His Manliness
‘*Tet all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified.’’ — Acts 2:36. “And it came to pass, when the days were well-nigh come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.’’ — Luke 9:51. ‘¢ Judas then, having received the band of soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth, and saith unto them, whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am He.... Jesus answered, I told you that I am He; if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way.’’ — John 18:3-5, 8. Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say, Father, save Me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name.’’ — John 12:27, 28.
*“He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked.’’ — 1 John 2:6.
Thus far we have studied seven features of the picture God Himself has drawn in His own Word of The Real Christ: His Holiness, His Love for God the Father, His Love for Men, His Love for Souls, His Compassion, His Meekness, His Humility. The last three, His Compassion, His Meekness and His Humility are very closely associated. But this morning we are to study a
133 marked characteristic of our Lord that is of a very different sort, His Manliness. In most of the paintings of our Lord the face is not only to a marked degree womanly, it is positively effeminate and weak. The same is true of the pictures of Christ Jesus drawn in words in many pulpits. It is not a true picture of The Real Christ. I cannot endure the paintings of the face of Christ, they make me indignant. They dishonor my Lord. Gentle He was as we have already seen, and gentleness is more frequently a characteristic of woman than of man, of mothers, wives and daughters than of fathers, husbands and sons. But while He was more gentle than the gentlest mother, the gentlest person who ever lived on this earth, the one true and perfect gentleman, He was at the same time the strongest and most virile of all the sons of men. Gentleness and humility and meekness are seldom found coupled with energy and virility. I do not think that the term ‘‘Manliness’’ altogether accurately describes what I mean; for many women display many of the qualities IJ am about to describe more fully than most men. What we men in our presump- tion and arrogance and self-sufficiency call ‘‘manliness’’ is just as much, if not more, in actual life, ‘‘womanliness.’’ But I use the term ‘‘manliness’’ because it comes nearer to describing to the aver- — age mind what I mean than any other term of which I can think. I recall reading a book more than forty years ago, called ‘‘The Manliness of
Jesus.’’ I have entirely forgotten the contents of that book. Nevertheless, the book made a deep impression upon me at the time and I presume the book suggested the title of this sermon. Just what I mean by ‘‘Manliness’’ will be clear as we come to consider how the Manliness of The Real Christ (not the Christ Whom artists paint from their own fancy, but the Christ Who actually lived on this earth and Whose perfect portrait God Himself has drawn in the Bible) was manifested. I have five texts:
Acts 2:36: ‘“‘Let all the house of Israel therefor know assuredly, that God hath made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus Whom ye crucified.’” Luke 9:51: ‘‘And it came to pass, when the days were well-nigh come that He should be recewed up, He steadfastly set Hts face to go to Jerusalem.’’
John 18:3-5, 8: ‘‘Judas then, having recewed the band of soldiers, and officers from the chef priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. (4) Jesus therefore, knowwmg all the things that were coming upon Hum, went forth, and sath unto them, whom seek ye? (5) They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them,l am He.... (8) Jesus answered, I told you that I am He; Si therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way.’
John 12:27, 28: oN ow is my soul troubled; and what shall I say, Father, save Me from this hour?
But for this cause came I unto this hour. (28) Father, glorify thy name.”’
