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October, 1944 J OHN THE BAPTIST was preach sent priests and Levites to ask, “Who are you?” That was a great opportu nity for John to get into the lime light, but he was only "the friend of the bridegroom,” and he was not out to “steal the show.” Jesus had come, and John must decrease that He might increase, so the rugged preacher simply said, “There standeth one among you, whom ye know not.” Little did those Jews realize that there stood among them the fulfill ment of prophecy, the long-looked-for Messiah, the Christ of God. “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” After all their yearning and longing, they knew Him not when He came. Today, the Jewish nation, for ail its wealth and learning and ability and religion, is in the same plight. There stands One among them whom they know not. As He lamented over Jerusalem, '‘But ye would not,” so today He stands unrecognized among His own people, upon whom blindness in part has fallen until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. But one day they will look upon Him and receive Him and all Israel shall be saved. » Unknown to the World Jews are not the only ones to whom He is an Unknown Christ. If I could speak to all the world at once, I know of no better way to be gin than with our text: “There standeth one among you whom ye know not.” What a wretched world today, torn with trouble, reeking in sin, dark with sorrow, soaked in blood and tears, and all because Christ is unknown! For He is the Answer to every problem. There is not a sin He cannot forgive, not a disease He can not heal, not a trouble He cannot relieve, not a .sorrow He cannot re move. But men will not come to Him that they might ..have life. The Light has come, but men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. The councils of this earth give Him no place, at. the table, the rulers of this, earth pay no attention to the only King who one day will rule it all. After centuries of preaching, only a portion of this world knows about Him at all; and of that portion, only a fraction know Him as a Sav iour. The saddest fact in all the earth is the Unknown Christ: “There stand eth one among you whom ye know not.” Narrow it down to your town and still it is true. Did you ever look over a city and wonder how. many people knew Christ, until you could almost see Him standing in the midst of its
“ Thçre standeth one among you. whom ye know not”—-John 1:26.
ing in the wilderness and multi tudes were turning out to hear this picturesque prophet. .The Jews
The Unknown Christ
By VANCE HAVNER
stores and factories and schools and churches and homes, grieved for the hardness of their hearts? Oh, I know we honor Him at Christmas and East er, but.He is usually hard to find in thè celebration. For all Our holly and mistletoe, ganta Claus and presents and'anthems and cairóls and lilies and corsages and riéW spring clothes .and cantatas, there stands among us One whom we know riot.' The first Christ mas Gift is forgotten in new Christ mas gifts, "arid at Easter, so far as a great many of us are concerned, Christ is, still ili the grave. We eulogize Him with pageantry and parade/ but how often the Unknown Christ must walk among,.}t. >11 .saying, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; blit their heart is far from me.” Unknown in thè Church The tragedy of our church life is the Unknown Christ. He is unknown to thousands of i n e m b e r s who have joined the church but do not know Christ, and now they are the most dif ficult of all people to reach because they hide in a church. Hundreds of people could be led to Christ if only they were riot church members! And He is an Unknown Christ in many ways ta Christians. They know Him as Saviour, but on so many points they live their own lives and know nothing of His power to keep, to guide, to empower, to give joy and peace and victory. I go into churches where there •is division and discord. The members do not like the preacher, and there .is a fuss, i n ,the -choir, and the Sunday school is torn up, and the deacons are loggerheading—and the whole trouble is their poor knowledge of Christ. And they never will get together until they unite around Him. I doubt whether any church trouble can be unraveled by trying to take it to pieces arid put it back together, for there are always more pieces than you ever suspected,
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