CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
Cornell University Library 
 BT301 .B92 
 
 Sto 
 
 olin 
 
 3 1924 029 376 674 
 
The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029376674 
 
THE BEACON PRESS PUBLICATIONS 
 IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 
 
 THE BEACON COURSE 
 OF GRADED LESSONS 
 
 William I. Lawrance 
 Florence Buck 
 
 Editors. 
 
THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
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THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 A MANUAL FOR RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 
 IN THE INTERMEDIATE GRADES 
 
 Prepared Especially for Pupils 
 Thirteen Years of Age 
 
 BY 
 
 FLORENCE BUCK 
 
 THE BEACON PRESS 
 
 25 BEACON STREET 
 BOSTON, MASS. 
 
Copthight, 1917, by 
 THE BEACON PRESS, Inc. 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 2 f 7*7/6 <y 
 
 / 
 
 VAlL-BALLOU COMPANY 
 
 SINGHAMfON AND NEW YORK 
 
EDITORS' PEEFACE 
 
 The purpose and plan of this manual are clearly set forth 
 in the Introduction. It is a book for teachers and parents 
 of children thirteen years of age, but can with a little ef- 
 fort be adapted to use in teaching those who are older or 
 younger. It is based upon the Synoptic Gospels as ar- 
 ranged in continuous narrative in Prof. Clayton R. Bowen's 
 The Gospel of Jesus, and should be used with that book. 
 A copy of that Gospel should also be in the hands of each 
 pupil. Mr. Bowen 's book is a rearrangement of the Gospel 
 narrative in accordance with the fullest and most recent 
 Biblical scholarship. To adapt that work to the purpose 
 of class instruction the present teachers' manual, The Story 
 of Jesus, has been prepared. 
 
 These books appear in a field already rich in material. 
 Throughout the centuries loving disciples have delighted to 
 re-tell the story of the Nazarene. But while the scholars 
 have been accumulating knowledge of the structure of the 
 Gospels and of the conditions surrounding the life of Jesus, 
 those who have put this material into form for popular 
 reading or for study by children and young people have 
 too often hesitated to use this gathered information. This 
 book is based upon a frank acceptance of the accredited 
 results of scholarship, in the assurance that in a matter of 
 so great importance the fullest knowledge brings us nearest 
 the truth, and so nearest to that epoch-making personality 
 whose acts and words the Gospels record. 
 
 This manual, together with Professor Bowen's Gospel 
 and a Note-Book for expressional work on the part of 
 pupils, covers the second of the three years which the 
 Beacon Course in Religious Education includes in the In- 
 termediate Department of the Sunday school. It is pre- 
 
viii EDITORS' PREFACE 
 
 ceded in that Course by a year's study of Hebrew history 
 and followed by a year on the beginnings of Christianity. 
 The three years thus present to pupils a continuous story 
 of the period and events that have been of crucial impor- 
 tance in the world's religious history, so simplified and 
 emphasized as to leave a lasting impression upon the mind. 
 The purpose of this manual is above all else religious. 
 The motto of the year, ' ' Sir, we would see Jesus, ' ' reveals 
 its spirit. If the use of this material results in implanting 
 in the minds of the pupils a clear picture of Jesus of Naza- 
 reth and in their hearts a desire to pattern their lives after 
 the ideal he set forth, the purpose for which the editorial 
 board projected it and for which the author has labored 
 will have been accomplished. 
 
 The Editors. 
 
AUTHOR'S PREFACE 
 
 To all who have granted the use of copyrighted material 
 in this book and the Pupils' Note Book which accompanies 
 it thanks are hereby given : — 
 
 To Houghton Mifflin Company for permission to print 
 "A Madonna of Fra Lippo Lippi" by Richard Watson 
 Gilder, "The Tempest" by Alice Freeman Palmer, and the 
 selection from "Christus" by PI. W. Longfellow; to 
 Charles Scribner's Sons for "Ballad of Trees and the Mas- 
 ter" by Sidney Lanier; to the Adam Geible Music Com- 
 pany for the use of the music to "Mary's Cradle Song" in 
 the Note Book; to "William Dean Plowells, its author, and 
 to the publishers, Harper and Brothers, for the poem ' ' Cal- 
 vary"; to Dr. "Walter Rauschenbusch for "A Teacher's 
 Prayer," which he kindly revised at the author's request 
 from one of the "Prayers of the Social Awakening," and 
 to Pilgrim Press for permitting its use in the altered form. 
 
 Three poets of the liberal faith, "William Channing Gan- 
 nett, Frederick Lucian Hosmer and Marion Franklin Ham, 
 — friends all — granted gracious permission for the use of 
 any desired material, and to their work both this book and 
 the Note Book owe much. Valued assistance has been ren- 
 dered by Dr. Howard N. Brown, Mrs. Ella Lyman Cabot, 
 Rev. Marion Murdoch, and Dr. Luther A. "Weigle of Yale 
 University, in reading the manuscript and making impor- 
 tant suggestions. To all these, and to her co-workers in 
 the Course, Professor Clayton R. Bowen of Meadville Theo- 
 logical School and Rev. William I. Lawrance of the De- 
 partment of Religious Education, for unmeasured co-opera- 
 tion and vital help, the author's sincere thanks are 
 extended. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PACE 
 
 Editors' Preface vii 
 
 Author's Preface ix 
 
 The Teacher's Prater xv 
 
 Introduction xvii 
 
 (a) Plan of the Course xvii 
 
 (b) Plan of Each Lesson xix 
 
 (e) The Teacher's Preparation xx 
 
 (d) Girls and Boys of Thirteen xxii 
 
 Material for Teachers xxvi 
 
 Books for a Teacher's Library xxix 
 
 THE COURSE 
 Preliminary Lesson. (When the Class Assembles) . . 1 
 
 Chapter I. The Great Awakening 4 
 
 Lesson 1. The Beginning of the Gospel ... 5 
 Lesson 2. The Man Who Helped Jesus Find His 
 
 Life Work 11 
 
 Lesson 3. The Workingman Who Became a Great 
 
 Leader 19 
 
 Lesson 4. The New Home and the New Work . . 31 
 
 Chapter II. A Great Work Begun 39 
 
 Lesson 5. Jesus as Healer and Teacher .... 40 
 
 Lesson 6. The Sabbath for Service 48 
 
 Lesson 7. A Prophet and More than a Prophet . 55 
 
 Lesson 8. Answering His Accusers 61 
 
 Chapter III. Master and Disciples 69 
 
 Lesson 9. "His Own Received Him Not" .... 70 
 
 Lesson 10. Perils by Sea and Land 80 
 
 Lesson 11. The Little Maid of the Gospel ... 89 
 
 Lesson 12. Twelve Trained Teachers 96 
 
 xi 
 
xii CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter IV. Stories of Awe and Wonder 104 
 
 Lesson 13. John the Baptizer as a Child op Promise 105 
 Lesson 14. "When Jesus Was Born" : the Story in 
 
 Luke Ill 
 
 Lesson 15. "When Jesus Was Born" : the Story in 
 
 Matthew 122 
 
 Lesson 10. Christmas Symbols and Christmas 
 
 Hymns. (For Christmas Sunday) 132 
 
 Chapter V. Thou Art the Messiah! 137 
 
 Lesson 17. The Bread of Heaven 13S 
 
 Lesson 18. Who Say Ye that I Am? 145 
 
 Lesson 19. True Greatness in the Kingdom of God 153 
 Lesson 20. The Path of Discipleship : Taking the 
 Hard Road 102 
 
 Chapter VI. The Gathering Darkness 170 
 
 Lesson 21. The Journey to Jerusalem .... 171 
 Lesson 22. Entering Jerusalem in Triumph . . . 180 
 
 Lesson 23. Scenes in the Temple 189 ' 
 
 Lesson 24. Passover, Betrayal and Arrest . . . 201 
 
 Chapter VII. Tragedy and Triumph 216 
 
 Lesson 25. A Perversion of Justice 217 
 
 Lesson 26. Jesus Lifted Up 225 
 
 Lesson 27. Resurrection Stories 237 
 
 Lesson 28. The Real Resurrection and the Abiding 
 Christ 248 
 
 Chapter VIII. Stirring Memories and Radiant Hopes . 256 
 
 Lesson 29. The Gospel According to Love . . . 257 
 
 Lesson 30. Two Fourth Gospel Stories .... 268 
 
 Lesson 31. The Water of Life: a Wayside Talk . 275 
 
 Lesson 32. A Teacher Come from God .... 282 
 
 Chapter IX. The Heart of the Gospel 288 
 
 Lesson 33. Jesus' Message About Love and Forgive- 
 ness 289 
 
 Lesson 34. Jesus' Message About Being Ready . . 296 
 Lesson 35. Jesus' Message About Service . . . 305 
 Lesson 36. The Religion of Jesus 312 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Jesus and the Fishermen, Zimmermann . . . Frontispiece 
 
 Plan of Herod's Temple 195 
 
 Golgotha, Gerome Facing page 22G 
 
 xiii 
 
THE TEACHER'S PRAYER 
 
 God, I pray thee for myself and for all who are to 
 teach the young thy holy truth. We would be co-workers 
 with thee and bring forth from the budding life of youth 
 the mysterious stores of character and ability which thou 
 hast hidden in them. May we reverence the young lives, 
 clean and plastic, which have newly come from thee, and 
 realize that generations yet unborn shall rue our sloth, or 
 rise to higher levels through our wisdom and faithfulness. 
 Gird us for our task with thy patience and tranquillity, 
 with warm-hearted love for youth, and with special tender- 
 ness for the backward and afflicted. 
 
 1 pray thee for all who have the same work and the 
 same desire as I. Save us teachers from physical exhaus- 
 tion, from loneliness and discouragement, from numbness 
 of routine, and from all bitterness of heart. In the heat 
 of the day show us the spring by the wayside that flows 
 from the eternal silence of God and gives new light to the 
 eyes of all who drink of it. 
 
 From 
 
 "Prayers of the Social Awakening" 
 by Walter Rauschenbusch. 
 
 Adapted by Br, Rauschenbusch for this book. 
 
 XV 
 
Thou therefore that teachest another, teachest 
 thou not thyself? Romans 2: 21 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 These lessons are designed to be used with The Gospel of 
 Jesus, by Clayton E. Bowen, an arrangement of the 
 synoptic Gospels into a continuous narrative based on criti- 
 cal scholarship. The Bible references given at the head of 
 each lesson will enable teachers to use this manual when 
 Bowen 's Gospel is not at hand, but without his book much 
 valuable assistance will be lost. The vivid impression made 
 by a continuous story, the grouping together of similar 
 incidents and sayings, the light thrown upon the life of 
 Jesus by a careful discrimination in arrangement between 
 historical and legendary material, and the illuminating 
 translation which this Gospel furnishes, are important helps 
 for both pupil and teacher toward an understanding of 
 the life and work of Jesus. To the teacher especially the 
 "Notes" which follow the text are invaluable. 
 
 For the pupil there is provided, in addition to the Gospel 
 above described, a Note Book which affords a variety of 
 expressional work. Its use will not only add to the pupils' 
 interest in the course, it will make them active participants 
 in the teaching process. It will also furnish a test by which 
 the teacher may determine whether the instruction given 
 has been successful, and in what measure. 
 
 Plan of "^ new arran g emen t °f the material 
 
 ,, n on the life of Jesus is here offered. The 
 
 the Course. . 1 -. ,, . , . . 
 
 course is so planned that beginning in 
 
 September (or October) and ending in June, the events of 
 the life and death of Jesus shall be studied in relation to 
 the festivals in the Christian year. To begin the course 
 with the beautiful stories about the birth of Jesus would be 
 to give them, to the mind of the pupil, an historical value 
 which they do not possess. Besides, they have been used 
 
xviii INTRODUCTION 
 
 freely in the earlier grades of the Beacon Course and have 
 long been familiar to the pupils. Such familiarity tends 
 to dull the interest which would otherwise be felt in taking 
 up a new work. To introduce all the legends of the Gospel 
 story at the end of the course — following the order in 
 Bowen's Gospel where this material is grouped in an Ap- 
 pendix to show its unhistorical character — would require 
 the birth stories to be followed at once by a consideration 
 of the resurrection narratives, and both to be studied at a 
 time of the year (May and June) in which there is no fit- 
 ness of association. So this course presents the birth 
 stories immediately before the Christmas season, and the 
 accounts of the resurrection as near as may be to the time 
 of the Easter festival. The lessons are thus made more 
 impressive to the pupils through the attention centered on 
 these events by the church at the very time when they are 
 studying about them. 
 
 In the last two months of the course opportunity is given 
 the pupil, first, to realize the attitude of the followers of 
 Jesus at the time when the Fourth Gospel was written, and 
 to know some of its stories, and then to sum up those teach- 
 ings and principles of religion which are the heart of the 
 Christian message. 
 
 To carry out this plan the teacher must exercise some 
 discretion in the arrangement of the lessons, here broadly 
 indicated by the grouping into chapters. Schools which 
 begin this course October 1st and end it June 1st, may 
 introduce the study of the birth stories immediately after 
 Lesson 8, and omit either Chapter VIII, entire, or two 
 lessons from that and two from Chapter IX, as pre- 
 ferred. 
 
 A different arrangement of the events recorded in the 
 gospels might seem to some adult minds a more logical one. 
 All such are reminded that the logical order is rarely the 
 pedagogical. It is the aim of this book to secure the high- 
 est teaching efficiency in a realm where influence is as im- 
 portant as direct instruction, and where the direction of 
 thought of the whole Christian church at special seasons to 
 
INTKODUCTION xix 
 
 certain events in the life of its great Founder has distinct 
 bearing on the development of young lives. 
 p, . In each lesson there are two main 
 
 . - divisions: — Information and Teach- 
 
 ing Suggestions. The first is in- 
 tended to bring together for the teacher's use such infor- 
 mation as is necessary for the right point of view and 
 understanding of the Bible narrative. In addition to this, 
 the "Notes" in Bowen's Gospel should be carefully studied, 
 with, if possible, some of the references to other books given 
 in the separate lessons. All this is mainly for the benefit 
 of the teacher, and only remotely and incidentally for the 
 class. It is designed to furnish the background of knowl- 
 edge out of which the teacher may speak with confidence. 
 Its mastery is essential, although only a small part of it 
 may be used in the teaching process. 
 
 The second section offers suggestions as to methods of 
 presenting the lesson material to the class. They are not 
 meant to be slavishly followed. They may at times best ful- 
 fil their purpose when they suggest to the teacher some other 
 way of opening the lesson, or some other method of pro- 
 cedure in its development. The illustrations given are not 
 arranged in the order in which it may be desirable to use 
 them. In general the treatment of the text of the Gospel 
 is first presented, and other teaching material follows it, but 
 the teacher should introduce such illustrations where they 
 will be most effective. At its intensive point, to lead 
 rightly to the suggested form of closing, the class should 
 be dealing with lesson material from the Gospel it- 
 self. 
 
 The author considers the reading of the Bible narrative as 
 one of the most essential parts of the teaching process. It 
 is the purpose of this course to introduce the pupil directly 
 to the Bible narrative, not to some re-writing of it, or to 
 mere explanation of it, or to a lesson which only talks 
 about it. It is the story itself which will both interest the 
 pupils and influence their lives. Children of this grade 
 are not primarily concerned with textual criticism, impor- 
 
xx INTRODUCTION 
 
 tant as it may be for the teacher, but they are interested 
 to know what dependence they may place on the accounts 
 which they read. Let them have the story of Jesus in 
 continuous narrative from the text provided in Bowen's 
 Gospel for that purpose. Then light up the story and give 
 it value by such emphasis, illustration, direction of atten- 
 tion and explanation as may be found necessary. 
 
 The assignments for home work are largely of Scripture 
 passages and poems to be memorized, or some study which 
 will amplify the teaching already given in the class. It 
 includes also such supplementary material as will enrich 
 or illuminate the lesson. It would be a pity if the pupil 
 neglected this work, but that would not prevent his know- 
 ing the lesson, if the class session gives opportunity for 
 reading the Bible story and for the necessary explanation 
 of it. 
 
 It is evident that far more is given in this book than any 
 one teacher can use in a single year. It would not other- 
 wise meet the needs of the many teachers in various parts 
 of the country. Each must choose rigidly what is to be 
 used and what excluded in any lesson. Those who teach 
 from this book in successive years will find freshness of 
 interest in the opportunity to treat the same incidents in 
 different ways, and the unused material will help to that 
 end. 
 
 _, _ , , On a subject of such importance in 
 
 1 e Xeacner s religious training as the life of Jesus, 
 
 ^ " every teacher will wish to make as 
 
 careful preparation as possible, yet most Sunday-school 
 teachers are either employed in day schools or otherwise 
 engaged in some time-consuming occupation. For this rea- 
 son the author has tried to bring together here a good deal 
 of material, instead of directing teachers to the sources 
 where it may be found, — for the sources may not be at hand, 
 and getting at them requires an extra expenditure of time 
 and effort. A few books which will give results of scholar- 
 ship on which the teacher may depend have been named. 
 A longer list for a teacher's library, which schools might 
 
INTRODUCTION xxi 
 
 well provide as a necessary part of their equipment, has 
 been inserted. 
 
 Even if this book and Bowen's Gospel were the only ones 
 used, the teacher who should begin preparation for the day's 
 teaching on Sunday morning would have a hard time. Who- 
 ever would make adequate preparation must learn to use 
 scraps of time and to cultivate the habit of thinking about 
 the subject in hand while walking the streets, or riding in 
 trolleys, or waiting for trains. Ten minutes on Sunday 
 evening devoted to reading the Gospel sections which con- 
 stitute the next lesson will put the theme into the mind. 
 Bits of time while waiting for meals or appointments may 
 be used for studying the "Notes" and "Information." 
 References to the topic or incidents which will illustrate it 
 are likely to be met in one's daily reading of newspapers 
 or books. Toward the end of the week the way in which 
 the material is to be presented to the class should be con- 
 sidered. Here the "Teaching Suggestions" come into 
 play. After this preliminary work, a period of study on 
 Saturday or Sunday morning will clear up details, help 
 the teacher to fit the instruction to the different members 
 of the class, and to enter into the spirit of the wonderful 
 story. For effective teaching one needs not only a subject 
 but an object. The purpose of it all, the end to be at- 
 tained, should be constantly in mind. Some lessons, in 
 spite of careful preparation, will seem to have failed. 
 Others will give the satisfaction which comes from some 
 measure of achievement. The larger part of the results 
 of the teacher's work will be hidden, but they may be 
 safely left in confidence and trust to the Power which 
 guides the stars and the birds and the issues of our human 
 life. 
 
 Above all, the work of preparation is more than getting 
 ready to teach a lesson ; it consists also in preparing one 's 
 self to be a teacher. Some things in this book are inserted 
 for that purpose: the teacher's prayer, some of the selec- 
 tions of prose and verse, too mature for the pupils, which 
 give visions of truth and beauty set in lovely forms of ex- 
 
xxii INTRODUCTION 
 
 pression. "Whatever deepens the sense of ethical values, 
 
 whatever widens the realm of wonder and admiration and 
 
 intensifies the religious experience, is of value to those who 
 
 would teach aright. The "practice of the presence of 
 
 God" is vital for one who is to impress upon young minds 
 
 the reality of that presence; and large draughts from the 
 
 Source which refreshes the spirit within are needful for 
 
 those who would help some of God's little ones to quench 
 
 their thirst with the water of life. 
 
 p. . , „ The general characteristics of this 
 
 , ... , ' period of life, called early adoles- 
 
 of Thirteen. ^ ,', , f -, 
 
 cence, are well known. Any good 
 
 book on psychology or teacher-training will set them forth. 
 The enlargement of the whole nature, the expansion of the 
 self with the turmoil and confusion which results, the 
 rapid maturing of the social qualities, the emotional quick- 
 ening which comes with the development of the sex in- 
 stincts, the reach toward manhood or womanhood, and the 
 awakening of the religious nature, — these are some of the 
 transformations which are going on in the pupils. It is 
 preeminently the time of life when they are forgetting 
 the things that are behind and reaching out to that which 
 is before. 
 
 The difficulty which the teacher finds in understanding 
 the pupil is matched by the pupil 's far greater difficulty in 
 understanding himself. The whole nature seems a bundle 
 of contradictions. There is unexpected self-assertion at 
 one moment, and extreme shyness the next. Appalling 
 selfishness is balanced by genuine altruism, and the begin- 
 nings of self-sacrifice may be noted. Curiosity concerning 
 all the facts and conditions of life is excessive, but it is 
 difficult to guide because the awakening personality is natur- 
 ally secretive and resents intrusion. Yet the nature is at 
 this very period thoroughly idealistic, and the religious im- 
 pulse begins now to be felt. 
 
 The teacher must take account of these things with sym- 
 pathetic understanding. This is not easy to do. The gap be- 
 tween this age and adult life is almost more difficult to span 
 
INTRODUCTION xxiii 
 
 than is that between childhood and maturity. These boys 
 and girls feel so grown up, and their elders incline to deal 
 with them as if they were, when in fact they are still chil- 
 dren. Adults — some of them — have a sense of humor; 
 these pupils have instead, for the most part, a sense of fun. 
 They giggle or go into gales of laughter ; they are readily 
 thrown into a frolic by something said or done which to 
 more mature heads may not seem at all amusing. The 
 teacher's problem is to give suitable outlet and direction 
 to this desire for fun, instead of merely attempting to sup- 
 press it. Indeed, it may become in itself a help in the 
 teaching process if the mode of dealing with it makes the 
 teacher seem to the pupils more human, more likeable. 
 
 Into these young hearts, intensely eager over the near 
 and the actual, you are to try to instil interest in a life 
 lived long ago amid scenes that are remote, and in a record 
 of them which bears elements that are characteristic of the 
 time in which it was written, but are alien to our forms of 
 thought and modes of expression. If the pupils are ever to 
 be able to discern what is true and permanent in religion 
 through all its changes of form, they must learn to think, 
 and to think clearly. The effort will lead them into a per- 
 sonal religious faith which, while it must still be concrete 
 and picturesque, will not be superstitious. They will learn 
 to distinguish the difference between the poetic and roman- 
 tic on the one side, and the actual and historical on the 
 other. The lessons in this book aim to give them some 
 assistance in making that distinction. 
 
 In general, boys in the early adolescent period, if not 
 interested in the lesson, are noisy and rebellious. Girls are 
 more apt to be passive and indifferent; they may seem to 
 be listening when their thoughts are far away. As a re- 
 sult of this difference between boys and girls — to which, of 
 course, there are marked exceptions — the "boy problem" 
 in Sunday-school work is obvious and has been much dis- 
 cussed. The "girl problem," quite as serious, has had 
 little attention. An indolent class, however quiet and or- 
 derly, is quite as much a reproach as is a noisy one. Let us 
 
xxiv INTRODUCTION 
 
 as teachers be honest enough to own that the fault is not 
 the pupils', it is ours. 
 
 The teacher's effort, then, will be to secure a reaction to 
 the concrete incidents presented which will make the lesson 
 a part of the pupils' world of reality. The men and women 
 of the New Testament should be to them real people, not 
 names only. They must know that Palestine is a definite 
 place which may be located in school geographies, which 
 has mountains and rivers and plains. They should see 
 Jesus, not as a hazy, rainbow-tinted figure, but a real per- 
 sonality, whose life provides a pattern for their own. The 
 tragedies of the story, moving as they are, should stimulate 
 individual effort, — since emotion should find an outlet in 
 action. The pupils may be shown how to do the things 
 which will improve their own lives and make them 
 helpful toward others. Class organization will assist the 
 teacher in securing these results. A strong class spirit 
 socializes the group. The members learn to do things for 
 one another, to do something together for others. In such 
 a class organization the teacher may advise, but should not 
 control. The class elects its own officers, has its own treas- 
 ury, keeps its own records. Little, if any, of the study 
 period need be used for this purpose. The class will be 
 eager to meet outside the Sunday-school hour for such 
 work. The end of all this effort is the application of the 
 principles of Christianity to life as these boys and girls are 
 living it. 
 
 By every possible means the teacher will try to give to 
 these young people noble ideals; to put heart into them, 
 and courage to meet what life may bring; to teach them to 
 look squarely at facts, yet leave room for the play of the 
 imagination and the power of expectation; to have a fine 
 sense of honor, and that spirit of love which is eager to 
 serve ; and to know that these things constitute that Christ 
 spirit in the human heart which is still the effective power 
 in the world. 
 
 The teacher of adolescent youth stands on sacred ground. 
 The opportunity to guide the religious development at this 
 
INTRODUCTION xxv 
 
 critical period is to be welcomed, but the task confers a 
 solemn responsibility. "What the teacher is may, as Emer- 
 son pointed out, speak in tones so compelling that what is 
 said is not heard. The time given to the class session, at 
 best brief and often interrupted, is sometimes considered 
 to be of little importance among the larger factors which 
 enter into the education of youth. In point of fact it is 
 pregnant with possibilities; its results may touch the rim 
 of distant centuries and its echoes reach the stars. In the 
 presence of the soul just entering into the promise of 
 maturity one who seeks to teach may well be hushed into 
 solemn awe, 
 
 "And on that holy ground, unshod, 
 Speak softlier the dear name of God." 
 
MATERIAL FOR TEACHERS 
 
 There is a bewildering array of books on the life and 
 teachings of Jesus. "When the list is reduced to those 
 which are frankly based on critical scholarship that is both 
 rational and reverent, it is still so long as to be confusing, 
 and some books which are of great value are too technical 
 to be easily used by the average Sunday-school teacher. 
 Two, frequently cited in these lessons, are here suggested, 
 on which dependence may be placed as to point of view, 
 scholarship and readable quality. 
 
 Jesus. By George Holley Gilbert. The Macmillan Company. 
 
 $1.50 net; postage extra. 
 The Life and Teachings of Jesus. (Vol. V of the Historical 
 
 Bible Series.) By Charles Foster Kent. Charles Seribner's 
 
 Sons. $1.00 net; postage extra. 
 
 Other material referred to in the lessons : 
 
 Great Leaders. Four-page leaflets, containing portrait, bio- 
 graphical sketch and quotations. The Beacon Press, Boston. 
 2 cents each. 
 
 The Beacon. The Beacon Press, Boston. 5 cents per copy. 
 
 Other books mentioned in the lessons will be found in the 
 list of books for a teacher's library. 
 
 The pictures named with each lesson fall into three 
 groups: (a) Keproductions of paintings by the English 
 artist William Hole. These comprise perhaps the most 
 satisfactory series illustrating the life of Jesus. They are 
 not easily secured in inexpensive form as pictures for 
 class use; but the entire series in colored stereopticon 
 slides may be borrowed for use in Sunday schools for only 
 the cost of transportation, from 25 Beacon Street, Boston, 
 Mass. Catalogue will be sent on application. The slides 
 are arranged in six groups, and their use will constitute 
 
 xxvi 
 
MATERIAL FOR TEACHERS xxvii 
 
 an excellent review of the work done in class. Photographs 
 in black and white may be secured from William H. Rau, 
 238 S. Camac St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 (b) The Tissot Pictures. These are colored prints from 
 the Tissot paintings. The New Testament series, 120 pic- 
 tures, may be had in a cover at one dollar for the set. The 
 pictures are not of equal value, and there are some in the 
 set which a teacher in a liberal Sunday school would not 
 wish to use. Those of greatest value have been named 
 with number in the separate lessons. Either the complete 
 set, or separate pictures at lc each for an order of ten or 
 more, may be purchased from the American Tissot Society, 
 27 East Twenty-Second Street, New York City. 
 