1 John 2:6: ‘‘He that saith he abideth nm Hum ought himself also so to walk even as He walked.’’
I. His Absolute Fearlessness in the Face of Gravest Peril
In the first place, as we see in three of these texts, the Manliness of Christ was manifested m His absolute fearlessness in the face of gravest perl, This comes out again and again in the story of His life here on earth. Look, for example, at our second text, Luke 9:51: ‘‘ And tt came to pass, when the days were well-nigh come — that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.’’ Our Lord Jesus knew He was going to Jerusalem to shame, suffering, agony and death. No other ever walked this earth who naturally shrank from death as He did; for no other who ever walked this earth was as full of life as He. But He looked the fast approaching suffering and agony and shame, yea, Death himself right in the eye without flinching and marched to meet him, to feel his sting and to conquer him. We see the same thing from a different angle in John 18:3-8: “Judas then, having received the band of soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. (4) Jesus therefore, knowmg all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth, and saith unto them, Whom seek ye? (5) They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, Iam He. And Judas also, who betrayed Him, was standing with them. (6). When therefore He said unto them, I am He, they went backward, and fell to the ground. (7) Agawm therefore He asked them, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. (8) Jesus answered, I told you that I am He; if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way.’’ The underlying significance of these words spoken under such circumstances is so evident that they need no comment. We see much the same thing in John 12:27, 28: ‘‘Now is My soul troubled and what shall I say, Father, save Me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour. (28) Father, glorify Thy name.’’ The shadow of the cross lay athwart the pathway Jesus trod from the beginning of His public ministry. This is evident from His words in John 2:19: ‘‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise tt up,’’ uttered on his first visit to Jerusalem after the beginning of His public ministry. But clearly discerning from the outset the cross with all its unutterable horrors, horrors inconceivable by our finite -minds, He marched right toward it without swerving for one moment one inch from the path God had marked out, undeceived and unbeguiled by the popularity that His beneficent ministry at first awakened. In this manly fearlessness we must follow Him. In the face of the gravest peril also we must follow Him for He Himself has said in Matt. 16:24: ‘“‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’
IIl — The Boldness of His Utterances
In the second place, the Manliness of the Christ of God was manfested m the boldness of His utterances. We see this in His bearmg and in His words before the high priest, Annas, and the Roman governor Pilate, as John has pictured them in John 18 :19-23; 33-37; 19:8-11. ‘‘The high priest therefore asked Jesus of His disciples, and of His teaching. (20) Jesus answered him, I have spoken openly to the world; I ever taught m synagogues and m the temple, where all the Jews come together; and in secret spake I nothing. (21) Why askest thou Me? ask them that have heard Me, what I spake unto them: behold, these know the things which I said. (22) And when He had said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with lis hand, saying, Answerest Thou the high priest so? (23) Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me? ... (33/ Pilate therefore entered again wmto the Pretorwm, and called Jesus, and sad unto Him, Art Thou the King of the Jews? (34) Jesus answered, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell 1 thee concerning Me? (35) Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests delivered Thee unto me: what hast Thou done? (36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of ths world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence. (387) Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that lam aking. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that 1s of the truth heareth My voice.’’
. 19: (8) ‘‘When Pilate therefore heard this saying, he was the more afraid; (9) and he entered wmto the Pretorium agam, and sath unto Jesus, Whence art Thou? But Jesus gave hm no answer. (10) Pilate therefore saith unto Hum, Speakest Thou not unto me? knowest Thou not that I have power to release Thee, and have power to crucify Thee? (11) Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest have no power agaimst Me, except it were given Thee from above: therefore he that delivered Me unto thee hath greater sin.’’ Even more startlingly bold are His words before Caiaphas. Listen to Matt. 26:57, 59-64: ‘‘And they that had taken Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. ... (59) Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put Him to death; (60) and they found it not, though many false witnesses came. But afterward came two, (61) and said, This man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it m three days. (62) And the high priest stood up, and said unto Him, Answerest Thou nothing? What is it which these witness agamst Thee? (63) But Jesus held His peace. And the high priest said unto Him, I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thow tell us whether Thou art the Christ, the Son of God. (64) Jesus sacth unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the: clouds of heaven.’’
III. His Warnor Spirit
In the third place, the Manliness of the Lord Jesus was manifested nm His Warrior Spirit. The Lord Jesus came ‘‘to heal the broken-hearted’’ (Luke 4:18), to comfort the sorrowing and heavy laden (Matt. 11:28), to gently bind up all the gaping wounds of humanity. But He came also to be the dauntless leader in the fiercest fight the Universe has ever known. ‘This we see again and again. Matt. 10:34 will probably serve to illustrate this as well as any passage in God’s record, ‘‘ Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.’’ Jesus Christ was indeed the Prince of Peace, but
He was also the Prince of Warriors. The hymn, ‘“‘The Son of God Goes Forth to War’’ has a great truth in it. It is just as true as,
‘“Majestic sweetness sits enthroned
Upon the Savior’s brow
His head with radiant glories crowned
His lips with grace o’erflow.’’
The peace The Real Christ preached was peace through victorious warfare. To be a true follower of Jesus, the Christ of God, one must be a fearless fighter as well as a gentle comforter. And to-day the fight is hotter than ever before in this old world’s history; for the end draweth nigh and Satan rages for he knows his time is short: and we need to-day, we sorely need, warrior Christians. If we are to preach a full Gospel, we must preach a Gospel of hard, fierce but completely victorious warfare.
