The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1901, Page 31

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

o. Zh +

31

The Blood of Atonement.

This is the story of an aged Jew told by
himself when speaking to his brethren at a
recent mission service:

‘“Y was born in Palestine, nearly seventy
years ago. Asa child I was taught to read
the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets. I
early attended the synagogue, and learned
Hebrew from the rabbis. At first I believed
what I was told, that ours was the true and
only religion, but as I grew older and studied
the Law more intently, I was struck by the
place the blood had in all the ceremonies out-
lined there, and equally struck by its utter
absence in the ritual to which I was brought
up. Again and
again I read Exo-
dus 12 and Leviti-
cus 16and 17, and
the latter chap-
ters especially
made me tremble,
as I thought of
the great day of

atonement and
the place the
blood had there.
Day and night
one verse would
ring in my ears:
‘It is the blood
that maketh an
atonement for the
soul.’ [knew that
I had broken the
Law. I needed
atonement. Year
after year, on that
day, I beat my
breast as I con-
fessed my need
of it; but it was
to be made by
blood, and there
was no blood!

‘(In my distress I at last opened my heart
to a learned and venerable rabbi. He told
me that God was angry with His people.
Jerusalem was in the hands of the Gentiles,
the temple was destroyed, and a Moham-
medan mosque was reared up in its place.
The only spot on earth where we dare shed
the blood of sacrifice, in accordance with
Deuteronomy 12 and Leviticus 17, was des-
ecrated, and our nation scattered. That was
thy there was no blood. God had Himself
closed the way to carry out the solemn sery-
ice of the great day of atonement. Now we
must turn to the Talmud, and rest on its in-
structions, and trust in the mercy of God
and the merits of the fathers.

“YT tried to be satisfied, but could not.
Something seemed to say that the Law was
unaltered, even though our temple was de-
stroyed. Nothing else but blood could atone
for the soul. We dared not shed blood for

atonement elsewhere than in the place the
Lord had chosen. Then we were left with-
out an atonement at all. This thought filled
me with horror. In my distress I consulted
many other rabbis: I had but one great
question — ‘Where can I find the blood of
atonement ?°

“T was over thirty years of age when I
left Palestine and came to Constantinople,
with my still unanswered question ever be-
fore my mind, and my soul exceedingly trou-
bled about my sins. One night I was walk.
ing down one of the narrow streets of that
city, when I saw a sign telling of a meeting
for Jews. Curiosity led me to open the door
and go in. Just as I took a seat I heard a

“Deliver us from Evil.”

man say: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, His
Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’ It was my
first introduction to Christianity, but I lis-
tened breathlessly as the speaker told how
God had declared that, ‘Without shedding of
blood is no remission,’ but that He had given
His only begotten Son, the Lamb of God, to
die, and all who trusted in His blood were
forgiven all their iniquities. This was the
Messiah of the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah,
the Sufferer of Psalm 22. I had found the
blood of atonement at last. I trusted it, and
now I love to read the New Testament and
see how all the shadows of the Law are ful-
filled in Jesus. His blood has been shed for
sinners. It has satisfied God, and it is the
only means of salvation for either Jew or
Gentile.”

Reader, have you yet found the blood of
atonement? Are you trusting in the Lamb of
God that taketh away the sin of the world?

Why God so often removes by Death,
Children before their Parents.

A gentleman and his wife, traveling in the
Holy Land, while resting by the roadside be-
came interested in a shepherd as he sought
to lead his flock over a stream. In vain he
called to his sheep to follow him through the
shallow waters, and again and again he coaxed
them on. They would come so far, and no
further. At last, as a final resort, he caught
a little lamb and bore it to the other side.
Immediately the dam followed, and without
the least hesitation the entire flock crossed
safely to better pastures and cooler shade.

: There was in
that little inci-
dent a lesson for
the two travelers.
It had been nec-
essary in their
case, too, that the
Good Shepherd
should bear their
only child across
the stream in or-
der to draw them
closer to Him.
But their hearts

had rebelled
against the will
of God, and they
had sought to
bury their sorrow

in distraction.

As the meaning of
the lesson came
more fully upon
them, they ac-
cepted the great
truth taught ; and
not only did they
find healing for
their own broken
hearts and shat-
tered hopes, but were used of God in bringing
hope and comfort into many another burdened
and darkened life. — Selected.

i 2 9

Bad Memory.

Father.—'‘Mary, my love, do youremember —
the text of this morning ?’’

Mary.—'‘No, pa, I can never remember the
text, I have such a bad memory.”’

Mother.—‘‘By the way, did you notice Su-
san Brown?’? ;

Mary.—‘Oh, yes, what a fright! She had
on her last year’s bonnet done up, & pea-
green silk, a black lace mantilla, brown
boots, an imitation of Honiton collar, a lava
bracelet, her old ear-rings, and such a fan!
Oh, my!”

Mother.—‘Well, my dear, your memory is
very bad.”’— Ez.