 (c) Prints of pictures by various artists, selected from 
 the lists of the W. A. "Wilde Co., the Perry Pictures Co., 
 and others. These have very unequal teaching value. 
 They often represent mediaeval conceptions of the scenes 
 and characters, and the supernatural element is generally 
 emphasized. Usually they are valuable for their artistic 
 quality; sometimes they give the spirit and atmosphere of 
 a scene and so leave a desired impression. It may happen 
 that the comparison of an older picture with one by a 
 modern artist will give pupils an effective lesson in the 
 growth of ideas in religion. It is hoped that all the pic- 
 tures named will be found to have some value for classes 
 using this course. They may be purchased at one cent 
 each; for some of them a half -cent size may be secured. 
 Catalogues will be sent on application to the firms : 
 
 W. A. Wilde Co., 120 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 
 
 The Perry Pictures Co., Maiden, Mass. 
 
 George P. Brown & Co., Beverly, Mass. 
 
 Thompson Publishing Co., Syracuse, N. Y. 
 
 The Union Press, 1816 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. 
 
 The New York Sunday School Commission, 73 Fifth Ave., New 
 York. 
 
 The Underwood Stereographs give scenes from modern 
 Palestine. Information about them may be secured from 
 
 Underwood and Underwood, 417 Fifth Avenue, New York. 
 
xxviii MATERIAL FOR TEACHERS 
 
 Many of the pictures named in the lessons, and others, 
 will be found in the University Prints, which furnish a 
 very complete list of art subjects. The catalogues group 
 the pictures in series by countries. Price one cent each; 
 no order filled for less than twenty-five pictures. Postage 
 extra on all orders less than one dollar. Address: 
 
 The University Prints, Newton, Mass. 
 
 Wall maps will be of assistance in class work. The 
 Hodge Bible Study Maps are recommended. Relief maps 
 in white cardboard, without names, cost five cents each, 
 and make a good supplement to the outline maps in the 
 Note Book. These may be obtained from 
 
 William Beverley Harison, 11 Broadway, New York. 
 
BOOKS FOR A TEACHER'S LIBRARY 
 
 I. On the Subject 
 
 A. S. Peake. A Critical Introduction to the New Testa- 
 
 ment. Scribner's Sons, 1910. 
 
 B. W. Bacon. The Making of the New Testament. Home 
 
 University Library, Holt, 1912. 
 
 P. Wernle. The Sources of our Knowledge of the Life of 
 Jesus. American Unitarian Association, 1907. 
 
 Shailer Mathews. History of New Testament Times in Pal- 
 estine. Second Edition. Macmillan, 1910. 
 
 Von Soden. History of Early Christian Literature. Put- 
 nam, 1906. 
 
 Montefiore. The Synoptic Gospels. 2 Vols. Macmillan, 
 1910. 
 
 B. W. Bacon. The Beginning of the Gospel Story. 
 (Mark.) Yale University Press, 1909. 
 
 Gilbert. Jesus. Macmillan, 1912. 
 
 Kent. Life and Teachings of Jesus. Charles Scribner's 
 Sons, 1913. 
 
 Alfred W. Martin. The Life of Jesus in the Light of Mod- 
 ern Criticism. D. Appleton & Co., 1913. 
 
 Arno Neumann. Jesus. Macmillan, 1906. 
 
 Rudolf Otto. Life and Ministry of Jesus. Open Court, 
 1908. 
 
 Bousset. Jesus. Crown Theological Library. Putnam, 
 1906. 
 
 Peabody. Jesus Christ and the Social Question. Macmil- 
 lan, 1900. 
 
 Rauschenbusch. Christianity and the Social Crisis. Mac- 
 millan, 1907. 
 
 Rauschenbusch. Christianizing the Social Order. Mac- 
 millan, 1912. 
 
xxx BOOKS FOR A TEACHER'S LIBRARY 
 
 Crooker. The Supremacy of Jesus. American Unitarian 
 Association, 1911. 
 
 J. Warscliauer. The Problem of the Fourth Gospel. 
 Philip Green, London, 1903. 
 
 J. M. Thompson. Miracles in the New Testament. Arnold, 
 London, 1911. 
 
 George L. Cary. The Synoptic Gospels. Putnam, 1900. 
 
 J. Estlin Carpenter. Life in Palestine When Jesus Lived. 
 The Sunday School Association, London, 1908. 
 
 Rihbany. The Syrian Christ. Houghton Mifflin Com- 
 pany, 1916. 
 
 II. On Early Adolescence 
 
 G. Stanley Hall. Youth. Appleton, 1907. 
 
 Mary E. Moxcey. Girlhood and Character. Pilgrim Press, 
 
 1916. 
 Forbush. The Boy Problem. Pilgrim Press. 
 Franklin W. Johnson. Problems of Boyhood. Chicago 
 
 University Press, 1914. 
 Jane Addams. The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets. 
 
 Macmillan, 1909. 
 Luther A. Weigle. The Pupil and the Teacher. Pilgrim 
 
 Press. 
 Joseph Lee. Play in Education. Macmillan, 1915. 
 George E. Johnson. Education by Plays and Games. 
 
 Ginn & Co., 1907. 
 
THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 PRELIMINARY LESSON 
 
 (When the class assembles) 
 THE OBJECT OF THE COURSE 
 
 On the opening day of the Sunday-school session, there 
 is usually little time given to the lesson period, yet we can- 
 not afford to ignore or neglect even the few minutes we 
 have with the class. The teacher will make an effort to 
 utilize this first session to the best advantage, and to secure 
 at the outset some measure of interest and cooperation on 
 the part of the pupils. 
 
 The Point of Contact. Let this be as near to the theme 
 to be studied as possible. It is well — is it not? — to take 
 for granted that boys and girls of thirteen have come to the 
 church school with a serious intent. Here, if anywhere, 
 they will find a real effort and desire to give them help in 
 matters that pertain to the soul. They are to be instructed 
 in the deep things of God. They will need guidance in 
 the religious life. They are, of course, excited and happy 
 over their vacation experiences, but these need not usurp 
 the period which should be devoted to the subject in hand. 
 You may have secured an earlier opportunity to hear their 
 accounts of summer incidents. The note you have written 
 to remind them that you hope to see them at the very first 
 session of the school, will have given expression of your 
 pleasure at the prospect of a year's work with them. Let 
 the lesson period, then, deal with some phase of the subject 
 which you are beginning together. 
 
 Material for the Course. This is the time for fur- 
 nishing the pupils with their books. It will be necessary to 
 
 1 
 
2 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 explain, briefly, the make-up of the Gospel of Jesus as 
 Bowen's introduction gives it. The Note Book, too, may 
 be shown, not in detail, but to give some idea of the 
 variety of expressional work which will be furnished the 
 pupils. Do not talk much about the course or the books, 
 or the fascination of the theme. These things the children 
 are to find out for themselves. Your effort is merely to 
 awaken interest and to rouse the spirit of expectation. 
 
 Suggested Openings for the Lesson. (1) It may be 
 possible to introduce the book The Gospel of Jesus by a 
 series of questions such as these : — Where may we find the 
 story of Jesus written? (Bible, New Testament, the four 
 Gospels. ) Look at the Gospels as they appear in our Bible. 
 They are named for their supposed writers. Let us re- 
 peat, together, the names of the four in their order. 
 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.) Are there other books 
 which tell the life of Jesus ? Yes, but all are written from 
 these four. Explain to the pupils the modern study of 
 history from "sources." The Gospels are our "sources" 
 for the life of Jesus. Your text-book for the year, the 
 Gospel of Jesus, combines the first three of these sources 
 into one. It is this Gospel record which we are to study, 
 not what people have written about it. 
 
 (2) Can any of you remember when you first heard the 
 name of Jesus? What lessons about him have you had? 
 (Stories, parables, lessons from Heroic Lives* verses 
 from his sayings, will, no doubt, be mentioned.) Could 
 you write a sketch of his life from what you have learned, 
 as you might of Washington or Lincoln? When Jesus is 
 mentioned, do you think of Palestine, and the Synagogue, 
 and the roads and mountains where Jesus taught? or do 
 you see the pulpit, and the Bible, this church or this school- 
 room ? We shall try to put the life of Jesus into its natural 
 setting. We want to think of him as he walked among the 
 people and talked to his followers along the road-way or 
 in the market-place. In order to do this, we shall need to 
 read carefully this story of his life and find out all we can 
 
 * The book in this course for pupils eleven years of age. 
 
THE OBJECT OF THE COURSE 3 
 
 about the places where he lived, about his nation, and his 
 religion. 
 
 Lesson Development. If the usual time is allotted to 
 the lesson period on this opening day, the teacher should 
 next proceed to the reading of the Gospel narrative as 
 suggested in Lesson 1, 
 
 The Close. However brief the lesson period, it is well 
 to make on this opening day an impressive ending. This 
 will give your pupils insight into your own attitude to the 
 course. They will find out how sacred the theme is to you. 
 They will feel its religious intent. Cive the class a motto 
 for the year's work, phrased in the request made by cer- 
 tain Greeks to Philip : 
 
 SIR, WE WOULD SEE JESUS. 
 
 This is entered on page 4 of the Note Book. 
 
Chapter I 
 THE GREAT AWAKENING 
 
 The Scene and Situation. The four lessons of this 
 chapter cover the work of John the Baptist, the religious 
 experiences which begin the ministry of Jesus, and his 
 home and outlook on his work as he started it in Caper- 
 naum. 
 
 The scene is oriental, the time remote. The landscape 
 with its strange trees and flowers differs from that to which 
 the pupils are accustomed. The houses and streets of the 
 cities and towns, the costumes of the men and women, are 
 unusual. Yet people worked and worshipped, laughed and 
 wept, suffered and sang, in that remote place and time. 
 Death was there, — and life. Hearts were stirred by a new 
 message of religion. Tides of thought and life were 
 started which reach to our time and influence what we are 
 and what we may be. 
 
 The Material. All of the Gospel story for the pupil to 
 use in these four lessons is contained in Sections 1 to 13 
 of Bowen's The Gospel of Jesus. 
 
 Lesson Aims. (1) To help the pupils to form a vivid 
 conception of a remote time and country in which some- 
 thing important was happening. (2) To think of the two 
 men, John the Baptist and Jesus, as real human beings 
 who did something worth while. (3) To begin to feel that 
 these remote lives and events are important because they 
 have direct bearing on the pupils' own lives. 
 
 Note Book Work. This is arranged for the chapter, 
 but some part of it relates to each lesson. It should be 
 begun early enough to create interest, but only after the 
 lessons have given the necessary information. 
 
 4 
 
Lesson 1 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 The time given to this lesson, which will start the real 
 work for the class for the year, should be mainly spent in 
 reading together Chapter I of The Gospel of Jesus. 
 
 The teacher needs for use in this course not only this 
 book, but also the pupil's text-book, The Gospel of 
 Jesus, by Clayton R. Bowen. This does not preclude the 
 use of the Bible itself; one or more copies should always 
 be at hand in the class session. It will be found necessary 
 to make frequent references to passages by chapter and 
 verse, and Old Testament passages and some in the New 
 Testament not found in the Gospels must occasionally be 
 sought. The pupils will understand the make-up of 
 Bowen 's Gospel only when they have gained a certain 
 familiarity with Matthew, Mark and Luke. 
 
 It is strongly advised that teachers using this course for 
 the first time own a copy of the Note Book and do the 
 work there indicated. In this way they will gain some 
 idea of the effort required — much greater for untrained 
 minds and hands than for their own — and will not make 
 the mistake of laying upon others "burdens grievous to be 
 borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one 
 of your fingers." 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Background of the Time into which Jesus Came. The 
 year 749 of the Roman Era is assumed to have been the 
 year of Jesus' birth. The then-known world was under 
 the Roman rule. It extended from the borders of Judaea 
 to the pillars of Hercules — at the Straits of Gibraltar — and 
 from the North Sea to the First Cataract of the Nile. Oc- 
 
 5 
 
6 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 tavius (Augustus) Cffisar, who dominated the whole region, 
 was then at the height of his power. His great work was the 
 setting in order of the Roman Empire. In its outer prov- 
 inces, he was worshipped as one of the elder gods. Horace, 
 in one of his odes, applied to him terms which indicate 
 Deity: "Each . . . thee adores as God"; "thy Godhead." 
 
 When Jesus was born, Greek thought and Greek speech 
 were unifying forces in the Empire, and the ethical and 
 religious teaching of Greek philosophy had exerted a wide 
 influence for good. There were great and influential cities, 
 far more populous than any in the same region at present. 
 Human slavery was the foundation of society; and the 
 slaves were often cultured and well-educated men, since 
 they were the prize of victorious war. There was no 
 middle class. A few lived in great wealth and luxury and 
 the common people were wretchedly poor. Great combats, 
 gladiatorial contests, and naval battles made up the popu- 
 lar sports, and for these, huge amphitheatres were built. 
 One of these stood close by the walls of Jerusalem, and 
 Jesus may have seen it as a boy. 
 
 In Judaea, Herod the Great was ruling with an iron 
 hand. He was carrying on extensive building operations 
 and developing far-reaching plans for municipal and na- 
 tional improvement. He did much to introduce Greek 
 civilization into the country over which he ruled, so that 
 the Greek-speaking man was a familiar figure in Jerusa- 
 lem. All the cities round the Sea of Galilee, except Caper- 
 naum, were mainly Greek, and in many sections of the 
 country there was a large non-Jewish population which 
 greatly influenced the customs and thought of the Jews 
 themselves. 
 
 Following the death of Herod, there was a reign of ter- 
 ror in Palestine until order was restored under the rule of 
 his sons: Antipas over Galilee and Perea, Archelaus over 
 Judaea, Samaria and Idumea, and Philip over the region 
 north and east of Galilee. "When Jesus was a boy of 11 
 (6 a. d.) Judaea, and so Jerusalem with the temple, came 
 under the direct control of the Roman procurators, of 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 7 
 
 whom there were five during the life-time of Jesus. When 
 he was nineteen, the old Emperor, Augustus Cassar, died 
 at Rome. No doubt Jesus knew of this event and of the 
 great temple being erected for the worship of this monarch 
 in that city. Two years later came the appalling earth- 
 quake which overthrew twelve large cities of Asia in a 
 single night. 
 
 There were great men, stirring events, and huge calami- 
 ties in the world when Jesus lived. These influences 
 played about the life of the boy in Nazareth and helped to 
 mold the character and influence the thought of the Man 
 of Galilee. 
 
 (See Part II of Gilbert's Jesus* Chapter I, "The 
 World in which Jesus Lived," for a more extended ac- 
 count of this time, of which the above is a brief summary. 
 It will equip the teacher with material for comment and 
 illustration as the reading of the Gospel proceeds. It will 
 also suggest incidents to be used with the later lessons 
 which take up the scenes more in detail.) 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Most of us, when we begin a new subject, spend too 
 much time getting ready to start. Your temptation in 
 this first lesson will be to spend the hour making a back- 
 ground of the geography of Palestine, of the world into 
 which Jesus came, of the condition and beliefs of the Jew- 
 ish people. That is an adult mode of procedure and in- 
 volves the danger of offering instruction to the class in the 
 form of a lecture. For the pupils, all these things should 
 accompany, not precede, their study of the Gospel record. 
 When they have become interested in Jesus and the people 
 around him, the land and the times become interesting 
 too; they make part of the story. Plunge then into the 
 story at once, leading up to the reading by one of the sug- 
 gested openings, or by some other which occurs to you, de- 
 signed to arouse immediate interest and attention. The 
 only way to begin a lesson is to begin. 
 
 Openings. Titles of the lessons should always be given 
 
 * See Material for Teachers, p. xxvi. 
 
8 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 to the class as indicating the work for the day ; they do not 
 appear in their Note Book. 
 
 (1) One of our magazines secured from Jane Addams, 
 Lyman Abbott and other eminent people, statements of 
 their favorite picture of Jesus and published them with the 
 picture named. How many of such pictures by famous 
 artists can the class recall? Has each one a choice among 
 these? Now look at the one given in the Note Book 
 (p. 3) by a modern artist. What does it make you think 
 about Jesus? Does it make him seem real to you? Part 
 of our work for the year will be to find a picture of Jesus 
 which most nearly expresses our idea of his life. 
 
 (2) Ask the class to name some one, now living, who is 
 well known, who is "in the public eye," who is doing big 
 things. Every age has people of this sort. Only a few of 
 these live in the pages of history and of human memory. 
 Ask each pupil to name a great man or woman. (Does 
 one of them mention Jesus?) Was Jesus a great man? 
 What did he do ? Why is he remembered ? Would a mag- 
 azine like one of ours, if published in his day in Jerusalem, 
 have mentioned him and John the Baptist as people worth 
 while? Perhaps we can find out if, as we read, we try to 
 see what the people of their time thought of Jesus and of 
 John the Baptist. I wonder if we can learn to think of 
 them as real folks, and find the "human interest" in their 
 story. 
 
 Lesson Development. Reading the Gospel in class is 
 one way of giving a social emphasis to the work of the class. 
 It is something to do together. The feeling of one-ness 
 will be intensified if you take your share in the reading. 
 One paragraph, or when short, two, is enough for each in 
 turn. Avoid reading to the class to any extent even to 
 save time; and do not let one pupil read much more than 
 the others just because he reads better. 
 
 As the next four lessons take up this chapter in detail, 
 the instruction for this hour will consist chiefly in the im- 
 pression made by the narrative, in occasional comment, 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 9 
 
 and in the answers to questions asked by the class. Ex- 
 planations, when needed, should be of the briefest sort. 
 Your answers to questions should be short and definite. 
 The teacher must sometimes say, "We will take that up 
 in a following lesson," naming the one. Attention should 
 be directed to the scene as a whole : "I wonder if you will 
 like this section as much as I do?" " Isn 't it good to 
 have a glimpse of Jesus in a home 1 ' ' Such ways of calling 
 attention to the passages read intensifies interest, while 
 stopping for detailed analysis or long explanations kills 
 it. 
 
 Pupils of thirteen will like to get the story of Jesus in 
 large sections that cover many incidents, that give a sense 
 of movement, a sweep and advance which enables them to 
 see the life more nearly as a whole. The method of giving 
 detached stories and sayings fits children; these boys and 
 girls feel that they have outgrown that childish procedure. 
 Giving them a whole chapter at once to think about appeals 
 to their sense of enlarged personality, of approach to ma- 
 ture life. Then in later lessons separate sections of the 
 narrative read may be taken up for more detailed consid- 
 eration. 
 
 The Close of the Lesson Period. A lesson is not well 
 ended when it simply stops — usually in a rush and al- 
 most in the middle of a sentence — because the bell has 
 rung. The close should be the lesson climax and so must be 
 carefully planned. Perhaps for this hour you may like to 
 close by having the class read together, standing with bowed 
 heads, the class prayer found at the top of Page 1 
 of the Note Book. This should be the impressive moment 
 of the lesson. It need not come at the exact end of the 
 hour unless so desired. A little time may be reserved 
 for the assignment of work for the following Sunday. 
 
 Assignment of Work. 
 
 As the next lesson is to deal chiefly with John the Bap- 
 tist, you may wish to ask any who will volunteer to do the 
 
10 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 work, to give you, next Sunday, a very short account of 
 what he did. It may include a description of John's ap- 
 pearance, food, and manner of preaching; what sort of 
 people came to hear him, and what questions they asked ; 
 some of his striking illustrations, about the axe, the win- 
 nowing fan, the burning fire, the children of Abraham. If 
 different pupils take different topics, their combined re- 
 port on the following Sunday will make a good review 
 of the part of the chapter which deals with the fore-runner 
 of Jesus. 
 
 Map Study. If time permits, a little study may be made 
 of the map which is found on the inside cover of both 
 this book and the pupil's Note Book. This will give part 
 of the preparation needed for doing the required work in the 
 Note Book on the following Sundays. Read in concert the 
 divisions of Palestine from north to south: Galilee, Sa- 
 maria, Judsea. 
 
 The name of its great river: Jordan. 
 
 Its two great lakes: Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea. 
 
 Its capital: Jerusalem. 
 
 The countries surrounding Palestine: On the north- 
 west, Phoenicia. East of the Jordan, Syria, Decapolis, 
 Perea, Arabia. 
 
 The highest mountain: Hermon, at the north. 
 
 The Sea lying at the west : Mediterranean. 
 
 This country, in our Old Testament, is called Canaan. 
 Since Jesus lived in it so worthily and died so nobly peo- 
 ple have loved to call it the Holy Land. 
 
Lesson 2 
 
 THE MAN WHO HELPED JESUS FIND HIS 
 LIFE WORK 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus. Sections 1-3. 
 
 1. John the Baptist. Mk. 1:1-6; Lk. 3 : 1-4, 7-9. 
 
 2. John's Moral Counsels. Lk. 3:10-14. 
 
 3. The Coming One. Mk. 1 : 7-8. 
 
 A great man is not an isolated figure. His way is pre- 
 pared for him. Even Jesus had a "fore-runner." At the 
 very beginning of our Gospel story, John the Baptist (or 
 Baptizer) is brought vividly into the narrative. We_must 
 not think of John merely as one who prepared the way for 
 Jesus. He was a ma^of power, who_ exerted -a-lasting-in- 
 fluenee on his nation and did an independent work. To 
 him and his preaching was due, not only the preparation of 
 many hearts to receive the message of Jesus, but the awak- 
 ening of the one greater than himself to a consciousness 
 of his own power and message. We could not understand 
 Jesus without knowing John. To him, then, our attention ; 
 will first be given. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 (Numbers following the titles in italics refer to the sec- 
 tions of Bowen 's Gospel of Jesus.) 
 
 John the son of Zacharias. (1) It is Luke's gospel which 
 gives the name of John's father, and tells also the tradi- 
 tion concerning his birth. (See Lesson 13.) That account 
 shows Zacharias as a priest in the temple service. The 
 same story says that John's mother Elizabeth was a kins- 
 woman of Mary the mother of Jesus. This statement, 
 though not elsewhere confirmed, might possibly be true. 
 Against its probability stands the fact that when Jesus 
 
 11 
 
12 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 came to be baptized by Jobn no indication is given that John 
 had ever known him before, nor that he thought of his 
 follower as different from the rest of his converts until 
 the fame of Jesus' preaching and healing reached him in 
 his prison. 
 
 John's Life in the Wilderness. The desert region out of 
 which John came to preach was called by the Jews "Jeshi- 
 mon," which meant "extreme desolation" or "a horrible 
 place." That was the judgment of city dwellers, or in- 
 habitants of fertile districts. Rocky and barren as it was, 
 it had its own beauty, its special products. In these re- 
 spects we might compare it with the deserts of the west- 
 ern part of the United States. As the desert was in 
 John's time, so is it today. Certain sorts of thyme and 
 mint grow there. The cactus, with its vivid flowers, and 
 other thorn-bearing plants are to be found, as in most 
 arid districts. The white broom abounds in the lower and 
 more fertile spots. These plants with their flowers attract 
 swarms of locusts and bees. The bodies of the locusts, 
 cooked with butter or boiled in salted water and then spread 
 on unleavened bread, are still eaten by the desert Arabs, 
 whose regular food is much the same as was John's, "lo- 
 custs and wild honey." Travellers say the locusts are 
 wholesome and palatable, having a flavor resembling 
 shrimps. 
 
 John's clothing, too, was much the same as that now 
 worn by the Arabs: a loose robe of camel 's-hair cloth, 
 leather sandals and girdle, and a head-covering of a tri- 
 angular piece of cloth. When he came into Jerusalem, his 
 rude attire would make him as conspicuous a figure as are 
 the peasants of the Campagna when seen today in the 
 Roman streets. His strikingly barbaric raiment, his wil- 
 derness abode and his primitive food, indicate certain things 
 about him: (1) He used attention -compelling methods, 
 both in appearance and speech. (2) He was ascetic in 
 his habits, self-denying; Jesus pointed this out in saying 
 of him that he came "neither eating nor drinking."- (3) 
 He reminded his countrymen of the prophet Elijah by his 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 13 
 
 mode of life, his sudden appearance from the wilderness, 
 and his denunciatory preaching. (4) John 's way of living 
 may also indicate that he was very poor. At least, he 
 shared either from necessity or choice the lot of the com- 
 mon people, and took their part against their oppressors. 
 
 John's Message. (2) Jerusalem was not far from the 
 region where John lived, and he may have begun his pub- 
 lic work in that city. The scene given us, however, is on 
 the banks of the Jordan, whose fords made a suitable place 
 for the rite of baptism which his converts received as a 
 sign of their repentance and admission into the new re- 
 ligious fellowship. Because of this rite he is usually called 
 John the Baptist, or, as in three places in the New Testa- 
 ment, all in Mark, the Baptizer. 
 
 His message of repentance is based on a passage from the 
 "second Isaiah" (as the unknown writer of the last part 
 of the book of Isaiah is called). Notice the difference be- 
 tween the Old Testament passage given below and the 
 words attributed to John in the Gospel; also the explana- 
 tion of the difference in the "Notes" (p. 134). This is the 
 impassioned passage from the old prophet : 
 
 The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the -wilderness the 
 way of Jehovah ; make level in the desert a highway for our God. 
 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall 
 be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough 
 places a plain. (Isaiah 40: 3, 4.) 
 
 John the Baptist, in using these words in his preach- 
 ing, was quoting from his Bible. He used them, however, 
 as a word-picture of conditions existing in his own time. 
 Jehovah, their King, was about to appear and establish his 
 kingdom. He would make use of the righteous, and de- 
 stroy the wicked with fire, separating good from bad as 
 chaff is winnowed out from wheat. Be ready for him! 
 Repent! Make a highway in the wilderness for his com- 
 ing, as Isaiah said. Lower the mountains (oppression of 
 the poor by unjust taxes), fill up the valleys (unequal op- 
 portunities, luxury for some, starvation for others) . Make 
 smooth the rough places (by stopping greed and graft, 
 
14 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 drunkenness, abduction, pride of heart and all evil), for 
 Jehovah the King comes ! 
 
 Notice John's practical application of his message. (1) 
 To his hearers in general: Share with those less fortu- 
 nate than you are; not "give" — a pittance — but "divide," 
 bringing the one who receives more nearly on an equality 
 with yourself. (2) To the tax-collectors: Do not exact 
 from the people more than the Eoman Rulers require. Evi- 
 dently there was "graft" in those days. The men who col- 
 lected the taxes laid on the poor even heavier burdens than 
 the government demanded, enriching themselves by the ex- 
 cess. (3) To the soldiers: Do no violence or harm to the 
 people among whom you are stationed; make no false ac- 
 cusation, take no plunder. I John pointed out the sins which 
 in all countries beset the military man, removed as he is 
 from social restraints and "drest in a little brief author- 
 ity." The ethics of John's preaching are universal, while 
 his graphic figures of speech are largely local and tem- 
 poral. 
 
 The Time of These Events. "The one fixed date in gos- 
 pel history is the year of John's first appearance as a pub- 
 lic preacher. Luke (3:1-3) states that John the Baptist 
 began his work in the fifteenth year of the Emperor Ti- 
 berius. Inasmuch as Tiberius began his reign in 14 A. v!, 
 John must have entered upon his public activity either 
 during the latter part of 28 or the beginning of 29 a. d. " 
 (Kent.) 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 With some classes the teacher may need to use a strik- 
 ing way of beginning the lesson, like the first one suggested 
 below, in order to secure at once the interest and participa- 
 tion of the class. Skill in using such an opening consists 
 in making the transfer from the illustration chosen to the 
 lesson topic. Tou may secure both interest and talk with- 
 out getting any result that is worth while. An interesting 
 opening is valuable only when it leads on quickly to an in- 
 terest in the lesson. 
 
