The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-07

rusalem, to bring the master word that his
 close friend, Laza- .S.ss.z rus was desperate Ny ill.
 Evidently the messenger did not know that Lazarus had died in the mentime. Doubtless the master knew it even before the news of the illness reached him.
 Two days later the master called his disciples about him and announced his plan to return to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. These men demurred to the suggestion, remind ing the Master that official andsorgan-' ized opposition to him was already so acute that it was a hazardous thing for him to return to the environs of Jerusalem. It was at this time that their leader said to them, "our friend, Lazarus, sleepeth; but I go that may waken him out of sleep" The men around him, always slow to under stand, began suggesting the value of sleep and rest. The Master replied by saying to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead"
 Darkness Before Dawn
 It was four days later that Jesus and his group approached Bethany. Per- haps it was the same messenger who had carried the news thirty-five miles from Bethany to Bethabara that had kept on the lookout, and finally notified Mary and Martha that the Master was on his way to their home. As soon as Martha heard this, she started walk ing swiftly out on the road to meet the family's great friend.
 She talked with him as they pro- ceeded along the road, and among other things said between sobs, If thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now if you would ask it, his life would be restored" She did not~under- stand the Masters reply when he said, 'Thy brother shall rise again." Mar tha then reaffirmed her faith and un- derstanding about one of the great les. sons she had learned from him about the resurrection at the last day. Perhaps she did not as fully un- derstand what the Master then said about himself being the resurrection and the life.
 Martha was impatient to let Mary know that the Master was actually near. She therefore ran ahead of the group
  tiptoed quietly to where Mary sat among the neighbors who had come in | to- comfort the stricken family, and whispered to her that the Master was on his way there and had asked for her.
 | And this, Mary immediately got up and started out along the road. When she finally met the Master and his group as they walked along, she fell down at his feet using exactly the same expression that Martha had used only little while before. If thou hadst been here my brother would not have | died"
 The Supreme Miracle Naturally the Master was greatly moved in his comprehensive sympathy toward these two lonely girls in their great sorrow. As soon as he came to the house, without waiting to rest or refresh himself from his' long walk of thirty miles, immediately asked, Where have you laid him?"
 Naturally the whole group of friends and neighbors went out to the grave. | The Masters next word was, take away the stone." This being done, the Master raised his eyes in a prayer that was perhaps very little understod by othose who stood near him. When he had finished the prayer he said in loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth," and in a moment the greatest miracle in the history of the world had taken place. Here walked forth from a crypt of that little cave in a chalk cliff with graveclothes still upon him, Lazarus, man who had bee9 dead and buried four days.
 | Political Die -Hards l No wonder the chief priest and Phar- isees excitedly called a caucus. They were throughly worried. For them and their Journalism and rituals and their jobs, things were going to pieces. As bled, one of the older dignified and soon as their little meeting was assem- sanctimonious priests addressing the chairman, arose and said, What are we going to do about this thing? This strange fellow from Galilee, starting back wonder in Canna, three years ago, actually turned water into wine, while attending the wedding of friends in his home community. If he had stopped at that, I think the matter would be of small consequence. But
 he has gone on from that to cleansing lepers, healing the sick, casting out demons, opening the eyes of the blind, even of those blind from birth, and now he has actually raised a man from the dead, who had been in the grave so long that doubtless decomposition had set in. Why, if we let this thing go on, all the people everywhere will believe in this Galilean.
 Not only that, but having thus dealt a death blow to our great religion and the existing church, there is very great danger that the people will finally pre- vail upon this fellow to accept a crown and set himself up as king in opposl- tion to the Roman empire. If that should happen you all well know that there would be but one further step to the end, when the Roman legions With their eagles and banners would come and beat Judiasm and the Jewish na- tion from the face of the globe.
 The Plan
 There was one fellow in this con ference named Caiaphas. He was the high priest for that year. Being recog- nized by the chair, he got up and said My friends, the trouble with you is, you don't seem to know anything. Some how you have failed to understand that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
 The record says that Caiaphas spoke this, mot of himself but being high priest. prophesied that Jesus should die only. but that he should gather together for the nation; and not for the nation only. but that he should gather together ] in one, the children of the father that was scattered abroad"
 , This expression from the high priest has caused much discussion and has given rise to varying opinions.
 May be he did in fact mean to say