Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-12-23
jesus Among Friends md Foes.

4
The tenth chapter OF Luke Is Il
frame IN which the portrait or
friend ct Jesus Will he found. The
eleventh chapter is IA frame in which
the portrait OF an enemy OF Jesus will
De found. There they hang. side by
side. This juNtapOsition is probably
an accident OF the narrative. not the
design OF the writer. But the adj
vantage is great. II facilitates com
! phrison and contrast. The various
motives. methods and results Of
friendship and -nmity are apparent
AT glance Jesus came TO the
( ship generous hospitality met Him
on the doorstep. All that house and
heart could give was His AT once
Eh"rc every night Uf that last week
az his mortal lie II. was sheltered
aud comiort.d by a whole souI.d and
understanding affection. An in
Innate and familiar domestic scene is
given with naive simplicity and
br"viiy. Martha in the Kitchen. Mary
in the parlor. Whittier. the poet OF
domesticity, says:
when He who. sad and weary. long
Ing SOT.
! For loves sweet service sought the
sisters door.
One s"w the heavenly, one the nu-
man Guest.
But Who shall say which loved ~.
Master BEST
tachcd Ia Jesus reply 10 Martha. II
Is even capable Of "a humorous in
depreciation. Mary has chosen even
a better function than you have and
Won tnk: II from her even at your
request" The. Communion NOR
trait is not so pleasing. In fact i,
Is r"pulsivc. Eut 1t is well TO looS
az II spuarely. Jesus stood out alone
EainSt the !ntr.nchcd and towering
.ccles!nstic!sni OF His day. Tho liv-
INK spirit of religion had long since
fed the hollow form. The time
serving "cclcsia.tics were busy tith-
ing trivial nothinss and emitting
jus,ic" and love. The growth Of
hypocrisy was by such impcrCcptiblc
degrees that many We're stiil 50 self
deceived and unconscious of IL as 10
'hink thcy wcr. actually doing Gods
service. With AN, UESparinr hand
Jesus suatChcd away the mask
IL" fulhll"d Nalachis prophccy Iic
was IN" r"iiicr's Are. the iuller's
SOAP. u was matter OF sclf-prcScr-
walton that IN" Scrihes AMI Iharisccs
conspir"d for Ills destruction. Th.r.
could b" no truce. Jesus must lie put
out Of the way or else the cnrren,
.cc!"sidSttciSm would be. and with IL
iihc honcrs ana cmolumcnts Of the
incumbents The progress Of in.ol-
"rancc and hatred WAS swift. Prob
ably the murder Of Jesus was not
however, contemplated from the start:
"ht soon every means available TO
at
thosc holy hands that had given
sig ht 20 the blind. had fed the hungry.
and blessed little children, Were.
nailed 10 the bloody cross.
Under the study Lamp.
Jesus is the great Divisor. Men
must be FOR or again Him. The
words OF Simeon. uttered over the in
rant Messiah. have had fuliillmcnt in
each successive generation. H.. is
set for the rise ard fan OF many.
/ Not by arbitrary or mechanical
means. but by mems respective self
election. As men choos. Him. they
| rise. az they refuse him. they fall
= Ana that, too. not separately
and Individually, but collectively and
| socially. in family. State. nation and
/ erecting individual character or go
| cial structure upon the rock. The
contrary is building on shifting sand
Satire Is tho more effective
| weapon against fraud and sham, and
( Jesus VAS the consumniaj. satiriat
Jurcnai. Horace and the modern satir-
/ lists are mild and tame -, ,.omparcd
,o,,,,, lin: Wlin"ss His "whi'ed
! street corners" aims before men"
generation of vipers," how escane
damuatiou Of hell" \ new in
/ depreciation is given the phrase
hitcd Scpulchcr.' The. accented
idea has been that the contrast was
/ between the whitcwashcd exterior
and the corruption within. The mod
I crn reading is 'tOmbs which appear
/ not unwhitewashed and cunsc-
| pucntly giving no warming so that
| men urconSciously walk over them
and acquire ceremonial dcflemcnt
30 the people We're unwarned Of the
fharisccs' hypOcritical corruption
and wcr" easily their prey.
I Under the Guisc Of a novel. Charles
Dickens was modern Satirist In
"oliver Twist" he satirizcd the con-
duct Of British poorhouscs: four
dominics started to London with
their fcrulcs under their arms to
heat him for his picture Of SuuccrS
school, and his parody on the cir
cumlocution Office" and the pathetic
case Of Jarndycc vs.. Jarndycc led TO
reformation i'll each instance. The