FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101  
102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   >>   >|  
ying out, "He saved others; himself he cannot save." Had they put it, "He saved others, himself he _will not_ save," they would have been strictly within the truth. For he could have saved himself, since it lay within his power to call for twelve legions of angels, and they would have responded at once. Then where would the chief priests or even the Roman soldiers have been? #145.# There, too, were _the Apostles_, who were filled with despair at the fate of him who they had hoped would redeem Israel. Now their hope perished, and they gave way to dark despair. All his acquaintances from Galilee were there, the women beating their breasts for sorrow. Criminals were there as his companions in agony and shame. Yes, the scene at the cross was the most dramatic that the world had ever seen. For the time, the powers of darkness seem to have triumphed, and the best man in the world was nailed to the accursed cross. #146. The Penitent Robber.#--Yet even here a sudden ray of light divine breaks the darkness, and in the penitent robber we have the most wonderful record of the triumph of faith that the world has ever seen. How he was led out into the light of faith just at the moment that the faith of all others was eclipsed we cannot tell, but the fact remains. Note, all, even the Apostles, had given up faith in Jesus as the Messiah. But just at this moment, like the sun bursting through the dark thunder-cloud, we see the faith of this robber emerge, resplendent, for he recognized in the crucified man next him his "Lord." He also recognizes in him a king, for he speaks to him concerning his kingdom, to which he is about to go. More than this. The robber believes that it will be well with him in the next world if his dying companion in pain remembers him, and he also believes that he will be willing to remember him. What a most wonderful exhibition of faith this was, under the circumstances. At the moment when the powers of darkness were most triumphant the power of the Holy Spirit was also most clearly shown. And in response to all this faith comes the reassuring reply, "To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." #147.# At the cross, too, we may see the epitome of all men in their relation to sin and death, for while all three of the victims that day were brought to the cross by sin, they stood in very different relationships to sin. See, all died because of sin. But the impenitent robber died _in_ his sin. On the other hand
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101  
102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
robber
 

darkness

 

moment

 

powers

 

believes

 
wonderful
 
despair
 

Apostles

 
responded
 

companion


circumstances

 

remember

 
remembers
 

exhibition

 
crucified
 

recognized

 
resplendent
 
emerge
 

recognizes

 

triumphant


speaks

 

kingdom

 

brought

 

victims

 

impenitent

 

relationships

 

angels

 

relation

 

reassuring

 

response


Spirit

 
thunder
 

twelve

 

epitome

 

Paradise

 
dramatic
 

strictly

 
filled
 

nailed

 
accursed

triumphed
 

companions

 
Israel
 
acquaintances
 

perished

 

Galilee

 
sorrow
 

Criminals

 
breasts
 

beating