A SENSE of What is Vital The Significance of Jesus

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20128, 23 December 1939, Page 9

A SENSE of What is Vital The Significance of Jesus

LITILE known Christmas carol has as a refrain these words: “From far away we come to you, To tell of glad tidings, strange and true.” Ihe emphasis lies in the last word. No one doubts that the Christmas message is glad; no one does not think it strange- but the question is, is it true?

Things Strange

Fifty years or so ago, men were inclined to be sure that everything in the world was explicable, that there were no secrets that would not be revealed by science, and, that soon nothing -mysterious would be left to puzzle over.

As Carlyle said, “To many a Royal Society, the creation of a world ’ is little more mysterious than the cooking of a dumpling; concerning which last, indeed, there have been minds to whom the question, “How the apples were got in? presented difficulties.”

To-day scientists have grown a little more humble and wiser, and have co-me to the conclusion that there are things—many of them —beyond human knowledge. “There are more- things in heaven and earth than are creamed of in our philosophies.” We are coming to think that strangeness is one of the marks of the universe and of human life. Truth was always stranger than fiction. The belief in the uniqueness of any fact or experience is no sign of aberration of intellect. Many things arc strange, yet true, and religion is not to be thrown aside simply because its facts and explanations are outside of ordinary experience. It stands before the world with a theory which it claims is coherent, but makes no claim that it is complete.

It does claim however that in any final account of flic universe, the truths it believes in must have a place, however strange they may be, and that they are vital to the life of man.

At Christmas time it challenges the world, not with easy optimism, but with tidings, glad, strange, and true Hint help towards revealing the mind of God, and accounting for human goodness, for the feelings of charity, love and goodwill that we associate with the season. How and whence came that charity, love and goodwill into the mind of man at all? Ex nihilo nihil fit. Nothing can come of nothing. If Christ became human that we might become Divine, -l is surely at Christmas that man comes nearest to that Divine ici-al. lie comes nearest then to God, from whom all goodness comes. Without God he attains only to the level of the eleven beast. Belief Is Reasonable It is reasonable to suppose that if God exists. lie will try in some way to make Himself known to man. Jesus came to show us what God is like, to set before us an example as to how ‘human life should be lived, and to help us to live that,

The Vital Question

way. The life of Jesus is no theory; it is historical fact. Fifty years or so ago there were those who thought that the story might be explained away as a myth. But that idea does not account for the facts. It does not account for the story itself as a story. It would require a mind greater than that of man to invent tiie character of Jesus. Nor will the idea of a myth account for the persistence in the belief in the Resurrection, nor for the foundation and continued existence of the Christian church. Renan used some remarkable words at tiie end of his book on St. Paul. “The Son of God is unique. To appear for a moment, to flash forth a piercing radiance, to die very young —that is the life of a God. To struggle, to argue, to convince—that is the life of a man. Paul is now seeing tiie end of his reign. Jesus, on the contrary, is more alive than ever. From the version of His glory we can look back and see that it is not so very strange that such a life as Tlis should have a wonderful birth.

What are we to Think of Him?

Contributed by the Ministers’ Association

In tiie Gospel story a real personality stands before us. In its presence we recognise our own limitations. He is superior to us—unique, sinless and perfect. Those who knew Him best called Him, Lord, Christ and Son of God. John the Baptist called Him “Tiie Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world;” St. John the Evangelist, “The Word that was with God, and that was God;” St. Thomas. “My Lord, any m.v God;” St. Peter, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of God;” St.. Paul, “Jesus Christ, my Lord.” Even His enemies bear witness. Herod said that He was John the Baptist risen from tiie dead; the people that He was Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Pilate said: “I find no fault in Him”; the soldiers, “Never man spake as this man”; and the centurion, “Truly this man was the Son of God." Make any reasonable deduction from these opinions and one is still left with a personality more than human.

It matters little what others thought of Him: the question is what do we think of Him. Our answer is a revelation of ourselves. It has been well said Uiat honest scepticism is a rare thing. The reason for most of our doubts is a moral one —wc shrink from what we think belief demands of us. But if we answer rightly, wo find that the answer has a transform-

ing influence. Doubt cripples; faith empowers. One cannot get a better example than St. Peter. Our Lord found him unstable, unreliable, shifty. But slowly under the influence of his faith, the drifting sand of his nature is changed into solid rock. If you answer our Lord’s question, and say that He was just a good man, you find in it little power either to change your own life or to do service to your fellow men.

Men do not go to the ends of the world, to the wilds of Africa, the hordes of Asia, the frozen north, and the isles of the sea to tell about a good man, but they do go to tell about Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Scepticism and Atheism, Buddhism and Mohammedanism do not found hospitals, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and feed the sick. Those things lie at the door of Christianity.

The belief in Christ the Son of God has power. It makes weak sinners into apostles and martyrs, saints and evangelists, reformers and philanthropists. All other beliefs beside this are weak as they look to the future: this has the promise of power, and for the future a hope—a hope of glory.

It is not enough to acknowledge Jesus as the greatest teacher, the most perfect man that ever lived. He must be more than that. It is not enough to own Him as Son of God. We must know' Him as Saviour of the world; more even that that; we must know Him as our Saviour—yours and mine. To know, indeed, is only the beginning. It must work out in experience, changing our characters, breaking down sins, ennobling life, lifting us above ourselves towards His level.

St. John, looking back over his long life and thinking over what Christ had done for himself and those he knew, saw this: “He loosed us from onr sins, and hath made us kings and priests unto God,” and that is the experience of all w'ho down the ages have lived in this faith. Kings and priests. He has power to make us like Himself—if we will.