lips the plaintive cry, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtkani?” It was the possible loss of something more important than human life which moved him, — the possible misapprehension of the sublimest influence of his career. This dread added the drop of gall to his cup.
Jesus could have withdrawn himself from his enemies. He had power to lay down a human sense of life for his Life-power indestructible spiritual identity in the likeness of the divine; but he allowed men to attempt the destruction of the mortal body in order that he might furnish the proof of immortal life. Nothing could kill this Life of man. Jesus could give his temporal life into his enemies' hands; but when his earth-mission was accomplished, his spiritual life, indestructible and eternal, was found forever the same. He knew that matter had no life and that real Life is God; therefore he could no more be separated from his spiritual Life than God could be extinguished.
His consummate example was for the salvation of us all, but only through doing the works which he did and Example for our salvation taught others to do. His purpose in healing was not alone to restore health, but to demonstrate his divine Principle. He was inspired by God, by Truth and Love, in all that he said and did. The motives of his persecutors were pride, envy, cruelty, and vengeance, inflicted on the physical Jesus, but aimed at the divine Principle, Love, which rebuked their sensuality.
Jesus was unselfish. His spirituality separated him from sensuousness, and caused the selfish materialist to hate him; but it was this spirituality which enabled Jesus to heal the sick, cast out evil, and raise the dead.
