| Show Rabbi RaLLi J J. Freund Analyzes Thc Messiah Apropos o of lt Its Rendition in Salt Lake Soon I I j At the tho l Timple ml I l Israel last ll n h l. l Rabbi Chariot J. J de delivered tie tie- livered rc the time following S review on The lh II Messiah On a n fortner ronnet occasion I T spoke here on the topic Lopic of V we- we tum treat again at aL this meeting It In lei the time Ics 1 Messiah lah The Tile timeliness of or the tho subject Is especially to tobe tolie be lie seen Cr from m tit tIme production him n our city elty next Tu Tuesday of Handel's Handels 18 magnificent oratorio whose winnie subject cl Is time the t l Messiah klah With the time so rave raie opportunity to he hear lr a musical composition which has stood times time's lest and whose text tox-t Is lis gotten gollen from tho timo choicest portions of or Ol Testament literature It should 1 readily be seized by hy all alt of you you Taking for rOI ni granted that lint you are arc Ing to the oratorio you you wilt will notice from fromn the words that tho the passages Hun sung and aud rc- rc cited d are alc mainly taken from various chapters In the time biblical book of Isaiah Tho The theme assumes that t what hat Isaiah said and amid pointed to one Ont life and antI death should be bf th the fulfillment of the great Ic prophecies This This' to s se seI e eI eI I purpose to review w s dispassionately lon and antI andI I surly and then wo Wt rna may cl decide for or ourselves win our selves whether ll right ht Is still ours our to lo maintain main maInS tam tain our protesting attitude Tho position we tIthe take In hi not ont one of or Ingratitude in In in- gratitude Rather mj might hl such r l h. h n made of ot those who take aie a n harmless t text and antI put Into it Il meaning that was' was foreign forein to time the author authol The rho only way open to come to anything like a fair tu study tudy am and decision Is IR to take Luke t the c text in Itt Its contextual contextual con con- textual standing TJien Tien b bp in n I position to say lIay whether prophet t and nOlI subsequent sub sequent history w were FIC In III 1 agreement as to to what was WIlS meant bj by t Striking Similarity The Time placing side by si side of or tIme the biblical hl text o of Isaiah aDd aud the New Testament l lacount account of or the time or of time the ces tIme the Mr Messiah lall must elicit th time llio remark of or th their r striking similarity Time The and limitations of or the time great lIe ire I brow V prophets must always be isi borne in In mind Their work vork was not that of or rely mi-rely forecasting future events This did dill not accompany their exalted position of speaking speaking- In the tIme name of or God Cod As 8 divinely divine dIvine- Iy ly sent messengers they concerned themselves themselves them them- selves with th the moral issues touching the lives hIves of their con constituency It would be bea bea bea a twisting of or Isaiah's words to sa say that th the referred to episodes cs that lint were removed removed re re- re- re moved movel from flom rota hIs Ills Limo timo by several oral rica ries In the oratorio we m meet et el these words Behold n a virgin shaH shall conceive anti and hear bear beara a a. son 00 and shall hall call can his bis 1 Emanuel manul God Cod with us This is from front the famous 1 passage In I Isaiah chapter 7 verse erse II 11 To be lie fair fall we ie must state tat that lint groat grat Christian scholars schola of or our OUI time lime take the hue position that lint these thes e words word the not refer refel to the time coming coming- Christian Messiah And they thy attain this lila n from a a- a study of tho time events e of or Isaiah time that lent color to 1 the lIme prophets prophet's e speech The rime king kin o of Judah was on tin tIll Vt verge vei-gc- gC of of oC in making a n foreign alliance h the Hebrew t r l i hl prove haLts l I u. u lf t r h of his his' o limo tho str n th whICh tm comes from roam trust In God rather than thorn thornOil on Oil oft ort man points to a young oun married woman and speaks with confidence coat conti titmice dence of the certainty of time the events e impending im lm- ma- ma p pending n ln for the nation Time The present Is ii hat concerns the prophet and arid time the remote future which some force limb Into to hi lila Ills lilaI I utterance lt h. Mev Sat Sad p li I do du not purpose to review the time entire but I make use muse of or that other locus jc which has hums been seized upon as iS s clCIl depleting Un the tIle SitU sad lr experiences of or orthe the Chic Messiah It on Consists of or time the famous p passages t-I t in time the third tiny chapter of Isaiah An Awl Anil here imre also the best hest of or Christian Chris j lIan tian scholarship I Is In km accord accorti with Jewish Int Interpretation that the time one despised des and of or men amen a man maim or sorrows and with grief who tool took punishment pun was not one Io lonely homely nely Individual who suffered r ll thus for forthe forthe the time human race laco as Us lis vicarious atone atomic ment The passage III In its CO context contest Hc t refers to te nothing else than time the personification o of Israel whether this be bo time the faithful among the lime people lle the time choicest spirits 0 or 0 the time people as a 1 whole This servant I o or tho the Lord and amid tm time the prophet was depicting Is certainly not Identical with time tho founder of Chris I ii mm I ty I In n tills chapter of Isaiah famed nut for Us Influence ami importance On the history of Nm it i ut to Us Ils Influence on eLm time the origin and amid development of Christianity the servant of time the Lord ls is portrayed In time