THE GBEAT AWAKENING 15 
 
 Openings. (1) How many of you have heard of Billy 
 Sunday? of Dowie and Zion City? Of Mr. Moody and his 
 preaching? (Try to bring out expression from the quiet 
 pupils; direct the talk, and check excited descriptions.) 
 What was alike about them all ? Yes, they all drew crowds 
 to hear them, and became widely known. Is that all we 
 need to know about them to call their work a revival of 
 religion? Perhaps a look at John the Baptist, who really 
 started a great religious movement, may help us to know 
 how to judge rightly some of these nearer movements. 
 How did John draw a crowd? (Wore queer clothes, 
 preached with violence, called rulers and rich people hard 
 names.) But that was not all, — else we should never have 
 heard of him. Bring out the other qualities. He was 
 sin cere in his preaching. He wanted people to live their ' 
 religion, and showed them what to do. He stood for 
 the poor against their oppressors, — rulers, tax-collectors, 
 privileged people who despised them. He had power to 
 win assent and gain a following from some of the thought- 
 ful, earnest, loving people of his time, who would not use , 
 his harsh and queer methods. Of these Jesus was one, and / 
 the greatest of all. 
 
 (2) Has any one in this class ever heard Mendelssohn's 
 oratorio of Elijah? Unlike most of the oratorios by the 
 great music-masters, which begin with a long musical over- 
 ture for the orchestra, the Elijah opens with four short 
 blasts on the trumpet : then the prophet steps forth to give 
 his message. That is like the opening of this story, as 
 Mark tells it, isn 't it ? Just a word or two to bring before 
 us a wilderness, — then John steps forth with a cry on his 
 lips : Bepent ! Kepent ! 
 
 John was the same sort of prophet as Elijah, and after- 
 ward, as we shall see, some of those who heard him thought 
 that he was Elijah or some other prophet come to life 
 again. 
 
 (3) Call for the work done in response to the lesson as- 
 signments of last Sunday. These will give a summary of 
 the account of John read in the opening lesson. If some 
 
16 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 essential point is omitted, try to get others to supply it; 
 if they cannot, have the passage looked up and read. Then 
 proceed to one of the illustrations, use the map, and let 
 the class work out with you a word-picture of the scenes 
 in Palestine when John preached. 
 
 Lesson Development. Decide what points in the les- 
 son need to be explained, amplified, or enforced. It will 
 be well to continue the map study which will prepare the 
 pupil for work on pp. 5 and 6, in the Note Book. The 
 names for the country, Palestine, Canaan, the Holy Land, 
 as well as its divisions as shown by the map, should be 
 learned. Some striking phrases in the text will be re- 
 membered if recited in concert. Drill especially on the 
 two to be inserted in the Note Book, beginning "Repent," 
 "Prepare ye." 
 
 It is important to give full credit to John for his great 
 work in religion. Emphasize his power and influence; 
 that influence which even Jesus felt, so that he heard and 
 responded. 
 
 The quotation from the "second Isaiah" used in John's 
 preaching suggests a fine teaching illustration on road mak- 
 ing. Does the class know about the Lincoln highway run- 
 ning across the United States from East to "West? A 
 similar road is in process of construction through the West- 
 ern States, much farther north, opening up picturesque 
 places to tourists. What called these roads into being? 
 Automobiles, and the people who want to travel by them 
 through regions not accessible unless good roads are pro- 
 vided. In Isaiah's day, and John's too, the road in the 
 wilderness was prepared so that the King might travel over 
 it. Here, in our Republic, it is the people for whom the 
 roads are built. 
 
 The difficult engineering feats required in road-construc- 
 tion will interest some classes; you may bring whatever 
 incident or example your experience, observation or read- 
 ing has furnished. The Axenstrasse, a roadway leading 
 from Brunnen to Fliielen on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 17 
 
 with its tunnels cut from solid rock, is a notable example. 
 The author saw in Portland, Oregon, a great hill being 
 washed down by hydraulic pressure, to fill up a valley and 
 make possible streets and residences in that section. Get 
 the class to tell what would have to be done to make a road 
 through a new country : trees cut down, bridges built, val- 
 leys filled up, high places levelled. That was about what 
 Isaiah said, was it not? (See the passage, ante, p. 13.) 
 
 The teacher may wish to illustrate John's work by that 
 of some modern religious leader who has advanced God's 
 Kingdom on earth. Starr King (1824-1864), the minister 
 in San Francisco who "saved California to the Union," of- 
 fers both a religious and a patriotic appeal. His statue 
 stands in the great public park in San Francisco. A me- 
 morial window to him in the South Congregational Church 
 in Boston ("Dr. Hale's church") bears the words from the 
 preaching of John the Baptist : ' ' Prepare ye in the wilder- 
 ness a highway for our God." 
 
 If this or any other illustration is used, bring the les- 
 son back again to John, that the final impression left upon 
 the pupils may relate to his word and work and its out- 
 look toward that of Jesus. 
 
 Lesson Close. The title for this chapter may be used to 
 describe what occurred as a result of John's public work. 
 His story leads into the story of Jesus as the vestibule leads 
 into the church. Have we caught something of the spirit 
 of that wonderful time, and are we looking forward with 
 expectation to the next events ? 
 
 The striking passages from John's preaching, which are 
 to be entered in the Note Book may be recited in concert ; 
 or one of the class prayers (p. 1) may be used. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 The teacher may desire to have the pupils find out some- 
 thing more about the modern character used for illustra- 
 tion. An account of Starr King may be found in "Heralds 
 of a Liberal Faith," Vol. IIL p. 191. A leaflet containing 
 
18 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 his picture, a brief sketch of his life, and quotations from 
 his writings will be found in the series on Great Leaders, 
 No. 5, issued by the publishers of this book. Pictures of 
 the statue or of South Congregational Church, in Boston, 
 or its window, may perhaps be secured. Some pupil may 
 be able to learn something about the church in Boston. 
 Utilize the resources of your locality, your public library, 
 the knowledge of some older members of your church. 
 The cooperation of the parents should be secured for this 
 home work. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Pill the spaces on p. 5, for which the pupil has been 
 made ready by last Sunday's map study. On the outline 
 map, p. 6, insert the names of the divisions; locate Jeru- 
 salem; color the district known as The Wilderness, or in- 
 sert the name. 
 
 The lesson as taught in class should enable the pupils to 
 fill the blank spaces without assistance. Since the work is 
 a test of what they have learned, they should never be 
 told what words to insert. In case of failure they should be 
 directed to the map or to the Bible, or be given further in- 
 struction. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 A voice crying in the wilderness. 
 
 The latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 (See Material for Teachers, p. xxvi.) 
 
 Tissot: John the Baptist and the Pharisees. 14. 
 
 La Farge : John the Baptist. Copley Print. 
 
 Underwood Stereograph. Baptizing in the Jordan. 
 
Lesson 3 
 
 THE WORKINGMAN WHO BECAME A GREAT 
 LEADER 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 4, 5. 
 
 4. Jesus Baptized. Mk. 1 : 9-11. 
 
 5. Jesus' Temptation. Mk. 1:12-13. 
 
 There is required for tins lesson not only the gospel ma- 
 terial which presents the baptism and temptation scenes, 
 but a glimpse at the earlier life and surroundings of Jesus, 
 and a look forward to the time when he told his followers 
 about these transforming inner experiences which occurred 
 when he became John's disciple. 
 
 The lesson as here given seems very long, as it occupies 
 a good many pages. Please observe that it is long for the 
 teacher rather than for the pupil. Many explanations of 
 supernatural incidents — visions, inner voices, angels and 
 demons — are needed, which relate not to this lesson alone 
 but to many that follow. For the class there are but two 
 short sections of the Gospel to be read in review. You 
 will help them to make the effort to realize these stories 
 vividly, to take the right point of view concerning external 
 symbols of inner experiences, and to deepen their interest 
 in the life into which this transforming experience came. 
 If the year's schedule permits and the pupils' interest war- 
 rants, this lesson may be divided into two. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The Life of a Builder in Nazareth. The occupation of 
 Jesus before he entered on his work of preaching is re- 
 vealed by a single passage in our Bible story, the remark 
 of his neighbors in Nazareth when he appeared before them 
 
 19 
 
20 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 as a Rabbi or Teacher in the Synagogue : "Is not this the 
 builder?" (Sec. 50.) In this occupation by which he 
 earned a living for himself and the family Jesus may some- 
 times have built houses (see his parable of a house built on 
 a rock, Sec. 91), but little work of that sort could be found 
 in a small village like Nazareth. There the houses were 
 mainly of clay or stone. Repairs might be needed, such as 
 laying new rafters on which to mount the clay or thatched 
 roof. Jesus may have found occupation in house-build- 
 ing in Capernaum, the near-by city, or work on some of the 
 great national enterprises, like the new palace of Herod 
 Philip at Tiberias, or the completion of the Jerusalem 
 temple. Artisans then and later were itinerants, in whose 
 wide experience Jesus may have shared. Shop work 
 would consist partly in making the wooden plows for use 
 of the farmers, and yokes for teams of oxen or for the 
 shoulders of the water-bearers. This task gives force to 
 the saying of Jesus about a man's putting his hand to the 
 plow, and more especially to that famous utterance which 
 we all love, ' ' Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me. ' ' 
 
 What we know about Jesus makes us sure that whatever 
 work he undertook he did conscientiously. Yet he may 
 not have been an exceptionally good workman. His talents 
 lay in another sphere of activity. There are indications, 
 as we shall see later, that his physical strength was not 
 great. Lack of fitness in one direction is often the divine 
 guidance into a larger opportunity. All the record 
 concerning Jesus reveals his extraordinary intellectual 
 find spiritual power; but it bears no hint concerning 
 his manual labor. It is enough for us to know that his 
 work through the silent years gave him opportunity to be- 
 come familiar with great passages of Scripture, to think 
 on high themes, and to feel the burdens of the poor and 
 the toilers, since their condition and their task were his 
 own. 
 
 Jesus Baptized. (4) See Bowen's "Notes," Sec. 4. The 
 teacher will visualize, and so help the class to see, the 
 scene: the people in picturesque oriental costumes stand 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 21 
 
 listening to John's preaching. One of these listeners, a 
 man about thirty years of age, is distinguished from the 
 rest by his eager attention, his spiritual absorption. At 
 the end he., like many of the others, steps down to be bap- 
 tized. "With this incident the real story of Jesus begins. 
 
 In the Jordan. The name Jordan means "descender," 
 because the deep and swiftly-flowing river falls more than 
 3000 feet in its course of 150 miles. No doubt John 
 preached and baptized at many of the fords of the river, 
 from the southern part of Galilee to its terminus at the 
 Dead Sea. The place where Jesus was baptized is not 
 known. At the traditional site the river banks are high 
 wooded cliffs rising in places many feet above the river bed, 
 with the mountains of Judea in the distance as a back- 
 ground. At the ford the river is shallow, and rushes grow 
 along the border of the stream. It is a picturesque spot, 
 where mingled light and shadow play over the water. Yet, 
 as Jesus came out of the water with a prayer in his heart, 
 it seems not to have been the majesty of the scene, the 
 beetling cliffs and the mountain background which most 
 impressed him. "What his exalted spirit noted with such 
 intensity that he afterward used it in his picture-laden 
 teaching, was the "reed shaken with the wind." 
 
 He saw the heavens rent asunder. These words as used 
 in the New Testament always indicate a vision. Thus, 
 Peter "saw the heavens opened" (Acts 10:11); Stephen 
 at his martyrdom exclaimed, "I see the heavens opened" 
 (Acts 7: 56) ; and the writer of the Apocalypse introduces 
 one of his visions with the words, "Behold, a door was 
 opened in heaven." (Rev. 4:1.) 
 
 So in this account, the words indicate a vision granted to 
 Jesus only: He saw the heavens rent asunder, and the 
 Spirit descending upon him like a dove. A voice came to 
 him out of the heavens. In both Matthew's account and 
 Luke's, the baptism is barely mentioned, while the vision 
 is described. "The baptism," says Gilbert, "is the vesti- 
 bule to the transcendent experiences of Jesus after he had 
 come up out of the water." 
 
22 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 The Dove and the Voice. These terms are oriental 
 imagery. They represent, not an outward event, but a 
 spiritual experience. What, then, is the basis of that ex- 
 perience ? It is significant that the Voice spoke to Jesus in 
 the words of his own Bible. His religious life was 
 grounded in the Old Testament, and quotations from it 
 would come to him at such a time as personal messages. 
 Two passages seem here combined into one sentence. One 
 of the manuscripts of the New Testament (Codex D) gives 
 the words which Jesus heard in the exact terms of Psalm 
 2:7. 
 
 Thou art my son, 
 
 This day have I begotten thee. 
 
 The idea expressed in the last phrase, as our text gives it, 
 ' ' in thee I am well pleased, ' ' is contained in the words of 
 Is. 42 : 1. 
 
 Behold, my servant whom I uphold, 
 Mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; 
 I have put my spirit upon him. 
 
 The reference to the "spirit" in the last line is significant. 
 The inward sense of his acceptance with God came to Jesus 
 in his dedication of himself at baptism, through these 
 passages of Scripture. 
 
 Jesus, no doubt, told his followers of this inward experi- 
 ence. Indeed, he told it again in part to his fellow towns- 
 men in Nazareth, when he read to them another passage 
 from their Bible, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon 
 me" (Is. 61:1) and said it applied to himself. (This in- 
 cident need not be given the pupils here, but when it ap- 
 pears in Lesson 9 the baptismal vision should be recalled.) 
 The account casts a flood of light on the transformation of 
 a humble laborer into an inspired teacher, a Prophet sur- 
 passingly great even among great prophets, a supreme 
 Saviour among the saviours of the world. 
 
 The writers of the Gospel story looked at this incident in 
 the light of later knowledge. It is hard for us to read it 
 without transforming it with the glow of after-events. We 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 23 
 
 must guard against the supposition that Jesus was at this 
 time made conscious that he was the Messiah; it is enough 
 that he thought himself as one of the prophets or religious 
 teachers. Later, when the idea of his Messiahship was fully 
 established, Jesus may well have included the baptismal 
 vision as one evidence of his divine commission, under- 
 stood as such only when the fulness of time had come. 
 
 We must guard, too, against the thought that John knew 
 Jesus at the time of his baptism to be one greater than him- 
 self, the "one who was to come." Try to keep the scene 
 in its natural proportions. At this time John was the 
 great figure of the religious awakening, Jesus only one of 
 his followers "finding himself" under the influence of his 
 leader. 
 
 The Temptation Story. (5) In this story we have hap- 
 pily a bit of the picturesque narrative-method used by 
 Jesus in his teaching. It is the dramatic way, perfectly 
 adapted to the Eastern mind, in which he represented 
 certain of his own experiences; for these incidents of his 
 inner life could not have become known unless he told 
 them. Take the story, then, as a picture of the inner life 
 of a great soul, and see how wonderful it grows. 
 
 Into the Wilderness. No one knows where Jesus went 
 after his baptism, "driven" by the Spirit which now pos- 
 sessed him. If the baptism occurred near Bethabara, per- 
 haps a wild region in that neighborhood east of the Jordan 
 is intended. It may be that the place of retreat was the 
 Wilderness nearer Jerusalem, out of which John came. 
 The first need of the newly-awakened soul was for solitude 
 and meditation. He must understand better what had 
 happened and decide on his course of action. The wilder- 
 ness was not wholly uninhabited, for the monasteries of 
 the Essenes as well as the huts of hermits were to be 
 found in it. 
 
 He did eat nothing in those days. The words mean a 
 prolonged fast either as a religious observance (a custom 
 of the Essenes) or from necessity because of his poverty 
 and the wilderness conditions in which food was not easily 
 
24 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 obtainable. Prolonged abstinence from food has in many 
 cases been the physical condition by which religious experi- 
 ences, like those indicated by the dramatic temptation 
 story, have been induced. The spiritual experience is the 
 realty; the temptations are genuine and severe; but the 
 form they assume is often due to the physical state which 
 accompanies them. 
 
 The Tempter. Evil has often been embodied to the 
 imagination. Our Bible writers use the word Satan, mean- 
 ing "the adversary," borrowed from the Babylonians, and 
 the Devil, the modified form of the Greek words diabolos, 
 "the slanderer," who was to the Hebrews the supreme 
 spirit of evil. The names indicate an imaginary em- 
 bodiment of a very real fact in life./ The real tempter, for 
 Jesus, for you, for me, is an evil tendency or inclination 
 within. The opportunity, the appeal, may come from out- 
 ward circumstances or conditions, i 
 
 The Three Temptations. First \emptation: "Bid that 
 these stones become bread" indicates a desire in Jesus' 
 heart to use the power of the Spirit upon him to supply 
 his own physical needs. So hungry was he that the very 
 shape of the stones suggested loaves. Would God allow 
 his prophet to perish for want of food? "Would he not 
 rather give him power to turn even the stones into bread 
 to save his life? Jesus shared the belief of his time con- 
 cerning the power of a prophet to do signs and wonders, 
 and was tempted to put it to the test. Perhaps the deeper, 
 the more far-reaching struggle, concerned the taking up of 
 the new work. He was the bread-winner for his family. 
 Should he give up his carpenter 's trade by which he earned 
 money, and take up the perilous task of resisting the au- 
 thorities and declaring a new message? The nobler spirit 
 triumphed. Not bread alone, but every word of God is 
 needful if one would live. It is existence merely, not life, 
 if the body only, and not the soul, is fed. Second tempta- 
 tion: — The "pinnacle of the temple" introduces the ele- 
 ment of imagination, for Jesus was in the Wilderness. His 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 25 
 
 very loneliness transported him in thought to the centre of 
 his country, the Capital, where the crowds gathered for 
 the celebration of the Festivals at the temple. The tempta- 
 tion, to seek a miracle as a sign both to himself and to 
 others that God is with him, is here intensified. Why 
 should he not appeal to miracle for a convincing endorse- 
 ment of his work ? Even the Scriptures seemed to warrant 
 the attempt : "He shall give his angels charge over thee, 
 to keep thee." The greatness of Jesus is revealed in his 
 decision, so far in the advance of his age, that no sign 
 should be given to that generation (Mk. 8:12) that the 
 natural laws, the orderly processes of nature, were the 
 signs of the presence and the care of God. (See Sec. 57.) 
 Third temptation: — Again is imagination invoked, for no 
 "high mountain" gave opportunity for a literal view even 
 of the then-existing "kingdoms of the world and the glory 
 of them." The temptation to "fall down and worship" 
 Satan, as the story gives it, suggests at once the sacrifice 
 of personal integrity and high ideals for worldly honor 
 and glory and power. Boys and girls will not need much 
 explanation of the worship of Satan as opposed to the 
 worship of God. It explains itself. Modern life is full of 
 examples of it ; happily, too, of examples of the temptation 
 resisted. If your church or town has furnished an emi- 
 nent instance of such resistance, use it here as illustration. 
 We may summarize the three temptations in human ex- 
 perience : — ■ 
 
 1. Physical comfort and luxury, vs. privation and self- 
 denial for great ends. 
 
 2. A groundless reliance on immediate divine assistance, 
 vs. that self reliance and regard for God 's law through 
 which we avail ourselves of the divine help. 
 
 3. Using one's power merely to gain position and wealth 
 for one's self, vs. using it to bring consideration for the 
 oppressed, opportunity for the submerged, justice for all. 
 
 For a season. These words reveal that the temptations 
 of Jesus were not ended with his victory as recorded in 
 
26 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 this temptation parable. Indication of a later one is found 
 in the saying, "Get thee behind me, Satan," which fol- 
 lowed a suggestion made by Peter. (Sec. 94.) 
 
 Angels came and ministered unto Mm. Angels in our 
 Bible story do not necessarily mean winged figures. That 
 is a conception made familiar by mediaeval art. To the 
 Hebrew people angels were God's messengers. The Jews 
 shared the belief in spirits which was common among all 
 kinds of people before science enlarged human knowledge. 
 The spirits were either good or bad, and charms were used 
 in the attempt to control bad spirits and secure the favor 
 of good ones. The Hebrews thought of the good spirits as 
 ranged under the government of their God, and used by 
 him as his messengers or angels. These good spirits, like 
 the bad ones, or demons, might enter a human being, con- 
 trol his actions, speak through his lips. Anyone, then, who 
 brought a message, or gave a service at a critical moment, 
 would be accounted as one sent by God for the purpose. 
 The symbolism of the angel is beautiful to one who uses 
 the word to indicate the revealer of divine truth, the doer 
 of God's work in the world. That is the meaning of the 
 Old Testament quotation, and of the poem in the Note 
 Book, which uses the same symbolic expression of God's 
 care for every child of earth. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 The lesson falls naturally into two parts, (1) the Bap- 
 tism and Vision, and (2) the Temptation Story. Each 
 part may well be introduced by a review reading of the 
 passage. 
 
 Lesson Openings. (1) Call for the reading of Sec. 4 in 
 the Gospel by some member of the class. Then ask ab- 
 ruptly: "Did you ever see any one baptized out of 
 doors ? " Or you may wish to give a scene which you have 
 witnessed. In that case think out carefully in advance 
 your opening sentence, to make it compel interest by bring- 
 ing up a picture : "I saw an unusual sight on my way to 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 27 
 
 Florida last winter." Or, "There was a great tent put 
 
 up in D last year in which revival meetings were 
 
 held." Even at thirteen pupils respond quickly to the 
 magic introduction of a story, "When I was a boy." 
 In telling your own incident, or directing one given by a 
 pupil, keep your lesson aim in view. Remember that your 
 object is to produce sympathetic understanding of a religious 
 rite, not to excite amusement or a sense of strangeness. 
 When the picture is presented and the right mood awakened, 
 pass at once to the lesson material on the baptism of Jesus. 
 (2) The teacher reads to the class the title of this les- 
 son, and asks that it be recited in concert. ( Secure united 
 response before proceeding.) "I know about a blacksmith 
 who became a famous preacher." (Do any eyes brighten, 
 or is anything said, to show that one or more pupils know 
 to whom you refer? If so, get the name and the story if 
 possible from the class.) "Later an anvil was set up in his 
 church where it still stands. It is in Unity Church, Chi- 
 cago. Many people loved Dr. Collyer; some of these are 
 still living, and they tell us about him, treasure his mem- 
 ory, cherish him in their hearts. Do you realize that many 
 people loved Jesus, too, in just that way?" Enlarge a 
 little on the religious experience which turned Dr. Robert 
 Collyer from the anvil to the pulpit, and lead up to the 
 events which turned Jesus from a carpenter into a messen- 
 ger of God 's truth, a prophet of the Spirit. 
 
 Lesson Development. The following points should be 
 observed and emphasized: — (1) That the remarkable event 
 recorded in the account of the baptism was seen by Jesus 
 only, and so was an inner experience. (2) That the temp- 
 tations were also personal experiences, which Jesus told, as 
 he told his parables, in vivid, oriental imagery. (3) That 
 temptations came to Jesus later in his life, some of them 
 similar in character to those here related. This is the sig- 
 nificance of the phrase that the tempter left him for a 
 season. (4) Jesus might have yielded to the temptations ; 
 indeed must have wanted to yield, or they were not temp- 
 
28 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 tations. His power to resist was aided by and expressed 
 itself through great passages with which his mind was 
 stored. These, in time of need, became the word of God 
 to his soul. 
 
 In teaching boys and girls, do not spoil the beauty of the 
 temptation story by many explanations and interpretations 
 of it. If questions come answer them, but do not make an 
 effort to arouse the critical spirit in thirteen-year-old 
 pupils. They have learned much earlier in their course of 
 religious training, let us hope, to read Bible stories for the 
 truth they enshrine in poetic form, not as literal accounts 
 of prosaic happenings. 
 
 Be on your guard about pressing too obviously the moral 
 applications of the lesson story, as is so often done. To 
 suggest them in passing is quite enough; the pupils are 
 quick to apprehend the bearing of the experiences of 
 Jesus on their own lives. Nothing so quickly causes 
 aversion for the Bible story as the habit of stopping to 
 draw a moral from each verse, often from each phrase. 
 Let them love the story because you love it; and find it 
 interesting because they know it interests you. You will 
 determine in preparing the lesson how much stress to put 
 upon the modern references to Dr. Collyer and Alice Free- 
 man Palmer ; and on the other temptation stories. Remem- 
 ber the needs of the pupils to do their own part of the work, 
 and save time enough for their share. 
 
 Lesson Close. Read in concert the Bible verse and the 
 poem by Alice Freeman Palmer on p. 9, of the Note Book. 
 
 Lesson Assignments. 
 
 For different pupils: (1) Tell one incident in the life 
 of Robert Collyer. (2) What books has he written? (3) 
 Find one of his hymns in the hymn-book and read it to us. 
 (4) Find some other laborer who won fame in another line 
 of work. 
 
 For all : Memorize the poem and the Bible passage. A 
 duplicate slip containing the words of the poem to be mem- 
 orized will be found in the envelope of pictures and poems. 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 29 
 
 Copies of The Beacon containing pictures and stories about 
 Dr. Collyer (Vol. Ill, No. 14; Vol. V, No. 10) and Alice 
 Freeman Palmer (Vol. Ill, No. 5) may be secured from 
 the publishers of this book. 
 
 Pupils' Note Book. 
 
 Fill the spaces on pp. 7 and 8, and insert the pictures on 
 p. 8. Look up the verse from Jesus' Bible (Psalm 91:11) 
 and insert reference on p. 9. 
 
 Additional Teaching Material 
 
 (Given also in pupils' Note Book) 
 A Verse from Jesus' Bible 
 
 lie shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in 
 all thy ways. (Psalm 91: 11.) 
 
 THE TEMPEST 
 
 He shall give his angels charge 
 
 Over thee in all thy ways. 
 Though the thunders roam at large, 
 
 Though the lightning round me plays, 
 Like a child I lay my head 
 
 In sweet sleep upon my bed. 
 
 Though the terror come so close, 
 
 It shall have no power to smite; 
 It shall deepen my repose, 
 
 Turn the darkness into light. 
 Touch of angels' hands is sweet — 
 
 Not a stone shall hurt my feet. 
 
 All thy waves and billows go 
 Over me to press me down 
 Into arms so strong, I know 
 
 They will never let me drown. 
 Ah! my God, how good thy will! 
 I will nestle and be still. 
 
 (Alice Freeman Palmer.) 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 The heavens rent asunder. 
 Man shall not live by bread alone. 
 He shall give his angels charge over thee, 
 Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 Hole: Carpenter Shop in Nazareth. 211. 
 
30 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Hole: Jesus driven by the spirit into the Wilderness. 
 
 212. 
 Hole: The Temptation. 213. 
 
 Hole: The End of the Temptation. 214. 
 
 (No picture of the baptism of Jesus known to the author, not 
 even the one by Wm. Hole, is suitable for class use.) 
 
 Sidelights and Illustrations. 
 
 I. Parallels to the Vision and Voice. Voices have been 
 heard by many individuals at times of great religious emo- 
 tion. The story is told of Augustine that one day in his 
 garden he heard a voice saying unto him, concerning a book 
 "which lay open, Tolle, lege, — Take, read; and his eyes fell 
 on words which so appealed to him that they brought about 
 his conversion to Christianity and transformed his life. 
 
