Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-25

herbs. Mark 4:31-32.
Jesus gave these words as a great
general truth which would apply at
any point Of life. May we not take
this truth as Il basis around which TO
gather our thoughts for the natlty
day. If there had been an old timer
from Bethlehem present, as Jesus was
| giving the parable of the mustard
seed. we wonder what would baye been
running through his mind. Suppose even
that he was the man who had al
lowed his stable for the use of the
great throngs which had come to
Bethlehem to be registered at the
command Of Herod.
ITO this man the parable suggested
the details Of a scene far distant IN
time. A grain of mustard seed. less
than all the seeds. how these words
echoed through his mind. He saw
again the familiar details of his own
stable. There was the rough interior
and the beasts standing in their places.
He had been awakened that night by
the noise and confusion. The leader
Of this group was Herod. who was
the ruler in Jerusalem. He sent for
the wise men who were in the city
searching for the new born king. He
! said that he wanted to worship the
child. and asked that they report his
location. The wise men knew Herod's
heart and they made no report.
Wise Men
Yet. after all. there must have been
a few before the manger who viewed
the child neither with contempt or
fear. Wise men knew what others
only sensed. and sensed what others
! Hid not Irnar, TfAa civ p,ay conrl tn
be absolutely empty. but when there
is dead meat, the buzzards gather. 4
minute ago they were not. Now they
are. When wisdom is found. when
knowledge arises. when a prophet is
born, the horizon is clear, But wait
just a moment and you see the van-
guard of a multitude. They are the
wisest and best. They were at the
manger of the Christ child. From
where did they come? The east, that is
all we know and that is not much.
Who are they? Wise men, is this not
enough?
But the world does not have many
wise men. God must have loved the
common people. he made SO many of
| them, Lincoln tells us. There were a
great many in that day also. Many Of
! them were shepherds. They were not
wise. Out tuPFf are lllHPS WItn the
piety Of simple men carries them 10
greater heights than the wisdom of
! sages. This was one of those times.
They had not come in alteration. They
had brought no gifts. They had come
with a great faith in their hearts. They
had said, let us go to Bethlehem to
see this which God has made known
to US The least of all the seeds
yes. perhaps. but what difference did
it make when God was tied up in the
life Of that seed
Great Event.
And shall we neglect those to whom
this was one of the great vents of a
lifetime? Mary and Joseph We're there,
and they had still q different attitude.
The others had wondered when they
heard what the shepherds said about
the future of this Child. They had
put these thoughts away in the corner
Of their minds. Mary did not put them
in her mind. She 'pondered them in
her heart There may have been
alteration in Mary and Joseph. there
may have been faith. but surely there
was love, and the greatest of these
is love
There had been 40 place to put the
Child but in the manger, so into the
manger it had one. Could it be that
this teacher was giving IL clever autobi-l
ographical sketch? The greatest al
all the herbs-he looked around him xt4
the great multitude who had gatherbda
to listen TO the words of the baby WANg
had been born in his stable. He. studxe4
the eager expressions upon the. fac&Hs3
He had heard that this Man had doBe3
many mighty works, What was sfh1s3
thing, anyway. which was goink
right before his eyes? Was he aeeiflS1'
things right? Perhaps it was 0nIy I'M
aginationi Anyway. the future NOuld1
tell, Il
We stand beside this d, Wea
also wonder whether he is seeing thinner
whole and true. Perhaps we can an
swcr his query, for we view the sfns
alton from gMater perspectVeOnl r
conclusion is fat his iln~aginati0n was
revealing large and significant things.
Ard there is much to justify NH iA orr
view that this parable presentssap90utr
line into which we can fit the figifre
Of the Christ child.
Not Ashamed
"Our sfriend did not need to be-
ashamed if he had looked upon the
baby with contempt. If the great Ro-i
man emperor had been brought to the
stable. what would he have said? If he
had been told that this Child would be
known and h%onored long after the Ro1
man empire had crumbled to dust. he
might have beer forgiven a sneer. H
a great scholar Of Greece had beeII
brought to this manager, what Womb
have been his reactiont Paul found
it difficult 10 move the Greeks EVEN
with the news of One who had riyen55
from the dead. What if they had been
told that thousands would exaltand
almost worship this Child. who had
never heard the name of Aristotle orI
Plato: Perhaps they would have heenI
polite externally. but the pitysMdhere
would bave been in their hearts, What
would any ordinary citizen Of etNllse,,
hem have thought if told fhat#ehial
Child was set for the rise and fN1ttO4 I
kingdoms s@ayK4xzN
There are still those who lpmf1f99
contempt upon the Christ.
the Greeks and Romans OF tod NzY[Ne
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