Evening star., 1925-03-28
BY REV. HUGH T.. STEVENSON.
REVIEW: CLOSING PERIOD
OF CHRIST'S MINISTRY.
Golden text--Jesus Christ Is
the same yesterday and today,
yea, and forever.--Hebrews,
Kills.


studies have followed the life of Jesus
Christ. They have served to give us
a vision Of the greatest personality
In all history. Although a recent
writer has presented study OF the
Lords career under the title OF THE
Man Nobody Knows" yet facing the
facts that we have considered during
the last three quarters there has come
the conviction that our knowledge OF
Him Is such that we know that Jesus
Christ Is the same yesterday, TO-DAY,
yea, and forever"
Prof. julius Richter has been point
ing out in q series OF lectures that he
has been delivering in many Ameri-
can educational centers. the desperate
conditions of the religious world, due
to gigantic spiritual changes In reli-
gious faiths throughout the world.
This eminent authority has enumer-
ated vital changes due to the fact
that religious concepts that have
guided nearly half of the human race
for centuries have been destroyed"
We face an unusual situation in the
religious life of the world, with the
majority of the human race today
without any firm foundations for
their faith. According to Prof. Rich
ter, "the romantic tsarism of Russia,
which embodied the spiritual ideas Of
the Greek Catholic Church, is a thing
of the past. The religious life of &
tenth of mankind is. affected by the
change"
The Mohamm edans have abolished
"the Moslem caliphate" The caliph
has been exiled. The whole world of
Islam is reduced to confusion, and this
confusion touches the religious life Of
an eighth of the race. When the
Manchu dynasty fell in China there
fell with II religious ideas 1000 years
old. Under the ancient order en-
peror, viceroy and mandarin acted as
priests, offering the annual sacrifices
of the people to their spiritual rulers.
This whole system eliminated in the
service of the emperor, acting as
priest for the whole nation, at the
altar OF heaven in Peking. This is
all gone now. The change in China Is
a change that affects a quarter of the
race"
The Cnshaken Christ.
Our studies brought us face to face
with the facts Of Christ's life recorded
in the Gospels, which We studied along
scientific lines without preconcepuons as
to their meaning. During the first two
quarters we followed the life OF the
Master from His birth in Bethlehem
manger to the close Of the central period
Of His ministry. when he demonstrated
His power over death by raising Laz-
arus. During those lessons we found
JESUS guiding His followers into what
was, in truth, a new world, into new
understanding Of life in all its relations.
He tried to make clear the relations
that were obscure, and give to His fol-
lowers a perspective OF life and help
them to understand its spiritual value.
He gave them new attitude toward
God and a new attitude to men. He
filled them with new enthusiasm, new
passions and new sympathies.
We noticed the evidence that Jesus
knew that as a result Of His ministry
He faced an inevitable end. There was
something about our Lord that was be-
yond human knowledge. so that con-
corning His life the disciples were per-
picked. Probably every person, who has
tried to solve all the problems concern
ing the life Of Christ, has found in their
study of our Lord q never-ending mys-
terry. Henry Drummopd has well said
We are dealing with facts; we need
not be distressed II we do not under
stand them. Gods love-how could we?
Gods forgiveness-how could we?" II
was inevitable that when the teachings
Of Christ clashed with the vested selfish
lulcIcsl5 VI lIldl ne NOulO Hiecl
the opposition Of the Pharisees. The
Lords love for the people, who were
suffering oppression from their hard
and fast legal system, aroused their
antagonism by His attitude to-
ward their cherished ideals and re-
ligious graft. We saw it open up dur
ing His Galilean ministry. but their op-
position did not change His plans. He
faced the cross and we saw Him move
toward Jerusalem, knowing that it
would mean His death. without fear.
We followed Him in His calling and
training the II, who every day dis
covered something attractive and new
about the personality of their Master
but who looked ahead to a place in q
temporal Kingdom. due to the influence
of their national teachings and re-
ligious expectation of Messiah. They
had ventured all that they possessed in
their love for Him and His principles
but they protested vigorously at the evil
dent purpose of Christ to suffer This
was contrary to their expectations. We
saw the followers of Christ falling
away at His refusal to accept political
leadership and honora There was dan
ger that the apostles would leave Him
as He set His face toward Jerusalem, if
He had not possessed the poise that in
spired them by His unshaken confidence
and faith.
Last Week.
The closing portion of Christ
ministry has been the subject Of our
last quarters studies In giving one
third of our time to studying the
events of the Masters last week in
the flesh and His 40 days spent among
men after His resurre ction, we fol-
lowed the example Of the writers OF
His life in the gospels. From the
entrance of Jesus in triumph over
the palm-spread roads from Bethany
to Jerusalem amidst the enthusiastic
cheers of the people until he was
crucified, our Lord bent all His efforts
to prepare His apostles for His newt
able end on the cross.
The attitude of the people had
aroused false hopes of a temporal
kingdom among his followers and ALL
ed His enemies with a determination
to put Him away. The final conflict
came in the temple, where the Master
made practical demonstration Of the
rights He claimed as a Judge and the
powers that He prophesied that He
would use in the administration OF
justice, when He comes again. He
had cursed the fig tree that pretended
to bring forth fruit, and He cleansed
the temple the second time, which
kastened the end. In His earnest con-
versation with His disciples, He claim
cd that there would be a judgement,