THE FUTURE
J. F. JOHNSON
MISS EMMA P. JOHNSON.
L. A- WISE
OUTLOOK
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Spring is Approaching
Spring is approaching, the winter days are fast draw
ing to an end. March 21st marks the official date of the
beginning of Spring, which comes in with sharp, cut
ting winds but quickly warms to gentle summer breezes.
As we look about us and observe the beautiful flowers,
the blooming shrubbery, the budding trees, and feel the
balmy air, we are surely aware that Spring, the most beau
tiful of all seasons, is here. It is the season in which every
thing takes on new life . . . shrubbery and trees, stripped
of their winter coat, suddenly burst into blossom. Spring
... a new beginning, when life as well as flowering plants
should take on new beauty.
Now we are observing the Lenten Season, a time when
every proclaimed Christian makes some type of sacrifice
in observance of the approaching Easter season. Every
professed Christian sets this time aside in honor and cele
bration of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. There are dates of other occas
ions during this season also, such the celebration of the
anniversary of the Girl Scouts. If one were to observe his
home calendar, he would find that all the dates leading up
to Easter carry some element of vivid thought that makes
one feel that Spring is in the air and our Christ is ap
proaching nearer. This is the only season of the year
which expresses the five senses, animate and inanimate.
Let's name the five senses and describe them in your way
of thinking. First of all, "feeling," in one day you have
that sense of feeling of the cool breezes followed by snow,
rain or heat waves, where you will have to make three
changes of clothing within one da'y. "Seeing," the birds
of the trees, and the green grass peeping up and the beau
tiful flowers putting out their blooms, so we can see such
changes in the attitude of our family, friends, and our
selves, especially during the observance of the Lenten
Season. "Hearing," early in the morning sunrise, the mock
ing birds singing. If we pass the riverside, we will hear
the water roaring, the bees humming a sweet melody in
the flowers ? so we are singing to drive our irritations
away and welcome in the beautifully rhymed words of our
hymns that we enjoy singing which drive temptation
away. "Tasting," for a good balanced diet at dinner time,
we taste a new sap in our vegetables that was left over
from last year's garden. So we human beings, when we
partake of our communion, we taste the bread and wine
which is symbolic of the blood and broken body of Christ
and symbolic that our Christ is near. "Smell," after one
has observed all the laws of beautification around his home
and the cultivation of his vegetable garden and flowers
and change the old winter coat to spring, you have the
scent of beautiful perfume. All of these senses going
through the change from winter to spring have a sense
that so vividly shows that spring is in the air.
May we again advise you that in order to enjoy this
most glorious and beautiful season, visit your family doc
tor and have a checkup during this season when there are
so many kinds of communicable diseases. Health habits
are so important in the lives of all of us. In order to
possess good health, we should abide by the following
rules: 1. Eat the proper food, in the correct manner at the
proper time. 2. Remember that a good night's rest is your
rebuilder and refresher. We are told that "Early to bed
and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
3. Let your mind, not your emotions, be your guide. Culti
vate a friendly attitude. Take an outdoor tonic every day,
taking plenty of exercise, and playing in the open spaces.
Health and nature give us many treasures . . . we should
cherish them all.
For those who have livestock, fowls and pets, a fence
should be provided in order to keep them at home. This
will prptect thfem from diseases that spread more readily
in the sping. Fencing your pets in will also avoid a dis
turbance among your neighbors. Let us greet the spring
season by adding a little beauty to our surroundings . . .
enjoy the season of beauty of nature that God hath sent
forth. By doing so, one can enjoy the season at home,
church, school and throughout his neighborhood.
This V/ee\'s Sunday School Lesson
GOD GAVE HIS SON
Beginning Where You Are
One evidence of the impact
ol Jesus upon mankind is the
fact that this week, nineteen and
a half centuries after his death,
Christians all over the world
will gather to relive in imagi
nation the last week of his life.
With Jesus and his dsiciples
they will enter Jerusalem with
glowing hopes, they will won
der at his cleansing of the Tem
ple; they will note the growing
tension during days of contro
versy; with deep concern they
will meet secretly for supper in
an upper room; they will flee
from the garden and follow
afar off to the high priest's
house, to Pilate's palace, and to
Calvary. It is difficult to bridge
the chasm, of centuries, but as
best we can, we too shall enter
into the hopes, the frustrations,
the passions, of those far-off
days.
Some years ago a book (now
out of print) was published with
the provocative title, "Why Did
Jesus Die?" This is what we
would like to know. How are we
to understand the events of Holy
Week? As we go about our
daily tasks on a continent Ro
mans and Jews never dreamed
of, with power and resources
beyond their comprehension,
what does it mean to us that
Jesus appeared before a Ro
man governor and was con
demned to a cruel death on a
cross?
Searching the Scriptures
The Scripture for this lesson
is Isaiah 53; Matthew 27; He
brews 2. Selected verses are
printed below.
Matthew 27:35-50
35 And when they had cru
fied him, they divided his gar
ments among them by casting
lots; 36 then they sat down and
kept watch over him there. 37
And over his head they put the
charge against him, which read,
"This is Jesus the King of the
Jews." 38 Then two robbers
were crucified with him, one
on the right and one on the
left. 39 And those who passed
by derided him, wagging their
heads 40 and saying, "You who
would destroy the temple and
build it in three days, save your
self! If you are the Son of God,
come down from the cross." 41
So also the chief priests, with
the scribes and elders, mocked
him, saying, 42 "He saved oth
ers; he cannot save himself. He
is the King of Israel; let him
come down now from the cross
and we will believe in him. 43
He trusts in God; let God de
liver him now, if he desires
him; for he said, 'I am the Son
of God.' " 44 And the robbers
who were crucified with him
also reviled him in the same
way.
