Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-17

person of the Saviour. The lawyer
harps back to the dicta of the
Messiah for the noblest code that can
! govern the conduct of men in their
relation one with another. Philos-
ophy confesses that the greatest of
philosophers was He whose teach
ings were so new that they startled
the philosophers who first heard
them. and whose gentle speech ex-
pressed the highest wisdom. The
religious impulses of mankind find in
Him "the one altogether lovely"
The continual coronation of Christ
is the sublimest spectacle of the CEN
turtles.
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of ALL"
OF all this. how little conception
had the multitude which eagerly car
peted His path with their garments
and with branches hastily stripped
from the palm trees! And how lit
| tie the baffled Pharisees understood
that their disappointed comment.
10, the world has gone after Him."
was in truth a prophecy of that day,
now arrived, when Jesus should be
! the center of the stage of the uni
verse.
Men do not understand themselves
and their own actions, much less
their neighbor and his deeds. No
body. save the lonely and sad-heart-
! ed Man who rode at the center of
this demonstration, received its sig
nihcance as a startling fulfilment of
the inspired Scripture. Even His
disciples needed the light that came
: by the Spirits descent after the as
cension of Jesus to enable them to
| interpret 1t. Tomorrow is always
needed to illuminate to-day. We
walk all unseeing through life, there
fore, we should walk gently and
humbly.
Hate For Hero
To-day it is the fashion to praise
jesus. Even the men who honor Him
least in their conduct, and deny Him
the allegiance of their lives. are
quick to pay tribute to His Gharac-
ter and to His teachings. In this at
mosphere of universal laudation of
the Son of Mary it is not easy to
realize the intense. bitter and un-
reasoning hatred with which Jesus
was viewed by the Pharisees and
priests. He was hated for himself,
because He was a nonconformer and
newcomer with unconventional
| teachings. The old is the enemy of
1hih6o as NhSg diC di
the worst foe of things as they
should be. The ossifed religiosity
OF the ruling class among the Jews
could not understand or tolerate for
an instant His fresh, vital spirit
from the hills. The crowning act
that evoked Pharisaical enmity was
the raising of Lazarus from the
dead. For this they hated both Laz-
arus and the Lord since it increased
the latter's popularity. There is a
direct connection between the tri-
umphal entry and the fact that the
Bethany home had given of its hos
pitality and friendship to Jesus.
So popular had the Master become,
for the moment, at least, that all the
snarling dogs of envy and bigotry
had to stink back, baffled, into OBJ
scurity. Behold, how ye prevail |
nothing; 10, the world has gone aft |
er Him." they said among them
selves. For in front of their eyes as
they gathered in sullen groups was
this tremendous ovation, which |
meant that Jesus was the idol of the |
hour. He could even be crowned |
king should He so desire. The dan
ger of popularity, in which flood !
many a promising hero has been en-
quilted, beset Jesus in full tide.
But He was not disturbed. There |
was not an extra beat to His pulse |
because of it and not the slightest |
flush of eXaltation upon His cheek.
He knew what was in man." and !
He appraised the demonstration at |
it's true value. He accepted eXalta-
tion as He accepted humility, mer>- |
ly as a part of the work which the |
Father had given Him to do. To |
Him the triumphal entry must have |
been unspeakably sad, for He recog- |
niZed that the fitful multitude
many of these very same persons |
who were shouting themselves hoarse |
with "hosanna"-would within the |
week be crying as Justify Cruelty |
Him! Cruelty HIM" The palm !
branches were but preliminary to the
tree upon which He would shortly !
suffer. All. heavy was the cross that
the gentle Jesus bore!
4 ConqucrOr's ScOurge
Conquerors get their name from |
conquests, and conquests mean strife,
Jesus was a warrior. There is ever |
need to recall the danger of over |
emphasizing His passive virtues. To |
stress His own lowliness and His
identity with the plain people and
his nonmilitary character Jesus rode
a humble donkey, instead of fiery
charger. Yet He came from one Sc
Iles OF cOnIllcIS ana was racing Otn-
ers. Immediately after the Tri-
umphal Entry He was to cleanse the
Temple.
The world has not many paintings
or statues of Je0us with a whip in
His hand. We do not like the atti-
tude, yet 1t was. in a degree, char |
acteristic. He came to cleanse as
well as to save. His love for a pure
church is typifed by His driving out
the traffickers from the Temple. He
cares for the purity of Gods house
and Gods people almost as much as
He cares for the salvation of a lost |
world. That is why He has in every |
age called some men to be reform
ers, to call the church back to her |
first estate. Only a pure church can |
serve a sinful world. And Christ's |
conquest is incomplete so long as His |
own friends are living contrary to |
nlaiu faaphinRq