POPULARITY.

BY REV. C. D. JACOBS,*

*

Pastor First Presbyterian Church, Hillsdale.

Text: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matt. 16:24.

The voice of the people is not always the voice of God. The verdict of the people is not always true and righteous. Popularity is not necessarily a mark of righteousness. It may indicate a lack of stamina and of character. It may be the reward of unrighteousness. On the other hand, unpopularity is not indicative of sin. It may be the mark of character, and the reward of opposing sin. Dr. Robertson said: "Unpopularity or popularity is utterly worthless as a test of manhood's worth; and yet a great many people seem to test manhood, and likewise the worth of an individual, according to his popularity or unpopularity in the community." Of popularity it might be said as of notoriety: "Notoriety is no proof of merit. A thousand dollars' worth of roses will only scent up a few yards, while a hundred dollars' worth of fried onions will scent up a whole town."

Again, popularity or unpopularity is no sure test of

* Charles Dutton Jacobs was born at Coitsville, Ohio, Feb. 11, 1860. Graduated from Adelbert College, 1882, and from Auburn Seminary, 1885. Received A. M. from Adelbert, 1890, Pastor at Ishpeming, 1885-94, and at Hillsdale, 1894–.

usefulness. A man pre-eminently unpopular may be pre-eminently useful. His unpopularity may be the reward of his usefulness; that which he has won because he was useful. Popularity is not indicative of a man's Christianity. Christ did not, and does not promise this to his followers.

Popularity is thus neither the test of righteousness, of manhood's worth, of usefulness, or of following Christ. Therefore it is not a worthy aim of any true soul, and certainly not of a soul redeemed by the blood of Christ, and claiming to follow Christ in all things.

Here are definite propositions, of which we readily may see the truth or falsity. Christ's call is: "Follow me." Christians, the followers of Christ, ought to study his life from every standpoint; to determine the principles underlying and controlling that life; to build their own lives upon those principles. This morning we study Christ's life to see its bearing upon the thought of popularity.

No thoughtful person can read the gospels without finding, as authorities tell us, the three-fold periods, the three divisions or years of Christ's ministry. These periods are characterized by the names obscurity, public favor, opposition. In the second period, the year of public favor, Jesus has his headquarters at Capernaum. From this central point he makes tours round about through the country and through the villages of Galilee. As he journeys from place to place, more and more are the miracles wrought by him; wider and wider spreads his reputation; larger and larger are the crowds flocking to hear him, until they even press upon him. The whole province from end to end is ringing with that wonderful name, Jesus-Jesus everywhere-Jesus upon every lip. All the people are anxious to see and to hear him. This great popularity was won by two marvelous

powers. As the sick, the lame, the blind, the deaf and the dumb came to him it was within his power to heal them by the touch of his hand or the word of his lips. "Without money and without price," freely, he healed them. Of course, multitudes seized this opportunity, and went away to proclaim to others the power of Jesus. The other power was of speech, as recorded: “And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth." (Luke 4:22.) "He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." (Matt. 7:29.) "Never man spake like this man." (John 7:46.) Because of his miracles and his wonderful words his reputation spread over the land. It seemed as though all Galilee would flock to him, proclaim him king and bear him in triumph to Jerusalem to be crowned.

A change takes place inside of a year. Those ringing shouts of adoration and praise are turned to sullen mutterings against him. There are bitter scowls upon the faces of those who follow to see what he may still do and teach. Six more months are spent in Galilee. Southward he turns and for six months ministers in Judea and Perea. All this time his popularity is waning, misrepresentations accumulating, opposition increasing, enemies multiplying. At last there comes suffering and death. That cruel death on the cross is the result of his unpopularity. With that fact in mind it is natural to ask: Wherein was the cause of the loss of that wonderful popular favor? Many may wonder why Jesus the Nazarene, with the power of blessing and teaching, could not retain that hold upon the people and continue to be applauded by them. In reply there may be suggested certain facts from Jesus' life which will reveal principles leading to his unpopularity.

First. Sooner or later there comes a crisis to every