45 Now from the sixth hour
there was darkness over all the
land until the ninth hour. 46
And about the ninth hour Jesus
cried with a loud voice, "Ell,
Eli, la'ma sabach-tha-ni?" that
is, "My God. my God, why hast
thou forsaken me?" 47 And
some of the bystanders hearing
it said, "This man is calling
Eli-Jah." 48 And one of them
at once ran and took a sponge,
filled it with vinegar, and put
it on a reed, and gave It to him
to drink. 40 But the others, said,
"Wait, let us see whether Eli-j
jah will come to save him." 50 1
And Jesus cried again with a
loud voice and yielded up his
spirit.
Memory Selection: God so
loved the world that he gave
his only Son, that whoever be
lieves in him should hot per
ish but have eternal life.
? John 3:18
Exploring the Qaertiong
In the sixth century B.C. th?i
most tragic event of Israel's his
tory occurred. God's chosen peo
ple were defated by Babylon;
the heirs of David's throne and
other leaders were taken away
captive; the Temple, center ol
God's worship, was desecrated
and destroyed. What did all this
mean? Had God's promises to
Abraham been withdrawn? Had
God himself been defeated by
more powerful gods of Baby
lon? Was there any hope for
the future?
An unknown prophet, often
called Second Isaiah or Isaiah
of the Exile, wrestled with these
questions and, in Chapters 40
through 55 of our Book of Isaiah,
gave Israel a new understand
ing of her destiny.
The Gospel of Matthew de
scribes the events of Good Fri
day in Chapter 27. The author
does not attempt to interpret
their meaning. He simply tells
what happened and lets the story
speak for itself. It is remarkable
how these events fulfill the vis
ion of Isaiah 53.
The Romans used crucifixion
only for rebels, slaves, and crim
inals of the lowest class. This
fact constituted a problem for
the early Christians. As they
preached Christ to the ancient
world, how could they explain
that this good man, God's Son,
was executed by Rome as a
criminal?
In the Letter to the Hebrews
an unknown Christian thinker
offered his explanation. He in
terpreted the death of Christ in
relation to the Jewish system
of sacrifices. In Chapter 2 he
lays the foundation for his ar
gument. He points out that by
becoming man, Christ entered
fully into our human lot. How
ever, made "perfect through
suffering," he became a suitable
offering "to make expiation for
the sins of the people."
Finding; Help
With Questions
According to Luke 23:2, Je
sus' enemies made three charges
against him:
1. He was a revolutionary,
"perverting our nation."
2. He advised against paying
taxes to Caesar.
3. He claimed to be the king
of the Jews.
All these charges were politi
cal in nature and involved the
security of the Roman state.
Hence, as governor, Pilate was
bound to consider them. How
ever, we know, and Pilate knew,
there was so truth in them. The
kingdom Jesus was proclaiming
was not of this world. (John
18:36) Matthew says that Pi
late "knew that it was out of
envy that they had delivered
him up.' (27:18)
Why then did not Pilate set
Jesus free as Justice demanded?
Our answer is in Matthew 27:
24: "When Pilate saw that he
was gaining nothing, but rather
that a riot was beginning," he
delivered Jesus to the will ol
the mob. It is the business o 1
a governor to maintain order.
He could keep order in either ol
two ways ? by using his troops
to control the mob or by giving
the mob its way. Roman justice
and Roman order were in con
flict, and Pilate chose to sacri
fice one innocent man rather
than to do Justly.
The Cress and Hunan Sin
We cannot understand the
cross until we st it in the eon
text ol human sin. The Cruci
fixion laid bare the human ca
pacity lor eviL
There was the moral weakness
ol Pilate, who chose the easy
I way out ol a dilemma. There
was the envy and greed ol the
! high priestly party, which saw
Jesus as a threat to their pow
er. There was the callousness ol
the mob out for a holiday.
There was the fanatic national
ism ol the people who preferred
Barabbas to Jesus. There was
I the cowardice and silence ol
Jesus' friends who felt them
j selves powerless to aid him. And
back of it all was the treach
| ery ol Judas, who, lor whatev
j ev twisted reason, delivered Je
sus to his captors. Only the loyal
women come out ol the scene
with credit.
Why did Jesus die? He died
because ol the sins ol men.
The Cross and God's Love
The power ol the cross lies in
the fact that Jesus chose it. He
did not have to "set his lace to
go to Jerusalem" for that Pass
over. Up to Thursday night, in
stead ol going to Gethsemane,
he could have slipped out of the
city and across the Jordan to
safety. But he did not, lor it
had become clear to him that
his love for men and his obedi
ence to God required this linal
effort to call men to repentance.
The Cross and Atonement
Christians have always known
by experience that the cross has
the power to restore broken re
lationships between man and
God. How this "atonement" is
accomplished has been explain
ed in various ways.
The ransom theory was for
mulated by Pope Gregory (540?
604). One of his duties as bishop
was to negotiate with pagan
tribes lor the release ol Roman
citizens who were being held
captive. This task suggested to
Gregory that man had been
taken prisoner by the Devil, so
God gave his Son as a ransom
to secure his release.
The satisfaction theory was
proposed by Anselm ol Cantor
bury (1033-1109). It was deriv
ed from the medieval practice
ol requiring "satislaction" ton
wrongs done by one person or
tribe to another. Man had sin
ned against God; satisfaction
was made through the death of
Christ.
A French theologian, Peter
Abelard (1079-1142), worked out
' the moral influence theory of
Christ's death. He objected to
the idea that God "did business"
with Satan for the souls of men.
Neither did God need propitiat
ing. Rather, he thought, what
was necessary was a change to
the disposition of men. There
fore he saw the cross as influ
encing man toward righteous
ness. ,
(Continued on Page S)