because they did not know whence the
Christ would come. Some said that He
would come out of Bethlehem, and He
could not come out OF Galilee. The
officers sent to arrest Him came back
without having done so. giving is their
reason that never a man spake like
this man" He was the puzzle of Pales-
tine. They could not figure out who He
was.
lHE SOlI lion.
lie answered their que; irons. however. The
feast ~ the "Hbernacles q combination Of
a religious .Umnem0ratior service and a harry
est celebrs non. An old adage says that he
who has not seen the rejoicing OF the last daN
uf the feast Sf the Tabernacle does not know
what rejoicing -. The people came to worship
and gave themselves mp TO pleasure and III
larity.
There were three customs which OBJ
served at tniS feast. First, everybody dwe.t
in booths. those coming from Assistance
mad Iua
in the city made booths in their yards or ON
the roofs. This is whhy in the last verse tf
The seventh chapter the statement Is made
that every went to his house. but JESUS
went to the Mount of Olives The feast was
over and ain one returned to his home, ''It
IeSus had home.i
The 4econd custom was referred to water. OD
The last lay they went the Pool of Sloan
and drew water from il in golden vessel.
wa tergatc - the temple and poured out the
water by the side of the altar, concentrating
he time when God had given them water frnn
he rock when they were in a dry andd thirsty
land. This also looked forward to the thu
when Joel mad prophesied when fountain
would b. opened i'm the house OF God. tJoel
ais, aud To EzekieTs prohpesy that the River
n Life getting ever broader and broader should
flow from he temple itself. Ezekiel 4l:1-l2l.
The third custom was that on the last daH
they lighted elaborate candelabra in the court
4 the women. and by the blaze of light were
eminded Of the time when God guided them
through the wilderness by pillow OF clouu ny
lay ami Of fire by night. .
80 on the last day Of the feast the day ~
great rejoicing, Jesus answered the question
which has puzzling the minds of all the
lrople during the past eight days when, as they
,,Urcd out lac water lie said, IF any man
hirst let him come unto me and drink; ana
lc that believeth me scripture hath said
Dut uf Ills belly shall flow rivers Of living
wafer.
And then - lie pointed to the light. the
nzr Of glory He said, II am the Light OF me
Nurld. lie that follOweth me shall not walk IN
darkness. bat shall have the Light OF Lire.
In His con ,rrsa ton which followed the next
ay. He allied attention 10 one other inns
hat He was to do. They bad forgotten NE