Editorial October 14, 1905 Issue

The Call of Truth

Annie M. Knott

One of the most striking incidents in the ministry of Christ Jesus is that recorded in the seventh chapter of John's gospel. From this we see that the leading exponents of a materialistic sense of religion—the learned rabbis and the priests—found that they were fast losing their influence with the people. The pride of earthly learning was as nothing before the living words of this Teacher who had arisen in their midst, one who not only gave a new meaning to the familiar words of the law and the Prophets, but who spake as never man spake, and who dared to say of his own utterances, "They are spirit, and they are life."

His wonderful words only served to illuminate his more wonderful works, and together they proved that apathy, or content with the untrue and the unspiritual, is impossible in the atmosphere of Truth. The priests, who thus found themselves at a great disadvantage, sought every opportunity to destroy his influence and stop his work, but their attempts only proved the impotence of error.

At the feast of tabernacles all who could do so went to Jerusalem, for this feast commemorated the transition from the unsettled tent life of the wilderness to that of permanent homes in the Promised Land. It seems that on these occasions the city was illuminated, there was music and dancing, and each morning, for seven days, priests and people went to the spring of Siloam, at which the priests filled a golden vessel with water, to be poured out as a libation in the temple, thus reminding the people of the water which flowed from the rock in the days of the desert wanderings. John tells us that on the last day of this feast, Jesus stood in the temple and cried, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink," and the apostle adds, "This spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive." This bold statement aroused many to recognize the presence of the Christ, but led the rulers to send out officers to arrest Jesus. The inevitable conflict between the "mind of the flesh" and the spiritual idea expressed by Christ Jesus could have no armistice, and mortal belief was aroused to resist the truth which threatened its annihilation. It required supreme courage for the lowly Nazarene to call to the people at an hour when they seemed most content with formal religion, yet he did not appeal to those who were satisfied; he said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink."

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