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m en. T h e re w as n o th in g ab o u t th em to p re p are th e ir tow n s-p eo p le to see in Je su s a "unique p erso n ality . Je su s w as n o t, of th e m ; th ey w ere “o f th e e arth ,” “H e cam e fro m h eav en ” (J o h n 3 :3 1 )'; so th ey w ere “o ffended in H im .” T h e ir asto n ish m e n t at th e m arv elo u s w isd om o f H is teach in g an d th e am azin g p ow er o f H is m iracles all cam e to n o th in g , sim ply becau se th ey co u ld n o t acco u n t fo r H im by th e ir n a rro w a n d p ro v in cial philosophy. T h e y w o u ld n o t believe w h a t th ey co u ld n o t understand-. “ H e could th e re do n o m ig h ty w o rk s” ; M a tth e w tells us ' w h y not, “because o f th e ir u n b elief” (M a tt. 1 3 :5 8 ). T h e L o rd ’s h a n d w as “n o t sh o rte n ed th a t H e co u ld n o t save, n e ith e r H is e a r h eav y th a t H e co u ld n o t h e a r,” b u t th e ir u n b elief ( ju s t as in a n earlier- d a y , th e ir in iq u ity ) h a d se p a ra ted “betw een th em a n d th e ir G od” (cf. Is. 59:1, 2 ). T h e p ow er an d com p assio n o f Je su s w ere alw ays th e sam e (H e b . 1 3 :8 ), b u t th a t p o w er o p erates only w h en th e occasion is m ad e b y th e to u ch o f faith . W h y a re H is m ig h ty w o rk s so ra re am o n g us, “o n ly a few sick folk h ealed ” ? Is th e a n sw e r o f m o d ern p h ilo so ph y th a t “th e age o f m iracles is p a st” (o r to p u t it in its e x trem e fo rm , “n e v er ex - " isfed ” ) a s S atisfacto ry as th a t o f th e W o rd o f G od, becau se o f th e ir u n b elief? T h o se a re n o tab le w o rd s, “H e m arv eled becau se of th e ir u n b elief.” E v en H is p ro fo u n d in sig h t in to th e h a rd n ess o f th e h u m an h e a rt could scarcely a n ticip ate such- p e rsiste n t unbelief. Is th e re an y th in g so am azin g as th e u n b elief o f th o se w h o p ro fess to be C h ristia n s an d y et alw ays d isco u n t th e sto ry o f th e g en u ine co n v ersio n o f som e n o to rio u s b las p h em er, d ru n k a rd o r h a rlo t? Saturday, June 19. Mark 6:7-13. I n th e th ird c h ap ter w e saw th e tw elve chosen. H e re w e see th em sen t fo rth , not singly b u t tw o an d tw o. T h is w as o u r L o rd ’s u n v a ry in g m eth o d (cf. L u k e 1 0 :1 ; A cts 1 3 :2 ). T w o w o rk e rs fo r G od w o rk in g to g e th e r alw ay s h jiv e m o re th a n tw ice as m u ch p o w er as o n e : w hile “on e shall ch ase a th o u sa n d ,” “tw o sh all p u t te n th o u -
n o th in g in h is e n v iro nm en t, n o th in g in his tra in in g , to acco u n t fo r th e “w isd om w hich w as giv en u n to H im .” T h e re is only one reaso n ab le w ay to ■ acco u n t fo r th e en tirely u n iq u e w isd om w ith w h ich Je su s spoke an d th at, is fo u n d in H is ow n w o r d s : “M y teach in g is n o t m in e b u t H is th a t sen t m e” ( J o h n 7 :1 6 ). I t w as n o t lea rn ed from m en b u t d irectly from G od. T h ey ask e d fu rth er, “W h a t m ean such m ig h ty w o rk s w ro u g h t by H is h a n d ? ” T h a t, too, w as' a n a tu ra l a n d im p o rta n t q u estio n . T h e an sw er to it is fo u n d in th e w o rd s o f N ico d em u s, “N o m an can do th ese signs th a t th o u doest, e x cep t G od be w ith H im ” (J o h n 3 :2 ) , an d th e w o rd s 'of Je su s H im self, “T h e k in g d om o f G od is com e u n to y o u ” (M a tt. 1 2 :2 8 ). P u t to g e th e r th e elev atio n o f Je su s’ tea ch in g a n d m iracle-w o rk in g p o w er w ith w hich H e w ro u g h t, th e a b so lu te p erfectio n of H is c h ara cte r, th e a sto u n d in g claim th a t H e m ad e u p o n th e d ev o tio n o f H is disciples (M a tt. 1 0 :3 7 ; J o h n 5 :2 3 ) an d th e re is b u t on e co n clu sio n w h ich a can d id m an can d raw , “tru ly th is m an w as th e S on o f G od.” Friday, June 18. Mark 6:3-6. “Is n o t th is th e c a rp e n te r? ” th ey h a lf w o n d erin g ly an d h a lf sn eerin g ly asked. Yes," it w as “th e carp e n te r.” W a s th a t an y th in g a g ain st H im ? I t o u g h t n o t to h a v e b een am o n g a p eo p le w h o p ro fessed as th e Je w s d id to b eliev e th a t h e w ho did n o t b rin g up h is so n to sofne tra d e b ro u g h t h im up to be a th ief. N ev erth eless, it w as som eth in g a g ain st H im to th e - w ell-to -d o N azaren es, a n d even to th o se o f H is ow n class. In d eed , it w as q u ite conclusive p ro o f th a t Je su s o u g h t to- b e rejected . A n d if Je su s sh o u ld com e ag ain a s a com m o n la b o rin g m an , w o u ld H e g et th e ears o f m an y even o f o u r p ro fesse d C h ristian peo p le? I t m ig h t p ossibly do to let H im speak in som e o b scu re m ission, o r on th e stre et, b u t n o t in o u r “c u ltu re d c h u rch es.” I t is n o ticeab le th a t th e b ro th e rs o f Je su s w ere q u ite o rd in a ry m en a n d h is sisters, an d even h e r w h om “all g en era tio n s shall call b lessed ” (L u k e 1 :4 8 ), q u ite o rd in a ry w o
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