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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
March, 1937
It is a singular thing, yet a certain one, that people can never manufacture a falsehood the various parts of which can hang together. And when the Jewish leaders asked the watchers to testify that they had slept on duty until Jesus had been stolen away from His grave, they required the men to confess to a fault, of which Roman watchers dared not be guilty on the very peril of life itself; and yet, from that hour no better explanation of an empty tomb has been furnished the world. Within a century after these reputed events, the whole Roman Empire was per meated by the doctrines of Christ, and men by the thou sands and tens of thousands believed on Him as risen from the dead. The argument that entered into the conviction of the first century was that of the empty tomb. S k e ptic ism in S pite of t h e A ngel ’ s M essage There is the argument of the word of the angel to the women. When you get together a company of spiritual ists, every one expecting to see a spook, it is fairly easy to fool the crowd. Turn the lights low, secure a ventrilo quist, or even a good actor, and your purpose is accom plished. But when the skeptical are present, the perform ance is commonly balked. They are not looking for spooks, and they do not see them. These skeptics are valuable in uncovering fakes and pretenders. But Christ convinced skeptics in every instance. The women who went to His tomb were skeptics. As much as they loved Him, they never expected to see Him alive again. They went not for the purpose of anointing a risen Christ, but to embalm a dead One. They would not believe in the resurrection even on the authority of the testimony of heavenly witnesses. They were not even convinced when the “ two . . . men in shining garments” re
He Lives! By ARTHUR HEDLEY Flitwiclc, Bedfordshire, England
I N many churches today, Christ is seen not as the 'radi ant, victorious Lord ascending in triumph into heaven, but as a pale, limp, exhausted and lifeless Christ. The crucifix which confronts one at wayside shrines and at crossroads on the Continent has become an object of worship and meditation. Traditional art, in presenting a weak, exhausted Christ who claims our compassion, has en
tirely missed the teach ing and the spirit of the New Testament. It is certain that the apostles regarded the act of a crucifixion its e lf w ith horror and repu lsion . The image of a crucified Christ was the very last thing they would have allowed to be set up as an object of worship. T h e V a c a n t C ross a n d O u r H ig h P riest in G lory On the Cross, the L o r d Jesus ach ieved man’s salvation through H is sacrificial death, but H e trium phed over death and rose again for our justification. Had He remained on that cross, He could never have been our Saviour. In different terms the New Testament writers re c o rd the grea t re dem ptive sacrifice of Christ. In Paul’s great exposition of the resur re ction , he d e cla re s:
minded them of the p rophecy, “ T h e Son o f man must be delivered in to the hands o f sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Lk. 24 :7 ), though it is distinctly de cla red that “ they remem- b e r e d h i s w o r d s ” (L k . 2 4 :8). Not un- til they had seen Him and heard His voice, were they con vinced. The apostles
THE RISEN K ING By E. MARGARET C LARK SON Lol Behold! Two forms all shining Standing at the entry-way Roll'd away the stone— and hearken! "H e is risen!" angels say! He is risen! Death is vanquished! Wonder you that glad hearts sing? He is risen! He is surely Born a King! One day shall the heavens be parted, Rent asunder at His word; Wrapp'd around Him clouds of splendor He shall come— all-glorious Lord! Come to reign— to reign forever, While the vaults of heaven ring! Man of Sorrows— Prince of Glory— Born a King!
“ Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” Speaking of the same gloriqus truth, the Apostle Peter says: “ Christ . . . bare our sins in his own body on the tree.” In remembering Calvary these writers are con cerned with what Christ achieved by His suffering and death. The object of their worship was never a dead Christ, but the risen, ascended, and glorified Christ, for whose return they looked with eager expectancy. It was a risen, triumphant Saviour who filled their mind and vision. G uarded from D angerou s A ttitude s It would seem that the object of setting up the crucifix is that the worshiper might show sympathy and compas sion for Christ. But the constant meditation on a cruci fied Christ, rather than on a risen and radiant Saviour, tends to make certain people morbid and introspective. Christian psychologists have shown that persons who be lieve they have been badly treated and crave for pity from every one are attracted to the crucifix because they project [Continued on page 10+]
were skeptics every one. It is recorded that the words of these women “ seemed to them as idle tales, and they be lieved them not.” Peter and John went on a tour of personal investigation (John 2 0 :2 -8 ); and when Peter beheld “ the linen clothes laid by themselves” (Lk. 24:12), he was not convinced, but “ departed, wondering.” The two on the way to Emmaus were skeptics when Christ fell in with them, for He had to argue with them from the Scriptures that He was to be condemned to die and be crucified and raised again the third day (cf. Lk. 24:20, 26 ). Thomas would not even take the testimony of his [Continued on page 109]
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