JESUS ENTERS THE SCENE
Jesus, the healer of Nazareth, the enthusiastic lover of his country and people, felt himself called, to deliver the Holy Land from the hand of the cruel Roman, who at that time held Palestine as his tributary province.
His enthusiasm, seconded by a number of faithful disciples and a host of followers, begot in them the thought that their inspired Master was in truth their long-expelled Messiah, the Deliverer of the people, the Savior of the nation.
He threw himself into the current of his people's delirious hope, and, like many another enthusiast and revolutionist, was swept by his ardor into destruction. They acclaimed him in public procession, in the capital of the tributary nation, "King of the Jews!" and he accepted their acclamation.
It might have been a harmless delusion, had not Rome, at that time of constant seditions among the people, been especially vigilant against would-be deliverers of the tributary province, and especially severe against agitators, prophets, and Messiahs.
That acclamation was heard by the garrison in the fortress of Antonia, close to the Temple. It meant the doom of the acclaimed. He was seized in the dead of the night, and made to pay the penalty of his love for his country and people by a traitor's death upon the cross, at the hand of the cruel Roman.
This is the summary of one of the saddest lives of history, of one of the noblest sons of Israel, which has told at greater length in the preceding discourses of all of humanity. Thus stripped of mythical accretions and ecclesiastical falsifications, it is the Jew's story of the life and deeds of Jesus, the Rabbi and patriot of Nazareth.
If one reduces this to the simplest of terms today, it would be expressed as the MEDIA ran with the story.
THIS WE DO KNOW
- Jesus having been a Jew, loved not hated the Jews and the beloved of, not hated by the Jews.
- Jesus was not tried by the Jews, his condemnation and death was at the hand of the Romans.
- He was not the innocent victim of the vengeful persecutions of the Jews.
- Jesus died a traitor's death at the hands of the Roman because of his political offense against Rome.
- There is no proof of his having died by Roman law a heretic's death.
- According to Jewish Law, there is no for proof of Jesus having been condemned, in legal proceedings, for the crime of having cursed Jehovah.
- The Jews having had no motive adequate to the bitterness of their persecution of Jesus.
- Jesus never having preached a doctrine, performed a deed, advocated a reform, that was not strictly Jewish. • He never expressed thoughts of separating himself from his people and of founding an anti-Jewish creed.
- The Church extremeis is permeated with unbelief.
- The pulpit is harassed by doubt; to be contrary to history and reason; it knows that mankind is not yet saved, despite the story of a Savior having come.
- That mankind is sinful still, despite the story of a suffering Messiah. Absorbing the the transgressions of man; that there is not yet peace on earth nor good will among men.
- It is the humanity of Jesus that has appealed to mankind, not his divinity. It is the religion of Jesus, the Jew, not the theology of Christ, the God, that has conquered the world.
- Pragmatically, it was Jesus, the man, served to the sorrow-laden, sinful and fallen, this is what conquered the hearts of men. not Christ, the God, who ascended in the sight of man, to take his seat at God's "right hand," whatever that may be, in a "Heaven," somewhere in interstellar space.
- If we just had the old Testament there would be an inspiring biography of a leader and teacher of whom both Jew and Christian might well be proud - the Jew for having reared him, - the Christian for having given him to the world;
- If one lives by the new testaments, there are paradoxes. It speaks of the duty of loving the enemy, and does not even love the friend. It speaks of the duty of resisting no evil, and yet inflicts evil where there is not only no offense but even no resistance. It speaks of doing good to evil-doers, and yet does evil even to its benefactors, the Jews.
- Even though on Friday last it was the theme, throughout Christendom, that Jesus died for man, it is my conviction that Jesus has not, as yet, begun to live for man. If Christians really believed the life of Jesus they would live it, and living it, the Jews would not be obliged to tell a story of martyrdom continuing even unto this day.