The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, June 11, 1909, Page 3, Image 3
Wf"""1 T'-'r "I"'BV '"' I JUNE 11, 1909 The Commoner. 3 tc - ? - EDUCATIONAL SERIES JESUS AS AN ORATOR (James B. Clayton, D. D., Washington, D. C, In the Homiletic Review.) Jesus is entitled to the distinction of being the world's foremost orator. To His successes as a religious teacher He added the triumphs of the popular speaker; and that His oratory appealed strongly to the masses and was .in some respects unique is indicated by ' many statements in the gospel narratives regarding His audiences and His popularity. The "in numerable multitude" "prest upon him," "thronged him," and "trode upon one another" when they "were gathered thick" to hear Him. We are not left in doubt as to the reception accorded Him. "The common people heard Him gladly," "and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth," "were aston ished at his doctrine," and shared the opinion at least once- expressed by His enemies, "never man spake like this man." While each of these statements has an individual value, they all unite in conveying the general impression that His oratory was not only unusual, but at times even sensational, invariably arousing both the bitter hostility of His foes and the enthusiastic commendation of His friends. The utterances of Jesus may be grouped in three classes: His table talk, conversations, and public addresses. Some of the most suggestive deliverances of Jesus were made as He ate with His disciples, friends, or beneficiaries. Among such utter ances were His revolutionary remarks upon the forgiveness of sins, made in connection with the incident of the woman of the city breaking her alabaster box in His honor as He sat at the table of Simon the Pharisee; His parting "words to His disciples before His crucifixion, spoken as they kept the passoyer feast in the upper room arid, His final injunction to .the same body of men to whom "ho appeared as they, sat at meat," and whom He commissioned to go into all the world and preach His gospel. His conversation with the woman at Jacob's well on the spirituality of religion; His appeal to the rich young ruler to make God and not gold the supreme quest of life; His memorable interview with Nicodemus on the higher life of the soul and His greeting to Simon Peter by the Galilean Lake, will forever remain models of wise and affectionate counsels on the subject of personal religion. Of His many public addresses, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the sermon in the synagog of Nazareth, we know, even from the brief notes in the gospels, that they were origi nal in content, striking in form, and surprising in their penetrating appeal. He never left His hearers indifferent, but always evoked strong feeling and emphatic comment. He was too personal to be ignored and too impressive to be forgotten. While the rabbis were jealous of His popularity, His hold on the masses remained unshaken; and when the rulers plotted His overthrow, they resorted to trickery, making no attempt to take Him openly "for fear of the people," to whom His personality, works, and addresses had endeared Him. Any discussion of the oratory of Jesus must take into account His opportunity, equipment, and message. ' HIS OPPORTUNITY The political, social, and religious conditions of His times presented a golden opportunity for the man of the hour to make Himself deeply and permanently felt. In addition to posses sing an extraordinary mental and spiritual en dowment, Jesus was a close student of His times, and the reach of His mind carried Him far beyond Judea and Rome, embracing, in deed, all mankind. His development was nor mal and gradual. Luke says that He "grew in grace and wisdom." The eighteen years of obscurity in the carpenter shop of quiet Naza reth -developed His mind and gave Him the necessary opportunity for the careful formula tion of 'His message into a compact system so that its presentation should be not only ade quate to His own turbulent period, but be suit able to men in all ages and conditions of life. Politically His people were divided into many sects and parties, and were weary, not only of Roman despotism, but of their own incessant strifes. The three hundred years preceding Ills advent had been filled with popular uprisings and the coming of many messiahs. Caesarism had all but crushed the nation, though somo hope remained, and the longed-for "Prince of the house of David," if Ho came, and possessed initiative and administrative genius, would bo able to enlist the multitude under His bannor. Politically, conditions favored Jesus; and socially such a man was needed. The spirit of caste completely permeated the national life; those at the top were unwilling to assist or to co-operate with those at the bottom of the social scale; and pride of family, station, and purso, together with a self-righteousness which has probably never been equaled in the history of religion, made a unified society impossible un less a social revolution should intorvcne. Religiously, the times favored a radical re former. Worship had . degenerated into for malism, and righteousness into paying tithes and saying prayers, tho religious leaders boing content, if tho tithes wore paid, to regard say ing prayers as a work of supererogation. John the Baptist having preceded Jesus with his min istry of repentance, had opened the way for tho second and greater prejicher of a positive and constructive religion. Both of these ministries were widely different from any of tho preceding Messianic movements, and they united In the idea of the immediate establishment of the king dom of God among men through tho regenera tion of tho individual. The sum total of conditions, political, social, and religious, favored tho advent and supre macy of a' great popular orator, who, Instead of being a caustic ascetic like John, should mingle with the people; and this social condition Jesus so far fulfilled that He was assailed as "glutton and wine-bibber." His custom of regularly attending the weokly services in the Nazareth synagog during tho eighteen yeaTs prior to His entrance upon public life, had thoroughly fa miliarized His mind with the ideas, hopes, and needs of His people. One of the first of His recorded addresses, that In Nazareth, was un settling to His audience 'and resulted in as try 'ing an experience as could befall a popular speaker. At first the people "wondered at tho gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth;" but