Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-03-31
ey {. =. WALKER, o. ..

The more spiritual Jesus was in His
teachings, and the more He presented
His divine claims, the more the carnal
minds of men became stirred against
Him. When He reached the height of
His claims, declaring that He was ex-
istent before Abraham, and even was
the AM, His hearers took up stones to
cast at Him, as one guilty of extreme
blasphemy. And certainly no one could
make such claims as He did, and speak
with such authority, without being
either what He declared Himself to be
or a blasphemer worthy of stoning.
So, if what He said was not the truth,
the Jews were not to be blamed for
wanting to stone Him. But the Master
himself knew, and to the honest mind
gave clear evidence that He was indeed
the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel,
the Savior OF the world. But Jesus
gave further evidence of His true d.
vinity by hiding Himself from their
view He did not run away and hide,
but He simply covered Himself in some
way that those who would take Him
could not see Him; and He passed
right through the midst Of them, and
so escaped out Of their hands. Verify
He is a God that hideth Himself, and
men by searching can not find Him,
when He chooses to withdraw Himself
from them; but to those who seek, with
righteous intent, He reveals Himself.
Seek, and you shall find, II you seek
Him for the purposes for which He
makes Himself known unto men.
EXPLANATORY.
Time: A. D. 80.
Place: Jerusalem.
And as Jesus passed by,-Departins
from the temple. probably, and from
the mob that vas ready to stone Him
to death, because He dared to utter
divine truth--he saw man which was
blind from his birth. Quite common
thing in those days and in that cline
though perhaps the far greater number
of blind people became so after birth
But here was a very sad case. The
light is sweet, and a pleasant thing II
IS for the eyes to behold the sun; ma
ture is beautiful and enhancing. Per-
haps about the greatest of all enjoy
ments from the otter world come to Us
through vision. But this man haG
never seen anything of the beautiful
In this world-had never even looked
W into the face Of the one who gave
him birth, and who, as she looked upor
her offspring nesting in her bosom
doubtless had wept over her orbless
soy-an object of great pity.
And his disoiples-Who perhaps saw
Him leave the temple, escaping from
His would be stoners who had beer
smitten as with a temporary blindnes:
80 far as Jesus was concerned, and
who went out after. If not with, Him
asked him,-As disciples they were
learners, and doubtless with breathles;
interest they had been hanging on His
words, and were now, like true learn.
ers, ready to ask notwithstanding
Master,-Or. Teacher, as the wore
means. So they were now at school tt
Jesus-who did sin, this man, or his
parents, that he was born blind? i
was generally thought that all afflic.
ton is the result of sin-and there is {
ruth in the conviction.
Jesus answered, Neither this maj
sinned, nor his parents; This is not t
be taken absolutely. The Lord doe
not mean that the man and his parent
lived sinless lives. What He mean
was in answer to the question: tina
the mans blindness was not because o
any particular sin in that family. Hi
blindness was not particular punish
ment for either his or their sins. w
are not to conclude that suffering
means punishment in every case
northumberland innocen
and holy suffer, and they must not b
condemned because of sickness, pair
poverty, prosecution. or any other af
fliction-but that the works Of Go
should be made manifest in him. Thi
must be understood as true in this par