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Jehovah's Suffering
Servant
Sunday School Lestoa far July 9, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper
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ON'G before the 'discovery of America
there flourished In southern Mexico, '
Guatemala, and parts of Honduras a
great civilization, which has been call
ed the Maya. It may be said at tho
outset without exaggeration that this
civilization had reached a, height
equalled by no other people of the
western hemisphere prior to the com
ing of the white man. In architecture
ln sculpture, and in printing the
Mayas excelled. Their priests were
astronomers of no mean ability, hav
ing observed and recorded without the aid of in
struments of precision such as are known to us
the lengths of the Solar and Venus years, and
probably the lengths of the Mercury and Mars
years., In addition to this they had developed
a calendar system and perfected a chronology
which in some of its characteristics was supe
rior to our own.
Tho the ancient glory of this people had long
since departed when Hernando Cortez first
came in contact with them on, the coast of Yu
catan in 1519. Their star had "set. Their great
est cities had been abandoned and lay in ruins,
and' their country was prostrated by the quar
rels of a score or more of petty independent
chieftains, each, of whom was waging war on
the other. Even the memory of the older cit
ies, of their culture, such as Palenque, Copan
and Qulniqua, for example, seems to have pass
ed from the mind of men, their former existence
forgotten. Famine, pestilence and internecine
strife are al said to have been contributory
cause3 to the decay and eclipse which overtook
this brilliant aboriginal "civilization several
centuries before the Span
ish first set foot in the new
"world.
Probably the largest, and
certainly the most magnifi
cent, of the ruined cities
which the Spanish conquer
ors found on their arrival in
Yucatan, was Chichen Itza,
around which even in its
desolation there still clus
ter a thousand traditions of
former sanctity and splen
dor. The name Chichen Itza
is Maya, and means Chi
mouth, Chen-wells and Itza,
the name of the Maya tribe,
who lived in the neighbor
hood of the place. "The
Mouth of the Wells of the
Itzas" therefore is the
meaning of the name; nor
could a more appropriate,
one have been applied to
the place by any people.
The whole peninsula of t.
Yucatan is a vast limestone formation with lit
tle or no surface water. One may travel for
mileH and miles and never cross river or brook;
or even chance upon a modest spring. Indeed,
in the norther-a part, where most of the great
ruined cities are located, water is fully 70 feet
"below the surface of the ground. The modern
inhabitants overcome this difficulty by means
of wells and windmills, which afford the only
source of water supply during the dry sea
son (December to June) excepting what little
rain water iauy have been caught during the
rainy months and stored in cisterns.
But of wells, and windmills the ancient May
as knew nothing, and, generally speaking, had
it ' not been ifor the great natural reservoirs
which nature had scattered here and there
over the country Yucatan never could have
been colonized. ,
These greai natural wells, or, as the Mayas
call them, cenotes, are found all over Yucatan.
They are usually about 150 feet in diameter, or
sometimes more, and about 70 feet in depth to
the level of the water. Geologists say that
these cenotes are places where the limestone
crust, which everywhere covers the surface
of Yucatan, has .become weakened by the
-washing of subterranean waters and has cal
laped of its own weight, forming great sink
holes' or natural wells on a large scale. And
now it is clear why the ancient inhabitants
of Chichen Itza so named their, city. In the
course of their wanderings, the general trend
of which was northward, the Itzas, entering
Yucatan from the south, finally reached the
two cenotes, around which Chichen Itza later
was built, but which then was probably noth
ing but wilderness. Here the striking contrast
afforded by such an abundance of water in a
country so generally parched could not fail to
have attracted their attention. The place must
have seemed to the thirsty wanderers a God
given site for the location of their new home.
By right of discovery they claimed the place,
and to the city which grew up around the cen
otes they gave the name of Chichen Itza, "The
Mouth of the Wells of the Itzas."
The two cenotes at Chichen Itza have been
known by the Mayas from time Immemorial
as the Cenote Grande and the Cenote Sacra,
or the large Cenote and the Sacren Cenote, re
spectively. The first of these only in former
times was used for the water supply of the
city, the Sacred Cenote being reserved for re
ligious use exclusively. It Is the latter, how
ever, and the religious observances held In
connection with it, which gave the city its
holy character. From far and near all over
Yucatan, and probably even from points more
distant, pilgrimages were made to the Sacred
Cenote. It seems to have been the most holy
shrine of the Maya people, comparable only
in importance to the Mohammedan Mecca and
the Christian Jerusalem. In time of drought
. offerings of all kinds were thrown into it
treasures, and in cases of extremity even liv
ing human sacrifices.
