The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-02-02
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
BY wv L ELLIS
BY w. T. ELLIS

For February 4 is Jesus the Saviour
of the World. John 3:l-21
The AristOcrat Who Did Not Dare.
OF all the great dramas in that
richest estorehouse of literature. the
Scriptures. there are only two or three
that equal or Surpass the tragedy of
the scholar and aristocrat, who first
heard the fullest exposition of the di-
vine message and mission of Jesus,
and yet lacked the courage to follow
the truth he had learned. That is a
hell. To know the better and to do
the worse; to see the great without
the nerve to forsake the common
place; to have heard a call of highest
duty. and then to have skunk back
into the dreafy ruts of eXpediency and
convenience-earth has no worse tor
ment than this state of mind The
slackers and shirkers of the European
war are no such towards as the en-
liShtened men and women who lack
stamina to follow truth WhltherSo-
ever it may lead.
With the misguided kindness of
Christian teachers it has been GUS
tomary to hold up Nicodemus as
creditable character and an honor
able man. blinking the clear fact, that
altho favored above all men, he did
not become a disciple of Jesus until
too late to comfort the heart of the
lonely Teacher, who would have lean
ed heavily upon the comradeship of
one such scholar as NicodemuS. I'M
agine what it would have meant to
our Lord to have had member OF
the sanhedrin for a disciple! Only
once while Jesus lived did Nicodemus
open his lips in defense of the Mas
ter: and that was when the court of
which he was a member. was plot
ting the death of Christ. Nicodemus
timidly eXpostulated. Does our law
condemn a man unheard :?
Swift came the snarllng reply:
cart thou also a Galilean? Have any
of the rulers believed on Him." And
Nicodemus shut up like a clam
John. who alone makes mention of
Nicodemus, doubtless had nc story
from the lips of Incidents himself.
after the resurrection, for. inspired
perhaps by a look cast upon him by
the doomed Savior. Nicodemus at last
escaped from his torment of fear ana
indecision in time to bring gifts to the
body of a dead Lord. We may easily
imagine the self-reproaches with
which the proud Pharisee confessed
to John the Beloved his disloyalty and
cowardice John conceals his friends
name as he records the explanation
of the entire experience: Even OF
the rulers many believed upon MN
but because of the Pharisees they did
not confess it; for they loved the
praise of man more than the praise
of Cod" Would that the tragedy of
Nicodemus could ring in the ears of
every young person in the land.
A Scholar STOPPING.
Let us be fair to Nicodemus. He
really had a position to consider He
had gone to the top rung of the lad
der of success among the Jews, Tor
he was a member of the sanhedrln
He was a judge and teacher or MS
nation. Wherever he went he was a
marked man. and honored by all.
other men stepped aside to let him
pass, and his ears were quite accuS-
toned to the sweet music of over
head whispers: That's Nicodemus.
the great scholar and judge. He's a
good man as well as rich and great.
An aristrocrat, a gentleman. public
man with traditions and official posi-
ton. Nicodemus had much at stake.
Despite all, he came to Jesus. Score
that to his credit. He was open
minded enough to investigate new
truth. He dared condescend to visit
this humble Galilean and confer with
him. True, he came by night and
that tag, "by night" is affixed to him
in every mention of his name in the
Bible and in history. His courage
was not of the daylight sort. He kept
out of the light, for he was afraid or
what they say.
Johns picture of Nicodemus is like
one of the portraits by the old Dutch
masters: mostly darkness and shadow
and background. The high light is
that the eminent Pharisee, fully con-
scious of his social and ecclesiastical
standing, really did come to Jesus. He
was not a young man, either: it is
easier for the young to accept new
WAYS and new ideas and adventure
new experiences.
With all his inherited and acquired
preiudices against Galilee, and against
to visit this new rabbi. the engage
ment having doubtless been made in
advance thru servant.
When Teacher Became Pupil.
Dodging ever to the darker side of
the narrow Jerusalem streets, and fol-
lowing at distance the servant who
led the way with a torch, went Nico-
demus, filled with the thought of his
own condescension in seeking out this
new teacher from the north, and not
at all sure that he was acting wisely
in so doing. His phylacteries and his
bearded face, and his robe which
marked his office, were hidden be-
meath the folds of an all-enveloping
cloak. 1t was a relief to him when
they had assembled the outer stair to
the upper room in the house of a
knocked at the door of Him who pic
lures Himself as knocking at the door
of all hearts; and he was promptly
received, while the servant waited
without.
No great artist has painted that
wonderful picture: The proud ecclesi-
sstic, with the bearing of his state
and power. and the humbly-clad
Young Man from Nazareth, each
studying the face of the other in the
Pickering light of an ancient oriental
lamp. AS became his position-in his
own estimation-the visitor opened
the conversation with condescending
words of compliment, which he him
self scarcely believed: rabbi. we
know thou art a teacher come from
God''-which was the very thing he
did not know, and was seeking to find
out
Nothing but conventional oriental
politeness lay behind the phrase, rs
NEhpD a n inSinnarn 70 ~