Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1949-02-11

green. Then some 8 &
mean person set & q M
him down on q eeAxA n AxaA
Christmas necktie DIR, Foreman
and the poor little
thing exploded. This is a parable Of
the person who tries to please ev-I
erybody. 1t can't be done--and il
ought not TO be tried. Woe unto
you" said Jesus, when all men
speak well of you"
Jesus Christ himself did not
please every one. Not even per-
Feet personality can be 100 per cent
popular. Not that Jesus enjoyed
rubbing people the wrong way.
There was nothing perverse about
him. He was deeply, sincerely
friendly, and to los, any friendships
must have been more painful for
him than for us who are so selfish. !
Nevertheless he did make enemies.
he had his critics; and his followers
may expect no better.
nGlsunderstandin Motives
0NE POINT on which Jesus met
- terrific opposition was his at
titude toward the Sabbath, Repeat
edly he or his disciples would do
things on the Sabbath which Gas
Jews then understood the law were
quite wrong.
u was Just that sort Of thing
that Jesus ran into, more than
ence. His enemies misunder-
stood, Or at least misrepresent-
"a, his motives.
They claimed that he was 'blas-
phemous." that is. that he was DELHI
erately making light Of Gods law.
The truth was that he was acting
by Gods highest law--the law Of
love. Helping people in need was
more important than keeping the
letter Of the Sabbath law. Jesus
example may help us here. II our
best motives are misunderstood, we
have . right to explain ourselves,
a. Jesus did: but we are not oblig-
I'd to change our ways to please
those who persist in misunderstood
Ing ".
eteppins Out Of Bounds
yuHEN Jesus healed the man with
~ the palsy, it was not the cure
his critics found fault with. 1t was
las first saying Your sins are for
r'ven." who can forgive sins but
God alone?" they said. In short.
t,.e Pharisees thought some Of
them perhaps sincerely-that Jesus
was stepping out of bounds, pre-
tending TO do something that he had
M right to attempt and no power
20 accomplish.
Now Jesus did have both the
right and the power to say what
he said to that sick and sinful
ran. And he made no apollo
g'ss for going beyond the limits
HIS critics set for him.
So we too may sometimes be ac-
cused of biting off too much" Of
going beyond our powers or capac-
tiles Our critics may be right, you
know. though Jesus critics never
were. But how often they are
wrongi II Lincoln had listened to
his critics he never would have left
his taclswoods law office; they did
not think him fit to be president.
II the Wrigh. boys had listened to
their neighbors, they never would
have Gown an airplane. for who
WOULD have thought a couple OF BIZ
cycle tchanics could do what so
many scientists said was impossi-
BILE?
Are YOU sure you are right?
Then 90 ahead. in Gods name!
The Company You Keep
TESUS friends got him into trou.
y BILE. "a Mark shows us. For one
thing. some were the wrong Sort
like Ms CIV the tax-eollector, Then
his fric rs had an unconventional
kind CT religion, they actually
seemed Poppy about il instead Of
gloomy te some of Johns disci-
pies. And to make matters worse
his frieres broke" the Sabbath
laws muth MS Jesus did. Al in all,
Jesus or. 's complained that Jsus'
friends wore a bad lot, and they
judged h by the company he
kept. b. Jesus knew his friends
better thar bis enemies did.
He never gave up or loosencd
. single friendship on his crit
les acr mt. Some of bis
friends ar him up, but be new
er gave u n up.
downright IN he International Coun.
Gil OF Religion Education on behalf OF
~ Protestant t1mlnatons Released
~ WNU FealYiss)