 II. Parallels to the Temptation Story. (1) Testing. 
 The idea that the righteous must be proved or tested was a 
 familiar one to Hebrew thought. The testing of Abraham 
 in the command to offer up his only son, and Satan 's afflic- 
 tion of Job, which Jehovah permits, are familiar examples. 
 (2) Wilderness experiences : Moses, forty years in obscurity, 
 in preparation for his life work; Mahomet, called to be a 
 prophet during his lonely meditations on Mt. Hira; and 
 Buddha, driven out, as was Jesus, for a period of medita- 
 tion and study, are notable examples. (3) Temptations: 
 (a) Of the Buddha: (See "Light of Asia" by Edwin Ar- 
 nold, for the story.) He was offered sovereign power; 
 years afterward came the great temptation, to choose a life 
 of ease and meditation instead of the toilsome task of one 
 who teaches and serves. During the test he ate no food. 
 On the 49th day the king of the gods brought water for his 
 face, and four guardian angels ministered unto him. (b) 
 Of Zoroaster : His temptations which continued to his 30th 
 year, were, to save his life (which was frequently attacked) 
 by wrong means, and to accept the offer of the glory of 
 imperial power. He answers the tempter by "the words 
 taught by the All-knowing" just as Jesus overcomes by 
 "It is written." 
 
 All these stories from different religions embody the 
 eternal hope that humanity will in the end triumph over 
 evil. 
 
Lesson 4 
 THE NEW HOME AND THE NEW WORK 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 6-13. 
 
 6. Jesus' Mission Begun. Mk. 1: 14-15. 
 
 7. The First Disciples. Mk. 1 : 16-20. 
 
 8. The First Healing. Mk. 1 : 21, 23-28. 
 
 9. Peter's Wife's Mother. Mk. 1:29-31. 
 10. Healings at Evening. Mk. 1 : 32-34. 
 
 11 and 12. The Mission in Galilee. Mk. 1 : 35- 
 
 38. 
 13. The Leper. Mk. 1 : 40-45. 
 
 Jesus is not an isolated figure, as imagination is so prone 
 to conceive him. lie had friends and acquaintances. 
 When he left the Nazareth home, another, Peter's house in 
 Capernaum, was open to him. From his preaching tours 
 around Galilee he constantly returns to Capernaum, the 
 city he had chosen for his residence. His disciples were 
 not alone companions in his work; they were his friends, 
 some of them intimate ones. "I call you not servants," 
 he said in one of the speeches attributed to him, "but I have 
 called you friends." To realize these normal human rela- 
 tionships is to enter more fully into the life of Jesus, to 
 understand him better, and to make his life more perfectly a 
 pattern for our own. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Capernaum. (6) The site is not exactly known; two 
 ruins, not far apart, on the northwest shore of the Sea of 
 Galilee, are claimed as remains of the city. It was a 
 thriving seaport in Jesus' time, and no doubt offered a 
 chance to come into touch with the Galileans of the city 
 and surrounding country, and also with denizens of other 
 
 31 
 
32 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 lands. Galilee was a thoroughfare for the world commerce 
 of that day, and world interests played upon the life of its 
 citizens. In beginning his work, Jesus gave himself to the 
 multitude; it was "where cross the crowded ways of life" 
 that his great opportunity for teaching and for service was 
 to be found. Capernaum was a Jewish city; others about 
 the Sea of Galilee were largely Greek. 
 
 Teaching in the Synagogue. Sees. 6, 8 and 12 all men- 
 tion the synagogue, or Jewish house of worship, as the place 
 where Jesus began his preaching. It is later that we have 
 the outdoor scenes, the message given by the shore, in the 
 road-way, among the mountains and in the market places 
 of the cities. In Galilee, at least, if a man had a message 
 and showed power and influence in giving it, his right to 
 speak at the usual place of the Rabbi was not questioned. 
 
 Calling the Disciples. (7) The four closest friends of 
 Jesus among his followers lived in Capernaum and earned 
 their living as fishermen. The graphic scene of the story, 
 located perhaps outside the city on the lake shore, shows us 
 Peter and Andrew actually fishing, and James and John 
 (the "beloved disciple" John was called later) in a boat 
 with their father mending their nets. As Jesus had left his 
 carpenter's task to give himself to spreading the Message, 
 so now he induces four of his friends to do the same. 
 "Come with me," he says to them; "you are good fisher- 
 men, but' you may be better ones ; I will show you -how to 
 catch men alive." The pupils should learn to recognize 
 Peter at once, whether he is called "Simon," as here, or 
 "Peter," or "Simon Peter." 
 
 The First Healings. (8-10) This lesson includes three 
 such accounts : the demoniac in the synagogue, the mother 
 of Peter's wife in his home, and the cures done in the 
 evening of the Sabbath day at the door of the house. The 
 leper incident, while told by the writer as a healing, had, 
 as the Notes show, another significance. The ' ' Notes ' ' on all 
 these sections give ample explanations, and are invaluable to 
 the teacher. 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 33 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 If assignments of special work were made at the last 
 lesson, begin by calling for them. If left to a later part of 
 the hour they may be crowded out. Nothing puts such a 
 damper on the pupils' willingness to do an assigned task 
 outside the lesson period as the failure to call for it when it 
 is ready. To set a standard for good work thus early in 
 the course is important. 
 
 Openings. (1) By the order of events. — Call out from 
 the class the series of scenes in Jesus' life which are here 
 given. He preached in the synagogue, and cast out the 
 unclean spirit from a man in the group of hearers. He 
 went to the house of Simon and Andrew, and found Simon's 
 wife's mother feverish and in need of ministry. On the 
 evening of the same day, which was the Sabbath (Satur- 
 day), people at the door of Peter's house brought the sick 
 and those thought to be possessed of demons ; of these some 
 (notice that the account says "many" not "all") were 
 healed. 
 
 In his picture of the Sabbath evening in Capernaum, the 
 artist Hole has given a fine touch in putting a little child 
 into the arms of Jesus as the first one to receive his heal- 
 ing ministry. 
 
 Next morning, before daybreak, Jesus goes out from the 
 house to a solitary place for refreshment and prayer; and 
 when the friends find him there and try to take him back, 
 he bids them go with him into the next towns where, 
 also, he must give the new Message. There follows a Gali- 
 lean tour, of the details of which we know nothing. The 
 incident of the leper, with the resultant undesired notoriety, 
 seems to have closed the first tour through the towns of 
 Galilee; after which there followed a stay in "solitary 
 places," which could not remain solitary when Jesus was 
 in them. 
 
 (2) A modern instance: — Some years ago, a man named 
 Schlatter, who was staying in the mountainous country 
 near Denver, was reported to be curing by his touch the 
 
34 THE STOEY OP JESUS 
 
 people who came to him. Crowds went out to see him. 
 Many who had illnesses claimed to be cured by him. Some 
 people carried away handkerchiefs, or bits of clothing, and 
 asserted that these articles healed many of those who 
 touched them. Use this illustration, or some other of sim- 
 ilar character, to impress the class with the fact that the 
 power to benefit those who are ill by a touch or a word was 
 not a quality unique in Jesus. Every age, every country, 
 has such accounts. Others when Jesus lived were able to 
 do similar things. He tells us so himself in his retort to 
 the Pharisees who accused him: "If I by Beelzebul cast 
 out demons, by whom do your sotis cast them out?" (Sec. 
 41.) Think of the reasons which would induce people to 
 go to see and hear one of whom these reports were given, 
 (a) There is always the desire for betterment; the feeling, 
 "If some one else can be helped, why not I?" (b) To 
 this is added a faith in the unknown possibilities of our 
 world which is in truth faith in God. Just as the force of 
 electricity was in our universe many centuries before men 
 learned that it was there or how to use it, so it is possible 
 that other forces may be at work about which we may 
 learn, which will benefit mankind. "Let us see if this 
 man has some such power, greater than that which others 
 have learned to use." (c) The influence of "the crowd" 
 is very great; what attracts many and gains notice is for 
 that very reason appealing. The real difference, then, be- 
 tween a modern instance and the accounts of healing by 
 Jesus, is the way people have learned to look at what hap- 
 pened. In those days, such occurrences were thought to be 
 miracles, that is, something done contrary to law. Now, we 
 try to find the law, or the cause, unknown before, which 
 explains the occurrences. We learn to see the daily miracles 
 of growth, of love, all the things that are new and mysterious 
 and wonderful in life. Our gospel story is not a series 
 of inventions, of great things ' ' made up ' ' by the writers to 
 give glory to the memory of Jesus. "We may recognize the 
 basis of fact, and the awe and wonder in the accounts, allow 
 for natural exaggerations, and admit the power which Jesus 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 35 
 
 possessed, while not accepting the attitude of mind or the 
 explanation of the events given by the writer who recorded 
 them. Can we see through these accounts the real Jesus, 
 the man of power, the friend of those needing assistance, the 
 glorious, devoted soul who helped them as he helps us to 
 understand what God is like ? Let us try. 
 
 Lesson Development. Teaching the lesson will consist 
 in making sure that the pupils know the events, that they 
 take a simple, rational view of them while retaining the 
 charm of the picture, and that their interest in the story of 
 Jesus is advanced by the account of the beginning of his 
 work and the comradeship of his friends who were also dis- 
 ciples. The home into which he was welcomed, with its 
 members ministering to Jesus in his hours of rest and 
 leisure, furnishes the wholesome condition for his own life ; 
 the growth of his work and the securing of friends who 
 would work with him opened a horizon of boundless possi- 
 bilities. These make the best elements in every life, — the 
 home with its satisfactions, the vision of a great work to 
 do, with its allurements and its strong summons to the soul. 
 
 "These two his blessedness complete, 
 A home and a horizon." 
 
 (Lucy Larcom.) 
 
 A study of the pupils' Note Book will show you how to 
 develop the lesson so as to make possible the work they are 
 to do as their part in the lesson hour. 
 
 A suggestive illustration for the idea of possession by 
 demons may be found in Stevenson's story of Dr. Jekyl 
 and Mr. Hyde. ( Do not try to tell the story. Eef er only to 
 the point that the same man showed noble qualities at one 
 time and base ones at another.) The story makes us realize 
 that there are tendencies in each one of us, some with great 
 possibilities of good, some which might develop into some- 
 thing evil and repulsive. Paul said, When I would do good, 
 evil is present with me. May not a recognition of this fact, 
 
36 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 as well as certain adverse physical conditions, have been the 
 germ of the belief in demoniacal possession? 
 
 The experience of boys and girls will help them to under- 
 stand the incident of Peter 's wife 's mother. They have had 
 little illnesses, not serious but trying, and know well how 
 much real healing and comfort lies in the ministry of the 
 mother, in the strong and comforting touch of the doctor's 
 hands. Jesus came to the bedside of the woman with even 
 more of that healing which a consecrated spirit may bring. 
 Is it any wonder that in a short time the woman who had 
 been helped was able to rise and minister to the needs of 
 Jesus? 
 
 The lesson gives the opportunity to show how often the 
 Divine Life which is ever present in human affairs turns 
 adversity into blessing. John put into prison ! How need- 
 less, how tragic seems that sudden ending of a great work ! 
 But that very event was the beginning of a still greater 
 message to the world. It was when John could no longer 
 speak to the people that Jesus felt impelled to give his own 
 word, to begin his wonderful ministry. 
 
 The Close of the Lesson. What shall we remember as 
 the most impressive scene in this section of the story of 
 Jesus ? There is much that is compelling, — tender ministry 
 in suffering, service for those in need, happy association 
 with friends in their home, the beginning of a great work. 
 But I like best to think of that picture of Jesus starting 
 out a great while before the work of the day began, to go 
 to a quiet place alone and pray. Here was a great human 
 experience of communion and worship. His heart would 
 know what ours, too, would feel : — 
 
 "Alone with thee, amid the mystic shadows, 
 The solemn hush of nature newly born; 
 
 Alone with thee in breathless adoration, 
 
 In the calm dew and freshness of the mom." 
 
 It was from such communion with God that Jesus drew the 
 strength he needed for the days of service which followed. 
 
THE GREAT AWAKENING 37 
 
 Lesson Assignments. 
 
 Very likely the work in the Note Book will need so much 
 time at this point that it may seem best not to give out any 
 other special work to be done before the next lesson except 
 the short verse to be memorized. Try not to make these 
 lessons seem a task, but rather an opportunity for real en- 
 joyment, for feeling the charm and power of the life of 
 Jesus and the beauty of the story, which, brief and imper- 
 fect as it is, tells us all we know about him. The following 
 verse is to be memorized : — 
 
 In simple trust like theirs who heard, 
 
 Beside the Syrian sea, 
 The gracious calling of the Lord, 
 Let us, like them, without a word, 
 
 Rise up and follow thee. 
 
 (John G. Whittier.) 
 
 Ask the pupils if they can find at home in Whittier 's 
 Poems or in a hymn book the verses from which these 
 lines are taken. The hymn begins "Dear Lord and Father 
 of mankind." 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Let the pupils bring up any part of the work suggested 
 for previous lessons for which time has not before been 
 found. 
 
 There should be entered on p. 10 the picture by Hole, 
 and what it suggests about Jesus should be written on the 
 page. Insert picture and names on p. 11. 
 
 Members of the class may now begin to make a list on p. 12 
 of the events in the life of Jesus thus far studied. This 
 should be added to from time to time as the lessons proceed. 
 Do not attempt to have the lists uniform. Some will remem- 
 ber more incidents than do others. What each can recall, 
 or will take pains to look up in the Gospel, will prove a test 
 of attention, interest and application. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 In the morning, a great while before day. 
 I will make you to become fishers of men. 
 All the city was gathered together at the door. 
 
38 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 Hole: Sabbath Evening in Capernaum. Group III, 219. 
 
 Zimmermann : Jesus and the Fishermen. Wilde, 47. 
 
 Tissot: Calling of Peter and Andrew. 15. 
 
 Tissot: Man with an Unclean Spirit. 21. 
 
 Tissot : Healing Peter's Wife's Mother. 22. 
 
 Tissot: Healing the Sick in the Streets. 32. 
 
Chapter II 
 
 A GREAT WORK BEGUN 
 
 The Scene and Situation. The work of Jesus pro- 
 ceeds, in the lessons of this chapter, through a period of 
 growing popularity and the beginnings of opposition. It 
 is set in outdoor surroundings which should help make it 
 attractive ; and its high lights are made more intense by the 
 sharp shadow which the death of John throws into the pic- 
 ture. 
 
 The house in Capernaum where Jesus made his home is 
 the scene of one of the healing episodes and of part of the 
 teaching. For the scene of John's death we are carried 
 East of the Jordan, to a huge fortress containing both a 
 castle and a prison. 
 
 The Material. The Gospel of Jesus, from Sec. 14 to 
 the end of Sec. 43. Bible references covering the same 
 material are given with each lesson. 
 
 Lesson Aims. (1) To intensify in the minds of the 
 pupils the picture of Jesus as a great teacher and healer, 
 and as the friend of the friendless. (2) To teach the 
 worth of every human soul as one of the great lessons 
 taught by Jesus in his message and by his life. 
 
 Note Book Work. A method of dividing the work for 
 this chapter is suggested with each lesson; but any part 
 of it may be omitted, or the whole of it done at once as a 
 review of the four lessons, at the discretion of the teacher. 
 
 39 
 
Lesson 5 
 
 JESUS AS HEALER AND TEACHER 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus. Sections 14-16, 20-24, 
 29-34. 
 
 14. The Paralytic Cured. Mk. 2 : 1-12. 
 
 15. The Call of Levi. Mk. 2 : 13-17. 
 
 16. On Fasting. Mk. 2 : 18-22. 
 
 20. Beatitudes. Mk. 3 : 13 ; Mt_5_L3=9_; Lk. 12 : 
 32; Mt. 13:16-17. 
 
 21. Parable of the Importunate Widow. Lk. 
 18 : 1-7. 
 
 22. Of the Importunate Friend. Lk. 11 : 5-8. 
 
 23. The Fatherliness of God. Mt. 7 : 9-11. 
 
 24. Ask; Seek; Knock. Mt. 7:7-8. 
 
 29. The Light that Shines. Mt. 5 : 14-16. 
 
 30. The Light of the Eye. Mt. 6 : 22-23. 
 
 31. The Mote and the Beam. Mt. 7 : 3-5. 
 
 32. Judge Not. Mt. 7:1-2. 
 
 33. The Golden Rule. Mt. 7:12. 
 
 34. The Lord's Prayer. Mt. 6 : 7-13. 
 
 "We begin, now, to see Jesus gaining popularity from his 
 message and to note the power with which he gave it. He 
 uses every available place for teaching the people and arous- 
 ing his hearers to the importance of his message. As so 
 much of his talk to his hearers was given in outdoor situa- 
 tions, that feature is here emphasized to some extent, al- 
 though the lesson itself includes not only the wayside teach- 
 ing, but shows us also, in its first section, the group in 
 Peter 's house when the paralytic was healed. Then we see 
 the multitude assembled on the shore of the lake where the 
 fishermen do their work. The setting for the beatitudes and 
 the other teachings given to the disciples is the "high 
 mountain. ' ' 
 
 40 
 
A GREAT WORE BEGUN 41 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Return to Capernaum. (14) Following the Galilean 
 tour and the sojourn in a solitary place, Jesus and his 
 friends return to the home in Capernaum and make a some- 
 what extended stay in the city by the lake. The "house" 
 in which the "speaking the word" was begun and where 
 the paralytic was healed was no doubt Peter 's. The break- 
 ing up of the roof to let the patient down was a simple proc- 
 ess, where the roof consisted merely of a thatch of grass or 
 mud laid on the beams. We may remember, too, that Jesus 
 the carpenter could easily help Peter make the needed re- 
 pairs afterward. The command ' ' Take up thy couch ' ' will 
 be readily understood by the pupils when they know that it 
 was the sleeping rug, easy to roll up and light to carry. 
 
 Jesus assured the paralytic who lay on the rug before him 
 that his sins were forgiven. This displeased the Phari- 
 sees. But was it not just what John the Baptizer had done 
 before, with his "baptism unto repentance and forgiveness 
 of sins"? Jesus no doubt knew the man, was assured that 
 his repentance was sincere, and had the right to say to 
 him that God had forgiven him. So may any son of man 
 who has real insight declare to the soul that truly repents. 
 
 The call of Levi. (15) Another friend and follower is 
 secured by Jesus ; not a fisherman this time, but a tax col- 
 lector. (The pupils must learn to recognize this disciple 
 also by his two names, Levi and Matthew.) Perhaps an 
 illustration will help the children to realize how the Hebrews 
 of the time of Jesus looked on any of their number who were 
 willing to collect from their own countrymen the tax im- 
 posed by the Romans. Take any modern country on whom 
 a tribute has been levied, or imagine such a tax on your own 
 State imposed by an invader. Then suppose that one of the 
 members of the community is willing to collect the tax and 
 receive pay for the task. Can you think how his country- 
 men would feel toward him ? Something like that the Jews 
 felt for Levi and others who did that work in Capernaum. 
 "Tax-gatherers were driven out of respectable society. 
 
42 t THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 They could not act as magistrates, or even give evidence in 
 court. With such persons intercourse was tacitly forbid- 
 den. If a rabbi visited them, and accepted their hospitality, 
 he excited astonishment and scorn." (Carpenter.) 
 
 You can see what courage it took to be the friend of a tax- 
 collector. Jesus attracted Levi to his cause, a disciple who 
 not only became himself one of Jesus 's followers, but inter- 
 ested many others of his own sort in the new Message 
 through a feast at his house. Here is another fine human 
 touch, the bit of social life in which Jesus shared. No doubt 
 they talked about great and important matters, and had a 
 good time as well. 
 
 The Pharisees' Protest. In their protest to the disciples 
 of Jesus concerning his custom of eating with tax-gatherers 
 and sinners, the Pharisees illustrate the feeling of certain 
 people everywhere against associating socially with the 
 "lower classes." Jesus was not only teaching these out- 
 casts of society, but he was the chief guest at a feast in the 
 home of one of them. This scandalized the socially and re- 
 ligiously respectable leaders of the time. The famous 
 answer of Jesus seems to imply that he felt that he could 
 "call" sinners as effectually through human association 
 and influence as by preaching to them. 
 
 Fasting. (16) John was an ascetic, enjoining religious 
 fasts on his disciples as the Pharisees did ; Jesus, though he 
 began his new work as a disciple of John, soon freed him- 
 self from some of the formalities and ceremonies common in 
 his time. Again we have a winning human touch, a bit of 
 insight into the real life of this leader and his friends : they 
 were happy in their friendship, in their common aim, in 
 their work together for the new Kingdom. The happiness 
 made part of their religious life. Jesus rightly recognized 
 joy as part of religious experience. It is as if he said in 
 reply to those who questioned, "Why should my disciples 
 fast, and seem to mourn, when we have our happy religious 
 fellowship?" 
 
 The Teaching. (20-24; 29-33) The beatitudes consti- 
 tute the most famous part of the teaching of Jesus. (For 
 
A GREAT WORE BEGUN 43 
 
 the form here given, consult the "Notes," p. 147.) The 
 pupils have, no doubt, memorized the longer form of the 
 beatitudes earlier in the course. Here the attempt is to 
 present what Jesus probably said to his disciples. The sen- 
 tence "Fear not, little flock" is one which is always dear to 
 children and they learn it easily. Sections 24-25 give one 
 of the famous passages of the Gospel. 
 
 The brief sayings in the later sections are a form of prov- 
 erb which would easily catch the attention of the people 
 and stay in their memories. These proverbs were, no doubt, 
 sayings which the disciples themselves could use in their 
 teaching when Jesus sent them out to declare the new Mes- 
 sage. (See lesson 12.) . Note the use in these brief passages 
 of familiar objects to illustrate spiritual truth. The say- 
 ings about the lamp and the stand, the bushel, the bed, and 
 the measure, may have been uttered with these articles in 
 sight. The "mote" which might be caught in the eye was 
 the little particle of dust which could be seen dancing in 
 the sunlight, while the "beam" was one of the timbers of 
 the house. 
 
 The Prayer. (34) The "Lord's Prayer" as used in our 
 churches does not follow exactly the form which is given 
 in any one of the Gospels. It has been expanded and de- 
 veloped from these, and the longer, liturgical form, which 
 has been made familiar to us by church use, is of great 
 value. In this shortened form in Section 34, we get nearer 
 to the original given by Luke, from which the others were 
 expanded. The climax of Jesus' instruction to his disciples 
 is in teaching them to pray. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 There is less action in this lesson, so the pictorial setting 
 should be developed. The pupils need to be helped to see 
 Jesus teaching everywhere, to think of him as one 
 
 "Whose sermons were the helpful talks 
 That shorter made the mountain walks." 
 
 The land, the customs, and the various articles in the homes 
 
44 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 referred to in the teaching of Jesus furnish good illustrative 
 material. 
 
 Openings. (1) A good treatment of this lesson would 
 consist in making comment upon the Gospel text, asking 
 questions, and giving illustrations as the reading proceeds. 
 In that way the reading of the story and the teaching of the 
 lesson go on side by side. It would be a serious mistake to 
 make the lessons uniformly of this character. Variety in 
 method and treatment must be constantly studied. 
 
 (2) Show the picture by Hole and see if the pupils can 
 tell what it represents. Notice that the main part of the 
 scene is on the roof of the house and that only a glimpse of 
 the room below, where Jesus stands with the crowd about 
 him, is given. If the story of the paralytic is not clearly 
 recalled by the class from the reading in Lesson 1, it may be 
 looked up and then told, as part of the recitation, by one or 
 more of the members. 
 
 Lesson Development. Note the facts of the lesson which 
 you wish to have remembered: healing the paralytic, the 
 calling of Levi, the feast at his house, the protests of the 
 Pharisees, the question by John's disciples and its illus- 
 trated answer. Have clearly in mind, also, which of the 
 teachings you wish to emphasize. The attention of the 
 pupils should be called to the beauty of expression of some 
 of these passages from our Gospel. The climax of the 
 teaching period should come with the reading and considera- 
 tion of the prayer given by Jesus at the request of his 
 disciples. 
 
 Help the class to see the different ways in which Jesus 
 gave his message and how effective these ways were. (1) 
 By stories (parables). (2) By poetical expressions in a 
 form easily remembered, like the beatitudes which all begin 
 with the same word. (3) In proverbial sayings such as 
 "Salt is good," "Judge not that ye be not judged," and 
 many others. (Can the pupils find some of them?) (4) 
 By questions, which appealed to the knowledge of his hear- 
 
A GREAT WORE BEGUN 45 
 
 ers and so made them take part in the teaching process, or 
 stimulated their thought, sometimes bringing confusion to 
 his opponents. 
 
 The references to Lourdes and Treves and St. Anne de 
 Beaupre in the notes on the cure of the paralytic (Sec. 14, 
 p. 144) offer a suggestion for some good teaching illustra- 
 tions. The pilgrimages to these shrines, the claims of heal- 
 ing, crutches and canes seen there in such abundance, give 
 some evidence of the continued work of a healing power 
 manifested through religious faith. Have you yourself, 
 have the pupils, known some one who has recovered from 
 an illness and who claims the cure to be due to his religion 1 
 Have they seen the votive offerings at shrines ? The author 
 once witnessed a religious pilgrimage at the church of St. 
 Anne de Beaupre near Quebec. Many crippled people, 
 with diverse ailments, were in the throng. Some were 
 brought in wheeled chairs by their friends. There was on 
 that day no attempt at healing, unless allowing the people 
 to kiss the relic, and touching with it foreheads or eyes or 
 hands which were diseased, might be so construed. The 
 shrine of St. Anne was heaped about with crutches, canes, 
 braces, and other appliances. One supposes that the people 
 who had used them had come to the shrine and gone away 
 without them; but the author saw no one who claimed to 
 have been healed there, and had no report from anyone 
 who had gone away without a crutch as to his condition a 
 day, a week, a year after the "healing" had been accom- 
 plished. Help the pupils to see that the same thing is true 
 of our record of the cures performed by Jesus. Some of 
 them no doubt were permanent ; but were they all ? "What 
 is essential to see is, that the power which worked through 
 Jesus, both for spiritual quickening and physical healing, is 
 never absent from our world ; that it is ever and always at 
 the service of humanity when the conditions are met ; that 
 
 "All of good the past hath had 
 Remains, to make our own time glad." 
 
 Lesson Close. Let the class read, together, from the 
 
46 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Gospel the short form of the prayer taught by Jesus, as 
 their own devotional service at the end of the hour. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 For each pupil: — Write a letter, representing yourself 
 as a boy or girl in Palestine, telling something you have 
 seen which relates to Jesus. Address the letter to some 
 one you know and keep that one in mind as you write. 
 Do not try to use Bible language; tell the event as if 
 you had seen it. (The following subjects — one only for 
 each letter — are suggested. Let the pupils select from 
 the list. It will not matter if two or more choose the 
 same one, provided they do independent work. Space for 
 this letter is given on p. 13 of the Note Book. Plan with 
 the pupils how it is to be inserted. A letter sheet carefully 
 written at home may be pasted in, to save the toil of copying. 
 Ask to have the letter ready by the next Sunday; but ask 
 for it, try for it, week after week, until each pupil has 
 prepared it. Work of this sort constitutes a review; it is 
 much better, as well as more interesting, than a review 
 lesson in class.) 
 
 " 1. Standing on the river bank, hearing John preach and seeing 
 y-\ , Jesus baptized. 
 i > ?tTT/ >2. At the synagogue, the day Jesus healed the man. 
 
 3. Same, when Jesus healed the bent woman, when the discus- 
 sion followed. 
 * 4. Imagine yourself hearing Jesus tell how he was tempted. 
 
 5. Scene outside the door of Peter's house, when many came 
 to be healed. 
 
 6. Scene inside the house, when the paralytic was let down 
 through the roof. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 If the work on the first group of lessons for Chapter I 
 is not completed, time may be given to it with this lesson. 
 The list of events, for instance, can be used for a review of 
 last Sunday's lesson. 
 
