The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-03

Tonight m the Twenty seventh
chapter OF Matthew and the twenty
second verse, what Shall Do With
Jesus, Which Is Called Christ"
Nintecn hundred years ago a
star poised above a lowly manger in
Bethlehem. and above the moonlit
hills q Judea the angels heraided
the beginning of the life OF Jesus
Christ upon this earth. who came to
teach us the religion of human kind
ness brotberiy love and repentance
through faith In his shed blood.
No matter what He said or did.
the Jews refused to acknowledge His
claims as the Messiah, and their en-
nifty finally culim ated in the great
est tragedy that the brutality of
man ever committed (or the eve OF
God ever witnessed--the murder of
Jesus Christ under false testimony.
Jealous Of His popularity. and re-
tectsng His Divinity. they resolved at
all hazards to kill him.
Not having the power OF life and
OF DEAN in their own hands or trtb-
unals, they denounced him before
plate. the Roman governor. To
stir up his ennity. they said that
He was an irnposter. that He had
an enemy OF the government.
And PLATE examined these
charges they made against Him, and
being Unable to prove Him guilty
OF any offense worthy of death.
plate proposed that they release Him.
Eut the rabele shrieked and scream
ed: No Away with Him. Give us
Earahbas.'
And next TO Jesus. plate k the
most important parsonage on the
scene and II Is from his lips fall
! the words have taken for my text.
Ard when they cried "Barabbas.''
what will do with Jesus. which Is
called the Christ? have got rid OF
Bara bhas at your suggestion, but
still have Jesus on my hands"
And ! late WAS very near the line.
He tried to reason with them and he
! arose from the throne and took
Jesus by the hand and led him out il,
front OF Them and asked them:
What rhail do then with Jesus
| And so ] lead Him out before this
I audience tonight and ask you the
same words that PLATE asked the
crowd that surged around the throne
that day.
Confronted by F1end..
Plate was confronted, my friends
with difficulties He had many
things to encourage him and he had
other things to discourage him.
First, 30 encourage him, he had his
wife's cIeam. The story of Mrs
+; PLATE is very briefly told In the Bible.
II Is all contained in one verse OF
Scripture II Is no evidence OF her
worth and character as A. woman that
| God condescended TO reveal Himself
in a dream 10 her. He revealed Him
self in dream to Pharaoh. to
! Nebuchadnezzar. Yet for all we know
Mrs Plate might have been a very
rcverent, devout woman. constantly
on the alert TO save her husband from,
tho difficulties which she knew his
miserable, pliable temper would lead
him into. And somehow while she
slept, God worried her by a dream
What He revealed. I don't know, but
| It was presumably about Jesus and
the part her husband was to play In
this awful tragedy because they
couldn't put Him on the cross withou,
| the consent OF PLATE.
! And she sent messenger to PLATE
with the message: Have thou moth.
| ing to do with this Just man. II others
want to murder him. let them do so
! but don't you ever be led to, do t.
Have nothing to do with Him."
| So we have the personality of Jesus
Never had such a personality appear
ed before PLATE for sentence. There
He stood in His calmness. in His
purity and in His power. more beauti-
| full than n dream Of Pericles.
I am frank to tell you. II wa
on a jury the personality Of the man
would have a big drag with me. al
most as much as what the man would
| say on the witness stand. II
were called upon to try man like
Bryan, Roosevelt. am frank to tell
you their personality would have a
tremendous drag with your Uncle
Fuller.
And so ne had the personality Of
Jesus. He had the miracles OF Jesus
! / do not know that PLATE had ever
! witnessed Christ perform a miracle.
IL don't know that PLATE had ever
seen man or woman who had been a
+, cipent OF the power OF Jesus. Posi-
tive am l that he knew about the
miracles. for they were current con-
lversation. and there was no section
~ tho oountrY that n coQlA No int1