CHRIST'S GOOD ENEMIES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 8, 2 October 1937, Page 12

CHRIST'S GOOD ENEMIES

James

Bl&ck.)

CBy Dr.

Christ's worst failures seemed to be with the hest people. In spite of our historio prejudice, there is no doubt that the Pharisees, the Scribes, the priests and the lawyers were the saving salt of their times, people of real religious interests and with fine spiritual and ethical motives. Yet Jesus failed to inhuencQ or jvin them, with oue or two instructive exceptions. In the san;a way, if we speak comparatively. He failed with such noble men as Nicodemus and Joseph of Aramathea, who at tlie best ' were only disciples in secret; and apart from tradition, we do not definitely hnow whether they ever became open Christians. But His most signal failure was with the best man of the whole bunch, tbe Rich Young Ruler. Haw good and wonderful he was is worth noting. On his own statement (and that must have been true, otherwise Jesus would have withered him with a glance) we know that he had kept the whole law ! of God from his youth up. Please note that it was after he ade. this astonishmg claim that Jesus looked on him and loved him! 1 question of Jesus ever met a man whom He was more desirous to win. This young man showed the real bigness of his nature by being that exceptional thing — on who could nse ahoye his own class and nis elass-ideas. We are tpld that he came liumbly— running and kneeling! — to ask help of gne.whom his social and religious class despised. He was wiUing and eager to receive help and light from an un-schooled toacher, and that tpo on the deepest questions wliich the official llabbis d^iatod. And yet Jesus failed to win him. Watts's famous pictnre of him as a study of a man's baek is true — he just walked away when Christ put his final testj walked away from the three bigI gest things in a man's thinking — hijs own dreams, his best self, his highest glimpse of God's will. 1 think that tliis must have been oue of our J.ord:s saddest moments, when He failed to win a man of this quality and stature. Why did Jesus fail ? First and last. because He daren't have asked less! tle might have lowered His demands, we say. But Jesus does not deal in accommodations. He does not want half-surrendered people. The test He put to this man represented the oue ! thing that held him baek from the ! fuil gift of himself, The Lord thy God i is a )ealous God 1 | The reason why Jesus fails so often ! with good people is that they are conj tent with their good. In this sense "the good is the enemy of the best."