Chichen Itza today is somewhat changed in
appearance from the time when pilgrims came
from far and near to appease with human sac
rifice the wrath of offended deities. Now the
city lies buried In a thick jungle, which has
steadily won its way into the very heart of
the holy place. Colonnades have been over
thrown and pyramids covered with trees to
their summit; courts have been lost In a
tangle of thorn and creepers; and palaces
stripped of their sculptured embellishment.
Desolation has spread everywhere In the
wake of the encroaching vegetation.
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To visit the ancient city nov, one jolts for
15 long and weary miles in a two-wheeled cov
ered cart drawn by three mules over the rough
est kind of a highway imaginable. This pres
ent inconvenience fortunately is not to be one
of long standing. A new and straight road Is
about to be built and an automobile service to
the ruins probably established, which will
shorten the present length of the trip from
' four hours to about half an hour. Now, how
ever, thi3 ride from Citas, the nearest railroad
point, seems interminable. The road, so
called by courtesy only, winds through the im
penetrable bush, which everywhere in the nat
ural state covers northern Yucatan. Through
this the creaking cart finds a dubious way mile
after mile until every muscle in one's body
groans an agonized protest. Finally, when it
seems that the limit of physical endurance has
been reached, the cart suddenly lurches around
a sharp turn in the road and as If by magic
the lofty Castillo' flashes into view, towering
high above the plain and the rest of the city
in its lonely magnificence.
This, imposing structure, the highest In Yu
catan, rises 78 feet above the plain. The
pyramid on which the temple stands is 195
feet long on each side at the base and covers
about an acre of ground.
The Castillo would seem to have been the
center of the ancient city, and probably it3
chief sanctuary. To the north lies the Sacred
Cenote and the causeway, just mentioned,
leading to it. On the east Is a vast group of
buildings, colonnades, courts and pyramids.
"The City of a Thousand Columns," as some
one has picturesquely described it. Due west
is the grou of structures known as the Ball
Cout. To the south for half a mile or more,
scattered through the jungle, are pyramids,
courts, temples and palaces. The central lo
cation of the Castillo with reference to all of
these, as well as its great size and command
ing height, argue strongly that it was the
chief sanctuary of the Holy City.
Another interesting group of structures at
Chichen Itza, perhaps slightly less sacred in
character than the Castillo, is the so-called
"Ball Court," mentioned above as lying just
west of the Castillo. This group is composed
of two parallel masses of solid masonry, each
272 feet long, 27 feet high and 16 feet wide,
placed 119 feet apart from each other. These
two great walls, for such they really are, form
a court nearly 300 feet long by 119 feet wide.
High on the side of each at the middle point
from end to end there is attached a stone
ring four feet in diameter with a hole through
It. These rings are fastened to tblr respec
tive walls by tenons of stone, and are so
placed that the surface of each is perpendicu
lar to the vertical face of the wall. The ar
rangement is very similar to the baskets in
our modern game of basket ball, except that
at Chichen Itza the "baskets" have their open
ings perpendicular to the ground, w'bile in our
game the openings in the baskets are parallel
with the ground. To make a basket at the
Chichen Itza court a somewhat horizontal
throw, as in baseball, was necessary, while
nowadays It is a toss that wins the goal.
At the open ends of the court formed by
these two walls stand temples, which in effect
inclose the area, definitely marking its boun
daries. On top of the east wall, at its south
ern end, there Is' a beautiful temple, which
affords a commanding view of the entire court.
This has been calied "The House of the
Tigers," because of a frieze of Btalking tigers,
which Is sculptured in alto-relievo around th
PAjioaAMA or rf stum orccry jrzA
outside of the building. This temple contains
also on the walls of an interior room, an elab
orate mural painting representing an attack
by some enemy upon a city, perhaps Chichen
Itza itself, and its defense by the inhabitants.
Some of the poses taken by the combatants in
the conflict are extremely realistic; such as in
the throwing of Javelins, the swinging of war
clubs, and the like. This bit of mural decora
tion in The House of The Tigers at, Chichen
Itza probably marks the high-water mark of
aboriginal painting in the Western Hemi
sphere; at least it is superior to everything
else that has survived.
The identification of these two great walls
and the temples associated with them, as a
ball court, rests on firm historic foundation. ,
When the Spanish first came to Mexico" they
found the natives playing a game of ball, which
was of sufficient importance to have a spe
cial court or ground set apart for its exclu
sive use. Several of the early Spanish writers
have described the game in soir'o detail, and
all agree as to its having pic a- an important
part in the life of the people. One chronicler
has it that the object of. the game was to
' strike the ball so that It would pass through
the opening In the stone ring above mentioned
a& an important feature of the Chichen Itza
court. He adds that the feat was one of con
siderable dexterity, since the ball could not
be hit with the hands, but that the hips or
other parts of the body had to be used Instead.
