Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

speaketh."
ground,"
of."
nor"
satisfied."
and"
The Editor's Page
Brotherhood Week
"Brotherhood Week Oh that's ancient history.
Let's forget it."
"Do you mean I lost my opportunity That the
color lines that were obliterated last week are all be
ing repainted That we cannot worship with Jews
and Roman Catholics all in one service again for
another year And if we really believe in the Father
hood of God and the Brotherhood of man, why didn't
we include the Mohammedans, the Hindus, the Bud
dhists, the Nudists, the Mormons, the Atheists, the
Communists and everybody Aren't we all brothers
and sisters, and can't we meet on the basis or human
ity Why can't we slap everybody on the back and
forget our differences "
Who invented this idea of Brotherhood, and
when It must have been thought of before God
asked Cain, "Where is Abel thy brother " And Cain
answered non-chalantly, "I know not ; am I my broth
er's keeper" "The voice of thy brother's blood is
crying to me from the "He being dead yet
But there were division lines even then
and to overlook them was tragic. The sons of God
(seed of Seth) looked upon the daughters of men
(Cain's descendants) and saw that they were fair,
and took them whatever wives they chose. There
were divisions after the flood, Shem, Ham. and Japh
eth. There were more divisions after Babel, and
though God hath made of one (material) all races of
men, he hath set the bounds of their habitation that
they cannot pass. Brotherhood within limitations. I
suppose that is why we have Brotherhood Week an
nually.
We have the story of Jesus' life for three or
more years in considerable detail but no special men
tion is made of Brotherhood Week. He observed it
fifty-two weeks and an extra day every year from
the manger to the cross, and the same number of
Sisterhood Weeks. Were there any weeks of His
life that stand out from the others, when He was
especially kind or cosmopolitan Perhaps you will say
that week when He went from Judea to Galilee and
must needs go through Samaria stands out. The
traveled road detoured around Samaria, crossing the
Jordan river twice when they didn't need to cross it
at all, for the Jews had no dealings with Samaritans.
But Jesus "must needs go through," notwithstanding
protests, silent or spoken, from some of the disciples,
we suppose. Why "go through " Because a straight
line is the shortest distance between two noints, and
Jesus traveled in straight lines toward His object
ives. The two points "From here to Eternity." No
yielding to Pharisaic nonsense. He was obliterating
the barriers to Brotherhood.
When the disciples returned from the grocery
store in Sycar they marveled to find their Master
talking with "the" woman; strange (1) because she
was merely a woman; (2) she was a Samaritan;
(3) she was evidently a bad Samaritan woman. But,
of course, it was Brotherhood Week. ,
She and Jesus were discussing fundamental
questions such as worship, questions on which they
must either agree or differ; where Jerusalem or
148
Gerizim She was saying "whether, or"; He was
saying "neither, or "both, if you worship
in spirit and in truth. What an opportunity for Jesus
to propose that He and His disciples would go to Mt.
Gerizim and join in a combined worship service with
the Samaritans. They would observe Brotherhood
Week together. But no, Jesus said, "You worship
you know not what ; we know what we worship. Sal
vation is of the Jews." There would be no compro
mise. Worship would be strictly on God's terms. And
they finally did worship together. Many of the Sa
maritans believed, not for the testimony of the
woman, but because they had seen Him for them
selves.
Yet for all this uncompromising attitude, He
could not avoid being considered a philo-Samaritan.
"Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan and hast
a devil" (Jn. 8:48). Had He not violated their es
tablished custom by setting foot on Samaritan soil
He had even talked with a Samaritan woman and
offered her a well of living water which she accepted
and became a fountain of
Living Water for her fel
low-citizens to drink Then He had remained in their
city two days. On another occasion he had told a
story that high-lighted a Samaritan against a dark
background of a certain priest and a Levite. Ten
lepers had come to Him for healing and only one re
turned to thank Him and He had turned the spot
light on him in front of a crowd a Samaritan. And
in the last days of His life when His face was set
to go to Jerusalem He asked for lodging in a Samari
tan village and was refused, and the disciples wanted
Him to call down fire on the village like Elijah did,
and He rebuked them, "Ye know not what manner of
spirit ye are He was just too fair to the Samari
tans too brotherly.
The Syro-Phoenician woman He harshly brushed
off, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of Israel."
But she persisted ; it was a desperate emergency. "It
is not right to take the children's bread and cast it
to the dogs." "That's true, Lord, but the dogs eat the
children's crumbs under the table. Spare me a crumb
and I will be I think Jesus laughed out
loud when He said, "For this saying, go thy way. Thv
whole."
daughter is made That was another Brother
hood Week.
The time would fail to tell of the publicans and
harlots, Zacheaus, Matthew, Mary Magdalene and all
those who experienced full forgiveness and whose
stripes were healed, because He was not ashamed to
call them brethren and sisters, though the reproach
es fell on Him, "This man receiveth sinners and eat
eth with them."
He came unto His own and His own received
him not, but to as many as received Him, to them
gave He power to become the children of God and
joint heirs with Jesus Christ, even to them that be
lieve on His Name.
Every week, every day, every hour, every min
ute, He was conscious of His brotherly relationship
to all men, even when He was saying, "Woe unto you,
scribes and pharisees, hypocrites," and while He upraided
those cities that repented not. The door was
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COVENANTER WITNESS