Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-12-09

1t is hard for us to understand
how anyone could be bitter against
Jesus. We would like to have Him
in our city so much that we could
hardly understand how those lead
ers of the Jewish people, in the days
OF His flesh, made it so uncomfor-
table for Him that it. was actually
dangerous for Him to remain in
their territory. Their hatred of Him
Grew so intense that they even tried
Z to stone Him to death and would
cave done so had He not, more than
once, protected Himself by getting
cut of their way. And it all grew
out of the fact that He did not OBJ
serve their idea of how the Sabbath
should be kept! You remember that
He had hcale1 the man born blind,
Aus L happened to be on the Sab
GsttA aay when He performed this
wonderfully gracious miracle. Out
OF this grew a discussion in which
lie claimed Oneness with His F'a-
tber and made them charge Him
With blasphemy because He claimed
TO be the Son of God. And this an
sered them that He had to leave
Judea entirely and go over into
Perea, 1or they had determined to
take His life.
Loves Call
After He had been there for some
time message came which was
prompted by love. Mary and Martha
sent word to Him. Their brother
was desperately i'll. Evidently they
had tried all that human skill could
dc, without avail, or they would not
nave called on Jesus. They knew
that He had had to leave Judea on
account OF the danger to His life.
They didn't suggest what He was to
do; they might have thought that He
would heal Lazarus as they had
known Him to do the centurion s
son--at Il distance. Their message
-S'as just this: Lord, he whom Thou
lowest is sick. 1t was loves call
thelr love for Lazarus calling upon
bis love Tor Lazarus, and leaving to
his love the means He should use
to supply his need
Loves Delay
When Jesus received that mes.
sage He said to His disciples: This
sickness is not unto death, but for
the glory of God" What a differ
ent view lie took of sickness from
what most people did then and do
now! For the glory of God. Why,
We always look upon it as punish.
nlent for wrongdoing or as disaster
Every sickness may be for the glory
o. God. Make your next illness that.
But the remarkable thing is that
instead of going at once to relieve
INN, or speaking the word of heal
ing, Jesus did nothing-nothing but
oelay two whole days just where He
was! And this action is the more
notable in view of what John said
that Jesus loved Mary, and Martha.
anu Lazarus. There are two Greek
words Tor love-one is phlo, the
weaker word, and the other is aeaDo
the stronger. When the sisters sent
word to Him they used the weaker
word; they didn't claim the stronger
aIIectlon. But John uses the
stronger word. Jesus had more than
an affection; He loved with a great
devotion these three. And vet@and
yet, when they were in need which
he could supply He DELAYED two
Whoie days without taking a novel
1t was loves delay; it was q GOOD
zeal harder on Jesus than it was on
the sisters. 1t would have been =
Whole lot easier on Him Just to saw
the word which would have meant
heanng, but it was loves DELAY: He
wanted to do more for them than
was possible if He acted then.
Loves Daring
Ihen Jesus said to His disciples.
Let us go into Judea again" What
why, 1t was like throwing a bomb
into a camp The disciples might
nave thought that He was crazy.
the ldea of going right back into a
pace Where only a short time ago
more than one attempt had been
made to stone Him to death. and
which He had left when thew tried
TO take His life! What could He
be thinking of?
But they didn't appreciate that
loVe is daring, that love knows no
danger if love is needed A mother
VIII run into a room Attire, with no
thought of her own danger. if she
knows or even thinks that her child
is IN that room. Love will dare any
thlng. And Jesus dared, because He
knew, as He said, that there is no
uangef to the man who walks in the
nght. only darkness is dangerous.
lie knew that a man is immortal
until Ills work is done: that a man
VINO is walking in the way of the
VIII OF God cannot be touched by
0ou enemies except as God wills,
AND whatever He wills is best
THOMAS exhibited some of This
uallig himself, for a few moments
later, when they saw that there was
no chance of keeping Him from go
ing, danger or no danger, Thomas
said to the other disciples: .'WelI
come on, if He will go and die. LET
us go along and die with Him :"
Thomas exhibited love but not faith
lie was ever devoted to Jesus. but
ne hadn't come to see the stronger
, nght vet of walking in the LIGHT
IN the face of such love as he dis
prayed, 1t is strange that a few
weeks later he forsook Jesus at the
critical hour
Loves Insight
beIore they left for Judea, Jesus
SAID to His friends: "Our friend Taz-
, arus sleepeth." They were much on.
couraged, thinking that the crisis of
she diSeaSe had passed and that
lazarus was resting comfortably. He
spoke of his death. They had never
heard OF death in such term. II
was new revelation that Christ
gave which has been the heritaoe
OIL the Christian ever since. Paul
Aused the same term in comfortino
,he Ihessalonian Christians whose
owed ones were lost a while. So
uull were these followers of .Tesus
though that He had to speak plainly
70 Them and tell them that what
re meant was that Lazarus was
uead already. 1t was loves INSIGHT
tnat told Him. OF course He mi@ht
NV known lt-and did-as the Son
OIL God; but such things also han.
pen TO persons like ourselves. There
IRE people who are 'psychics' who
IRE SO keenly sensitive to mental
impressions that they have an in.
,uitiVe knowledge of what hanpens
% those whom they love above thar