the unseen world and other essays-第21章

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t　he　who　spake　as　never　man　spake　before　must　have　some　divine　commission　to　execute。　These　speculations；　coming　to　the　ears　of　Jesus　during　his　preaching　in　Galilee；　could　not　fail　to　excite　in　him　a　train　of　self…conscious　reflections。　To　him　also　must　have　been　presented　the　query　as　to　his　own　proper　character　and　functions；　and；　as　our　author　acutely　demonstrates；　his　only　choice　lay　between　a　profitless　life　of　exile　in　Syro…Phoenicia；　and　a　bold　return　to　Jewish　territory　in　some　pronounced　character。　The　problem　being　thus　propounded；　there　could　hardly　be　a　doubt　as　to　what　that　character　should　be。　Jesus　knew　well　that　he　was　not　John　the　Baptist；　nor；　however　completely　he　may　have　been　dominated　by　his　sublime　enthusiasm；　was　it　likely　that　he　could　mistake　himself　for　an　ancient　prophet　arisen　from　the　lower　world　of　shades；　or　for　Elijah　descended　from　the　sky。　But　the　Messiah　himself　he　might　well　be。　Such　indeed　was　the　almost　inevitable　corollary　from　his　own　conception　of　Messiahship。　We　have　seen　that　he　had；　probably　from　the　very　outset；　discarded　the　traditional　notion　of　a　political　Messiah；　and　recognized　the　truth　that　the　happiness　of　a　people　lies　not　so　much　in　political　autonomy　as　in　the　love　of　God　and　the　sincere　practice　of　righteousness。　The　people　were　to　be　freed　from　the　bondage　of　sin；　of　meaningless　formalism；　of　consecrated　hypocrisy；a　bondage　more　degrading　than　the　payment　of　tribute　to　the　emperor。　The　true　business　of　the　Messiah；　then；　was　to　deliver　his　people　from　the　former　bondage；　it　might　be　left　to　Jehovah；　in　his　own　good　time；　to　deliver　them　from　the　latter。　Holding　these　views；　it　was　hardly　possible　that　it　should　not　sooner　or　later　occur　to　Jesus　that　he　himself　was　the　person　destined　to　discharge　this　glorious　function；　to　liberate　his　countrymen　from　the　thraldom　of　Pharisaic　ritualism；　and　to　inaugurate　the　real　Messianic　kingdom　of　spiritual　righteousness。　Had　he　not　already　preached　the　advent　of　this　spiritual　kingdom；　and　been　instrumental　in　raising　many　to　loftier　conceptions　of　duty；　and　to　a　higher　and　purer　life？　And　might　he　not　now；　by　a　grand　attack　upon　Pharisaism　in　its　central　stronghold；　destroy　its　prestige　in　the　eyes　of　the　people；　and　cause　Israel　to　adopt　a　nobler　religious　and　ethical　doctrine？　The　temerity　of　such　a　purpose　detracts　nothing　from　its　sublimity。　And　if　that　purpose　should　be　accomplished；　Jesus　would　really　have　performed　the　legitimate　work　of　the　Messiah。　Thus；　from　his　own　point　of　view；　Jesus　was　thoroughly　consistent　and　rational　in　announcing　himself　as　the　expected　Deliverer；　and　in　the　eyes　of　the　impartial　historian　his　course　is　fully　justified。

〃From　that　time；〃　says　the　first　evangelist；　〃Jesus　began　to　show　to　his　disciples　that　he　must　go　to　Jerusalem；　and　suffer　many　things　from　the　elders　and　chief　priests　and　scribes；　and　be　put　to　death；　and　rise　again　on　the　third　day。〃　Here　we　have；　obviously；　the　knowledge　of　the　writer；　after　the　event；　reflected　back　and　attributed　to　Jesus。　It　is　of　course　impossible　that　Jesus　should　have　predicted　with　such　definiteness　his　approaching　death；　nor　is　it　very　likely　that　he　entertained　any　hope　of　being　raised　from　the　grave　〃on　the　third　day。〃　To　a　man　in　that　age　and　country；　the　conception　of　a　return　from　the　lower　world　of　shades　was　not　a　difficult　one　to　frame；　and　it　may　well　be　that　Jesus'　sense　of　his　own　exalted　position　was　sufficiently　great　to　inspire　him　with　the　confidence　that；　even　in　case　of　temporary　failure；　Jehovah　would　rescue　him　from　the　grave　and　send　him　back　with　larger　powers　to　carry　out　the　purpose　of　his　mission。　But　the　difficulty　of　distinguishing　between　his　own　words　and　the　interpretation　put　upon　them　by　his　disciples　becomes　here　insuperable；　and　there　will　always　be　room　for　the　hypothesis　that　Jesus　had　in　view　no　posthumous　career　of　his　own；　but　only　expressed　his　unshaken　confidence　in　the　success　of　his　enterprise；　even　after　and　in　spite　of　his　death。

