Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1949-06-18

II
~ story goes, there was a cha
meleon, a lizard that can change its
color to match whatever it stands
on. They put him
on black cloth 3:3'%
and he turned
black; on red ia
blecloth nd he
turned red; on
green billiard table
and he turne d
green. Then some
mean person set
him down on sszz Ass z&2sz4@
Christmas necktie DR.. Foreman
and the poor little
thing exploded. This is parable of
the person who tries to please ev-
erybody. 1t can't be done-and it
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 a 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 lose 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.
misunderstanding Motives
ONE 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.
1t was just that sort of thing
that Jesus ran into, more than
once. His enemies miSunder-
stood, or at least misrepresent-
ed, 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 a right to explain ourselves,
as Jesus did; but we are not oblig-
ed to change our ways to please.
those who persist in misunderstood
ing us.
Stepping Out of Bounds
WHEN Jesus healed the man with
w the palsy, it was not the cure
his critics found fault with, 1t was
his first saying "Your sins are for
given" who can forgive sins but
God alone?" they said. In short
the Pharisees thought some OF
them perhaps sincerely-that Jesus
was stepping out Of bounds, pre-
tending to do something that he had
no right to attempt and no power
to accomplish.
Now Jesus did have both the
right and the power to say what
he said to that sick and sinful
man. And he made no apollo
gies 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. Pit how often they are
wrong! II Lincoln had listened to
his critics he never would have left
his backwoods law office; they did
not think him fit to be president
If the Wright boys had listened to
their neighbors, they never would
have flown an airplane, for who
would have thought couple of BIZ
cycle mechanics could do what so
many scientists said was impossi-
BILE?
Are you sure you are right?i
Then 60 ahead, in Gods name!
The Company You Keep
TESUS' friends got him into trou-
} BILE, as Mark shows us. For one
thing, some were the wrong sort"
like Matthew the tax-collector. Then
his friends had an unconventional
kind of religion, they actually
seemed happy about it instead Of
gloomy Like some Of Johns disci-
Piles. And to make matters worse,
his friends broke the Sabbath
laws much as Jesus did. ALI in all,
Jesus critics complained that Jsus'
friends were a bad lot, and they
judged him by the company he
kept. sBut Jesus knew his friends
better than his enemies did.
He never gave up or lOOsened
single friendship on his crit
ics' account. Some of his
friends gave him up, but he new
er gave them up.