Evening star., 1924-10-04

attendance we are called to consider
! how the Lord Jesus planned to carry
| HIS gospel to the people. During His
| first missionary tour through Galilee
lie had found people unshepherded.
| From every side, and at all hours. an
| ever increasing multitude of heart
| hungry, spiritually neglected and
! bodily diseased, pressed upon Him,
| seeking to be made whole He was
moved with compassion for those who
| were anxious to know about God.
Other faiths took it for granted that
God was known. Christ commenced
the development of Christianity by
bringing men face to face with Jeho-
vah. He tried to reveal unto them
| the reality of His fatherhood and the
seriousness of life. He sought to
! have them readjuSt their life until it
| concerned to the will of God.
! ChriSt's increasing popularity with
| the masses had aroused the jealousy
! of the Jerusalem ecclesiastical party
| His preaching of the spirituality of
the kingdom of God had antagonized
those who were expecting a temporal
kingdom. His disregard of the Sab
bath traditions by healing upon their
! sacred day and defendin: His hungry
disciples for reaping and threshing
the ears of corn that they plucked
and rubbed between their hands be-
| fore eating it in an effort to satisfy
| their hunger had unified the growing
| opposition into united effort to de-
stroy Him. They could not silence
| Christ, they sought to slay Him.
Jesus understood their plan.
! our Lord recognized that the hour
| had come for Him to organize His
| forces. The bitter enmity of the Jew
| iSh leaders from Jerusalem was max
| ing His work more and more difficult
He saw the need of appointing help
ers, who would be with Him and as
! siSt Him in His efforts for the poor
| neglected people. He was disturbed
| by their religious desolation and
| moral ruin. He faced the cross and
| knew that He must provide not only
for the emergency of the hour, but
also for the carrying on of the work
of the kingdom after His departure.
Apostolic College Established.
| Christ's formation of the Apostolic
| College was one of the greatest
| events in human history. Luke points
! out that Jesus was fully aware of the
| epoch making influence of His choice
| of the twelve by recording how He
| continued all the preceding night in
prayer. In doing it He blazed a new
path. Their appointment marked
distinct forward step in the develop
| ment of the Kingdom of God. He
revealed His startling originality
statesmanlike program and eternal
purpose of committing the work of
| reproducing His Spirit and complet-
ing His mission to a band of II
| chosen men. Their selection revealed
| His compa SSion for the uncared-for
! masses. 1t meant the adoption of a
| policy of defiance Of all opposition to
His work and the ultimate triumph
Of His work in spite of their en-
barraSSing efforts
After the calmneSs and silence of a
| nights communion. He called from
| the ranks of discipleship u men.
! whom He ordained to he apostoles.
The number chosen suggested the
! traditional symbolism of the Jewish
| race and was suggestive of all Israel
! and human brotherhood. one of the
narVelS is in the type of men He
called. Most of them had been fol-
lowers of John and had answered not
only the Yords call to be saved, but
also His invitation to matriculate in
| His school to be trained for personal
service. None of them belonged to
the influential and learned classes.
! They came from the ranks of humble
| work ingmen. Each man was delib-
! erately chosen for some positive
| value. They were not ordinary men.
| who would have drifted with the tide
of popularity. His selections revealed
| His insight into human nature. He
saw their fitness and germs of great
ness They proved to be men thor
| oughly fitted to carry out His pro-
| gram of eSta hlshing His church and
developing His kingdom. They occu-
/ py lin a sense the thrones of the
| modern world" Transformed by con-
tact With Jesus, their teachings con-
| cerning Him furnish the dynamic
/ force that today is changing the
| character of men, molding the his
for inc
| civilization. Through them and their
| successors as His representatives and
| teachers Jesus has been carrying on
His work. among men and nations.
! The Apostolic Mission.
! The great historical Importance of
the apostles commission appears in
their being transferred from the
| ranks of disciples to be His apostoles.
| They were promoted from being
students of soul winning to become
| His personal ambassadors and repre-
! sentatives. They were transferred
| from the private school of the Christ
to undertake public propa ganda with
| a worldwide aim. They were called
to dedicate their lives to His work
! by sharing with Him His poverty and
| perils He sought their personal fell
| lowship so that they might see what
| faith could do and not be hampered
by thinking of what faith costs.
| 1t was no mere accident that they
! were sent forth in pairs after they
! had absorbed His Spirit and learned
His ways without realizing that they
| had done it. Each man had been
deliberately selected for some par
ticular value. They had been paired
off so that they would supplement
one another in their trials, trlbula-
tions and triumphs. The prompt, i'm
| 1ciy and ODlnlOn-
| ated Peter was sobered by his
deliberate, thoughtful, practical eau
tious and calculating brother Andrew.
| Rendel Harris has suggested that the
| next pair of brothers were called,
sons of thunder" because they were
like "the thunderstorm in their ideals
and outlook" due to their insight.
imagination, passion, devotion and
capacity for Indignation" The am
| bilious James, whose early death, as
a martyr, suggests his aggreSsiveneSs,
| was paired with his spiritually mind
| ed brother John, whose philosophical
and mystical character is seen in his
| marvellous gospel and Interpretation
| of Jesus. There is some foundation
for believing that these brothers
| possessed some wealth and had In
| fiuential connection in Jerusalem, al
| though they were working men.
The slow witted, calculating, sc1en-
tific and practical Philip had as his
companion the nimble- minded, quick
| witted and spiritually intuitive Ma
thaniel Bartholomew. Skeptical, pessl-
mistc Thomas, who proved his loyalty,
devotion and bravery, had as his yoke
| fellow the believing, far-sighted and
| gifted "star-like genius" Matthew, who
reveals his modesty by referrin to him
self as 1.-The publican" in the first gos-
| pel. where he so magnificently recorded