At　all　events；　the　possibility　of　his　death　must　now　have　been　often　in　his　mind。　He　was　undertaking　a　wellnigh　desperate　task；to　overthrow　the　Pharisees　in　Jerusalem　itself。　No　other　alternative　was　left　him。　And　here　we　believe　Mr。　F。　W。　Newman　to　be　singularly　at　fault　in　pronouncing　this　attempt　of　Jesus　upon　Jerusalem　a　foolhardy　attempt。　According　to　Mr。　Newman；　no　man　has　any　business　to　rush　upon　certain　death；　and　it　is　only　a　crazy　fanatic　who　will　do　so。＇21＇　But　such　〃glittering　generalizations〃　will　here　help　us　but　little。　The　historic　data　show　that　to　go　to　Jerusalem；　even　at　the　risk　of　death；　was　absolutely　necessary　to　the　realization　of　Jesus'　Messianic　project。　Mr。　Newman　certainly　would　not　have　had　him　drag　out　an　inglorious　and　baffled　existence　in　Syro…Phoenicia。　If　the　Messianic　kingdom　was　to　be　fairly　inaugurated；　there　was　work　to　be　done　in　Jerusalem；　and　Jesus　must　go　there　as　one　in　authority；　cost　what　it　might。　We　believe　him　to　have　gone　there　in　a　spirit　of　grand　and　careless　bravery；　yet　seriously　and　soberly；　and　under　the　influence　of　no　fanatical　delusion。　He　knew　the　risks；　but　deliberately　chose　to　incur　them；　that　the　will　of　Jehovah　might　be　accomplished。

We　next　hear　of　Jesus　travelling　down　to　Jerusalem　by　way　of　Jericho；　and　entering　the　sacred　city　in　his　character　of　Messiah；　attended　by　a　great　multitude。　It　was　near　the　time　of　the　Passover；　when　people　from　all　parts　of　Galilee　and　Judaea　were　sure　to　be　at　Jerusalem；　and　the　nature　of　his　reception　seems　to　indicate　that　he　had　already　secured　a　considerable　number　of　followers　upon　whose　assistance　he　might　hope　to　rely；　though　it　nowhere　appears　that　he　intended　to　use　other　than　purely　moral　weapons　to　insure　a　favourable　reception。　We　must　remember　that　for　half　a　century　many　of　the　Jewish　people　had　been　constantly　looking　for　the　arrival　of　the　Messiah；　and　there　can　be　little　doubt　that　the　entry　of　Jesus　riding　upon　an　ass　in　literal　fulfilment　of　prophecy　must　have　wrought　powerfully　upon　the　imagination　of　the　multitude。　That　the　believers　in　him　were　very　numerous　must　be　inferred　from　the　cautious；　not　to　say　timid；　behaviour　of　the　rulers　at　Jerusalem；　who　are　represented　as　desiring　to　arrest　him；　but　as　deterred　from　taking　active　steps　through　fear　of　the　people。　We　are　led　to　the　same　conclusion　by　his　driving　the　money…changers　out　of　the　Temple；　an　act　upon　which　he　could　hardly　have　ventured；　had　not　the　popular　enthusiasm　in　his　favour　been　for　the　moment　overwhelming。　But　the　enthusiasm　of　a　mob　is　short…lived；　and　needs　to　be　fed　upon　the　excitement　of　brilliant　and　dramatically　arranged　events。　The　calm　preacher　of　righteousness；　or　even　the　fiery　denouncer　of　the　scribes　and　Pharisees；　could　not　hope　to　retain　undiminished　authority　save　by　the　display　of　extraordinary　powers　to　which；　so　far　as　we　know；　Jesus　（like　Mohammed）　made　no　presence　（Matt。　xvi。　1…4）。　The　ignorant　and　materialistic　populace　could　not　understand　the　exalted　conception　of　Messiahship　which　had　been　formed　by　Jesus；　and　as　day　after　day　elapsed　without　the　appearance　of　any　marvellous　sign　from　Jehovah；　their　enthusiasm　must　naturally　have　cooled　down。　Then　the　Pharisees　appear　cautiously　endeavouring　to　entrap　him　into　admissions　which　might　render　him　obnoxious　to　the　Roman　governor。　He　saw　through　their　design；　however；　and　foiled　them　by　the　magnificent　repartee；　〃Render　unto　Caesar　the　things　that　are　Caesar's；　and　unto　God　the　things　that　are　God's。〃　Nothing　could　more　forcibly　illustrate　the　completely　non…political　character　of　his　Messianic　doctrines。　Nevertheless；　we　are　told　that；　failing　in　this　attempt；　the　chief　priests　suborned　false　witnesses　to　testify　against　him：　this　Sabbath…breaker；　this　derider　of　Mosaic　formalism；　who　with　his　Messianic　pretensions　excited　the　people　against　their　hereditary　teachers；　must　at　all　events　be　put　out　of　the　way。　Jesus　must　suffer　the　fate　which　society　has　too　often　had　in　store　for　the　reformer；　the　fate　which　Sokrates　and　Savonarola；　Vanini　and　Bruno；　have　suffered　for　being　wiser　than　their　own　generation。　Messianic　adventurers　had　already　given　much　trouble　to　the　Roman　authorities；　who　were　not　likely　to　scrutinize　criti