Sabbath-School Worker
1895
January 1, 1895
Never Man Spake Like This Man
The Jewish nation followed their own standard, and, walking in the sparks of their own kindling, they perished in their delusion. They did not respond to the wonderful works of Christ, or appreciate the words of him who spake as never man spake. They followed the imagination of their own hearts, and they were given up to be cursed by their own ambition, and to be destroyed with the falsehoods and delusions upon which they had built. Like many who reject the truth today, they presumed to appropriate to themselves all that is promised to those who have a character that is cleansed, refined, elevated, and ennobled by the practice of virtue and righteousness. They assumed superiority over all the nations of the world as a nation that practiced righteousness, when for a thousand years, through their wicked works, they had been loading the cloud of vengeance, which broke upon them at last in merciless fury. SSW January 1, 1895, par. 1
The Jews refused to hear the voice that appealed to them. For three years and a half Christ himself declared to them, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” His hands were stretched out to them in pleading, pitying love, but they refused his appeal, and would none of his mercy. Christ takes up the lamentation of unrequited love, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and [ye could not?] ye would not!” Christ as much as said to them: “You have perverted my words; you have resisted all my entreaties; you have taught for doctrines the commandments of men. You would not enter in faith, and believe for yourselves, and those who would have entered in, ye hindered. You have bound heavy burdens upon the shoulders of men, but you yourselves would not touch them with one of your fingers.” SSW January 1, 1895, par. 2
The rejecters of the word of God will not always be able to remain deaf to his laws, for they are eternal and irrevocable. The shepherds of the flock in this day are doing just what the Jews did in their day. The professed Christian world, by their hatred and resistance of the message of truth for this day, make it manifest that if they had lived on the earth when Christ came to the world, they would have accused him of the same sins and crimes as did the Jews, and would have taken the same active part in crucifying him as did the Jews. The same hatred and opposition of the word of God is brought to light when the claims of the law of God are presented, and men reenact the scenes of the time when the divine Teacher laid out the claims of truth before the Jewish nation. SSW January 1, 1895, par. 3
The Jews claimed to believe the law, but they broke every principle of the decalogue by their spirit of stubborn rebellion against Christ. The professed Christian world are manifesting the same spirit. The so-called Christian nations claim superiority over all others, yet they are not doers of the words of Christ any more than were the Jews. But, though the priests and rulers rejected Christ, “the common people heard him gladly.” Those who are fully engrossed in their own temporal, ambitious expectations and desires, who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, who have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof, have no relish for the words spoken by the great Teacher, for his words do not encourage their worldly projects, and are not agreeable to their worldly, self-bound souls. SSW January 1, 1895, par. 4
Christ never flattered men; he never spoke that which would exalt their fancies and imaginations, or praised them for their clever inventions. But those who were deep, unprejudiced thinkers received his words, and found that it put their wisdom to the stretch to comprehend the spiritual truths which he revealed in the simplest language. The so-called great men of the world are generally the most ignorant in regard to what constitutes true religion, and it is fitting to address to them the most simple language, for the eloquence of the truth forces conviction upon the soul. Both the educated and the uneducated have need to be addressed in the plainest, simplest language. The advocates of truth should learn from the World's Redeemer, and pattern after the greatest Teacher the world ever knew, who spake as never man spake. Although the language of Christ was simple, the most educated were charmed with his manner of teaching, and the uneducated were always profited by his discourses. He used illustrations gathered from the customs and experiences of daily life, and whenever his hearers looked upon the familiar things of nature, the words of Christ were recalled to the mind. He drew illustrations from the birds of the air, the lilies of the field, from the shepherds of the flock, and various things of common occurrence in daily life. Thus were the lessons of Jesus made simple for the comprehension of the people. Instruction of the greatest importance was bound up in the smallest compass, and was so clearly stated that no one needed to misunderstand. The scribes and the Pharisees alone complained of finding it difficult to understand his teachings; but the reason of this was that they were filled with prejudice, and were determined to misconstrue his words. The common people heard him gladly, for to the poor the gospel was preached, and many bore testimony to the fact that “never man spake like this man.” SSW January 1, 1895, par. 5