This rule of the game very materially In
creased the difficulty in making a "Maya bas
ket;" so much so, in fact, we are told, that
the lucky player making this winning stroke
had forfeit to him as a reward for his skill all
the clothing and ornaments of the spectators.
At such times, the chronicler concludes, the
spectators were wont to scatter in all direc
tions without loss of time, hoping thus to es
cape paying the penalty, but that the friends
of the lucky player immediately gave chase
and endeavored to exact the full forfeit.
Although the name Ball Court has beeu giv
en to thi3 group of temples at Chichen Itza,
it should not be supposed on that account,
that this great court was built primarily for
sport. Such an explanation of its fundamental
purpose is incompatible with any conception
which the American aborigine ever seems to
have entertained. To the Itza people the chief
function of their Ball Court was doubtless a
religious one. Games played there, if not
actually held in connection with religious fes
tivals, were at least sufficiently religious In
their meaning as to completely overshadow
, the 'element of sport as we understand the
' term. That a game was played in which com
petition and skill entered in cannot be doubt
ed in the face of contemporaneous evidence,
, and to this extent perhaps tne Mexican Ball
Courts wero athledc fields; but it must not be
forgotten for a moment that its true signifi
cance was religious, and that the games which
were played there probably were held only in
connection with religious festivals. It is not
improbable, however, that the Aztecs were
breaking away from the religious feature of
spo-t at th time of the Spanish Conquest, but
that "The Holy Men of the Itzas," as the peo
ple of Chichen Itza are sometimes called In
the early manuscripts, had taken any such a
radical step is little short of inconceivable, so
religious in character was the whole Maya
civilization.
To the east of the Castillo lie a great group
of courts, pyramids and colonnades, "The City
of a Thousand Columns," already mentioned.
Here desolation is wide
spread. It seems as
though an earthquake
must have shaken the
Itza capital at. some
time.
Row after row of col
umns have, been over
turned and now lie pros
trate within a foot of
their original positions.
Perhaps a capital or
a drum here and there
is broken, but for the
most part the stones lie just where they fell.
In Its entirety this section of the city must
have presented an imposing appearance, being
literally a forest of columns surrounding and
connecting the various courts. As to the use
of these great colonnades, tradition and his
tory are equally silent. Some think that they
were the law courts of the ancient city, where
justice was administered and punishment
meted out. Others say that they were the
market places, where the produce of the sur
rounding country was bought and sold. This
latter explanation has one strong recommenda
tion In its favor in that the descendants of
the builders of the ancient city of Yucatan,
the present Maya Indians, still hold their mar
kets under the portals surrounding the plazaa
in the towns and villages throughout the coun
try today.
South of the Cenote Grande there are a num
ber of well-preserved structures, most of them
presenting beautifully sculptured facades. To
these fanciful names have been given, which
probably have little or nothing to do with
the original uses of the buildings. One large
structure, for example, has been called "The
Akabtzib." The name is Maya and means
"The House of the Dark Writing." This build,
ing was so called; because of the fact that
over one of its interior doorways there is a
lintel inscribed with hieroglyphs. This lintel
is so placed that the hieroglyphics can only
be seen by artificial light, hence the name,
"The House of the Dark Writing." Nearby ia
a round tower, with but one exception the
only structure of Its kind in the Maya area.
This is. called "The Caraco." Caracol is the
Spanish word for snail, and since the Interior
circular corridor and spiral stairway of this
structure bear some remote resemblance to the
convolutions of a snail shell, the name was
applied to the building. The Manjos (Spanish
for monastery) is perhaps the most beautiful
building at Chichen Itza. It is composite,
showing three different periods of construction.
The above are only a few of the many struc
tures at Chichen Itza. But in all directions for
several miles the brush is strewn with ruins.
Crumbling walls and Jungle-ridden courts are
to be encountered on every side; disintegration
so far advanced that these once splendid pal
aces and temples are now but little more than
shapeless mounds of fallen masonry. The total
area covered by ruins which may be assigned
to this center of primitive population has been
estimated by some as high as ten square miles.
That larger Maya cities yet remain to be dis
covered now seem highly improbable so thor
oughly has the general exploration of the area
been done. Consequently we may affirm with
but little hesitation that "The Holy City of the
Itzas" was the largest and most important of
the Maya civilization and probably of abor
iginal America as well.
THE SIGH FOR LEISURE.
Lives there the man who has not sighed rot
leisure? And lives there the man who in his
more sober moments, has not been honestly
glad that he must work? Human nature, which
sweetens under toil, sours in leisure. And It Is
by no means sure that the fall from innocence
which first brought work into the world "and
all our woe" was not bringing salvation dis
guised as labor. Faithfulness will dignify and
beautify evn drudgery; no matter wbaf the
work Is, provided it is honest, if it is done well
it commands our Instinctive respect. Besides,
if we did not all have to work so hard to ken
alive the jails would have standing room only.
