The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-01-15
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
Especially Prepared for The Republic
can by DIR. u. S. Wright.

There had been a dramatic close TO
the address which Peter was making
after the healing of the lame man.
Thru the throng that filled the corner
of the great porch where they stood
little Gordon of Temple police pushed
their way and as Peter paused voice
said to him, you are under arrest.
Amusement mas upon every face but
the Disciples offered no protest and
there was no disturbance as they pass
ed to the cell where they must stay I'M
til morning. Tongues wagged and be-
levers multiplied over night for all this
had been excellent advertising. But
why should there have been an arrest?
These men had been getting the popu-
lar ear and were proclaiming an i'm
mortality that was a questioned belief
at any rate. The Sadducean party re-
jected it utterly. But the Pharlsee
held it so that this could not have been
the master motive for this use of force
against them. Who were these men?
Unauthorized disseminators of beliefs
that should be purveyed only under the
union label. The Rabbis had monop-
oily of the teaching function and here
were not of the elect so they must be
forbidden. Then they were talking to
the crowd labeled earlier as 'accursed"
by these same rulers and were daring
to think for themselves and to give
their thoughts to the poor and the out
casts upon the street corners. They
were dangerous agitators" who might
cause an uprising among these folk who.
had not the wit to discern the truth.
And it is true that the finding of num-
beriess fragments of papers from this
very day reveals the speech of Paul and
the rest as that of the common people
instead of that of the schools. They
used the tongue of the street in
stead of that of the book and the peo-
pie listened. Back of all else was the
right of free speech which the Sanhed-
rim would not recognize and it was the
battle still unsettled in some places that
Peter and the others waged IN that far
off day.
The CONTESTANTS.
The Sanhedrin was in the height of
its power in the days of Jesus and His
immediate followers. Rome used it in
an endeavor TO rlacate the lrreconcil-
able province and gave it uuaccustom-
ed Difference. 1t was an arlstocratic
body composed of representatives of
the chief families, the Elders: office
holders like the Chief Priest; scribes or
lawyers, mainly Pharisee IN party; and
political leaders who were Greek think
ing Sadducees. All the pride of ira
dition and race conferred in it and It
welded an authority that reached to the
farthest corner of the widely-scattered
Jewish world The body was prose
cutor, judge and jury as well as the in
terpretor of the Law so that 1t was
swaved more by expectancy than by
any desire for justice. 1t was the body
that had condemned Jesus. Caiaphas
was still its presiding officer and Annas
sat beside him. Conservatism and the
sense of it's own infallibility marked its
attitude. This was the august tribu-
nal that occupied the circle of seats
that morning when two fisherman ha-
raDguers Of the corner crowd were
ushered into the space in the center.
The healed cripple was along bat there
We're no others to bear the concentrat-
ed weight of overwhelming dignity that
looked down upon them. They should
have coliadsed under it but instead they
gazed back with eyes as level as those
that looked so curiously into theirs.
THE COURAGE.
The feeling for the crowd expressed
in the contemptuous "this" of inquiry
of the court brought only the ironica!
question Of whether they were arraign-
ed for good deed. Peter was evil
IDENTIFY enjoying himself and rejoicing
over the opportunity to speak to those
men, before whom he had cringed once
before as they condemned his Lord.
And he did not mince words nor hest
tate to charge them with the crime of
the cross, of inability to interpret the
Law in which they prided themselves
and of disloyalty to every jewish ira.
dition in rejecting Gods salvation for
the race. No wonder these casuistic
Weavers of words were still. They were
more than still they were stunned.
Memory went back to recent days when
within a stones throw Of where they
sat another had said, "Woe unto YOU,
ye blind guides. Ye fools, We hypo-
critics. Ye compass sea and land to
make proselYte and We make him two
fold more child of hell than your
selves" What a flash of light falls
across the attitude of Jesus during His
own trial when this holiness on Peters
part reminded them of Him They had
thought Him safely disposed of at Cal
vary but the contagion of His courage
and the importation of His Spirit was
filling their world with witnesses who
were like-minded. And there before
them stood a concrete deed like His
against which no word could be spoken
80 they merely ordered these troublers
of their peace out of court Peter had
swept everything clean. Expectancy
ruled the deliberations and all they
could say when the men were recalled
was, You are not guilty but don't do
it again" And they attempted to
muzzle the speech only to be met by the
refusal to obey any authority but that
of God-given experience. Fighting for
cause lifted them free of any fear;
the tribunal was helpless before them
and could only humble threats.
The CROWN.
There were no ''quitters" among the
throng gathered in the upper room
where they had probably prayed the
night away. There was nothing but
praise as they listened to the report
from the Court for they were feeling
that fellowship in which it is enough
that the disciples be as his TheyLord.
too could endure persecution for right
BUSINESS sake and in their prayer there
was no asking for any favors but only
that thev might with all holiness speak
fhn xrya1l A l.