 Page 14 contains border drawings of some familiar articles 
 mentioned by Jesus in his teaching. It will make the teach- 
 
A GREAT "WORK BEGUN 47 
 
 ing itself more impressive and better remembered if the 
 pupils look up the references to these articles in the text. 
 They should write after each number the name of the 
 article and give the number of the section in which it is 
 mentioned. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 
 Is not the life more than food? 
 Consider the lilies of the field. 
 Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 Hole: The paralytic let down through the roof. 230. 
 
 Bida: Jesus by the Sea. Wilde, No. 539. 
 
 Le Jeune: Consider the lilies. Wilde, No. 67. 
 
Lesson 6 
 THE SABBATH FOR SERVICE 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 17-19. 
 
 17. The Sabbath for Man. Mk. 2 : 23-28. 
 
 18. A Sabbath Healing. Mk. 3 : 1-6. 
 
 19. Another Sabbath Healing. Lk. 13 : 10-17 ; 
 Mt. 12 : 11. 
 
 The "authority" with which Jesus spoke, recognized by 
 his hearers (Sec. 8) , here becomes more apparent. He dares 
 to disobey the traditions of his people because he sees a 
 better way of honoring God and serving man. He is con- 
 scious of a principle long afterward put into apt phrase by 
 Lueretia Mott, "Truth for authority, not authority for 
 truth." Jesus was true to this flash of insight which came 
 to him. He thought more of the needs of people than of 
 old sayings and religious forms long used. So he dared to 
 speak what he believed and to do what he knew to be right. 
 
 The first rumblings of that opposition which in the end 
 destroyed the life of Jesus, but could not efface his word 
 and work, are now heard, and his adversaries enter the 
 scene. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 In the grain field. (17) The first Sabbath day incident 
 may have occurred soon after the return to Capernaum ; if 
 so, it helps to fix the time as about the first of June, when 
 the grain was ripening. The children will recall that for 
 grain of this sort, wheat or rye or barley, we say not "ears" 
 but "heads." May it be that the hunger of the disciples, 
 which caused them to pull the heads of grain, hints at the 
 poverty of the little group of friends? Or does it sug- 
 gest the return in the early morning from a quiet retreai 
 
 48 
 
A GREAT WORK BEGUN 49 
 
 where they had gone for prayer "a great while before it 
 was day"? "We can only guess. In answering the critics, 
 Jesus referred to "what David did," just as now you and 
 I might say, "Did not Jesus do this or that?" The ac- 
 count is found in I Sam. 21 : 1-6. 
 
 Ye pretenders. (19) The opposition of the Pharisees to 
 Jesus because of his failure to observe all the ceremonial law, 
 such as Sabbath observance, which made up so much of 
 their religion, begins already to appear. When Jesus asked 
 them if it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath, they 
 "held their peace," that is, refused to answer. Can you 
 not see their lips tighten, and a proud look come into their 
 faces? No wonder Jesus was indignant with them. On 
 another Sabbath day, when Jesus had healed the bent 
 woman in the synagogue, it was the ruler of the synagogue 
 who protested, voicing no doubt the feeling of others. For 
 Jesus addresses them with the startling words, "Ye pre- 
 tenders ! ' ' which meant that their religion was a mere out- 
 ward form, when it should have made them kind of heart 
 and eager to do good even on the day they called holy. 
 When he spoke of the woman as "this daughter of Abra- 
 ham" he appealed to their pride of race, and made sharp the 
 contrast between the animals they would help on the Sab- 
 bath and this daughter of an honored line. The effect of 
 his words was to divide those who heard ; one small group, 
 his "adversaries," were "put to shame," while the "crowd 
 rejoiced. ' ' 
 
 Reasons for the Opposition of the Pharisees. These re- 
 ligious leaders among the Hebrew people were loyal to the 
 faith they had inherited. They lived by the law and ex- 
 pected others to do the same. They were conservative and 
 conventional, eager to preserve what the past had trans- 
 mitted to them. Jesus came with a new vision and a new 
 message. They looked at the law and the religious tradi- 
 tion ; he looked at the needs of the people. They hoped for 
 a time when the outcast Jews, those who were not "ortho- 
 dox" in their ideas and practice, should become Jews sub- 
 mitting strictly to the letter of the law. He worked for the 
 
50 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 coming of the time when the people should have clearer 
 ideas of God and his Kingdom, and come into fulness of 
 life and true happiness. 
 
 This lesson and the preceding contain the passages from 
 the Gospel which reveal the charges made by the Pharisees 
 against Jesus. (1) Blasphemy. This is brought out in the 
 cure of the paralytic (Sec. 14) when Jesus told the man 
 his sins were forgiven. The ritualistic Pharisees believed 
 that repentance was not enough, that God required from 
 the sinner some form of penance. (2) That he associated 
 with sinners. (Sec. 15.) (3) That he failed to observe 
 the Pharisaic custom about fasting. (Sec. 16.) (4) That 
 he did not obey the elaborate Sabbath laws which they re- 
 garded as fundamental. 
 
 The Pharisees were honest and sincere in their opposi- 
 tion to Jesus. By them the ceremonial law had been ex- 
 alted to a position of highest authority. They failed to 
 understand that Jesus was interpreting a law written in the 
 heart as the final authority, the "word of God." Is their 
 attitude something like that of some deeply religious people 
 today, who accept the Bible quite literally as the "word 
 of God" and resent new translations, new arrangements of 
 its contents and new interpretations of its meanings? 
 
 The Healings. (17-19) The way in which the healing 
 power which Jesus possessed may be regarded has already 
 been indicated in these lessons and in the notes to Bowen's 
 Gospel. The two given in this lesson are quite similar. 
 Both reveal a dominant personality, a power to give im- 
 pulse to another's will, a use of suggestion to overcome a 
 physical weakness. These things indicate a vital and re- 
 newing life in the universe which benefits human life. A 
 God-saturated soul becomes God's minister to those weaker 
 and less spiritually minded than himself. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Call first for the letters assigned as home work. Bead- 
 ing them should make an interesting review. You will be 
 
A GREAT WORK BEGUN 51 
 
 more apt to secure the letter from those who have not pre- 
 pared it if you make them understand that it is a hard task, 
 a real challenge of their ability and persistence. It is 
 better not to praise those who have done the work promptly, 
 but rather to call attention to points of excellence in the 
 letters themselves. Your attitude of expecting that work 
 you assign will be done will in this way be made evident. 
 
 Lesson Openings. (1) The point of contact may easily 
 be made by considering first what the pupils like to do, and 
 think it right to do, on Sunday. Notice the change from 
 the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) to the Christian day of 
 rest and worship (Sunday). Ask about possible Sunday 
 recreations — riding, walking, picking flowers, playing 
 games, visiting — choosing the one which best fits your class. 
 Ask about work on Sunday, — household tasks, cleaning up 
 the yard, making something with tools or needle, studying 
 lessons for school next day ; would the pupils do any or all 
 of these things? If not, why not? Do not encourage or 
 prolong a discussion if differences of opinion are revealed, 
 but help them to see and state the real object of the day 
 set apart for the special development of the religious na- 
 ture. Then bring Jesus' Sabbath day before them by the 
 contrast : You would pick flowers on Sunday if you were 
 walking in the field or wood ; do you think you would do it 
 if the rules of your church said you should not? if your 
 neighbors, especially those living in that finest house in 
 town, would think you very wicked if you did ? This helps 
 them to understand the condition in which Jesus and his 
 followers were placed. It emphasizes the difference be- 
 tween obeying religious customs as a matter of form, or 
 refusing to obey them because of the spirit of religion in the 
 heart. It helps them to see that obedience to church rules 
 does not constitute religion. 
 
 (2) Begin with a review question, addressed to some one 
 member of the class: Can you tell me what story of a 
 healing performed by Jesus we had in last Sunday's les- 
 son? [Such review may be used occasionally and is 
 
52 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 then effective. It is, unfortunately, the too-common 
 method of beginning a lesson. Guard against the easy, 
 careless uniformity which always opens the work for the 
 day by asking what the lesson was about the week before. 
 Besides being tiresome and monotonous, it may give the 
 erroneous impression to both teacher and pupils that the 
 chief object of teaching the lesson is to have it remembered. 
 That is, indeed, part of the end sought, but by no means 
 the chief one.] When the story of the paralytic has been 
 given, refer to the two healing incidents in the present 
 lesson, and use them to increase the vividness of the mental 
 picture of Jesus by the pupils of the God-given power which 
 Jesus possessed. Little explanation of these events will be 
 needed ; the pupils will see in them wonderful, perhaps un- 
 explainable occurrences, but will not call them miracles 
 unless taught to do so. All their training in school 
 and in the modern attitude and opinion, teaches them 
 to believe that some explanation of such events is 
 possible, even when they do not know what the explana- 
 tion is. 
 
 Development of the Lesson. Tour lesson plan may 
 take one of several forms. Three are here suggested, (a) 
 Begin with the second opening. Be sure that the pupils 
 know how many and what healing incidents are here re- 
 corded, and can describe them. Use so much of the ex- 
 planatory material as will help them to understand the 
 events in some measure and to realize them vividly. Make 
 the aim of your development the helpful service Jesus 
 was rendering, how he seems to be always doing kind 
 things. Then lead to the idea suggested for the lesson 
 close, and to the pupil's work on the lesson in the Note 
 Book, (b) Begin with Opening I, making the aim from 
 the first Jesus 's way of keeping the Sabbath day and the 
 principle of religion which he declared concerning it. 
 Great ideas as well as great deeds further human welfare. 
 What Jesus thought and said, as well as his helpful deeds, 
 made him a supreme power for good in the world, (c) It 
 
A GREAT WORE BEGUN 53 
 
 may seem wise to you to begin with the reading of the text, 
 stopping after each paragraph to ask questions, to make 
 suggestions, to offer explanations when needed. Either of 
 the suggested openings might then be used as part of the 
 lesson development, and either aim chosen. The one essen- 
 tial thing is to have a plan of development and an aim in 
 your mind, and to lead the pupils in that direction. The 
 lesson should be so planned that the pupil's work in the 
 Note Book becomes a natural part of it, and emphasizes the 
 thought you have tried to convey. 
 
 The Close. Finish the period of reading and instruc- 
 tion by reference to the commandment which Jesus inter- 
 preted in a new way. It should have been learned earlier 
 in the course ; for review, have the one line recited in con- 
 cert : — 
 
 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
 
 Following the hand-work, the lesson hour may be fin- 
 ished by reciting together the last two lines on p. 15 of the 
 Note Book : — 
 
 Two things consecrate a day : sincere thought, and service. 
 
 One holy day, to help me keep the other six holy. 
 
 Lesson Assignments. 
 
 The teacher will determine whether it is best to ask for 
 any home work at this point. In general, it is better to 
 assign some task relating to lessons already taught, than to 
 ask for work in advance. The pupils are then more nearly 
 on a level as to possible achievement. 
 
 Some account of Lucretia Mott may be desirable, and 
 may be given to one or more members whose home condi- 
 tions and training would make its achievement possible. 
 
 The omitted parables in Chapter II may be assigned for 
 home reading and report. 
 
 Memory work on the Teachings in Chapter II, either new 
 or review work from earlier years, may be given if desired. 
 
 Keep a record of assigned work, and do not fail to call 
 for it the next Sunday. 
 
54 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Note Book Work. Insert on p. 13 the letter assigned 
 for home work. 
 
 Answers to the first two questions p. 15 will be easy. 
 For the third, the pupil should be able to write the verse 
 from memory. In the lesson period you will have taught 
 what Jesus did or permitted on the Sabbath : he " entered 
 into the synagogue" (i.e. went to church) ; he allowed his 
 disciples to procure food; he did deeds of helpfulness to 
 those about him; and he taught others as he had oppor- 
 tunity. This instruction will enable them to make the list 
 required for the fourth blank space. 
 
 The last topic on the sheet requires a personal answer, 
 and should of course express the pupil's thoughts in his 
 own words. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 The saying of Jesus in answer to the Pharisees has become a 
 religious classic: 
 
 The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 
 Dore : Jesus and His Disciples Going Through the Corn Field. 
 
 Wilde. 63. 
 Dore : Jesus in Prayer. Wilde. 535. 
 
Lesson 7 
 A PROPHET AND MORE THAN A PROPHET 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 35-39. 
 
 35. A Gentile's Faith. Mt. 8:5-10. 
 
 36. John Baptist Imprisoned. Mk. 6 : 17-20. 
 
 37. John's Message to Jesus. Mt. 11:2-6. 
 
 38. Jesus' Estimate of John. Mt. 11:7-11, 14. 
 
 39. The Execution of John. Mk. 6 : 21-29. 
 
 The first scene in this lesson takes Jesus back to Caper- 
 naum, and brings out through the story of healing the cen- 
 turion's boy the great faith of a Gentile. All the rest of 
 the lesson material relates to John the Baptist: the high 
 tribute paid to him by Jesus, and the story of his death. 
 Both parts of the lesson show the unbelief and opposition 
 suggested by the title to Chapter III, in the Gospel. The 
 unbelief of the Jews is indicated by the comment of Jesus 
 on the centurion's faith; while the opposition which de- 
 stroyed John threatens also the work and the life of Jesus. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The Centurion. (35) This is the title for a captain or 
 commander of a military company, usually of one hundred 
 men, the sixtieth part of a Roman legion. The man was, 
 no doubt, a Roman. The word translated "my boy" sug- 
 gests a term of endearment and may mean either son or 
 slave. Luke takes the word in the latter sense. This cen- 
 turion knew both how to be obedient to authority and how 
 to exert it. He thinks of Jesus the "Rabbi" or "Master" 
 as having authority over spirits who do his bidding. As 
 has been pointed out before in these lessons this was a 
 common belief of the time. Therefore Jesus may "say 
 the word" and it will be enough. Jesus commended 
 
 55 
 
56 THE STOEY OP JESUS 
 
 his great faith and in doing so pointed out how much 
 it exceeded the faith shown by his own countrymen, the 
 Jews. 
 
 Herod the Tetrarch. (36) This is Herod Antipas, one 
 of the sons of Herod the Great, who was tetrarch of 
 Galilee and Perea. He had been greatly offended at John's 
 outspoken condemnation of his marriage with Herodias. 
 The form of his reproof indicates that his words were ad- 
 dressed directly to the ruler himself. Great as was Herod's 
 anger against John, it was held in check by two fears: 
 (1) What the people who believed in John as a prophet 
 might do. (2) His own superstitious fear of some possible 
 supernatural power which John might possess. Herodias, 
 who was also angry at John, was not stopped by these con- 
 siderations. She was determined to have revenge and 
 found a way. 
 
 John in Prison. (37) The place was Machserus, east of 
 the Dead Sea in Perea. It was a great fortress, second 
 only to Jerusalem itself, situated on a high ridge of land. 
 The castle was at one end of this ridge, the prison at the 
 other. Although this man of the wilderness was held a 
 prisoner, he was allowed to see his friends and disciples, 
 and he heard through them of the work of Jesus. The 
 question he asked by means of two of these disciples em- 
 ploys a term in current use at that time, the ' ' coming one, ' ' 
 meaning the expected prophet or religious leader. Notice 
 that this question asked by John gives evidence against the 
 idea suggested in Matthew's Gospel that when Jesus came 
 to John for baptism, he recognized him as the Messiah. 
 
 The Answer of Jesus. (37, 38) No direct answer to 
 John's question seems to have been made. Instead he di- 
 rects John's disciples to tell him what they see and hear, 
 and then quotes the words of their Scripture. These pas- 
 sages (found in Isaiah 42 : 6-7 ; 61 : 1-2), were familiar de- 
 scriptions of the results which should attend the preaching 
 of one sent from God. They relate to spiritual events, but 
 spiritual events have also physical results as some of the 
 cases of healing show. The inference that John may draw 
 
A GREAT WORE BEGUN 57 
 
 is that Jesus, like himself, is one upon whom the power of 
 God has been poured but as their Scripture promised. The 
 sentence which follows the quotation seems to have been ad- 
 dressed quite as much to the assembled people as to John. 
 It may indicate that Jesus heard, among the crowd, some 
 comments adverse to the great prophet. There are always 
 some who doubt the power of a great' man at the time when 
 adversity has overtaken him. The people are finding some 
 occasions of stumbling in John. Jesus points out that the 
 same might be found in himself as well if they are looking 
 for causes for complaint. His passionate defence of John 
 which follows immediately, also suggests some murmuring 
 in the crowd about that great prophet. 
 
 "What did you expect from John?" he asks in his strik- 
 ing sentences ; " A reed shaken with the wind ? ' ' — that is, 
 did you expect him to be a courtier, a time-server, one who 
 would say smooth words to Herod? Notice the aptness of 
 his illustration, since the reeds which grew at the edge of 
 the river were always in sight where John was preaching 
 and baptizing. (See p. 21.) Notice, too, how hearty are 
 the words of commendation which Jesus bestows upon John. 
 He points to him as the great expected prophet, the "Elijah 
 that was to come." Two qualities in Jesus are revealed 
 in his out-spoken defence of John: a sincere spirit of co- 
 operation which made him willing to put another religious 
 teacher above himself, and a fine courage in defending 
 John when he was in adversity. Herod had put John in 
 prison because of his public utterances; there was danger 
 also that Jesus might share the same fate, but the possible 
 danger did not keep him silent. 
 
 Herod's Birthday Supper. (39) The feast given by 
 Herod to celebrate his natal day was very likely held at 
 the castle at Machaerus; if so, John was in the dungeon 
 near it. The story in Section 39 is one of the most dramatic 
 in the Gospels. The influence of popular transmission of 
 the story of John's death is seen in certain minor touches, 
 and will interest the teacher if not the pupils. Unlike 
 most Gospel narratives, this one is more expanded in Mark 
 
58 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 than in Matthew. Herodias was the wife of Herod's half- 
 brother, Herod Boethus. Her daughter is pictured as a 
 young girl in the story, but history records the death of 
 her second husband only five years later. The phrase "to 
 the half of my kingdom" reflects the influence of such 
 Jewish literature as the book of Esther ; for Herod was not 
 possessed of a kingdom, but ruled as the agent of Rome. 
 These elements, as the "Notes" (p. 152) point out, do not 
 make the story unhistorical. Very likely tradition pre- 
 served the essential facts concerning Herod's change of 
 purpose, the real reason why he came to the decision to put 
 John to death. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 The value of reading the Gospel text in class can hardly 
 be over-emphasized. The openings for the lesson are sug- 
 gested on the supposition that such reading has just taken 
 place. When the text has been read on a preceding Sun- 
 day, review of it should be made by questions at the begin- 
 ning of the lesson period. 
 
 Openings. (1) It may be well to open this lesson with 
 a study of the map. Jesus is in Capernaum, but the stir- 
 ring events which relate to John are taking place in Perea. 
 The name Perea means "on the other side" (of the Jor- 
 dan). Locate Machserus and as a review have the pupils 
 point out all the places associated with John the Baptist. 
 (2) You will know each pupil and know the recent events 
 and prospective happenings in their lives well enough now 
 to enable you to determine whether the idea of a birthday 
 party will be a good point of contact. It should not be 
 dragged in. The children will have an apperceptive basis 
 for the picture of Herod's feast without any immediate 
 reference to their own parties. However, if one member 
 of the class is bubbling over with delight over a birthday 
 celebration, it does no harm to use that vital interest as a 
 means of leading up to the lesson in hand. 
 
 (3) Follow the reading of the section which describes the 
 
A GREAT WORK BEGUN 59 
 
 death of John with an abrupt question which asks whether 
 one ought in all cases to keep his promises. Herod did his 
 dreadful deed because he had made a promise and sworn to 
 keep it and he would not break his oath. Try to get at the 
 real thought of the pupils. If any of them think that prom- 
 ises should in all cases be kept no matter how serious the re- 
 sults, do not oppose the idea as if they were wrong in hold- 
 ing it. Ethical standards and ideals are being formed, and 
 a lad's sense of honor in standing by his word may depend 
 on your treatment of his point of view expressed concern- 
 ing Herod. If one does think that a promise once made 
 must not be broken, how great care is needed in the mak- 
 ing of promises, especially those which involve unknown 
 elements as Herod's did. 
 
 Lesson Development. Here is another opportunity to 
 bring John the Baptist vividly before the pupils. Help 
 them to see his power and his sturdy righteousness. They 
 may be helped to find in the lesson text the common peo- 
 ple's opinion of John (See. 36, line 9), Herod's opinion 
 (Sec. 36, line 10), also the attitude of the tax-gatherers and 
 Pharisees (Sec. 38, last sentence). Bring out also the con- 
 trast of the palace and the prison which was so near to it. 
 As no part of the fortress at Machserus now remains, it is 
 not possible to use a picture of it, but pictures of other cele- 
 brated palaces and prisons may well be introduced. The 
 Castle of St. Angelo in Rome, the Bridge of Sighs with the 
 palace at one end and the prison at the other, and the 
 Bargello in Florence will furnish good illustrative mate- 
 rial. The courage and cooperation of Jesus should be em- 
 phasized ; both these qualities are here shown. 
 
 The tragedy of the story of John's death need not be 
 avoided. Boys and girls of thirteen know that life is not 
 an easy thing, that there is much sadness and death in the 
 world, and that disaster has often come to one who is brave 
 enough to speak the truth. They will dwell less on the sad 
 death of John in their thought than on his heroism and 
 his faithfulness to his message, even though it led to his 
 
60 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 death. The beauty of religion is best brought out when it 
 can be shown in contrast to these darker episodes, when it 
 is made to appear, even to the young who lack the deep 
 experiences of life, as the power that comforts and consoles 
 and makes faithful. 
 
 Lesson Close. Lead the lesson for its closing period to 
 the thought of loyalty to one's faith, even though a loved 
 leader may have fallen and the darkest hours have come. 
 The lesson will then end with a spirit of exaltation and 
 courage, and not with sadness and depression. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 Ask one member of the class to look up the wicked wife 
 of a King in the Old Testament (Jezebel), of whom Hero- 
 dias reminds us. Another may write a report of the lesson 
 for today. Let one or more of the rest make lists of the in- 
 cidents in the life of Jesus thus far studied. If possible 
 get volunteers for all this work. Home work is better done 
 when done willingly. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Page 16, of the Note Book, which refers especially to this 
 lesson, again contains an outline map. Have the places 
 named below it inserted, the heights indicated, and every- 
 thing which brings out the ministry of John recorded upon 
 it. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 What went ye out to heboid? A reed shaken with the wind? 
 Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 
 
 Sidelights. 
 
 Great Prison Events. John Bunyan in prison writing 
 "Pilgrim's Progress." Savonarola in the tower of the 
 Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. 
 
Lesson 8 
 ANSWERING HIS ACCUSERS 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 4CM3. 
 
 40. Pharisees Slander Jesus. Mk. 3 : 22 ; Mt. 9 : 
 32-34. 
 
 41. Jesus Condemns Evil Speech. Mk. 3:23- 
 30. 
 
 42. Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost 
 Coin. Lk. 15 : 1-10. 
 
 43. Parable of the Loving Father. Lk. 15 : 11- 
 32. 
 
 It was a hard situation in which Jesus found himself. 
 The members of the synagogue, who were the religious 
 leaders of his nation, were his opponents. Yet he saw that 
 it was only by showing the hindrance to real religion which 
 came from their rules of formalism that the true spirit of 
 religion was to be advanced. The hardest task of the re- 
 former is the need to oppose the people who "mean well," 
 and who may be trying to live the religious life. New 
 movements in religion bring accusations and reproach ; but 
 the accusations may be answered, the reproach prove un- 
 founded, and truth and right be advanced. Did it not 
 bring joy to the heart of Jesus, think you, that some of his 
 hearers believed him, and appreciated the work he was 
 trying to do? 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The Dumb Man. (40) Some nervous disorder which in- 
 hibited the man's power of speech is described in terms of 
 the belief of the time as "possessed by a demon." Again 
 Jesus exerted his wonderful influence, and the man spoke, 
 while the crowd marvelled. The incident, slight as it is, 
 
 81 
 
62 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 makes the starting point for the accusation by the Phari- 
 sees, that he had himself a demon greater than the one he 
 cast out. 
 
 Beelzebul. (Be-el'-ze-bul) Accustom yourself and the 
 class to the new form of the word. This was another name 
 for Satan. Can you not enjoy, as the multitude who lis- 
 tened must have done, the quick retort of Jesus, the keen 
 way in which he turned these Pharisees' sharp words into 
 nonsense? The illustration of the tree, and the sayings 
 about the words one speaks, are notable utterances which 
 children can appreciate, remember, and heed. 
 
 The Second Accusation. (42) Again the Pharisees 
 slandered Jesus, not by what they said (that he received 
 and ate with sinners), for that was true; but by what they 
 implied, that in so doing he became himself a sinner, that 
 he was defiled by contact with common people, and so was 
 displeasing to God. In answering the charge Jesus told 
 three stories to illustrate what he believed about the sort 
 of spirit in man which was pleasing to God, and how he 
 viewed his own work. These are the three parables of 
 lost things. 
 
 The Parables. In the "lost sheep" illustration Jesus 
 gives his conception of God's wish to save and redeem even 
 the lowliest child of earth. In the "lost coin" he pictures 
 the joy among the angels of God over one repentant sin- 
 ner. In the longer story about the "lost son," the willing- 
 ness of the loving father to receive him on his return, and 
 the joy in the father's heart which expressed itself in the 
 feast of merriment are used as symbols of God's attitude 
 toward the repentant soul. This justifies the desire of 
 Jesus to seek for the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," 
 to give himself to the outcast and the despised ; for so he 
 was doing what caused joy in heaven. He is asking again 
 the question attributed to him as a boy of twelve: "Do 
 you not see that I must be about my Father 's business ? ' ' 
 
 In this story of the father who forgives the wayward son 
 Jesus is saying that God is love. His Jewish faith had 
 given the same message long before: "Like as a father 
 
A GREAT WORK BEGUN 63 
 
 pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him ;" 
 "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort 
 you"; but that idea of God had been overlaid with religious 
 requirements and lost in the subtleties of the schools. 
 'Jesus brought it back into human thought, giving it new 
 intensity and power. 
 
 Jesus' Method of Teaching. In using parables Jesus did 
 not originate a new method. The same thing was done by 
 other Rabbis. Jesus came using the approved methods of 
 teaching, and was at first acceptable in the desk at the syna- 
 gogue. His great power and skill is shown in using the 
 parable so much better than the other Rabbis did. His in- 
 cidents were true to life and perfectly adapted to convey 
 the truth he wished to teach. These stories live, not alone 
 because of their great religious value, but also on account 
 of their literary excellence. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Openings. (1) Does a great man always seem great to 
 those who live in his time? Use some prominent man of 
 the present and show what his critics, his opponents in an- 
 other political party, say about him. The daily papers 
 will furnish abundant material. Find some criticism of 
 Lincoln or of Washington made by one of his contempo- 
 raries and see if the pupils could guess of whom that was 
 said. All praise him now; but when he lived he had to 
 bear criticism, reproach, unjust accusation. Even Jesus 
 was not exempt. In this lesson we are to find two charges 
 made against him, and see how he answers them. 
 
 (2) Ask who can name one of the by-products of kero- 
 sene oil? Use any local manufacturing establishment with 
 which the class is familiar, to point out what is saved from 
 something once thought worthless. A well-known example 
 is the manufacture of aniline dyes from coal tar, the waste 
 in the production of illuminating gas. Once thought to be 
 worthless, the waste product has often proved more valu- 
 able than the original article. Men have learned to save 
 the "waste" in business, to see how valuable it is. What 
 
64 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 about the "waste" in human lives? Isn't it worth more 
 to save that? Jesus made it his task and showed how it 
 might be done; and he taught that God rejoiced over the 
 results. 
 