LESSON TEXT Isaiah 52:13: 53:12. I
MEMORY VERSES 53:4-4. '
GOLDEN TEXT "Tha Lord hath laldfl
on him tha iniquity of us all." Isa. 63:6. J
The lesson Is from the second part of
the Book of Isaiah. " j
Whenever written it belongs to the tiro
of the exile. Just before the return.
It brought hope. Inspiration, instruction.;
life, and light in the darkest period la;
the history of Israel.
God's peculiar people were in exflei
among , heathen populations. Their'
homeland, Palestine, had been devas
tated. Jerusalem lay In ashes. The
temple was a heap of ruins. The na
tion was like the stump of a mighty'
tree which had been cut down. The
tree had been cut down because it re
fused to bear tho good fruit for which
God had planted It. But in captivity
the people had been learning their les
son, and the time had come when it
was possible for a new shoot to
spring up from the barren stump, and
a renewed nation to take up its ap
pointed mission. But in order to do
this, the nation must be made to sea
clearly what they must be and do, and
the deepest motives toward this end
be inspired within them. All thiols
a parable for the world.
It throws no little light on our les-r
son to realize its relation to the
prophecy as a whole. According tq
all critics the whole lesson really be
longs to the fifty-third chapter ot
Isaiah, the fifty-second ending at the
twelfth verse. The prophecy consists
of 27 chapters, of which the fifty-third
is the central one, making the whole
prophecy to consist of three sections.
First, the first thirteen chapters are a
trumpet call to the captive Isrealites
who have been "hanging their harps
on the willows," unable to "sing the
songs of Zion," to awake to faith in
God, and obedience .and loyalty to
him, and to be prepared for their de
liverance. Second: Chapter 53 pre
sents the means by which the re
demption can be accomplished, tha
heroic service of his people, and the
supreme self-sacrificing love of hi9
son. Third:' The succeeding thirteen
chapters present the results of the re
deeming1 nation, and the redeemed
world.
The service of God was a commis
sion to witness and prophesy for Gods
upon earth." ' Israel was "elected not
to salvation, but to service," or rather
as in the case of any individual, the
nation was elected to salvation that
it might be of, service. It was neces-.
sary that the "servant" who was to
carry out God's purpose of saving the
world should be a nation, from the
condition- of the ancient world. "Of
all possible combinations of men the
nation, was the only form which In the
anclort wnrM a fihrnirn fit irr-
vlving in the struggle for existence."
The servant of God was the nation ot
Israel.
Jesus Christ did God's service forN
the world's redemption by bearing the
sorrows and sins of man. His suffer
ings were not because he himself had
done wrong, but in order that he
might save us from them. He bore
them on his heart and sympathy. He
bore them away bv his healinjr power.
He bore them as the martyr and the
hero suffers that he may save the op
pressed and the wronged and perse
cuted from their sufferings. He bore
them away by transforming them into
character. He bore them by giving
his life for our sins, so that by re
moving sin he removed most of tho
griefs of man. Christianity has been
the chief power in removing the griefs
and sorrows of mankind.
The prophet foresees these things- .
fulfilled In Jesus Christ. The picture
in these terses is almCBt a photograph-
of what took place five hundred year
later. He was oppressed, his suffer
ings were unjustly inflicted on him
Read the story of his trial. He opened!
not his mouth in" protest. He submit-
ted to the wrong.
Jesus was put to death with the?
wicked on the cross, and they thought)
to bury him In a criminal's grave)
They appointed his grave with the
wicked, but by a striking providence
the same authority gave permission to
a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, who
provided him with an honorable burial
In his own rock-hewn tomb.
Yet it pleased the Lord because he
saw the good to be gained. He shall
see his seed, his spiritual descendants'
filled with his spirit and carrying outi
his plans. He shall prolong his days,)
He rose from the dead, ascended to
heaven, and Is the everlasting leader
and king. Of all kings ha is the most
glorious. Of all kingdoms his is the
largest, noblest, best beyond all com
pare. This far-off vision of Jesus, and IS
the redeemed world, is one of the
strongest proofs of a revelation from)
God. Professor Ramsay declares that
the Bible is unique among anctent re
ligions in that "to the Hebrew proph
ets, and to them alone, the better age
lay always in future."
"The best Is yet to be.
The last of life for which the first waa
made."
We see in this lesson the one sonrca
of power for saving man, and trans
forming the world. The path of un
selfishness is the path to power. The
business of all followers of Jesus is to
be servants of Jehovah, to do as far ast
in them lies the same kind of service,
that Jesus did.
Those who discourage us the most
In an undertaking are tho first to tell
us "I knew you would succeed," when
we have attained success.