Ihu first sec section ion tion found In iii the tue three lust last verses nf 11 Isaiah 5 52 time the ilLume exaltation and aimI glory C cf f the lImo arc briefly contrasted with his bib present wretchedness and misery In iii Inthe the second section time tho nations tIme the Gentiles Gen tiles become the tho Tho TImo prophet j himself anti and us Ls into tile Hie c I adv advent nt or of ing ng ago of glory him tin time near which lie believed and time the nations mar mar- at limo Iho wonderful change Who Vimo hove believed they timey say sai what wo IWO now flow yet and hoar who could have credited what Iho ho power of God Cod tins has done Israel dj J and rejected a puny people mocked at and disregarded But great Is Isnow now holy the change Yet it Is this change this transformation this resurrection to pory gouy of time HIP poor exile who seemed to todie scales to o fall fail from roam die die- h which caused the hue their eyes They now see sec time Iho purport of Israel's Israels sufferings Israel antlered for their sake to bring them enlightenment and peace This is time the Idea Of OfHie time Hie whole It IM is not Implied that Israel van yas absolutely sinless hut but ho lie hoVas Was Vas so hi tt Time The history lila his comparison with time the heathen tory of Israel Tt lila his growth hii his fall lila his nory reveal to tIme the nations the truth of or Israels Israel's God and time the worlds Israel accepted his calamities with resignation and humility he tue went to lila his voluntarily vol vol- for it was Gods God's will ivill but t im he knew that bis death was but nit the lo to a bettor life lie died in tim exile among I time the wicked and he lie was to JiVe again i in his own land hand In glory This truly portray per por- tray ti-nys the contents of that fifty fifty- third chapter in time the relationship with time tho events of history It Is no exaggerated picture nor for twisting to adapt he time prophets prophet's words to an aim supposed to take place hundreds of years yeam later In lit d With those these two passages explained vee e eI I must answer time tho fairly put What It is time the Messiah idea and when does docs it mt mist insistently protrude itself fur von von- Mainly in itt times of great national na- na distress time the peoples people's spirits were buoyed up by the promise o of salvation through the lie agency of one who vilio to time tho people would be as a saviour Wo We never hoar hear mention of Messiah or em akin to Messiah in an era or of great pros pros- At such time time the Idea would be meaningless and would meet with little Different however It was when oppression or national weakness was sas manifest The idea of Messiah Vas acclaimed It must certaInTy certainly have been so In time Llama of Isaiah when Assyria was threatening Judah's overthrow Quite fute natural it was tom for the prophet to announce an aim early appearance of Messiah Mes Mes- slab siah conditioned only by the peoples people's adherence to the cause of righteousness And this Is exactly what is meant by this Instructive A certain rabbi one meets Elijah time the Prophet and asks him when Messiah will comeGo conic come Go replies Elijah and ask Messiah himself You will miilI lInt him at time the city gate and by this token you will know him him that hat he hue sits among the lie poor anti and the sick A man of sorrows sorrows- himself he lie ministers lovingly to a those who suffer rind binds up tip their wounds Time The rabbi fluids Messiah and asks him time the When wilt thou come lolay Today To lo lay day Is tIme the reply Meeting t time the rabbi cries Messiah lift deceived me ho lie will come conio today and life has riot miot come conme Nay answers N it no fn in s Let us mis make a leap heap Over C ii from tIm tho time lime in ii which Isaiah lived to thur time of the lime dawn of the present era crum The lIme yoke of Itoman rule nile anti and oppression was extremely heavy What more natura natu- natu ra ra than Limit that thai in such time of national yearning should be lie great for forone or one omme to deliver from the hand ham of oppressor oppressor sor And at this opportune moment sad ii im Us its hard imanil consequences for or the Jews tim the founder of Christianity was acclaimed as time the longed for Messiah I Ml of Jew And to this fact time the long hong and amid tory tomy of the Jew has been a sati protesting protest ing commentary Time The physical Messiah dees not satisfy no conditions of time the fancy of time the prophets prophet's picture of an aim era of peace anti and good will and amid strife me c still at work Ignorant Christian and amid fanatic Mohammedan remote time the time of mutual trim un understanding and permission to worship God how and where we will With WhIm In- In mm- mm enlightenment there Is yet sad Ignorance Time The subsequent oppression l makes tIme the yearning for Messiah to find expression We rC who mire are favored by good may ho tic unable mumble to understand It nil all hut ie can help to hasten time tho as- as V day nf tiC In hum fact each one ot us can be Ie time the Messiah Mes Time The method is no very difficult task I If C we it-c all mii would accomplish Messiah let letus letus us us look lo to our iOn Individual lives hIves to keep us ItS upright audi and pure Is fis possible possible- let us is strive for righteousness by one consecrating imi his life to Its constant anti and complete If It everywhere antI ind fur for nil all time we would make Messiah a reality let hot us mis bury petty hotly animosities join oln hands in good work and effect u a. lasting peace hi tim time the world world peace peace as tIme the advent of Messiah hatred and will be no more mere |