IV, His Utter and Fearless Frankness in Dealing with Men
In the fourth place, the Manliness of Christ Jesus was manifested m His utter and fearless frankness in dealing with men. This also we see illustrated again and again. For example, we see it illustrated in Luke 9:57, 58: ‘‘And as they went on the way, a certain man said unto Him, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. (58). And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.’’ We see it again in Luke 14:25-33: ‘‘Now there went with Him great multitudes: and he iurned, and said unto them, (26) If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and ststers, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. (27) Whosoever doth not bear hs own cross, and come after me, cannot be My disciple. (28) For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he had wherewith to complete it? (29) Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and 1s not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him, (30) saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finsh. (31) Or what king, as he goeth to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh agaist hm with twenty thousand? (32) Or else, while the. other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and asketh conditions of peace. (33), So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.’? Our Lord concealed nothing. He would have ali with whom He dealt know the very worst as well as the very best. While He longed for disciples because He knew that discipleship of Himself meant infinite and eternal blessing for every one who became His disciple,
He would not have one person become His disciple without a full understanding of the tremendous cost of discipleship, without a clear and full apprehension of all the shame, and suffering and loss that were involved in following Him. This is a lesson we modern evangelists and preachers sorely need to learn. We are constantly ringing the changes upon what one gains by coming to and accepting Christ. Our Lord Jesus rang the changes on what one lost by coming to Him. He appealed to the heroism and self-sacrifice of men as well as their longing for peace and joy and infinite reward.
There is great need to-day that we preach a heroic Gospel, a Gospel of self-sacrifice and not a Gospel that seeks to minimize the sacrifices involved in coming to Christ, and seeks to transform the Church that Christ Jesus founded, the crucified Christ founded, into a competitor with the dance hall, the card club, the vaudeville and the movie theaters. When that New England Methodist Conference voted to rescind the historic Methodist position regarding questionable amusements, in order that they might allure the weak-kneed manikins and womanettes, who desire to bear the name of ‘‘Christian’’ but at the same time lead a soft, luxurious, self-indulgent and worldly life, they sounded the death knell of real vital, forceful, Christ-like Christianity in that section of Methodism. And if the Quadrennial Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church shall follow their example, as so many hope they may, they will sound the death kmell of the once great and glorious Methodist Church in America.
V. His Uncompromsing Attitude Toward Sin um All Its Forms
In the fifth place, the Manliness of Jesus Christ was manifested in His Uncompromsing Attitude toward Sin m all its Forms. This is seen, for example, in that terse but meaningful utterance of His recorded in John 8:34: ‘‘Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that committeth sin is the bond-servant of sin.”’ Sin was always sin in the eyes of Christ Jesus. There was no such thing as excusable sin or venial sin or little sin in His estimation. Sin was always, whatever the particular sin might be, the same hateful, abominable, ruinous, enslaving thing: ‘‘Hvery one that committeth sim (whatever the sin may be) 1s the bond-servant of sin.’? Upon sinners of all sorts He had compassion. Sin in all its forms He hated and denounced. There was none of that namby-pamby, milk and water, half-admiring, half-palliating attitude toward some forms of sins that is so common, even among certain classes of professed Christians, to-day. He never called a carnival of lust a ‘‘romance,’’ as our newspapers do almost every day. No, listen to His blistering words, ‘‘ Every one that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth one that is put away from a husband committeth adultery.’ (Luke 16:18.) Sin was sin, hideous, loathsome, enslaving. ‘‘Repent or perish,’’ He eries, “‘/ tell you, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner pertsh.’’ (Luke 13:3-5.) The sin He pardoned when it was repented of, but He sternly added, ‘‘Go and sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee.’’ (John 5:14; 8:11.) His attitude toward sin was unyielding, strong, virile, uncompromising, never palliating. This also is a lesson that we need to learn. Sometimes because of cur fondness for the sinner, because he is dear to us by ties of relationship or for some other reason, sometimes from our very desire to be like our Lord in His compassionate dealing with sinners, we are tempted to condone the sins of some, even gross sins. That is utterly unChrist-like. He never did.
