Magyar Egyház, 1963 (42. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1963-03-01 / 3. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 11 “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses.” On this Easter morning are you a witness too? PALM SUNDAY Dezső Ábrahám: WHO IS THIS? “And when he was come into Jerusalem all the the city was moved, saying Who is this?” THERE ARE MANY THINGS, which can cause a stir in a city. In our days we are accustomed to hear about excited cities where the people move and cause great disturbances. News and pictures of such events fill the daily papers and television programs, so that all around the world everyone can formulate his opinion as to the reason and cause of such violent stirs. Let it be Budapest in Europe, or Bagdad in Asia, Tokio in the Par East or Tangiers in Africa, or one of the South American states, where political storm can overthrow governments from one day to another. But there are also good stirs which can come to a city, by which things change for the better, when evil is abolished, and certain blessed seasons and times may start. This must have been the case in Jerusalem at the time when Jesus entered the city on Palm Sunday. “All the city was moved saying, Who is this?” There was a great religious excitement among the people and the spirit of inquiry filled the hearts. For such a beneficial stir, that more and more people are drawn closer to God to hear the gospel preached and follow Jesus Christ, we must be thankful today. May God richly bless such stirs in every church, city and country. FIRST, LET US SEE, what caused the stir in Jerusalem, that “all the city was moved?” Most likely the fact, that Jesus Christ came as a king riding through the streets among his disciples and friends, yea, among the throngs of people, in humble pomp which seemed to many as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies. There must be a stir wherever Jesus is. Even the little children cried out and all sang “Hosanna in the highest.” There was a stir then, and there is sure to be a stir wherever Christ enters into the hearts and homes. He is never saviorless, he is always either a savior of life unto life, or of death unto death. There must have been a stir in the city. . . One can picture and hear the great crowd singing with a mighty volume of praise which is like the waves of an endless sea in grandeur. There is sure to be a stir in our hearts and homes if we are going to listen to the gospel on Palm Sunday and Easter. WHAT WAS THE INQUIRY? Some people asked with contempt “Who is this?” Oh, they knew the answer very well, to many he was the son of the carpenter from Nazareth. Some of his enemies may have ridiculed the people for granting such a wild ovation and warm welcome to Jesus. Others answered the question, “who is this?” with a certain non-commitment. Those who did not wish to be on his side, nor did they oppose him, were the people who shrugged their shoulders; for them, this question was not important. There must have been the many who knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. The blind man who received his eye-sight testified what Jesus had done; the lepers who had been cleansed, the lame who walked, and the many who were cured, and their friends who witnessed such miracles, all were there to hail him, the promised Messiah, the Lord of lords. They cried with one heart and soul, “Hosanna in the highest!” THE QUESTION STILL GOES around today, wherever people gather together in his name, “who is this?” How shall you answer? Who is this Jesus to you? There is only one answer, that he is the Savior of the world, he is the Son of the living God. Somié men followed him on the road to Golgotha, some obeyed his commandments, people throughout the centuries hailed him as their Lord and king. He is the only answer to our inquiries. He is the one who brought peace and love into this sin-sick world. Sing with the children and the chorus of millions, “Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he, that cometh in the. name of the Lord. Hosanna, in the highest”. GOOD FRIDAY Tibor Tóth: CHRIST ON TRIAL TODAY ALL WHO TOOK ANY part in nailing Christ to the cross have since been condemned by the higher conscience of the human race. Not only have those who took active part — Judas, Herod, Caiaphas, Pilate — been condemned; others, who looked on and behaved according to their essential nature, are also equally condemned. Those who passed by wagging their heads are condemned. The soldiers who played dice at the foot of the cross are, perhaps more lightly, condemned. The crowd who gathered round the judgment hall and later round the cross are equally condemned. In God’s view those who have bidden evil men God-speed have become partakers with them in their deed! We should like to consider the case of the crowd, and their part. Ever since preachers were free to preach, much has been made of the fickleness of that crowd, and of all crowds. Much has been made of it that on Palm Sunday the multitude greeted Jesus, crying, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord"; and the same crowds, a few days later, when Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus shouted, “Let him be crucified!” Now, in the last resort it is perfectly true that Jesus was put to death by an upstanding vote of the people. Pilate refused all through to take complete responsibility. He referred the issue, therefore, to the people, knowing, however, from their fierce cries what their decision was likely to be. The story as given in the Gospels keeps its steadily on the main offenders. In one of the first trials of a Christian for his faith, that Christian retorted, looking into the faces of the rulers and chief priests, “Him ye slew." The general moral sense of mankind has on this matter discriminated with the insight and justice which the gospel story observes. It is true that had the people stood by Jesus, the leaders of opinion would not have dared to lay a finger on him. We read explicitly that Herod feared the people. It is equally true that if the leaders of opinion who in those days exercised a tyranny over the masses such as today is