when, In that same brief address, He appealed to their history to prove His posi tion that God could not be confined to Judaism, the meeting broke up in an uproar, and ended in an attempt, the first of many, to destroy Him. But His opportunity had come; how should it be utilized? Should He conciliate narrow Jewish prejudices, or seize upon tho oc casion to inaugurate a propaganda for universal brotherhood? HIS EQUIPMENT The equipment of Jesus as an orator was never excelled. His utterances in public were dignified, and often sober to the verge of gloom; but He possessed a highly nervous temperament in an even more notable degree than White field, whose impassioned declamation often produced bleeding at the nose and mouth; but, while He was a man of great range and depth of emotion, Ho was not one of that class, now happily almost extinct, a "crying preacher." He occasionally wept, often ":ighed deeply in His spirit," and in the garden His mental agony was so great that He sweat blood. These indica tions point to a supernormal sensibility, through the multitude's man: appeals to which He be came "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." His supernormal sensibility was regulated by an inflexible will.. Though He were "meek and lowly of heart," yet had He an unwavering pur pose and the executive power of subordinating all things to it. No stress or strain weakened either His convictions or His will, which He regarded as being identical with God's will. He thought and spoke In the imperative mood: "I must" and "thou must" often fell from His lips. If the accidents of privation, temporary unpopularity, or the weakness of the flesh at times made conformity with His purpose difficult and perilous, He never faltered, but "set His face like a flint" in treading the path which He knew must end on Calvary. Neither suffer ing nor botrayal, hardship, nor tho cross, altored His plans or paralyzed Ills faculties. Ho know noithor fear nor vacillation. Whethor Jesus was abovo or bolow tho aver ago staturo is a subject of contradictory tradi tions, but His prcHonco must havo boon dignified nnd oven mnjcBtic, His gonoral appearanco bo ing a fit expression of tho kingly soul within, and especially noticeable in ono of His humblo origin and rank in society. Ho resorted to nono of tho cheap clap-trap of tho professional agi tator nor to any of the accessories of stage craft for producing an offoct upon His audiences, nor did Ilo need to resort to such petty artiflco for gaining tho public ear. Ilo spoko as ono who loved God and men, so that it is not otrango that "tho common people heard him gladly," "came running togother," "hung upon his words," and withal wero "amazed" at the self assertion with which Ilo spoko. His presence must also havo bcon mngnctlc, as shown by the fact that women and children trusted Him, and that when Ho addressed Biich a man as Simon Peter with such simple words as "lovest thou mo," and Matthew tho tax-collector with tho torso uttoranco, "follow me," tho results wero disproportionate to tho lan guage employed, and clearly prove that there must havo been in His manner and tono an almost irresistiblo kindness. In addition to such effects thero wore others which indlcato that Jesus occasionally excited alarm, and, In deed, terror, by tho expression of His counte nance. As Ho spoko of His death soon to occur in Jerusalem, His disciples wero afraid of Him; and in tho gardon of Gethsomano Ho exorclsod that strange power, more than onco resortod to by John Wesley, of quelling a mob by a more look. Thero was that in His face that charmed tho noedy into trust; but there was also that which forbado undue familiarity, In spired respect, and oven produced fear. Of His movements while engaged in public discourse, wo know but little. "lie lifted up His eyes," and "stretched forth His hand" arc about tho only things said of His gesture or action; but fully taking into account the fact that He had complete control of Himself at all times, and so was usually calm In delivery, so emotional a man must at. times have been very energetic In His, discourse and assumed pos tures or Indulged In movements that fittingly accompanied His spooch. His conduct and Hla silence in dealing with tho woman brought to Him to be condemned was dramatic in tho ex treme, and far more offectivo than words alono could havo been In such circumstances. Jesus frequently, and for many months spoko in tho open air, and therefore certainly pos sessed a voice of great volume and compassr else He could not have endured tho strain in cident to such efforts. No small part of Spur geon's popularity was duq to his wonderful voice, which ranged from the highest tenor to the lowest bass, and was so penetrating that Its whisper could bo heard by thousands. So thero must have been a charm in the voice of Jesus as well as great power. Ono can not imagine that it was monotonous or harsh. The trans forming power of His gracious invitations and friendly appeals must havo been considerably augmented by the tender tones In which they were spoken. When He spoke peace filled tho heart of the abandoned and outcast; as He pronounced absolution, the midnight shadows of sin disappeared before His smile of welcom ing love for the sinner, and morning breathed in the stifling souls of profligates; when He whispered Simon wopt and John sobbed; and when He thundered, Lazarus camo back from farthest shores and the waters laydown at the feet of the Lord. The mind of Jesus was equal to His oppor tunity and the demands imposed upon Him by His unique position. This is proven by tho quality, reach, and appropriateness of His say ings. His mind was comprehensive. The most superficial examination of the thought of Jesus shows that He grappled mightily with actual conditions rather than spent his strength on abstract theories. His parabolic form of teach ing was peculiarly adapted to His hearers' men tal qualifications, and to the purposes of popular oratory. At His death He had left unpaid many things which He desired Ills disciples to know but which they were then unable to bear; yet even allowing for such necessary restriction up on His teaching, He said enough to prove that His knowledge of the human heart was mar velously complete and that His mind had com passed the heights of truth, the depths of misery, and tho breadths of love. Hla mind was also clear as crystal. There were no shadows clouding His vision; no un- i .toJ ti M I' I r 71 J.&X-- y - .