Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-11

Golden TEXT: "Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the Living God" Matt.
Is: 16.
The opposition to Jesus and His
claims had been growing SO strong
that lie even turned away from the
land, the land of the promised pos
session of the kingdom of David
and came into the coasts of Cacserea
and Philippi. Here in foreign terri
. EAfy with His disciples alone He be-
49,, teaching them the things con-
corning the kingdom which had not
been limited at before the leaders of
the people began to reject it as He
presented it.
One day they were on one Of the
rocky shoulders in the neighborhood
of Mt. Hermon. Beneath their feet
was the bedrock and all about them
were great boulders and some pieces
Of cut rock for building purposes.
In general the formation of the
country was similar to that around
Stone mountain in these particulars
-7-bed-rock, boulders, and stone for
building purposes. Luke tells us
that it was here as He was alone
praying, His disciples being with
Him, that He asked them a question
Whom do men say hat l, the Son
of Man, ann"
The fact Of His praying before He
asked the question and then reveal
ed to them the truths that followed
is most significant. 1t gives us some
clue as to His thoughts and the bur-
den of His. prayers. lie knew that
the growing opposition of the rul-
ing classes would end in His death.
He had opposed their traditions so,
He had antagonized their misrepre-
sensations of God so that they would
not stop at anything short of get
ting Him out of their way entirely.
He knew that, and His prayer must
have been for strength for Himself
that He might be able to do all the
will of God and not be turned aside,
and for His disciples that their faith
might be made strong enough to
carry them through. 1t was to get
an expression from them and to lead
them out that He put this question
to them-"Whom do men say that [,
the Son of Man, amp"
Some say John the Baptist, some
Elijah, some jeremiah, or one Of the
other prophets" they replied. Oh!
how unthinking, how superficial is
the crowd! How could lie have been
John the Baptist when the two had
been seen together? They seem not
to have had any decided opinion
themselves, as yet.
Their answer though also gives us
some idea of His versatility. To
have made the impression on some
that He was the flaming prophet
Elijah, and on others that He was
the weeping prophet jeremiah, shows
at least that Jesus was q man Of
varied capabilities.
But when He puts to them the
more direct question-"but whom
say We that l ann" their opinions
are crystallized. Peter, outspoken as
usual, replied: Thou art the Christ,
the Son Of the Living Cod"
This confession was rather re-
markable, for He had specifically
designated Himself as the Son Of
man, the term that expressed most
perfectly His perfect humanity SO
Peters reply was, Thou, the per-
lection of humanity, art the Mes
siah long expected; and Thou art
more, the Goldman, the Son Of the
Living God. In those few words
Peter summed up His belief in the
humanity of Jesus, in the deity of
Jesus, and in His fulfillment Of all
the Messanic prophecies and hopes
for the Davidic throne.
No wonder Jesus answered him.
Blessed art thou, Simon Johnson;
no man told YOU that, nor did you
get it out Of your inner conscious
ness; but My Father which is in
Heaven, whose Son you declare Me
to be, He unveiled it to you. No
one can know the Son except him
to whom the Father reveals Him.
Is it any wonder, therefore, that the
Modernist deriss His deity, His
virgin birth, His atoning death, His
bodily resurrection-the Modernist
who is conceited enough to think
that by his own searching he can
find God?
The further words of Jesus would
never have been so misunderstood
IL a little thought had been given
to the words themselves and to the
setting as given above in the sec
ond paragraph of this article Jesus
had no thought OF saying that upon
Peter He would build His church.
!. Here was what He really said:
Thou are petros Ga little rocl) and
upon this petra Ghis great .lnderly-
ing stratum, this BEDROCK I will
build my church" Peter. the man
who was to be only one of the