The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-06-09

kneed subservience to custom and the
cry of the politician is one of the black
est pages in history. His sc~ourging of
the man whom he, himself, declared
innocent, is practically without paral-
lei. After the mocking and the scourg-
ing, PLATE said unto the people, Be-
hold the man" ". 81, and later in sar-
casm he said to the same people, BE
hold your king ". 14). Teachers
should emphasize at the beginning and
all through this lesson that Jesus
suffered and died for the sins Of all
men, ours as well as those of his own
day.
|. The crucifxion Of Jesus wv.
1929. 1t was about nine o'clock in
the morning when PLATE gave his infa-
nous order that Jesus should be cru
CITED. 1t vas indeed q Sorrowful pro-
cession which moved itself along the
"Vla Dolorosa" (the Sorrowful Way),
consisting of the Roman soldiers, the
tottering, physically exhausted man Of
Galilee, and, Luke adds, Borrowing
women" They took him to the place
of a skull, a hill about sixty feet high,
Ut lllC lOOl VI NulCn WAS lle TOCk-
hewn sepulcher in which his body was
later laid. The place was called in
Hebrew "Golgotha," the Aramaic for
skull. Calvary Is the Latin for the
same. On either side of him were
crucifed the robbers, which was an
evident effort to add to his shame as
well as a salutary warning to the Pass
over pilgrims. Over the cross PLATE
wrote a title on a wooden tablet. Fol-
lowing the usual custom, this was
nailed at the head Of Jesus, setting
forth his crime. The words it bore
were, Jesus of Nazareth, King Of the
Jews" as though PLATE would take
malicious revenge upon the mob which
had made him perform a deed he had
sought to avoid. Literally this sign
meant "This man is the kingliest of
all Jews, and see what they have done
to him." In response to Pilates ques-
tioning, Jesus said, 81 am the King of
the Jews" PLATE knew that he was
innocent, and sought to let him go free,
but, rather than incur the hatred of the
Jewish authorities, he yielded to their
demand for his blood, and became a
party to the murder of the Son of God.
Men today take a part in his cruel
fixion rather than surrender wholly
to him, and pay the price Of open con-
fession. "They crucified him." How
these words laid the pride of men in
the dust. Human nature Is the same
today as 1t was two thousand years
ago when the worlds bitterest hate
was wreaked not upon a bad man but
upon the best man, the perfect man,
the Goldman. The pain Jesus suf-
fered on Calvary was no Imagination.
He suffered it all for US lisa. SO :6), |
but the physical suffering was not the
most severe agony he bore Cps. 60 20;
Matt. 81 :46). The cruciixion of Jesus
was part Of the eternal purposes Of
Gods love and redemption.
II. The Worlds Darkest Hour wv.
23-30). Each of the Gospel writer's re-
fers to the part the soldiers took in
casting lots for his garments. They
were unconsciously fulfilling the
prophecy of Psalm % rs, and it was
from their number that one of the su-
preme testimonies to the character of
Christ came (See Matt. 81 :54). The
first three e%vangelists tell US Of the
throng of pilgrims who passed along
the highway from the north, close 1t
hand, and who wagged their heads In
imitation and mockery of the agony
of the one who was being crucified.
But there were others who were spec
tators Of this event, q group of Christ
lovers ". 25).
st is finished" These are remark
able words. He had finished his suf-
fering; he had finished that for which
he came into the world when he be-
gan his ministry; he had finished the
mission for which his father had sent
him into the world; he had finished
and fulfilled the prophecies concern
ing his suffering and death; he had
completed the work of the redemption;
the atonement was finished, and Sa-
tan's power was finished; the Mosaic
law was finished as far as its claims
upon the believer were concerned
(Rom. 1914; Col. 2:13; Eph. 2 :15 and
49,. Outwardly 1t seemed to be Sa-
tan's supreme hour. 1t was the worlds
darkest hour.
The seven last words. These would
be an interesting study for any class.
(1) 'Father forgive them for they
know not what they do" (2) To-day
thou shalt be with Inc in Paradise"
(3) "Woman, behold thy son (4) "My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?" (5) Il thirst; :" (6) 'It is fin
ished; :" % "Father into thy hands 1
commit my spirit" Christ had power
to lay down his life. He had power to
take 1t up again, but he laid it down,
submitting to a burial in the tomb.
At that moment note the effect upon
the malefactor, upon the centurion, up
on the elements of cloud and sky, up
on the veil Of the temple, upon the
people and upon his friends. What is
the effect of this story upon yourself,
teachers, and upon those who are lis