 (3) The shepherd idea appears many times in our Bible. 
 Start with the familiar one, the shepherd psalm, which the 
 pupils may recite. There is a famous passage in Isaiah 
 40: 11, set to great music in Handel's Messiah. The great- 
 est of Israel's kings (David) was a shepherd in his youth, 
 and the prophet gave him as the message of Jehovah, "I 
 took thee from the sheep-cote and from following the 
 sheep" (II Sam. 7:8). The "good shepherd" passage 
 from John (10:14-16) may be looked up by the class and 
 compared with this parable of Jesus. 
 
 Lesson Development. Interest in this lesson centres not 
 so much around the deeds of Jesus as his words. There is 
 little action, but much picture making. The work of the 
 lesson period will consist: (1) In getting these three 
 "stories of lost things" before the pupils in their fine 
 literary form as the Bible gives them, — not retold either in 
 your words or theirs. (2) In making sure they know the 
 charges brought against Jesus and how the stories he told 
 answered those charges. (3) In helping them to realize 
 that Jesus ' idea of God as the loving and forgiving Father 
 is the very heart of the Christian faith. Bring out the idea 
 that Jesus' care for the outcasts and the sinners is an evi- 
 dence of his belief in the worth of the human soul. It is 
 of too much value to be lost and wasted. By endowment 
 every child of earth is a child of God, and any one who 
 has the spirit of God in his heart must desire to help even 
 the lowest to come into his inheritance. ' 
 
 Whatever you can do toward achieving these results is 
 your task in the development of this lesson. 
 
 An illustration for the sayings about the tree and its 
 fruits may be found in the work of Luther Burbank. He 
 can, by his processes of helping plants develop, change the 
 color or quality of their fruit; he can secure a thornless 
 
A GREAT WORE BEGUN 65 
 
 cactus in place of a thorny one; he can help nature pro- 
 duce an edible fruit in place of a worthless variety. That 
 is, he can make a poor tree into a good tree of its own kind. 
 But he cannot make a corn stalk yield potatoes, nor a thistle 
 bear figs. Each plant is true to its type. Under his skill, 
 the saying of Jesus is seen to be true in the natural world, 
 as it is in the realm of spirit ; the good tree is the one that 
 brings forth good fruit. 
 
 Lesson Close. Either use a class prayer, or recite in 
 concert the closing verse of the parable of the lost sheep, 
 or one of the shepherd hymns mentioned under "Added 
 Teaching Material" below. Use your church hymnal, so 
 that the pupils see that the work in their school is part of 
 their church life. 
 
 Lesson Assignments. 
 
 If desired, have the Bible references concerning the 
 shepherd idea of God assigned for home work to be re- 
 ported on next Sunday. 
 
 William Ellery Channing and Theodore Parker, in their 
 insistence on the divineness of human nature, make good 
 material for home work. Biographies will be found in 
 "Heralds of the Liberal Faith"; Channing in Vol. II, p. 
 118, Parker in Vol. Ill, p. 278. No. 1 of the "Great Lead- 
 ers" leaflets (see ante, p. xxvi) gives picture and sketch of 
 Channing, No. 2 of Parker. A picture of the Channing 
 statue opposite Arlington Street Church, Boston, may be 
 found in The Beacon, Vol. Ill, No. 22. 
 
 You may ask to have one of the stories of lost things 
 written at home in the pupil's own words, to be inserted in 
 Note Book. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The double lists of names for the parables, p. 17, should 
 be entered. Let the pupils choose their own terms. "The 
 Ninety and Nine" would make as correct an answer as 
 "The Lost Sheep." Their second list should give in their 
 
66 THE STOEY OP JESUS 
 
 own words (1) God's love for the lowly, (2) Joy in heaven 
 over the repentant sinner, (3) The loving father. By 
 their answers you will know whether the meaning of the 
 parables has been impressed on their minds. "The Shep- 
 herd Thought of God" may include one or more of the 
 Scripture references, or a verse of hymn or poem. 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 Molitor: The Lost Sheep. Wilde. 102. 
 
 Artist Unknown : The Ninety and Nine. Thompson, 756b. 
 Millais: Lost Piece of Silver. Union Press, 71, Wilde. 103. 
 Tissot : The Prodigal Son. 69. 
 
 Dore. The Prodigal Son. Union Press, 13, Wilde. 104. 
 
 Molitor: The Prodigal Son. Wilde. 105. 
 
 Dubufe: The Prodigal Son. Wilde. 106. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 [There are such numbers of these in the present lesson that the 
 best two or three are a matter of individual taste. Will not the 
 teacher make a list for reference in class or ask the pupils to 
 
 choose?] 
 
 Added Teaching Material. 
 
 Two well-known and much loved church hymns relate 
 to this lesson-material : 
 
 "The Lord is my Shepherd, no want shall I know." 
 "The King of love my Shepherd is." 
 
 A striking form of the Parable of the Lost Sheep is found 
 in the following dialect poem : 
 
 DE MASSA OB DE SHEEPFOL' 
 
 De massa ob de sheepfoP 
 
 Dat guard de sheepfol' bin 
 Look out in de gloomerin' meadows 
 
 Whar de long night rain begin. 
 So he call to de hirelin' shepa'd, 
 
 "Is my sheep, is dey all come in?" 
 
 Oh, den says de hirelin' shepa'd, 
 
 "Dar's some, dey's black an' thin, 
 An' some, dey's po' ol' wedda's; 
 
 But de res' dey's all brung in, 
 
 But de res' dey's all brung in." 
 
A GREAT WORK BEGUN 67 
 
 Den de massa ob de sheepfol' 
 
 Dat guard de sheepfol' bin 
 Goes down in de gloomerin' meadows, 
 
 Whar de long night rain begin. 
 So he le' down de ba's ob de sheepfol', 
 
 Callin' sof, "Come in, come in!" 
 
 Callin' sof, "Come in, come in!" 
 
 Den up t'ro' de gloomerin' meadows, 
 
 T'ro' de col' night rain an' win', 
 An' up t'ro' de gloomerin' rain paf 
 
 Where de sleet fall pierein' thin, 
 De po' los' sheep ob de sheepfol' 
 
 Dey all comes gadderin' in, 
 De po' los' sheep ob de sheepfol' 
 
 Dey all comes gadderin' in. 
 
 (S. P. McLean.) 
 
 The thought of the verses below is a beautiful expression 
 of the idea of God as the seeking Shepherd. 
 
 "0 tender shepherd, climbing rugged mountains, 
 
 And wading waters deep, 
 How long would'st thou be willing to go homeless 
 
 To find a straying sheep?" 
 
 "I count no time," the shepherd gently answered, 
 
 "As thou dost count and bind 
 The days in weeks, the weeks in months; my counting 
 
 Is just — until I find." 
 
 (Anna Temple.) 
 
 The thought of God which Jesus enforced in these para- 
 bles is strikingly presented in the following passage : — 
 
 "God is not the jailer of the universe, but the shepherd of the 
 people. . . . Does not even the hireling shepherd, when a single 
 lamb has gone astray, leave the ninety and nine safe in their fold, 
 go forth some stormy night and seek the wanderer, rejoicing to 
 bring home the lost one on his shoulders? And shall God forget 
 his child, his frailest or most stubborn child, leaving him in end- 
 less misery, or prey to insatiate sin, — that grim, blood-thirsty 
 wolf, prowling about the human fold? I tell you no; not God." 
 
 (Theodore Parker.) 
 
 The worth of the human soul was emphasized by William 
 
68 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Ellery Charming in many remarkable passages. These are 
 characteristic : — 
 
 "Let us not disparage that nature 'which is common to all men ; 
 for no thought can measure its grandeur. It is the image of 
 God, the image even of his infinity, for no limits can be set to 
 its unfolding. 
 
 "The view of great men is, that they are only examples and 
 manifestations of our common nature, showing what belongs to 
 all souls, though unfolded as yet only in a few. The light which 
 shines from them is, after all, but a faint revelation of the 
 power which is treasured up in every human being. They are 
 not prodigies, not miracles, but natural developments of the 
 human soul." 
 
Chapter III 
 MASTER AND DISCIPLES 
 
 (Notice the direction at opening of Chapter IV, concerning 
 a possible change in the order of lessons in this chapter and the 
 next. See also Introduction, page xvii.) 
 
 The Scene and Situation. As a result of the rejection 
 of Jesus by his family and friends there comes a closer in- 
 timacy with his own chosen followers. In Lesson 11, we 
 have the first choice of three of the disciples, Peter, James 
 and John, to be the companions of Jesus at a critical mo- 
 ment. They are becoming his intimate friends. At the 
 same time he is training the Twelve both by private teach- 
 ing and through his public talks and remarkable deeds, and 
 soon sends them out to heal the sick and carry the new 
 message. The lessons include their experiences and report. 
 
 Jesus is at this period at the height of his popularity and 
 is becoming increasingly conscious of his great mission as 
 one who might fulfill the nation's expectations of a De- 
 liverer. 
 
 The Material. The Gospel of Jesus, from Sec. 46 in 
 Chapter III to end of Sec. 73 in Chapter IV. 
 
 Lesson Aims. (1) To add to the pupil's idea of Jesus 
 that touch of pathos which the rejection by his friends, and 
 his failure at times to heal the sick and relieve their suffer- 
 ing, gives to his story. (2) To teach the value of prayer 
 and faith as giving to us, as they gave to Jesus, power 
 and serenity of soul. 
 
 Note Book Work. This work is now so well established 
 that some opportunity for self-expression in original work 
 is offered. 
 
 69 
 
Lesson 9 
 "HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT" 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 46-50. 
 
 46. The "Woman that Loved Much. Lk. 7 : 36-48. 
 47-48. Counsel to Hosts and Guests. Lk. 14: 
 
 7-14. 
 49. Jesus' Mother and Brothers. Mk. 3:20-21, 
 
 31-35. 
 50. Jesus in his Home Town. Mk. 6 : 1-6. 
 
 In the passages chosen for this lesson, we find a friend 
 of Jesus (Simon the Pharisee), his family (mother and 
 brethren), and the people in his own home town, on the 
 side of his critics. Opposition is always hard to bear. 
 How much harder it seems when it comes from those near 
 and dear, from whom sympathy and understanding are 
 expected. The treatment accorded him by those nearest to 
 him makes us understand the word of the Fourth Gospel 
 concerning Jesus, "He came unto his own, and they that 
 were his own received him not." 
 
 In contrast with the treatment given Jesus by those who 
 had long known him, we have the tender ministry of the 
 weeping woman. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Simon. (46) Jesus seems to have attracted by his 
 teaching this one of the Pharisees, very likely a prominent 
 and well-to-do man. To his house Jesus is invited to din- 
 ner. Unlike the other scenes of a social nature which our 
 Gospel gives, this one is not a friendly relation with the 
 outcasts of society, but with one who has position and 
 standing. Notice that the name of this Pharisee is the 
 same as the name of one of the leading disciples of Jesus, 
 Simon (Peter). 
 
 70 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 71 
 
 Type of House. The oriental house was often ar- 
 ranged about a court which opened on a public thorough- 
 fare. The place where the meal would be served was usu- 
 ally a raised platform above the level of the court, but 
 entirely accessible to any passer-by. The woman who had 
 heard that Jesus sat at meat in this house had only to 
 pass into the open court to have the people who were par- 
 taking of the meal plainly in view and easy of approach. 
 
 Sitting at meat. (46) As is well known the upper class 
 of Jews were employing, at the time when Jesus lived, the 
 Roman method of reclining at meals. As Jesus reclined 
 at meat, the penitent woman standing at his feet, wet them 
 with the tears that she shed and wiped them with her hair. 
 The story does not tell us who it was who thus ministered 
 to the Master. 
 
 A woman ... a sinner. The restraint of the story is 
 marked. "We are not told how the woman knew about 
 Jesus. It is easy to suspect some unknown kindness which 
 he had rendered to an outcast. All her tender ministry and 
 her flood of tears suggests a heart touched to repentant sor- 
 row by unexpected kindness. Perhaps she felt the slights 
 put upon the guest in that no water for his feet had been 
 provided, — a needed relief and refreshment to those who 
 walked in sandals over the burning roadways in that hot 
 country. To be assured that God would forgive her mani- 
 fold transgressions opened the well-springs of her heart. 
 The scene is one of the tenderest in the Gospel story. 
 
 Compare with this incident the one given in See. 128 
 (John 8 : 1-11) . There Jesus distinctly points out that for 
 the social wrong with which the woman is charged there 
 are always two who are equally guilty. His kindness and 
 assurance of forgiveness is bestowed on the one most 
 wronged, most helpless, who had already given evidence of 
 repentance. It is possible, as Jesus shows, to be kind and 
 friendly to one who has done wrong while not excusing or 
 condoning the evil. 
 
 Simon, who had been a neglectful host, criticises Jesus 
 in his thought and, no doubt, his expression showed it. 
 
72 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 He reasoned that if Jesus were a true prophet he would 
 have known what sort of a woman it was who touched him. 
 In telling the parable, Jesus points out to this haughty 
 Pharisee that the poor woman, though sinful, had done for 
 him a service which the rich man had failed to render. 
 Simon, who might have been a real friend to Jesus, seems, 
 if we judge this incident aright, to have turned against 
 him. 
 
 The directions to hosts and guests, Sections 47 and 48, 
 remembered from other sayings of Jesus, come naturally 
 after this supper scene. 
 
 Teaching in Capernaum. (49) The popularity of Jesus' 
 message among the common people is indicated by the 
 crowds who came to hear him. That his own family did 
 not accept his message is revealed in the attitude of his 
 mother and brethren. They thought that he was beside 
 himself, that is, out of his mind. So intent is Jesus on de- 
 livering his Gospel to his hearers that he is willing even to 
 sever family ties in its interest. In place of the members 
 of his family who discard his message, he accepts as his 
 mother and his brethren those who hear the will of God 
 and do it. 
 
 The Scene at Nazareth. (50) On returning to his native 
 town, Jesus enters the synagogue, reads from the Scripture 
 roll, and instructs the people. A synagogue was a place of 
 worship constructed with a pillared portico, usually facing 
 toward Jerusalem. The seats for men were on one side, 
 those for women were behind the lattice on the other side. 
 At one end there was an ark or cabinet, in which the Scrip- 
 ture roll was kept. There was an elevated platform with 
 a seat for the reader or preacher. Any competent man, 
 with permission of the ruler, might enter the synagogue 
 as the teacher. 
 
 The question asked by his hearers concerning Jesus, "Is 
 not this the builder?" is the one reference in the Bible 
 which makes known to us the occupation of Jesus. As the 
 names of four of his brothers are given and his sisters are 
 mentioned, it is reasonable to infer that Jesus was one of a 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 73 
 
 family of at least seven children. The Scripture passage 
 read by Jesus is suggestive of the vision concerning his life 
 work which came to him at the time of his baptism. (See 
 Lesson 3.) 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 In reading the sections from the Gospel in class, it will 
 be well to omit the last paragraph of section 49. It will 
 frequently happen that some phrases are used in our Gospel 
 narrative which while right for adults, cause confusion and 
 embarrassment in a group of young pupils. The teacher 
 will always be on the alert for these and take pains to omit 
 them, or to summarize the paragraph for the benefit of the 
 pupils. 
 
 Openings. (1) After reading the narrative begin imme- 
 diately with the Note Books. The two pictures in the 
 envelope which illustrate this lesson should be placed be- 
 fore each pupil. Question the class, and let them ask ques- 
 tions about each. One represents a dinner-party, the sec- 
 ond is a church scene. "Who was it that rejected Jesus in 
 the first? who in the second? Was Jesus reading the 
 Scripture or talking about it as the artist has here pictured 
 him? How do you know? (See section 50, first sentence 
 after quotation.) Develop the lesson by the question 
 method, bringing out the real hardship of the position of 
 Jesus and his heartache when "his own" did not receive 
 him and his message. 
 
 (2) Many small towns and cities have had in recent years 
 what is known as a "Homecoming week." They ask people 
 whose childhood was spent in the place and who have gone 
 to other sections of the country to return. Among the 
 number there will be some who have gained wealth or fame 
 or some distinction. The local town takes pride in their 
 achievement. Are the people sometimes disappointed when 
 they actually see those whom they had learned to think of 
 as among the great ones of earth? Hawthorne's story, 
 
74 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 ' ' The Great Stone Face ' ' gives some suggestive illustrations. 
 When Jesus returned to his townspeople the fame of his 
 teaching and his wonderful works had already reached 
 them. Probably they were eager to hear him speak and 
 more eager to witness a healing. We are told that they 
 marvelled at his words of grace, but were offended in him. 
 Because they were skeptical as to his real power, he found 
 it impossible to do many of his wonderful works there. Did 
 the mother and brothers of Jesus hear him teach in the 
 synagogue? Were his sisters there? Who of "his own" 
 had now failed to accept his message? (Friend, family, 
 the people at his home town, Nazareth.) The rejection 
 of Jesus by his former friends brought his disciples and 
 his followers even nearer to him, and made his great work 
 seem the all-important thing in his life. 
 
 Lesson Development. Study from the map the route 
 of Jesus and his disciples in going from Capernaum to 
 Nazareth. What would he see on the way ? Can you name 
 any of the plants or trees of the country? What hills or 
 mountains or famous places would be visible? Would it 
 be possible that they might meet or see a caravan? Was 
 the journey mainly up hill or down? 
 
 Can the members of the class draw a simple plan of the 
 synagogue from the pictures and descriptions contained in 
 this lesson? Where was the reader's desk? the "ark" for 
 the Scripture rolls? the place for the men? the place for 
 the women? Have any of your pupils seen the Scripture 
 rolls in a modern synagogue? The wealth and standing 
 of a Jewish congregation is often indicated by the number 
 and beauty of these manuscript rolls which they own. 
 
 Bring the lesson down to the life of the pupils by sugges- 
 tions as to the need of learning to appreciate those whom we 
 know well. The members of one's family, the people in 
 one's own town are often more truly estimated by those out- 
 side than by those nearest to them. We may cultivate 
 the power to see the best in even very humble people. Often 
 the children of foreigners living in this country look down 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 75 
 
 on their parents because their social customs and modes of 
 speech and living are not just like those in the new land. 
 Many of them learn with surprise how highly the skill of 
 their parents, or their education or opinions, are valued by 
 people who come to know them. Hull House in Chicago has 
 revealed to the children of foreigners in its neighborhood 
 the worth of the skill their elders possess in carving, weav- 
 ing, and other industrial pursuits, and the beauty of many 
 of their social customs, such as folk dancing and games. 
 
 Decide on which of the incidents in this lesson to lay the 
 most stress, and what to make as its climax, and lead the 
 development to that point. Take pains not to overstress 
 the lesson you would convey. Suggestive teaching is al- 
 ways the most effective. A hint concerning the attitude of 
 Jesus ' friends toward him, given out of the fulness of your 
 own heart, is more effective than much talk about it. A 
 suggestion concerning the beauty of the woman's tender 
 ministry and Jesus' assurance of forgiveness, spoken when 
 your own heart is moved, can rouse a high tide of true 
 emotion in the heart of the pupils which will ennoble their 
 ideals and quicken their will to do right. 
 
 Lesson Close. Take three minutes to secure from the 
 class answers to the following questions: — What might the 
 disciples of Jesus have done to comfort and help him after 
 the treatment he received at Nazareth? Are these things 
 that we might do for some one else in his name? Use in 
 closing the "Prayer of the Follower of Jesus" from the 
 Note Book, page 1, recited in concert. 
 
 Special Instruction. 
 
 A word is needed here concerning a vital element in the 
 training of young lives. The incident of the sinful woman 
 suggests it, and cannot fail to rouse every teacher to seri- 
 ous thought. "What may the Sunday school do to give boys 
 and girls right ideals of purity, reverence for their own 
 bodies, the beginnings of a sense of responsibility for the 
 coming generation? What must it do for warning con- 
 cerning the pitfalls for young lives? Is its work confined 
 
76 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 to rousing ideals, or does it need in some cases to give defi- 
 nite instruction concerning the great facts of life? Can 
 young people be put on their guard concerning temptations 
 before they come? How far does the teacher's responsi- 
 bility go in these matters? 
 
 A few general principles for the teacher's guidance may 
 be offered :■ — 
 
 (1) Instruction in these matters should, in every possible 
 case, be given in the home and by the parents. You may, 
 as teacher, come into close relation with the father and 
 mother of your pupils, by requesting assistance on this 
 lesson through some home instruction on this point. To 
 ask merely for some study of the lesson at home is too 
 vague a request, and brings out little result in getting the 
 home to take its share with the school in the religious 
 training of the pupils. You should try to work with 
 parents to secure the teaching that gives accurate instruc- 
 tion and that rouses the finest ideals on this most vital 
 theme. Nor can one rest content with the thought that in 
 "fine homes" these matters are sure to receive attention. 
 It is often the mother with both wealth and leisure who 
 feels that she cannot talk to her girl about such things, or 
 the father most deeply engrossed in business who leaves 
 his boy to find his way in life without guidance. 
 
 (2) The theme is not suited for class instruction save 
 indirectly, by planting right ideals. Direct instruction on 
 this subject is better given in personal interviews. The 
 teacher should have knowledge of the home life, the school 
 life, the street and playground life of each pupil. Such 
 knowledge makes possible the right sort of allusion, the 
 right method of making an illustration or of placing em- 
 phasis in teaching. 
 
 (3) The subject need not be taken up just at this place 
 in the course merely because one incident in this lesson 
 suggests it. This may or may not be the right opportunity. 
 It is necessary to consider when, as well as how, the 
 church's responsibility for the young lives in its care may 
 best be met. 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 77 
 
 (4) Here more than anywhere else restraint and cau- 
 tion are imperative. Better no attempt at teaching this 
 subject than by a rough, careless, matter-of-fact treatment 
 of one of the divinest elements of life to brush the bloom 
 from a young heart. 
 
 (5) Here above all, earnest prayer and entire consecra- 
 tion of spirit are demanded from the religious teacher, and 
 that intense application in the search for wisdom and 
 knowledge and method which is in itself prayer. 
 
 Illustrative Cases. The two incidents which follow are 
 actual experiences in two of our liberal Sunday schools 
 and are accurately reported. They are given in the hope 
 that they may indicate the real purpose of Sunday-school 
 instruction and offer a suggestion as to possible method. 
 
 Some young girls told their mothers of improper pro- 
 posals and vicious treatment to which they had been sub- 
 jected by a group of boy playmates just under High School 
 age. The offenders were found to be lads from one of the 
 finest streets in town, who were all members of the same 
 Sunday-school class, and who dubbed themselves "the 
 S — Street gang." They were well-dressed boys, courteous 
 to their elders, presumably well taught at home. Yet the 
 most essential fact of life had been revealed to them only 
 through low and often vicious jests, through their own 
 eager curiosity and desire for knowledge. The teacher of 
 the class had an intimate talk with the boy who was the 
 natural leader of the group, a talk which brought awe and 
 wonder and a sense of life's vast possibilities into the 
 boy's heart. The minister saw the boys' parents, who 
 were shocked at the revelation, had supposed the lads too 
 young to be taught, and who welcomed books and sugges- 
 tions which would help them. The Sunday school and 
 home working together prevented a repetition of the of- 
 fense, gave the boys new ideals, and won their allegiance 
 to the school and the church which had thrown its safe- 
 guards about them and made religion vital in their lives. 
 
 A girl of thirteen, of foreign parents (the father Italian, 
 the mother German), was found to be meeting in the streets 
 
78 THE STOEY OF JESUS 
 
 in the evening a man of questionable character. Her Sun- 
 day-school teacher went at once to see the mother, not to 
 speak of what she had learned but to talk with her about 
 the girl's welfare. She found the humble woman anxious 
 over her daughter's evasions of her restraint and guidance. 
 The real trouble, as the teacher saw, was that her pupil 
 had come to realize that her mother did not know the social 
 customs of this new land, so she doubted her advice in 
 matters of conduct. During the call the girl came in. 
 The teacher paid great deference to the little German 
 mother in the child's presence, praised her bits of quaint 
 china and her housewifely skill, and then spoke with deep 
 appreciation to the mother of the promise of her daughter. 
 Next day teacher and pupil had a walk together. The 
 girl's serious offence and great danger were never men- 
 tioned; but there was a talk of such deep import that it 
 revealed each to the other. ' ' How beautiful you are grow- 
 ing, Blanche, ' ' said the teacher ; " I hope you are glad that 
 it is so, as I am." The girl's cheeks flushed, her lips 
 smiled, her heart was won. The dangers which beauty 
 entails were hinted at, but chiefly a sense of its value as a 
 treasure to be guarded for herself, and for the children who 
 should one day be hers, was emphasized. The teacher 
 learned something of the child's loneliness, of her desire 
 for friends and social opportunities better than those her 
 humble home afforded. These were secured for her through 
 the church, with which she had before not been connected 
 except as a member of the Sunday school; and the girl's 
 wish to be what her teacher and the new friends expected 
 her to be, saved her from the danger into which she had 
 fallen through ignorance, loneliness, and lack of friends. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 (1) Report of the class work of the day. This should 
 be given to a different member each week. (2) Suggest 
 that a drawing of a plan of a synagogue be made at home to 
 be inserted in Note Book next week. 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 79 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The pupils should insert on p. 19 the picture by William 
 Hole, and fill the spaces. 
 
 Draw on p. 20 a plan of a synagogue as the picture sug- 
 gests it, marking the reader's desk, ark, place for men, 
 place for women. Insert the picture, and answer the ques- 
 tions. 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 
 Besides the two in the Note Book the following may be found 
 helpful : 
 
 Jesus in the Synagogue at Nazareth. Tissot, 19. 
 
 Inside a Jewish Synagogue. Underwood, 10838. 
 
 A Jewish Synagogue. Wilde, 638. 
 
 The Brow of a Hill near Nazareth. Tissot, 20. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 He that humbleth himself shall he exalted. 
 A prophet is not without honor save in his own country — and 
 among his own kindred, and in his own household! 
 Luke's "unhistorical" addition gives a capital proverb : 
 Physician, heal thyself. 
 
 Sidelights. Compare with the attitude of the family 
 of Jesus to his new work and message that of the relatives 
 of Mohammed. His wife Khadijah rejoiced when she knew 
 Mohammed had been called to be a prophet of God, and 
 became his first disciple; but of the group of relatives to 
 whom he spoke, only one, a boy nephew, accepted his teach- 
 ing, while the older men went away laughing with scorn 
 that his only follower from their group should be a mere 
 lad. When he tried to teach in Mecca his relatives would 
 stand in the crowd and shout, in an attempt to drown his 
 voice. At the end of three years his followers, like those 
 first attracted to Jesus, were mainly very poor people. 
 
Lesson 10 
 PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 51-54. 
 
 51. Preaching from the boat. Mk. 3:7-10; 4: 
 1-2. 
 
 52. Jesus in the Storm. Mk. 4 :35-41. 
 
 53. The Gerasene Demoniac. Mk. 5:1-20. 
 
 54. The Cure of the Epileptic Boy. Mk. 5 : 21 ; 
 9 : 17-29 ; 11 : 23-24. 
 
 There is plenty of action in this lesson. Jesus is here 
 doing certain things instead of speaking his message. 
 Passages are brought together from the Gospels which re- 
 late to the little boat secured by Jesus and his disciples, 
 and to events occurring in the places to which it took them. 
 As before, it is the great compassion for the multitude and 
 the effort to help the afflicted which this picture of Jesus 
 presents. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Scenes near or on the Sea. (51) The Gospel sections 
 picture for us a busy day, followed by a night of peril and 
 another day of excitement and danger. The little boat 
 was asked for in order that Jesus might escape from the 
 crowd which pressed about him. It gave him a place from 
 which to speak to the multitude. We do not know which 
 of his many teachings that have been preserved for us were 
 given from the boat. Mark relates that the Parable of the 
 Sower was spoken when Jesus had just pushed out a little 
 way from shore; but Luke, as in the arrangement of the 
 Gospel which we are studying, has that parable in another 
 place. You may be sure that the teaching was pictur- 
 
 80 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 81 
 
 esque, that it included scenes which were before the eyes of 
 the multitude relating to the life of the people to whom 
 he spoke. 
 
