Beast Of Burden Carries World's "Burden Bearer"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 91, 17 April 1943, Page 4

Beast Of Burden Carries World's "Burden Bearer"

TT is at this time that we are brought face to face with the dramatic incidents at the close of the earthly life of Jesus. These incidents comprise what Dorothy Sayers calls "The Greatest Drama Ever Staged"—the closing scenes in the life of One Whom the world found was "too dynamic to be safe." Suffering is the one experience we all are called upon to share, hence the drama of the Passion is of perennial interest. "One touch of sorrow makes the whole world kin." By Rev. C. W. Chandler The occasion of to-morrow's commemoration (Palm Sunday) is that of Our Lord's descent from the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem. Humanly speaking, there must have been grim determination in His countenance, although the full import of that determined look was hidden from the disciples who accompanied Him. Prophecy was about to be fulfilled. The "Temple" was going to be destroyed and built again in three clays from the termination of that fateful week, which we have since designate as Holy Week. There was something tremendously ultimate about what was taking place. Riding upon the humblest of beasts, an ass_, was the greatest Man Who ever visited the earth. Stroke Of Genius What a contrast! As a dramatic episode, how it has captured the imagination of mankind.. Had He descended with a costly equipage, as the great ones of the world have always done, nothing more would have been heard of it. It would mean no more to us to-day than last year's "Lord Mayor's Show," or the last public

reception tendered to visiting royalty. Brass bands, shining sabres, miles of bunting, shouts and cheers — just an hour's effervescence, and then a tiring journey home. A passing specAp'art altogether for the moment from its divine significance, what a positive stroke of genius on the part of the Campaign Dictator! The more one thinks about it, the more impossible would it have been for it to have been otherwise. Did He not say that he who would be the greatest must be prepared to be the least? No canopies or vestments or thuribles. A Eucharistic procession is a much grander affair. As the sun was kissing with gold the buildings of Jerusalem, including the vast temple itself, an ass was making little dust clouds round its feet, as it sauntered down a parched and stone-strewn mountain track, whisking flies away with its tail, and not the least conscious of the honour that had been conferred upon it. It remained for G. K. Chesterton to immortalise this ass: When fishes flew and forests walked And figs grew upon thorn, Some moment when the moon was blood Then surely I was born. With monstrous head and sickening cry And ears like errant wings, The devil's waking parody On all four-footed things. The tattered outlaw of the earth, Of ancient crooked • will; Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb, I keep my secret still. Fools! For I also had my hour; One far fierce hour and sweet: There was a scout about my ears, And palms before my feet! Trudging on either side were footsore, weary men, filled with fear and expectation concerning events which they vaguely believed were just about to happen. The Inevitable Boy ,

Soon they were to be surrounded by the usual eager crowd of "kids." Let anything unusual happen anywhere in the world, and at any time, and I'll wager that a mob of boys will be on the scene before the arrival of an ambulance. Here they were on this occasion, shouting, "Hosanna! Hosanna!" and running with nimble feet up stately palm trees, and hurrying down again with fronds to strew in front of the Royal Guest. There's nothing quite as eager as youth when it gets going. Off came their coloured outer garments. These were spread upon the dusty road to make a carpet for an ass' feet. A beast of burden had the world's Great Burden Bearer on its back. The wonder of it all passes comprehension. No matter how familiar we become with the words of the Gospel narrative and the incidents described, it never loses, but rather gains, in dramatic power. In its utter simplicity, it is about as opposite as it can be to the grandeur which surrounds the modern presentation of these simple facts in religious ceremonial—and we are very far from Christ to-day. We know how to present the story, but we have lost the meaning, if we ever knew it, of the events which our worship so colourfully describes. We have learned how to say, "Lord! Lord!" in a thousand tongues but we haven't yet learned how to do His will.