VI. His Unbending Firmness
In the sixth place, the Manliness of Christ Jesus is seen in His unbending firmness. This we see, for example, in Luke 9:59-62: ‘‘ And He sad unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. (60), But He said unto him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God. (61) And another also said,
I will follow Thee, Lord; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. (62). But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’’ The requests of these two men, at the first glance, seem reasonable, but not to Jesus. He had made a demand upon these men for immediate action. The call was not only important but imperative and the Lord Jesus did not yield one inch. ‘‘Leave the dead to bury ther own dead’’ He gently, but none the less firmly, said. And then, ‘‘No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, 1s fit for the kingdom of God.’’? What manly positiveness and firmness in all this. There was nothing of the weak, vacillating, palavering, sentimental ethical culturist and moral liberalist about Him. A man, a full-grown man, every inch a man, God’s pattern man, was He.
VII. The Severity with Which He Denounced Hypocrisy, Unreality, Pretence, Self-Righteousness, Self-Sufficiency, Self-Deception and Unadmitted Sin
In the seventh place, the Manliness of Christ Jesus was manifested im the severity with which He denounced hypocrisy, unreality, pretence, self-righteousness, self-sufficiency, self-deception and unadmitted sin. This we see in frequent occurrences described in the brief record of His life here on earth. For example read Luke 16:14, 15: *‘And the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things: and they scoffed at Him. (15) And He said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves wm the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination m the sight of God.’’ How severe and searching these words of our Lord were, especially when we remember to whom they were spoken, the men who prided themselves not only upon the thoroughness and rigidity of their orthodoxy but upon the strictness of their morality and the loftiness of their ideals of holy living. But listen again to something even more severe and stern. You will find it in Matt. 23:13-17: ‘‘But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not wn yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter. (14) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. (15) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the son of hell than yourselves. (16) Woe unto you, ye blind gudes, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it 1s nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he 1s a debtor. (17) Ye fools and blind: for which ts greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold?’’ And still further down in the chapter, in verses 23-28, 33, we read: ‘‘Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mmt and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. (24) Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel! (25) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but withm they are full from extortion and excess. (26) Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the wmside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also. (27) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but imwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. (28) Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but mwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and waquity.’’ Listen once more, verse 33: ‘“‘Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of heli?’’ Is this the same Christ Jesus that we saw three weeks ago when we studied His Compassion, or two weeks ago when we studied His Meekness? Yes, this is the very same Jesus, Jesus the real Christ, the Christ of God, Who was as strong and manly as He was meek and humble in heart. Remember meekness is not weakness and humility is not servility. It is true that the religion of Jesus Christ is pre-eminently a woman’s religion: it has lifted woman to an eminence never dreamed of before. But it also is fully as much a man’s religion! Its appeal is for Heroism, Fearlessness, Holy Audacity, Self-Sacrifice, Utter Reality.
VIII. His Glad and Unhesitating Acceptance of
Torture and Agony, Rather Than Yield One Iota
of the Truth and in Order to Save Others from Suffering and Ruin
In the eighth place, the Manliness of our Lord Jesus was manifested in His glad and unhesitating acceptance of torture and agony, rather than yield one rota of the truth and wn order to save others from suffering and ruin. Our Lord Jesus could have escaped the cross if He had been willing to compromise a little with the religious rulers of the day who oppressed the masses. Yes, He could have escaped easily, but He would not. He pursued the path of absolute allegiance to God and His truth though the cross loomed black and threatening in the path. He did not diverge one step in order to get around the cross. If He had so chosen, when the emissaries of Annas and Caiaphas and all that cringing crew who had conspired to bring about His death came to arrest Him in the garden, He could have escaped. If He would but have besought the Father, the
Father would instantly have sent twelve legions of angels and delivered Him. (Matt. 26:53.) But He knew that if He escaped the cross, sinners must perish eternally. On the Mount of Transfiguration, He was in the process of glorification right then and there, but He refused the glory there awaiting Him and talked with Moses and Elijah of His death that He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem, and turned His back upon the glory again, even as He did when He became inearnate (Luke 9:31; Phil. 2:6-8), and descended the mountain and went to Jerusalem to die that you and I might live. And you and I must tread the same path, if we choose to abide in Him; for ‘it is written’’ in God’s word: ‘‘He that saith He abideth in Him ought hinself also so to walk even as He walked.’’ (1 John 2:6.) The path of manly, literal sacrifice of self to save others is the path He trod: and He Himself has said, and He meant it: “‘If any man would come after me, let hom deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’’ (Matt. 16:24.)