 Multitudes thronged about him. (51) The statement 
 concerning the crowd which pressed upon Jesus shows how 
 his reputation as a teacher and healer had grown. Notice 
 the extent of country from which the people came. It in- 
 cluded regions as remote as Tyre and Sidon on the north, 
 and Idumea on the south. Jesus was in danger of being 
 crushed by the crowd, so eager were the people to get near 
 him. They wished to benefit by the power which he mani- 
 fested. Some of them had the superstitious notion that 
 they might be healed through merely touching his gar- 
 ments; but it was not so thoroughly a superstition as first 
 it seems, since it was accompanied by auto-suggestion which 
 in itself has healing power. Of this we shall have an in- 
 stance in the next lesson. 
 
 It is not necessary to think that Jesus healed every one 
 who came to him and that it was this which made the 
 crowd so eager. A few remarkable instances would be 
 enough to make all who could do so seek the relief from 
 physical ills which they thought they might secure. No 
 wonder Jesus was weary at the close of the day, and that 
 he desired to take the little fishing boat and go to the 
 other side of the lake to escape from the crowd and secure 
 the needed rest. How weary he was is shown by the fact 
 that he fell asleep in the stern of the boat, and that even the 
 high wind and sudden squall on the lake did not rouse him. 
 Storm and Calm. (52) The "Notes" to the Gospel (p. 
 156) show that this incident may easily have occurred, and 
 that the miraculous elements in the account lie in the in- 
 terpretation of the events. The idea that Jesus really 
 stilled the waves by his words was in the mind of the 
 writer and perhaps of the disciples who "feared and won- 
 dered." The words translated "Be still" mean literally 
 "Be muzzled." They are the same words used by Jesus 
 in the synagogue to the man with the unclean spirit (Sec. 
 8; Mk. 1:25) and there translated "Hold thy peace." 
 
82 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 The word is part of the imagery with which oriental speech 
 is filled. It is found also in our own tongue, but the figures 
 are so incorporated into the language that we grow uncon- 
 scious of them. The words ' ' Peace, be still, ' ' may quite as 
 well have been addressed to the disciples, frightened and 
 excited as they were, as to the waves. Note the beauty of 
 the description of the calm which succeeded the storm; 
 "the wind ceased" is literally "sank wearied to rest." 
 
 The storm rising suddenly and ceasing almost as quickly 
 is typical of those which still strike the lake of Galilee, 
 caused by winds which sweep down from the mountains. 
 If it ceased soon after the words spoken by Jesus, the dis- 
 ciples might easily conclude that he had power over wind 
 and water as well as over human minds and bodies. The 
 important thing in the story is the calm assurance of Jesus 
 that God was with him on the water as on the land. Rest- 
 ing in that care his soul was at peace. His question to the 
 disciples ' ' Where is your faith ? ' ' reveals his own grounded 
 confidence in God 's care. He faced possible death from the 
 fury of the waves, but stood unafraid amid the storm. 
 
 The other side of the sea. (53) At what time the boat 
 and its occupants reached the other side is not told. They 
 may have rested on the calmed lake all night and landed in 
 the morning. The country of the Gerasenes has been iden- 
 tified by a town directly opposite Magdala whose ruined 
 site is now known as Gersa or Kersa. It is only a little 
 way from the shore and beside it rises a mountain. The 
 situation fits the Gospel account of the country where they 
 landed and of the mountain in whose steep side were the 
 caves and the rock-hewn tombs in which the demoniac 
 found shelter. 
 
 A man with an unclean spirit. That the illness of the 
 man was due to an unclean spirit is again the idea of the 
 writer and of the time. It seems evident from the details 
 of the narrative that the man had violent fits of insanity in 
 which he even broke the fetters on arm and ankle, by which 
 he had been confined. The words "What is thy name?" 
 are in the story addressed by Jesus to an unclean spirit, 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 83 
 
 and the answer given through the man's lips names what 
 the evil spirits were supposed to call themselves. All we 
 can understand, as we try to imagine the scene, is the in- 
 fluence of Jesus upon a frenzied man, quieting him and 
 bringing him, for a time at least, into his right mind. 
 Notice again that when we call this influence a healing, we 
 have no information as to the man's condition a month or a 
 year later. Is it suggestive of apprehension of a possible 
 recurrence of the frenzy that Jesus would not allow him to 
 accompany him, but sent him back to his home and his 
 friends? On the belief concerning possession by demons, 
 see again the notes on Lesson 4, and Bowen's "Notes," Sec- 
 tion 8. 
 
 Decapolis. The word means literally ten cities. It in- 
 dicates a region extending east and south of Gersa, in which 
 was the home of the afflicted man. 
 
 The Epileptic Boy. (54) Section 54 follows Matthew 
 in the use of the term "epileptic" for the afflicted boy; a 
 name which has been retained to this day for seizures of 
 this sort. The description is graphic and the words used 
 are striking. Our Bible narrative often furnishes famil- 
 iarity with words which are met with in literature but 
 rarely in common speech. One such is "wallowing," an 
 English equivalent for "rolling around," which is now 
 rarely used. Many of the early manuscripts of Mark's 
 gospel follow the words ' ' the father of the child cried out ' ' 
 with the touching addition ' ' with tears. ' ' 
 
 Jesus indicates two things as necessary to his disciples if 
 they would do the mighty works he did : faith and prayer. 
 Two inferences are legitimate: — (1) That he himself re- 
 lied on God, through prayer, for the power he manifested. 
 (2) That he believed his followers might do exactly what 
 he did, if they depended, as did he, on prayer for help 
 and on conquering faith. 
 
 Miracles. Here, in this lesson as in preceding ones, we 
 have accounts in which the writers saw miraculous epi- 
 sodes. Keep in mind what has already been said concern- 
 ing miracles (in Lesson 4, p. 34), and remember that we 
 
84 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 could not trust at all the records which tell the story of 
 Jesus unless they bore the characteristics of the time in 
 which they were written. "We may make allowance for the 
 beliefs of the time and get behind them to some of the ac- 
 tual conditions of life, and to some real evidence about what 
 Jesus said and did. Our reverence for the Man of Galilee 
 and his work does not depend on our acceptance of the 
 view of those who wrote the story of his life. The moral 
 grandeur of Jesus is often obscured by the miracles attrib- 
 uted to him. Where would be his courage if he knew that 
 he had absolute power to still the waves or to overcome a 
 dangerous insane man? It was because he faced danger 
 and was serene in its presence that he commands our rever- 
 ence. It seems as if his heart might have held, as a guiding 
 principle of his life, the word of his own Scripture, "In 
 quietness and confidence shall be your strength." 
 
 ' ' The supreme miracle in the life of Jesus and in human 
 history is his transcendent moral character and its effect 
 upon men." (Kent.) 
 
 "Whatever the actuality of these wonders was, their 
 chief value is not today as an evidence concerning Jesus' 
 authority. It is rather a revelation of his attitude toward 
 the sick, the sorrowing, and everybody who needed help. 
 That which convinces us that Jesus is our rightful leader is 
 not his power in the world of nature but in the world of 
 character." (William Byron Forbush.) 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Openings. (1) With a class of boys, the little fishing 
 boat which waited on Jesus and carried him across the lake 
 may prove an interesting subject with which to begin. 
 What can they tell about sail boats and the way they are 
 rigged? Have they ever made a little boat? Have they 
 ever been out on the water in a storm? Lead from these 
 personal experiences to the graphic scene of the storm 
 on the lake, and the peril of those in the little vessel 
 in the darkness and the tempest. Perhaps the boys will 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 85 
 
 wish to make a little model of a boat. If they are just 
 now completing the class organization (see Introduction, 
 p. xxiv) they may wish to give their class a boat's name and 
 
 call the class record "The Log of the Good Ship ." 
 
 Use these interests of boy life to make the life of Jesus real 
 to them. 
 
 (2) Use some famous incident of rescue from peril at 
 sea, like the story of Grace Darling, or the Titanic disaster, 
 or some local incident known to you and the class, to intro- 
 duce your questions concerning the lesson account of the 
 storm at sea. 
 
 (3) The crazy giant may offer you the point of contact, 
 and your first question may be formulated to test the pupil 's 
 knowledge. For example: Did you ever see a "strong 
 man"? What did he do? How much could he lift? 
 Could he break iron fetters ? Do you know anything about 
 Sandow? Who was the strong man mentioned in the Old 
 Testament ? Now imagine such a man in a state of ' ' brain 
 storm, ' ' or violently insane. Would you be afraid of him ? 
 Might he do great harm? Even if a giant were not crazy 
 but only angry might he be dangerous ? Jesus had courage 
 to face the violent man of this sort, and his own courage 
 and faith helped the man to become calm and sane. Re- 
 member that 
 
 "It is excellent 
 To have a giant's strength, but tyrannous 
 To use it like a giant." 
 
 Consider in this connection the treatment of little boys 
 by larger ones. Get the class opinion about the "school 
 bully" who tramples on the rights of others just because 
 he has more strength than they. 
 
 (4) As soon as the reading is finished lay a blank sheet 
 of paper in front of you on the table and begin drawing 
 the outline of the lake of Galilee. The map in the Note 
 Book will furnish you a model, and a very little practice 
 will enable you to make a fairly accurate free-hand out- 
 line. Ask while you work: — "What is this that I am 
 
86 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 drawing?" If no one thinks of the form of the lake, add 
 the river Jordan flowing in at the top and out at the bot- 
 tom. Does that make it clear ? If not, suggest that it is a 
 map ; then the class will no doubt think of it as the scene 
 of these incidents concerning Jesus. Have them point out 
 the location of the places mentioned in the lesson, and indi- 
 cate in what direction Jesus and his disciples went in cross- 
 ing to the country of the Gerasenes and then back to 
 Capernaum. 
 
 Lesson Development. You will wish to make sure that 
 pupils know the incidents in the life of Jesus which the 
 Gospel paragraphs included in this lesson relate. Pour 
 things may occur during the teaching period before the 
 hand- work begins. (1) You will ask questions and the 
 pupils will try to answer. (2) You will talk while they 
 listen. (3) They will talk while you listen. (4) They 
 will give concert recitation of the few points on which you 
 intend to drill. Can you keep each of these four in its due 
 proportion? Try! The more you know about the lesson 
 subject the more must you be on your guard concerning No. 
 2. Telling is not teaching unless pupils really want to know 
 the things you are trying to tell them. The garrulous 
 teacher, no matter how interested in the topic, may easily 
 develop a bored and inattentive class. 
 
 Illustrative Material. The class will be interested in 
 modern helpers of the sick and the insane: medical mis- 
 sionaries in the foreign fields; Dr. Grenf ell's work on 
 Labrador; Dr. Trudeau, the "beloved physician" (Luke 
 the traditional author of the Third Gospel was called that 
 too), and Dorothea Dix, whose work transformed the treat- 
 ment given insane patients all over this land and in other 
 countries. 
 
 The distinctive religious lesson may well come from a 
 consideration of the attitude of Jesus in face of peril. 
 "Where did he get his calmness, his assurance, his trust, his 
 power over afflicted lives ? The Gospels tell us that he went, 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 87 
 
 apart to pray. He did not wait until he was in danger 
 and then ask God to save him. His faith in the Divine 
 ordering of events, built up during the common days when 
 nothing unusual happened, was sufficient for the time of 
 storm and stress. He wonders that his disciples have not 
 learned the same calm assurance, and asks them, "Where is 
 your faith?" 
 
 Lesson Close. Tou might ask someone to choose from 
 the prayers in the Note Book, or from the memory verses 
 of the preceding lessons, one to be given together as the 
 devotional touch with which the lesson shall end. 
 
 Lesson Assignments. 
 
 Get as many of the pupils as will to bring in lists of 
 events thus far recorded of Jesus. Compare them next 
 Sunday and then complete list on page 12 of the Note Book 
 up to this point. Assign the following to four different 
 pupils : — 
 
 Look up one incident in the life of Dorothea Dix ; of Dr. 
 Grenf ell ; of Dr. Trudeau ; tell the story of Grace Darling. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Use outline map on page 16 of the Note Book, and ask 
 to have names of the sections which were recorded on map 
 on page 6 written in from memory as review work. Insert 
 the places mentioned in this lesson, especially Tyre, Sidon, 
 Magdala and Gersa. 
 
 Opportunity for original work on some part of this 
 Chapter — drawing of a boat, written account of some inci- 
 dent — is given on p. 21 of the Note Book. 
 
 Pictures "Which May Be Used. 
 
 Dore : Peace Be Still. Wilde, 78. 
 
 Life on the Shore of Galilee. Underwood, 3163. 
 
 Fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Underwood, 3164. 
 
 List of Books tor Reference. 
 On the illustrative material: 
 Life of Dorothea Dix. Tiffany. Houghton Mifflin. 
 
88 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 Dr. Grenfell's Parish. Norman Duncan. Revell. 
 
 Tales of the Labrador. Grenfell. Houghton Mifflin. 
 
 The Beloved Physician. Stephen Chalmers. Houghton Mifflin. 
 
 Sidelights. 
 
 Compare with the incidents in this lesson the miracles 
 attributed to Buddha : 
 
 ' ' He gave sight to the blind and at one time fed five hun- 
 dred monks out of a basket of cakes with a little milk and 
 ghee. On another occasion one of his disciples was made 
 to walk on the water. He predicted his death three months 
 before it took place. Later he was translated in the pres- 
 ence of two of his disciples." (Kent.) 
 
Lesson 11 
 THE LITTLE MAID OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 55-56 ; 59-61. 
 
 55. Jairus ' Daughter, and the Woman Healed by 
 Faith. Mk. 5 : 22-43. 
 
 56. What Men Said of Jesus. Mk. 6 : 14-16. 
 59-61. Parables of Soils and Seeds. Mk. 4:2-8; 
 
 26-29 ; Mt. 13 : 24-30. 
 The incident concerning tbe little daughter of Jairus 
 is the dramatic climax of this lesson and furnishes its title. 
 The tender ministry of Jesus is nowhere more clearly shown 
 than in this story of his kindness to a little child. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Ruler of the Synagogue. (55) Jairus is the Greek form 
 of the Hebrew name Jair. The ruler of the synagogue was 
 the one who was the superintendent of the worship. In 
 larger synagogues there were often two. It was such an 
 official, you remember, who was indignant at Jesus because 
 he healed the bent woman on the Sabbath day. (See Sec. 
 19, Lesson 6.) It is good to find that this Pharisee in his 
 trouble over the illness of his little daughter turns to 
 Jesus for help. 
 
 Be made whole. Notice that the root of the word whole- 
 ness means health. The request which is made is that the 
 child may be restored to health and live. 
 
 Incident on the Way. We have in this section a story 
 within a story. Here is another of the unknown women of 
 the Gospel to whom Jesus was kind. She, like several of 
 the others, is nameless to us. The condition which made 
 possible her restoration to health is her ardent faith and 
 
 89 
 
90 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 expectation that she might be healed by merely touching 
 Jesus. Her secret approach may have been due to two 
 causes: (1) Her illness rendered her ceremonially un- 
 clean and so her touch would be thought by many to "de- 
 file" the one whom she approached. (2) There was a 
 superstitious element in her faith that merely touching the 
 garment of Jesus would make her whole. There were many 
 in the crowd who thought the same, as is indicated in the 
 words "As many as had plagues pressed upon him that 
 they might touch him" (Mark 3 : 10, see also 6 : 56). The 
 woman was "fearing and trembling" when she came before 
 Jesus lest he should rebuke her for making him ceremoni- 
 ally unclean, or for gaining benefit by stealth. One feels 
 that when the woman seized the border of Jesus' garment 
 he felt the pull, and turned immediately and saw her. 
 Knowing her desire through that insight which so accurately 
 interpreted the unspoken thoughts and motives of the 
 women of his time, he assures this humble petitioner that 
 her faith will effect a cure. 
 
 The Little Maid. This story gives a vivid picture of 
 the treatment given by Jesus to a child, and should be re- 
 called later when the incident of blessing little children is 
 given. (Sec. 98. See Lesson 20.) Details of the story 
 take color from the idea that a miracle had been performed. 
 We need not conclude, as is so often done, that Jesus had 
 not yet seen the child when he said that she was not dead 
 but asleep. Not every incident of what went on in the 
 house is related. Jesus, no doubt, made sure after he had 
 entered in that the girl though unconscious was alive : then 
 he put the professional mourners and flute players out of 
 the house and went back with the father and mother to the 
 room where the little maid was lying. The double transla- 
 tion (from Aramaic to Greek and from Greek to English) 
 of his words to the child gives them a stateliness which 
 exaggerates their meaning. Will not the pupils under- 
 stand them better if they are more simply and naturally 
 interpreted ? Think of Jesus as tenderly lifting the uncon- 
 scious girl and saying, in a soft yet penetrating voice, 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 91 
 
 "Little one, wake up; I am speaking to you; wake up." 
 "Straightway," as you have noticed, is Mark's word used 
 to describe every event, and frequently it is repeated sev- 
 eral times in the same account. It must not, therefore, be 
 pressed to mean in every case "immediately." The result 
 of Jesus' ministry to the child was that she was soon able 
 to rise and take food. 
 
 The strict charge to the parents not to tell abroad what 
 had happened shows that Jesus had become aware that the 
 healings which had spread his fame interfered with his 
 teaching. At a time when physicians were so inefficient it 
 was inevitable that Jesus should wish to relieve suffering 
 wherever he could. But his teaching was the important 
 part of his work, the healings were incidental. 
 
 Herod. (56) This Herod is the one most frequently 
 mentioned in the New Testament, Herod Antipas, tetrarch 
 of Galilee and Perea. He ruled these countries from the 
 death of his father, Herod the Great, 4 b. c, until 37 a. d., 
 (seven or eight years after the death of Jesus. 
 
 The Seed-Sowing Parables. (59-61) The first of these, 
 familiarly known by its opening words, The Sower, is found 
 in all three of the Gospels, the second in Mark only, the 
 third in Matthew only. A parable is an illustration of 
 spiritual truth, chosen from some well known fact in the 
 natural world or some incident in human life. By the new 
 title suggested in the Notes, "Sorts of Soil," one of the 
 parables already most familiar to the pupils, may be made 
 more impressive. 
 
 His enemy sowed tares. This is said to be a common 
 form of malice or revenge in the East. The "tare" or 
 darnel (Lolium, temulentum) is a noxious weed which at 
 first looks like the wheat. Only when the seeds begin to 
 form in the head is the difference easily detected. 
 
 The spiritual meaning of all these seed-sowing illustra- 
 tions is easily understood. 
 
92 THE STOEY OP JESUS 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Swift movement of a story is needed with classes of this 
 grade. The pictures of Jesus and his doings which the 
 Gospels present should be given in rapid succession to 
 arouse and retain interest. If you can get the material 
 before the class in fewer lessons than are here indicated, 
 by all means do so. It may be found possible to combine 
 the healing incidents of this lesson with the one preceding. 
 In that case the parables here given may be omitted now 
 and included with those taken up in Lesson 32. 
 
 Openings. (1) Follow the reading of the first two sec- 
 tions by the instruction relating to them, then turn to the 
 parable sections. If any pupil has memorized "The 
 Sower" (it is required memory work in Grade 4 of this 
 course) it will make a pleasant variation of the usual read- 
 ing to have it recited. After the sections containing the 
 two stories of healing and the opinion of the people con- 
 cerning Jesus, call attention to the accusing conscience of 
 Herod, and ask review questions on the account of John the 
 Baptist's death (Lesson 7). These questions should be 
 carefully prepared in advance. 
 
 After reading the parables have the pupils suggest what 
 indications there are that Jesus had lived for the most part 
 in the country rather than in the city. The omitted pas- 
 sages may be searched for allusions, like the cloud rising in 
 the west and the south wind blowing. Perhaps the class 
 will remember other passages: the harvest is plenteous, 
 the foxes have holes, the tree and its fruit, the birds of 
 heaven, lilies and grass of the field, the fisherman's task 
 and the sheep parables. The Hebrews had become chiefly 
 an agricultural people who rejoiced, as their Psalms show, 
 in the fertility of the soil and the abundant harvests. Fa- 
 miliarity with country and village conditions in his early 
 years helps make the message of Jesus what "Fishin' 
 Jimmy" called it in Mrs. Slosson's story of that name, "an 
 outdoor gospel all through." 
 
 (2) Follow the reading with a comparison of seed-sow- 
 ing in the olden time and now. What do the children know 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 93 
 
 of extensive and intensive farming ? of steam plows ? of har- 
 rows and drills run by horse power? of the use of dyna- 
 mite in breaking up the soil? Compare these modern im- 
 plements with the primitive tools of Jesus' day, of which 
 the wooden plow is a sample. The laws of growth and in- 
 crease are the same now as then. Put the parable into 
 terms of spiritual seed sowing. "What advantagWhave we 
 now ? The class will suggest newspapers and bopjIjS as well 
 as the spoken word, telephone and telegraph to carry mes- 
 sages, trolleys and steam ears to take people from place to 
 place. The harvest depends always on the sorts of soil — 
 how the hearers receive the word and make it multiply sixty 
 or one-hundred fold in their own lives and in social con- 
 ditions. 
 
 Lesson Development. A carefully prepared plan is 
 needed for this lesson, as it contains so many possibilities 
 along different lines. Here is one suggestion: 
 
 (a) Report on last Sunday's assignments. 
 
 (b) Reading of sections from Gospel of Jesus with ques- 
 tion and comment as Opening 1 suggests. 
 
 (c) Note book work. 
 
 (d) Drill on memory work for this lesson and review. 
 
 (e) Closing prayer or a word about the heart as soil. 
 This scheme may be so modified as to permit you to deal 
 
 exclusively with one section or the other of the lesson. 
 
 In spite of the most careful preparation you will be ready 
 to throw your plan aside if an indication from the class or 
 any member of it gives you better possibilities. You will 
 be ever ready for that free play of spirit with spirit which 
 is the essence of good teaching. 
 
 Lesson Close. 1. (If sections 55-56 only have been 
 used.) Here is a picture of Jesus' helpfulness to the little 
 maid, not much younger than you are. Does the story 
 make Jesus seem nearer and more helpful to you? He 
 came to reveal God's love and care. Why does the study 
 of his life help us to feel that God is near to us and helping 
 
94 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 us ? Do we love Jesus better the more we know about him ? 
 We shall like to say together what one good preacher has 
 said about his revelation of the spirit of God. (Read in 
 concert from church or Sunday-school hymn book the 
 hymn by Theodore Parker, beginning 
 
 "0, thou great friend to all the sons of men.") 
 
 2. Follow the parables on seed sowing with an impressive 
 word concerning hearts as soil in which the seed of truth 
 is sown. 
 
 Lesson Assignments. 
 
 Try for this time to get the assigned text for the next 
 lesson read at home. If the members of the class are chums 
 and playmates perhaps they will meet together and read the 
 sections from the Gospel and "have a good time" too — 
 always the desire of boys and girls. 
 
 Or, ask each one to memorize the list of the Twelve (the 
 Apostles) in Section 69, so as to be able next Sunday to 
 write the names from memory in their Note Books. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Assign the work to the pupils thus : 
 
 Insert on p. 12 the list of incidents in life of Jesus pre- 
 pared as home work. 
 
 Write in your own words the story of the little maid on 
 the page which is headed Talitha Cumi (p. 22). 
 
 Can you not give some touch of originality to your own 
 book on the lessons of this chapter 1 What might you do — 
 drawing, coloring, fine lettering, or something else — that 
 will add a touch of beauty to it ? 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 
 William Hole: Parables from the Boat. 220. 
 William Hole : The Healing of the Woman on the Way to the 
 
 House of Jairus. 231. 
 
 William Hole: Raising of Jairus' Daughter. 232. 
 
 Richter: Raising of Jairus' Daughter. Thompson, 836b. 
 
 Millet: The Sower. Perry, 510. 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 95 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 An only daughter — and she lay dying. 
 
 Her parents were amazed with a great amazement. 
 
 First the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. 
 
Lesson 12 
 TWELVE TRAINED TEACHERS 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 68-73. 
 
 68. Compassion for the Multitude. Mt. 9:35- 
 38 ; Lk. 10 : 2. 
 
 69. Choice of the Twelve. Mk. 3 : 13-19. 
 
 70. The Twelve Sent Out to Preach. Mk. 6 : 7- 
 11. 
 
 71. The Unresponsive Cities. Mt. 11 : 21-23. 
 
 72. Mission of the Disciples. Mt. 10 : 16, 24-25, 
 27; 11:1. 
 
 73. Return of the Twelve. Mk. 6 : 30 ; Mt. 11 : 
 25-30. 
 
 A marked extension of Jesus' message and influence was 
 secured by the sending out of the Twelve. His prayer of 
 thankfulness implies that the uneducated, the lowly, the 
 child-hearted, may have spiritual insight above some who 
 have had larger opportunities. How well his work seems 
 to be going just at this time! How soon we are to meet 
 the forces which checked and baffled it and killed its leader ! 
 But they could not kill his message or his influence, and 
 both still live and bless the world. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Second Galilean Journey. (68) Two references are 
 given in this lesson in Sees. 68-72 to a preaching tour made 
 by Jesus among the villages and cities of Galilee. It is 
 quite impossible to arrange any assured order of events in 
 his life from our brief records, since they omit many essen- 
 tial details. For convenience in remembering what our 
 Gospels do relate, we may count this one as the Second Gali- 
 lean Journey, following a somewhat extended stay in 
 
 96 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 97 
 
 Capernaum. The order of Mark's narrative might seem 
 to imply that the visit to Nazareth occurred during this 
 tour among the Galilean towns, but this is only an infer- 
 ence. In the Gospel which we are using, it is put with 
 other incidents which show the unbelief and opposition 
 which appeared, even in the midst of the high tide of popu- 
 larity and success, during the early part of his ministry. 
 
 The Twelve: (69) Two reasons are assigned for choos- 
 ing out a small group from the followers of Jesus: (a) 
 that they might be with him not only in public ministry 
 but in hours of rest, in the dear intimacy of comrades; 
 (b) that they might be preachers of the Message, as Jesus 
 was, and extend and multiply his own influence. Four of 
 them had been with him longer than the others, so that he 
 must have come to know them well. The Fourth Gospel 
 gives an incident of the beginning of that intimacy, saying 
 that two of the four (Andrew and one other) followed 
 Jesus after hearing him speak, and asked him, "Teacher, 
 where are you staying?" and he said, "Come and see"; 
 and they abode with him that day. (John 1: 37-39.) 
 
 The Apostles. A distinctive name given to the group of 
 twelve chosen from among the disciples or followers of 
 Jesus. Peter is the Greek form of the Aramaic Kepha, 
 which means ' ' rock. ' ' The word does not seem to describe 
 the nature of the impetuous man. Perhaps it had a col- 
 loquial significance which is lost to us. Boanerges, the 
 name bestowed on the two brothers, is of uncertain origin 
 and meaning, and seems not to have come into common use 
 as did "Peter" as a name for Simon, since the Gospels 
 never again mention it. Thomas, an Aramaic name, and 
 Didymus, Greek, both mean "the twin." This inner group 
 of disciples contains two men so widely at variance as the 
 Simon who was one of the Zealots, a group of intense na- 
 tionalists who hated the Romans, and Matthew the tax- 
 gatherer who accepted an office under the Roman authority, 
 which made him generally despised among the Jews (see 
 p. 41). "Iscariot," given as a surname for Judas the be- 
 trayer, seems to be the Greek equivalent of two Hebrew 
 
98 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 words, Ish Kerioth (a man of Kerioth). Two towns of that 
 name are mentioned in the Old Testament: one in Judasa 
 (Josh. 25:25), the other in Moab, east of the Dead Sea 
 (Jer. 48:21, 41). 
 
