El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-02-24
Text: "The common people heard
Him gladly" Marx 1887.

/ Him gladly. marx 1Z.of
HUCH as we may dislike to own
| IVk the fact 1t remains nevertheless
l. u that in practically every age OF
the worlds history there have been at
! least two classes OF people dIseernlble;,
/ though they shade into each other ana
! the line of demaTkatiOn Is not always
easily drawn. There are the strong, the
\ resourceful who usually become the en-
! frencbed. In business they are the graft
ers who make gain where they should
not: in industry they are hard masters
getting as much as possible Tor as lit-
! tie as possible; in politics they are the
shrewd who grasp Tor power that tney
NAV use it for private advantage IN
the realm of religion they are the over
lords. who. like the Pharlsees OF old IN
the name of orthodoxy and loyalty 70
traditions. attempt TO prescribe the Ialth
of the people.
Common People Dependable
On the other hand there are the COM
mon people. They are the faithful, IN
dustrious, dependable class They, nave
aspirations and desires, but usually are
unable to realize them IN any ample
form. Because OF conditions over when
they have little immediate control they
are unable to rise above the lever OF
average life. They feel the injustice OF
things: thev know they are not gettlng
their share of LIES goods, but they laoor
on patientlv and hopefully, sometimes
with a latent resentment IN their hearts
| that expresses itself IN admiration Ior
/ leaders in whom they feel they can Pnt
confidence. On occasions they arse WIN
majestic might and when they do tne
world trembles-
There are. OF course, opposite extremes
in each of these classes; IN the one the
tvrranical oppressors, in the other the
| dovn-aud-ours. But these extremes
| form ONLY a small fraction OF Their re-
snective groups. These two classes were
! present in Palestine during the days
when Jesus OF Nazareth lived on the
earth. It Is interesting to observe how
contact with them reacted IN HIS own
Tesus Leader of People.
Whenever one reads the New IesIa-
ment narratives OF Jesus life Thought
| fully and without prejudice he IS com,
pelled TO realize that He was the friend
/ Of the common people and that they
| claimed Him as their champion and
I leader. Two or three instances taken
| from His active ministry VIII illustrate
! His feelings and attitude. Very. early
! in His ministry He returned to the WI
lace of Nazareth. where He had been
/ raised. and went with His townsmen 10
/ their accustomed place OF worship on the
/ Sabbath. Having heard OF the works he
| had been doing in Capernlum theX
naturally invited Him to speak ana
I handed him the scroll of the Scriptures.
! He took it and read from Isaiah a pas
SAGE which was doubtless familiar to all
OF them. and which seemed TO HIm TO
summarize His own ideals and purposes.
! The passage He selected reads as 1oi-
| lows: The Spirit OF the Lord Is upon
( Me because He Amounted Me to preach
/ good tidings to the poor: He hath sent
/ Ne to,proclaim release TO the eapJlNes'
| to set at liberty them that are bruised,
to proclaim the acceptable year OF the
, Lord"
When He had finished reading He
| handed the scroll back TO the attendant
and remarked. To-day hath this scrip
I tire been fulfilled IN your ears. IL
was 4 moment OF surprise and tense III
! terest. The reading and the remark
disclosed the soul Of n man on fire with
a purpose and passion to raise TO tull
: participation in ife's JOYS those who
. were held down by oppression or one
kind or another.
Pictures Days Work.
Another instance OF similar signuI-
canoe was the one in which He gave an
SMtr 10 JONI NlcClpit1 WIZ Ate-'A I'm
to Him with the question: Art Thou
He that should come or look we for an
otherg7 He said to them, go tell John
the things which We have seen and
heard; the blind receive their sight, the
lame walk, the iepeTs are cleanseds the
deaf hear, the dead arc raised up and
the poor have good tidings preached 10
them Thus He pictured forth to all
the world an average days work IN his
own life, and in this simple ministry OF
belpfulness he rested his claim of Mes
siahship.
Tours Galilee.
In the midst of His ministry We are
told that He made j tour of the cities
and villages OF Galilee and the record
ewes Us a glimpse into His heart when
it records that He was moved with com
passion for those who were distressed
(skinned. hauiedl and scattered flung
down prostTatel as sheep without a
shepherd. The language discloscs the
I'M otteitv of His FEELING of -VruuafhE Tor