The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-20


"Jesus Tempted Luke Alb.
And the high soul takes the high road
and in between on the misty flats
The rest drift to and fro;
But to every man there openeth
A high way and low,
And every man decideth
The way his soul shall CO."
According to Freud, nowadays so
hastily popular, there is nothing
higher. in a human being than his
desires; according to Jesus. and all
who teach His doctrine, a mans de-
sires should be subordinate wholly
to a mans will; and than that will
there is yet a higher law. the will of
God.
Society has slumped sadly in our
time because men and women have
chosen the low road of desire, in
stead Of the high road of duty. That
choice forever determines destiny.
A queer notion has sprung up,
along with the modern revival Of
pagan PHILOSOPHERS and jungle prac-
tees, to the effect that desire, or
doing anything This is the theme
of most of the neurotic, erotic drivel
that passes for popular" fiction. The
commonest whine of the discovered
criminal is az was tempted to do it.
A sufficient defense for any evil
existed a temptation to it. Tempta-
ton is thus regarded as something
to be followed, rather than. as in
our grandfathers' sterner day, as
something to be resisted. Our flabby
popular code makes nov provision,
seemingly, for moral fibre or for force
of character or for power of free
decision. Because a person has fallen
into temptation is counted sufficient
excuse for sin.
alike as We Are.''
That silly idea might pass uncha1-
lenged, along with a deal of other
current loose thinking, did it not
come squareIy up against the clear
example of Jesus Christ, and the eX-
plicit teachings of Scripture. Every
weakened dall:er Experience"
every wobbly sentimentalist, every
spineless Christian, is confronted by
the unacceptable fact that Jesus Him
self met temptation-real and power
full temptation-and overcame it
utterly. He was tempted in ALI
points like as we are. yet without
sim" He overcame the seduction to
evil by no power that may not be
every mans.
There is more here than lies on the
surface. If the temptation of Jesus
was not.
"As idle as a painted ship
Upon q painted ocean"
If it was no mere make-believe
and theatrical show-then we face
the stupendous truth of the complete
humaneness of the Son of God. If
Jesus was, as the record explicitly
states, really tempted, then he could
yield to temptation, even as you and
1. 1t was possible for Christ to fall.
What a startling revelation of the
entire humanity of the Elder Brother
who came to show US all the way to
the Father! Jesus could have fallen
before temptation, just like US: and
He did overcome temptation. What is
more, He conquered by no power that
is not at the command of every other
child of God.
See where this mighty fact leads
US. If Jesus won in a direct con-
flict with the Tempter, then He has
shown clear road open before the
feet of every other son of man to
come off victorious over all the be-
setments of sin. In other words, it is
clearly possible FIR a man or a woman
to live a life that has been lifted
above the control of circumstance
life, loyal to the word and will of
God. This is the way of escape"
provided for US when we are tempted.
As Christ conquered, so may we con-
quer.-
The Drama of the Desert.
This short story of the Temptation
of Jesus naturally, as a re-
action after the spiritual exaltation of
His baptism by John, and the approx
ing Voice from the clouds-should be
read itself, to make comment upon
it understandable. I quote from the
Weymouth version:
Then Jesus, full of the Holy
Spirit, returned from the Jordan,
and was Led about by the Spirit in
the Desert for forty days. tempted
all the while by the Devil. Dur
ing those days He ate nothing, and
at the close of them He suffered
from hunger.
Then the Devil said to Him,
'If you are Gods son, tell this
stone to become bread"
TT is written" replied Jesus,
Tt is not on bread alone that a
man shall live"
The Devil next led Him up and
caused Him to see at a gl,.nce all
the kingdoms of the world. And
the Devil said 10 HIM:
ITO you will I give all this au-
tthortty and this splendour; for it
has been handed over to me, and
on whomsoever I will bestow it.
If therefore you do homage to me,
1T shall all be yours
Jesus said in answer to him: cit
is written, TO the Lord thy God
lAOu S1ldlL QO HOIIldSSs anu 10 Him
alone shalt thou render Worship"
Then he brought Him to 1erusa-
lem and caused Him to stand on
<he roof of the Temple, and said
to Him, If you are Gods Son. throw
yourself down from here; for it is
written, He will give orders to His
angels concerning thee. to guard
thee safely; and 'On their hands
they shall bear thee up. Lest at
any moment thou shouldst strike
thy foot against a stone.'"
The reply of Jesus was 'It is
said, Thou shalt not put the Lord
thy God to the proof"
So the Devil, having fully tried
every kind of temptation on Him,
left Him for a time.
I The Sag of the Soul.
Everybody who has consciously
lived, knows that sag of the soul
that downward tug and pull of doubt
and fear-which LEAFS a person to
distrust, his own higher nature and
capabilities. The universally Of the