The Cracked Acorn: The Beard

It was close to noon on a summer day in 1860, and the train had stopped for water at Westfield, New York.  A tall, gangly man stepped off at the far side of the train and made his way across the field to a small farmhouse.  There he knocked, the screen door opened, and Abraham Lincoln entered to visit with Grace Bedell.  She was eleven and had written to President Lincoln, suggesting that he would get more votes if he grew a beard.  He grew a beard and was elected. The beard may have turned his failures for office into a successful one; history leaves us with that possible conclusion.  Lincoln stayed for about half an hour and walked back to the train and into our hearts as one of our most beloved presidents.

The above never exactly happened; it is the movie version.  Lincoln was advised by delegates of his own party to grow a beard, thinking it would help him win the 1860 election. It has been thought that President Lincoln was encouraged by a letter from young Grace to stop shaving.  She mentioned that she was sure that all of her four brothers would vote for him if he grew a beard.  “My father is going to vote for you, and if I was a man, I would vote for you too, but I will try and get everyone to vote for you.”  After the election, Lincoln passed through Westfield and spoke from the train.  He saw Grace in the crowd and invited her onto the platform, obviously to show her his beard and give her a kiss on the cheek. Many say that this was the last time that a politician actively used a suggestion from the public.

Then along came the wolf and said, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” “No, no, by the hair of my chinny chin.” said the little pig!  THE THREE LITTLE PIGS was one of my favorite stories in that the wolf was finally outwitted.  But looking back,  it was suggested that there was power in a beard. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for the first two pigs who lived in huts of straw and sticks; it took bricks to huff and outpuff the big bad wolf, not a good beard.  Beards have been around from the beginning of time.  It is believed that some early tribal nomad people were very hairy and took pride in a well-trimmed beard.  A king of that era would certainly have the finest sculptured beard or wear a fake one.  It was the symbol of his terrible power.  Roman soldiers were the first to abandon long facial hair.  In close quarters of combat, it was thought that grabbing the beard might give your enemy the advantage.

The Scriptures make mention of beards. In Leviticus 19:27-“You shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.”  This was a commandment to the  Hebrew people.  In II Samuel 1-12, King David attacked and conquered the country of Ammon because they had shaved off half of the beards of David’s envoys.  The theme of Psalm 133 is unity – “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for the brethren to dwell in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;”   The beard was a prized possession of the Bible for in Isaiah 50:6-“I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off my hair. I hid my face from shame and spitting.”

The Gospels tell us that Christ was treated as a criminal.  Matthew 26:67 –“Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him, and others smote him with the palms of their hands.” Mark 14:65 –“And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him,” Luke 22:64-65 –“And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy to him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe. And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!”  Since we do not have the visual record, the camera was not invented; we can safely assume that to make one look “the man,” Jesus’ beard had been plucked out, the ultimate humiliation, an attempt to show the people Jesus was a powerless king.

Our hymn-HE BORE IT ALL- My precious savior suffered pain and agony, He bore it all that I might live; They placed a crown of thorns upon the Savior’s head; By cruel man with spear his side was pierced and bled, All that I might live; Up Calv’ry’s hill in shame the blessed Savior trod, He freely bore it all that I might in His presence live, I stood condemned to die, but Jesus took my place He bore it all that I might in His presence live!