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JUNE 11, 1909
The Commoner.
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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-
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