THE ASCENSION, Biermann
XXXIX
THE LIVING CHRIST
Jesus the living Christ.
From what we have learned in the preceding lesson, it is plain that Jesus, the son of Mary of Nazareth, is in truth the Living Christ. Jesus was from before the beginning of this world, and will continue in power and glory throughout the endless eternities. In the great council in heaven, He volunteered to become the Christ and to save the children of God without force. He fulfilled His noble but agony-filled mission without faltering. He gave up His life with a prayer on His lips for those who brutally persecuted Him and killed Him. He was approved of the Father, and exalted to sit on the right hand of the throne of power. He is worshipped by untold millions, to whom He has brought consolation, hope, and love. And it is not only on the so-called common people of the earth that Jesus has made so wonderful an impression that He is worshipped as the very Son of God, but also over the greatest intellects in the world has He wielded so powerful an influence that they bow in admiring adoration. Poets, artists, philosophers, scientists, and statesmen alike acknowledge Jesus, the Living Christ and Advocate with the Father.
The testimony of Napoleon.
As we learned at the beginning of this book, Napoleon avowed his admiration of Jesus, while living an exile on the island of St. Helena. Napoleon's further testimony is interesting. "Superficial minds see a resemblance," said Napoleon, "between Christ and the founders of empires and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and other religions the distance of infinity. Everything in Christ astonishes me. Here I see nothing human. The nearer I approach everything is above me. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and myself founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ alone founded His empire upon love, and at this hour millions of men would die for Him. Christ proved that He was the Son of the Eternal."