The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-08
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
BY Wv. Il. ELLIS

regard faith that the question of Jesus
to His disciples was, When the Son
of Man =cometh, shall he find faith on
the earth?'
TOO Late.''
The swift progress of Jesus and
JairuS was like a triumph with the
crowds thrcnging after them; but 1t
was interrupted by two incidents
once when Jesus turned sharply
around and demanded to know who
ha6 touched His garments. A woman
with incurable disease had timidly,
trustfully, reached forth to lay hands
upon His cloak. Her humble faith
did not venture to lift its eyes to His
face or to challenge His personal at
tcntion. In the lowliness of trustful
womanhood, it sought only to touch
the garment of the wonder-worker
The Master tarried to speak the word
of coInfor and assurance to this
trusting, needy woman Jesus always
had time to be helpful The grandeur
of the characters of Lincoln and Lee
is shown by nothing more clearly than
by the fact that amid all the vast
concerns of state they never lost their
simple human interest in individuals
They had time to care for persons
The delay caused by the Masters
ministry to this timid sick woman.
whose touch of faith had singled her
have caused Jairus to chafe. we
would rather believe. tho. that a fell
Iow-feeling made him wondrous KIND.
and that he was glad to share the
Master himself. Jairus was to learn
that Gods delays are not denlals-
TOO late, too late!"-that second
interruption by one of the family
servants of Jairus supported his worst
forebodings. The dire tid1ngs were
conveyed that the maiden was dead.
The refinement and unselfishness that
pervaded that whole household was
revealed bv the inquiry, why trou-
blest thou the Master any further!
Seemingly Jesus himself did not take
seriously the message from the strick-
en- household He quickly silenced
both Jairus and the servant by me
mysterious reinsurance, ear Ho,'
only believe"
Into the House of Mourning.
A graphic picture of oriental
mourning is given by Mark in the
closing lines of this story, And they
came to the house of the ruler OF the
synagogue; and he beholdeth tu-
multi, and many weeping and WalHnS
greatly. And when he was entered IN,
he saith unto them, Why make we a
tumult, and weep? The child is not
dead but sleepeth. And they laughed
him to scorn. But he, having put
them all forth, taking the father of
the child and her mother and them
that were with him, and goeth in
where the child was. And taking the
child by the hand, he said unto her,
Talitha cumi, which is, being inter-
preted, DamSel, 1 say unto. thee,
Arise. And straightway the damsel
rose up, and walked; for she was
twelve years old. And they were
amazed straightway with great
amaZement."
rx-h irIa
had planned was not for common
eye. The crowd were kept out of the
house. The hireling mourners were
iilenced. With only the father and
mother and His own intimates whom
He was training in the higher school
of faith, Jesus went into the cham
Der with the still form, to perform
the greatest work of His earthly min
istry up to the moment. The very
elaborateness of these preparations
| aroused strange expectations.
The Summons of Life.
We are tempted to dwell upon the
| symbolism of the command of Jesus
to the little girl, 'Damsel, I say un-
| to thee, Arise. That is what Jesus
| is doing unto young men and young
women everywhere. He, more than
any other force, is lifting up life.
Life ascends at His call The high
| est progress of civilization is in ODE
But the simple fact of the narra-
| tive is greater than any homilies.
Jesus took the hand of her that was
dead and commanded her back to
| life. He proved himself Master of
death as of life. That truth was too
overwhelming to be grasped even by
] His intimateS until after the resur-
rection had made it clear Even
| those who witnessed the miracle
| scarcely realized that He was giving
| the supreme test of His messiahship
The scene in the death chamber is
eloquent with the message that the
| entire attitude of the friends of Christ
towards death had been changed by
| Him. He has banished wailing and
hopeless grief, even as He drove out
the hired mournerS from Jairus's
| house. Today the Christians grave
suggests the eternal hope.
While some have been calloused in
| heart by the horrors of war most of
us have been uplifted by the dig
| nifty of death and by the glory of great
| ideals which transcend the grave.
| There is a real sense in which Christ
walks amid the battlefields consoling
the dying and receiving the dead, and
calling into His presence-for He, too.
died a violent death in young man.
hood for the sake of honor and duty
and righteousness and divine loyalty
countless brave young soldiers who
have gone cover the top" to the
| heights of heaven. NFor them, battle
| field death has been but the entrance
upon sublimer life than earth could
! afford.
! Lifting by Rising
/ TerSe Comments on the Uniform