 The directions given to the Twelve when they were sent 
 out to preach what Jesus had privately taught them and 
 to do his work (take nothing for your journey, etc.), sug- 
 gests that they were not expected to be long away. Prom 
 what place they went, to what one they returned to meet 
 Jesus, we are not told. It is natural to suppose it was 
 Capernaum, his chosen home and the residence of some of 
 them. 
 
 The Unresponsive Cities. (71) Chorazin and Bethsaida 
 were at the north end of the Lake of Galilee, the first about 
 two miles from Capernaum. No record of the "mighty 
 works" done in these two cities is left us. This fact helps 
 us to realize how very large a part of the life of Jesus, even 
 of the work of his public ministry, is unknown to us. 
 
 In his own city Capernaum, where crowds from all the 
 surrounding country gathered to hear Jesus and see his 
 "mighty works," where the common people hailed him as 
 a prophet, the governing classes and those in assured posi- 
 tions went on their way undisturbed. Sodom, one of the 
 cities whose overthrow was believed by the people to have 
 been due to its wickedness, makes a striking contrast. 
 
 The Disciples' Return. (73) One sentence gives us the 
 only report of the experiences of the Twelve on their 
 preaching tour. Prom its closing words we may judge that 
 the tour was fairly successful. 
 
 The prayer by Jesus seems related to the incident of the 
 return, though Matthew simply introduces it as given "at 
 that season," and Luke connects it with the unhistorical 
 incident of sending out seventy disciples. The words "an- 
 swered and said" which introduce it are a Hebraism. We 
 might well read it : At that time Jesus uttered the words, 
 "I thank thee, Father." 
 
 The invitation to the weary toilers which ends Section 
 73 is one of the most loved of New Testament passages. 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 99 
 
 Its picturesque quality is enhanced by the figure of the 
 yoke worn by the oxen in plowing, and that other yoke used 
 by the water-carriers. Doubtless Jesus had made many of 
 them as a lad working in the carpenter shop in Nazareth. 
 (See pp. 19, 20.) "Take my yoke," he says (i.e., my way 
 of doing my work, of looking at life ) , " upon you. My yoke 
 is easy; for this reason my burden is light, and so may 
 yours be. ' ' Compare with this the words to workers found 
 on a fragment of papyrus containing "Sayings of Jesus," 
 discovered in Egypt in 1897. "Raise the stone, and thou 
 shalt find me ; cleave the wood and there am I. " 
 The contents of this torn fragment are here given : 
 
 SAYINGS OP JESUS 
 
 (A bit of Bible long lost, and found again in 1897 on a 
 piece of papyrus dug up in Egypt.) 
 
 1. . . . and thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote 
 that is in thy brother's eye. 
 
 2. Jesus saith, except ye fast to the world ye shall in 
 nowise find the Kingdom of God, and except ye keep the 
 Sabbath ye shall not see the Father. 
 
 3. Jesus saith, I stood in the midst of the world and in 
 the flesh was I seen of them, and I found all men drunken 
 and none found I athirst among them, and my soul grieveth 
 over the sons of men, because they are blind in their heart. 
 
 4. . . . poverty . . . 
 
 5. Jesus saith, wherever there are . . . and there is one 
 alone I am with him. Raise the stone and there thou shalt 
 find me, cleave the wood and there am I. 
 
 6. Jesus saith, a prophet is not acceptable in his own 
 country, neither doth a physician work cures upon them 
 that know him. 
 
 7. Jesus saith, a city built upon the top of a hill and es- 
 tablished can neither fall nor be hid. 
 
 8. . . . hearest . . . one ear. . . . 
 
100 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Openings. (1) Compare the work of Jesus and his dis- 
 ciples to that of a professor in college and his pupils. He 
 teaches them — why? To train their minds; to open to 
 them the sources of knowledge on his subject. He tries to 
 train them so thoroughly that they may grow independent 
 of his teaching. Does the student sometimes surpass his 
 teacher? Yes, often. That is what teaching is for, that 
 each generation may add a little to what has been given 
 from the past before passing on its accumulated knowledge 
 and experience to the next. Jesus trained his followers to 
 do what he did both as healer and preacher. We are told 
 that he assured them that his followers should do even 
 greater things than he had done. (John 14: 12.) 
 
 (2) Use a missionary journey at home or abroad as an 
 illustrative opening. Dr. Clay MacCauley, head of the 
 Unitarian Mission in Japan, made a visit to this his home 
 land in 1915, and has returned to his work in Japan. 
 Miss Edith G. Pecker went out the same year as a mission- 
 ary to China, sent by the women of the Alliance. Other 
 missionaries and their work may be chosen. Compare these 
 or some missionary preaching tours in this country with the 
 work begun by the Twelve. Was theirs home or foreign 
 missionary work? (See Sec. 70, 3rd sentence.) Help the 
 pupils to know that the missionary spirit is the desire to 
 share the best one has or knows with those less fortunate 
 than himself. 
 
 Lesson Development. There is a good deal in this lesson 
 which should be learned by the pupils just as matters of 
 fact. They should memorize the names of the Twelve, not 
 merely to recite but to recognize them in their grouping and 
 by their designation as given in the Note Book (p. 23). 
 Pour lists of these names are given in the New Testament : 
 Mt. 10:2-4; Mk. 3:16-19; Lk. 6:14-16; Acts 1:13. 
 These should be compared and answers to questions in Note 
 Book recorded. Some attention should be given here to the 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 101 
 
 geography of Palestine, to the location on the map of the 
 places named. Stereograph pictures may be used to give 
 a good idea of the scenes in and around the places thus far 
 mentioned in the Gospel story. All this will take time, 
 and the teacher may well be engaged during this lesson- 
 period chiefly in directing the pupils' activity while they 
 teach themselves. 
 
 Do not feel that an hour so spent is wasted time. The 
 sending out of the Twelve is a high light in this obscure 
 period of Jesus' work, but it will be of less interest to 
 pupils of Grade VII than some of the more dramatic 
 scenes. They will find interest, however, in whatever they 
 do themselves, in the acquisition of some knowledge which 
 will be a working tool for the rest of the course. 
 
 To illustrate Jesus' directions to his disciples concerning 
 what they should and should not take on their journey, you 
 may like to use Kipling's story of Kim. The aged Saint 
 and the boy Kim depended for their living on contributions 
 made to them by the people among whom they journeyed. 
 In some such way the disciples, just beginning to preach 
 the new message and endeavoring to heal the sick, were 
 being cared for while learning to do their work. 
 
 The lesson aims suggested at the opening of the chapter 
 may well be borne in mind. Two essential things in re- 
 ligion, faith and prayer, are here indicated as themes on 
 which you will do well to try to give some flash of illumi- 
 nation to the young minds under your care. They can be 
 helped to feel that faith is not inconsistent with knowledge 
 and does not take its place ; instead, it is a quality of mind 
 which gives confidence and peace even though knowledge 
 fails. They may also begin to enlarge their ideas of prayer. 
 A child prays for whatever it wants. These children who 
 are just entering on their development toward adult life 
 can learn to desire more earnestly spiritual gifts and to 
 think of prayer as that communion with God by which the 
 soul is strengthened and fed. 
 
 The attempt to write a class prayer may be made a help 
 to this end, for in religious education as in all education 
 
102 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 students learn by doing. In the effort for self-expression 
 they will "find themselves." 
 
 Lesson Close. Use for the last moment of this lesson 
 hour whatever seems to you likely to deepen the impression 
 you have tried to make. Why not yourself offer a very 
 brief prayer, asking that the work that you do together 
 with your pupils may reveal God to your hearts? 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 You know best what this should be, for you know what 
 lesson, whether the first in Chapter 4, or the first in Chapter 
 5, is to follow this one. A little piece of work which might 
 well grow out of the present lesson is that each member of 
 the class be asked to write a sentence prayer, beginning as 
 did this one by Jesus, "Father, I thank Thee," and ex- 
 pressing the chief thing or the one event for which, just 
 this present week, he feels most grateful. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The names of the Apostles are to be inserted on p. 23 
 from memory, not by reference to the book. If some fail in 
 doing this give them a little special instruction while the 
 others are writing and then let them try again. 
 
 Bibles will be needed for answers to the questions on 
 p. 24. Let the pupils look up the four lists and write the 
 answers as soon as found. The questions have been so 
 framed that they will not, at once, discover that one name 
 only is needed as the answer to each. 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 
 Hole : The Appointment of the Twelve. 223. 
 
 Tissot: Christ's Exhortation to the Twelve Apostles. 47. 
 
 Dobson: Peace Be to this House. Brown, 483. 
 
 Underwood Stereographs: Select the ones best fitted to illus- 
 trate Galilee, in which the disciples' preaching tour was made. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 
 Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves, 
 A disciple is not above his teacher. 
 
MASTER AND DISCIPLES 103 
 
 Sidelights. 
 
 Certain manuscripts and fragments of papyrus discov- 
 ered since 1885 have modified some of the views which had 
 long been held concerning the life and teaching of Jesus. 
 The fragment found in Egypt in 1897, whose contents are 
 given in this lesson, antedates the earliest New Testament 
 Greek manuscript by at least one hundred years. Of the 
 eight sayings found on it, four do not appear in our Gos- 
 pels, while the other three give familiar sayings in another 
 form. 
 
 The Syriac version of the four Gospels was discovered on 
 Mt. Sinai by Mrs. Agnes Lewis in 1892. It is the oldest 
 manuscript of the Gospels known. 
 
Chapter IV 
 STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 
 
 [This group of lessons is intended to be used, consecutively, just 
 before Christmas, with the fourth falling on Christmas Sunday, or 
 if preferred on the Sunday following, or it may be omitted altogether 
 at the discretion of the teacher. The group may be inserted between 
 any two preceding lessons after the eighth. This arrangement will 
 bring the study of the stories which were told about the birth of 
 Jesus at the season when that birth is celebrated.] 
 
 The four lessons of this chapter deal with the beautiful 
 stories which were told concerning the birth of Jesus and 
 of John the Baptist after both had become famous men. 
 Every great religion has similar legends about its leaders, 
 as we shall see. The poetry and symbolism of our gospel 
 narratives is woven into the celebration of Christmas day. 
 Their beauty and charm are part of our great religious 
 heritage, which we may enjoy the more because we know 
 them to be poems, born out of the wonder and awe and love 
 of devoted human hearts. 
 
 The Material. To the Gospel narratives in the Appen- 
 dix, pp. Ill to 124, are added several of the great hymns 
 and poems of Christmastide. 
 
 Lesson Aims. (1) To give the pupils opportunity to 
 feel the charm of these story and hymn sections of our gos- 
 pel. (2) To furnish a basis of knowledge about them 
 which enables the pupils to understand their origin at the 
 very time when they are learning to love them. (3) To 
 awaken sympathy for other religions while loving our own 
 the best. (4) To give some understanding of one of the 
 great words and ideas of religion, Incarnation. 
 
 104 
 
Lesson 13 
 JOHN THE BAPTIZER AS A CHILD OP PROMISE 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, App. pp. 111-114. 
 
 The Birth of John the Baptist. Lk. 1:5-25; 
 57-80. 
 
 This tradition concerning John the Baptist, though 
 wholly unhistorical, helps us to understand how great a 
 man he was; to know that he did a remarkable religious 
 work, quite independent of his greatest disciple, Jesus. 
 The desire to do him honor, to set him in the rank of the 
 Old Testament prophets, made the condition and atmos- 
 phere out of which such stories naturally grew. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Consider first the notes on this passage given in The 
 Gospel of Jesus, p. 211. Though the story is legendary it 
 is full of Jewish feeling, and is set in conditions which 
 were those of Jewish life at the time. The explanations 
 which follow point out some of these. The facts embedded 
 in the story do not give the incident itself historical value. 
 Try to realize the attitude of mind, the beliefs and ideas of 
 the people who loved and reverenced John, and who thought 
 that such a miraculous episode gave added evidence concern- 
 ing his mission and rank as a prophet. 
 
 A certain priest . . . of the course of Abijah. All 
 priests were of the tribe of Levi. The Old Testament 
 gives twenty-four courses of such priests of which the 
 course of Abijah was the eighth (I Chron. 24:10). Each 
 served in turn a week at a time in the temple. Zacharias' 
 wife, Elisabeth, is also represented as of the priestly tribe. 
 
 His lot was . . . to turn incense. The place in the 
 
 105 
 
106 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 service which each of the priests of the course should take 
 was determined by casting lots. This statement is equiva- 
 lent to saying, "He obtained by lot the duty of entering 
 and burning incense." The securing of this office by which 
 the priest should enter the inner sanctuary, separated only 
 by a veil from the Holy of Holies, was a great event and 
 the most desired of the priestly functions. 
 
 Altar of incense. This was a table of acacia wood over- 
 laid with gold. (See Ex. 30 : 1-6 ; I Kings 7 : 48.) 
 
 Thou shalt call his name John. The Hebrew form of 
 this name was Jochanan, or Jehochanan, meaning "Jeho- 
 vah is gracious." 
 
 I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God. It 
 was only after the Babylonian exile that the names of 
 angels began to appear in Hebrew literature. Thus we 
 have Gabriel, meaning "The hero of God" (Daniel 8: 16) ; 
 Michael, "Who is like unto God" (Daniel 10: 21) ; Raphael, 
 "The healer of God," mentioned in the Apocrypha 
 (Tobit 12:15), where also (II Esdras 4:1) we have an 
 allusion to Uriel, meaning ' ' The light of God. ' ' Notice that 
 the ending of each of these names is a Hebrew word for 
 God, "El." The passage from Tobit reads: "I am 
 Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the 
 prayers of the saints, and go in before the glory of the Holy 
 One." Gabriel, in this story, is also one of the "angels of 
 the Presence" to whom Milton in Paradise Lost (3: 650) 
 refers : 
 
 "One of the Seven 
 Who in God's presence, nearest to his throne, 
 Stand ready to command, and are his eyes 
 That run through all the heavens, and down to earth 
 Bear his swift errands over moist and dry, 
 O'er sea and land." 
 
 To take away my reproach. These words put into the 
 mouth of Elisabeth show the attitude of the Jews toward 
 childlessness. There is revealed here the feeling, shown 
 also in the parallel Old Testament stories, that to be with- 
 out children was the worst of misfortunes. 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 107 
 
 Magnified his mercy unto me. This saying of Elisabeth 
 is an echo of the "Magnificat," and adds evidence to the 
 view of modern critics that that famous hymn, long attrib- 
 uted to Mary, was originally put into the mouth of Elisa- 
 beth, as our Gospel indicates. 
 
 The Song of Zacharias. This famous and beautiful 
 poem has long been part of the hymnology of the Christian 
 church. It is named from its opening words in its Latin 
 form, the " Benedictus. " It was in use as a hymn of 
 praise as far back as the days of St. Benedict in the sixth 
 century. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 In the lessons of this chapter, the usual grouping of the 
 teaching suggestions, Opening, Development, and Close, 
 will not be observed. The main purpose here is to give 
 imagination play, to let poetry and symbolism, recognized as 
 such, emphasize great truths of religion. You will think 
 out for yourself, in preparing the lesson, an order of pre- 
 senting the material which will seem to you to make it most 
 impressive. 
 
 Reading the Story. The narrative which this lesson pre- 
 sents is probably less familiar to children than the birth 
 stories, since the latter are used in many of the younger 
 grades of this course, and also in the general exercises of 
 school and church at the Christmas season. The stories all 
 deal with the divine mystery of the origin of life. This 
 should be approached so reverently that pupils feel them- 
 selves in the presence of sacred things. Nor need this feel- 
 ing be lessened — it should rather be heightened — because of 
 the legendary and poetic character of the narrative in which 
 is enshrined the eternal truth and the eternal mystery 
 which is exemplified in the coming into life of the little 
 child. 
 
 The section in the lesson text containing the poem may 
 be read in concert. Drill in reading together is part of the 
 training for the service of worship in the church. It helps 
 
108 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 the memory, also ; for poetic sentences read aloud are more 
 easily remembered than those to which one listens. 
 
 The Parallel Old Testament Stories. These are: 
 The birth of Isaac. Gen. 18 : 9-15 ; 21 : 1-7. 
 The birth of Samson. Judges 13 : 2-24. 
 The birth of Samuel. I Sam. 1 : 9-20. 
 
 Use caution in asking for reading of these Old Testa- 
 ment narratives, by making sure that you do not include 
 verses which will cause confusion to the young readers. 
 "When the stories are expurgated, the Bible language is 
 most impressive, especially in the last two narratives. The 
 pupils have had the Samuel story earlier in the course ; let 
 them now feel the power of expression of such words as 
 these concerning Hannah: "And she was in bitterness of 
 soul, and prayed unto Jehovah, and wept sore." Can the 
 pupils find points of resemblance between these stories and 
 the one told of John the Baptist? John, like both Samson 
 and Samuel, was to be a Nazirite, or devotee. Bring out 
 the principles of life which were to be followed. (Num- 
 bers 6:1-21.) Incidentally you have here a good oppor- 
 tunity for giving a temperance lesson, for showing how 
 self-restraint and self-discipline cultivate power and effi- 
 ciency as well as a higher spiritual life. 
 
 The Meaning and Value of This Story. Draw from the 
 class some of the reasons why a story of this sort was told 
 about John's birth. "Was John great because it was fore- 
 told that he should be, or was the story told to account for 
 his greatness? John was a Nazirite; would it be easy to 
 apply birth stories told about two other famous Nazirites 
 to him? His followers, then, (1) wanted to explain his 
 greatness. (2) They wanted to magnify his greatness by 
 attributing to him a miraculous origin. (3) John was an 
 heroic figure, and stories and poems always gather about the 
 name and memory of a hero. So John's followers thought 
 of him as a "child of promise." Their quaint story, and 
 the poem which it enshrines, are full of religious ideas won- 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 109 
 
 derfully expressed. These things constitute its value to us, 
 and are the truth which it contains. 
 
 You may start from the present, in helping the class to 
 think out the position of those who are able to reverence 
 both John and Jesus without placing any historical value 
 on the birth stories. Thus: Do you know what boy or 
 girl in this class will be a famous man or woman? Does 
 any one know? Did Frances Willard's mother know that 
 her daughter would be known all over this country ? Sup- 
 pose you were told the story of John the Baptist as if it 
 happened, instead, to the father of Washington ; would you 
 then think more of Washington than you do now? We 
 have learned — have we not? — that God does not need to 
 tell any one, in advance, that a baby will become great, in 
 order to make him so. 
 
 If you can get the class to recall in this connection the 
 events of John's life, you will have given the sort of re- 
 view lesson which has value, which can rarely be achieved 
 when a day is set for a review of several lessons at once. 
 
 Read again the two passages about the child: the one 
 beginning, "Yea, and thou, child," from the poem, and 
 the verse which follows the poetical passage, "And the 
 child grew," so that the pupils may remember that these 
 words were written of John, not of Jesus. 
 
 To Be Memorized. 
 
 The last four lines of the "Benedietus": 
 
 Because of the tender mercy of our God, 
 
 Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us, 
 
 To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death ; 
 
 To guide our feet into the way of peace. 
 
 Lesson Assignments. 
 
 The verse from the "Benedietus," to be memorized by 
 each. 
 
 The stories from Luke relating to the birth and child- 
 hood of Jesus: one to each. (1) Annunciation to Mary. 
 (2) Visit to Elisabeth. (3) Why Joseph and Mary went 
 to Bethlehem. (4) The Shepherd story. (5) Presenta- 
 
110 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 tion in the Temple: Simeon and Anna. (6) Jesus in the 
 Temple, at twelve. 
 
 These to be given either in the pupils' own words, or 
 memorized. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Three statements are to be written in the space at the top 
 of p. 25. The picture of the angel Gabriel by Carlo Dolci 
 should be inserted; also the names asked for in the three 
 lists. It will be well to have the pupils find them in the 
 Bible, from the references on p. 108, of this book. Notice 
 that no name is given for the mother of Samson ; the pupils 
 may write "The woman" as in the Bible story, if they 
 choose, or simply "Not given." 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 Fra Angelico: Babyhood of John. Wilde (Life of Christ), 7. 
 Veronese : John the Baptist as a Child. 
 
 Del Sarto: John the Baptist as a Boy. Wilde, 42. 
 
 Herod's Temple. Wilde, 385. 
 
 Giotto : Zacharias in the Temple. Thompson, 126. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 Dayspring from on high. 
 Yea, and thou, child. 
 Waxed strong in spirit. 
 Until the day of his showing. 
 
Lesson 14 
 
 "WHEN JESUS WAS BORN" 
 
 {The Story in Luke) 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, App. pp. 114-121. 
 
 Luke's Story of the Birth and Youth of Jesus. 
 Lk. 1 : 26-33, 36-56 ; 2 : 1-52. 
 
 Our dear and beautiful Christmas story, poetical and full 
 of symbolism, is one of the heartbeats of a nation. The 
 pupils who have been studying what Jesus was and what 
 he said can feel the sense of awe and mystery out of which 
 these legends grew. They should love the stories and the 
 poems and perceive the spiritual truth they enshrine : the 
 incarnation of the divine in the human, the revelation of 
 God made to the world through Jesus, and the eternal mys- 
 tery of the new life that comes to earth when a little child 
 is born. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Characteristics of Luke's Narrative. (1) It has a re- 
 markable literary style. Renan once called the Gospel of 
 Luke "The most beautiful book ever written." (2) The 
 story is idyllic. All the characters in it are sweet and 
 holy. Even the season when the shepherds might spend 
 the night in the fields with their flocks seems calm and 
 smiling. Throughout the story songs abound. Angels 
 give messages and sing the song of good will and peace on 
 earth. Every incident of the narrative is peaceful and 
 joyous. (3) The poor and lowly are exalted. It is to 
 shepherds that the angels announce that Messiah is born. 
 Simeon and Anna are humble worshippers in the Temple, 
 looking for the glory of Israel and the one who is to redeem 
 
 ill 
 
112 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Jerusalem. In this story there are no wise men, no evil 
 kings, no great ones of earth. (4) The story is full of 
 local Jewish color. It speaks of the angel Gabriel, of the 
 throne of David, and the house of Jacob. The songs have 
 the quality of some of the Psalms in the Old Testament, 
 showing that they were not impromptu utterances, but were 
 carefully written. 
 
 The Stories as Legends. It is important that the 
 teacher should know some of the evidences on which 
 scholars base their judgment that the birth stories in Luke, 
 as well as those in Matthew, cannot be veritable history of 
 what occurred when Jesus was born. Such knowledge 
 creates for the teacher the background and atmosphere out 
 of which it is possible to speak with assurance. 
 
 Genealogy. Neither of the two lists of the ancestors of 
 Jesus, found in Matthew and in Luke, is included in our 
 arrangement of the Gospel story, yet they have a bearing 
 on the view which it is possible to take of these narratives, 
 and so receive brief consideration here. Notice that the 
 two lists differ in many respects, so could not both be cor- 
 rect; also that in both the descent from David is traced 
 through Joseph. The writer of Luke speaks of Mary as 
 a kinswoman of Elisabeth, who was of the house of Aaron 
 (i.e., the tribe of Levi), while David was of the tribe of 
 Judah. It is not, then, the thought of the writer that 
 Jesus was descended from David through his mother Mary. 
 The attempt of both genealogies is to prove him descended 
 from David in order to give evidence that he was Messiah ; 
 but Jesus, by the lists, is shown to be son of David only if 
 he is also son of Joseph. Jesus himself, in a passage found 
 in all the first three gospels (Mt. 22:41; Mk. 12:35; Lk. 
 20:41-44), seems to combat the idea that Messiah was to 
 be descended from David. Nowhere in speaking of him- 
 self does he suggest that he was so descended, even when to 
 do so would have furnished proof to his followers of his 
 claim to be Messiah. His townspeople in Nazareth seem 
 also to know nothing of it. 
 
 Supernatural Origin. Luke 's gospel, as Bowen 's ' ' Notes ' ' 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 113 
 
 explain (p. 212), frankly represents Jesus to be the child 
 of Joseph and Mary. In this whole section Joseph is called 
 the father of Jesus. There are references to his parents, 
 to his father and mother. In the story of the boy in the 
 temple, Mary says to him, "Thy father and I have sought 
 thee sorrowing." The one passage in Luke which implies 
 a supernatural origin is, as the "Notes" say, clearly an 
 interpolation, and is omitted from our arrangement of the 
 Gospel. How the idea of a supernatural origin for Jesus 
 grew will be more fully explained in considering Matthew's 
 story in the next lesson. 
 
 Where Jesus was Bom. The only point in which the 
 two accounts of the birth of Jesus agree is in stating that 
 Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, that is, "The 
 City of David," the place from which the Messiah was 
 expected to come. Luke recognizes that Jesus was always 
 known as from Nazareth in Galilee, so gives the story of 
 the census to account for the presence of Joseph and Mary 
 in Bethlehem of Judaea at the time when Jesus was born. 
 That this reference is unhistorical is clearly shown when 
 we note that the census referred to was taken at the time 
 when Jesus was about ten years of age. Moreover, it did 
 not require that any of the men to be enrolled should 
 go to the home of their ancestors for the purpose. A 
 story something like this one is told regarding the birth 
 of Krishna (see "Sidelights," p. 131). The similarity 
 between these stories and those in other religions is strik- 
 ing. It reveals either a common influence or a similar 
 tendency in the people among whom these religions took 
 shape. 
 
 There was a Bethlehem not far from Nazareth which 
 may possibly have been the birth-place of Jesus. The tra- 
 dition that he was born at Bethlehem may have been based 
 on this fact, but the expectation that the Messiah should 
 come from Bethlehem of Judaea is a sufficient explanation 
 of it. A natural inference from John 7 : 41, 42, would be 
 that Jesus was known to be a native of Galilee, and not to 
 have been born in Bethlehem of Judaea. The probability 
 
114 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 is that Jesus was born at Nazareth, which was his home 
 city through all his early years. All the Gospels call him, 
 repeatedly, Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 Annunciation to the Shepherds. The prevalence of 
 angels in Luke's story gives abundant evidence of the 
 poetical rather than the historical character of the narra- 
 tive. If the shepherds' visit to Mary and the child had 
 occurred, as the story tells, the awakening of Jesus to a 
 sense of a new mission at the time of his baptism cannot be 
 explained, for the visit of the shepherds and the announce- 
 ment of Simeon and Anna in the temple would have made 
 a deep impression on his parents and could not have been 
 forgotten. They are represented as public, so that many 
 others besides the parents of Jesus would have known of 
 them. He would have been brought up through his child- 
 hood with a sense of his divine mission, if it had been de- 
 clared by both angelic visitors and prophetic voices in the 
 temple at the time of his birth. All these things are lack- 
 ing in the earliest accounts about Jesus and in his own 
 words about himself. 
 
 Magnificat. Observe the suggestion in the "Notes" that 
 this hymn was at first part of the John the Baptist narrative 
 and a song of Elisabeth. Our Gospel of Jesus restores 
 what was undoubtedly the original reading, "And she 
 said," instead of the words "And Mary said." See how 
 wonderfully the song parallels the "Benedictus," or "Song 
 of Zacharias." The critical insight which attributes the 
 hymn to Elisabeth brings out its universal character. Any 
 mother in Israel to whom had been given the child for 
 which her soul had longed, might have said the words. 
 
 Visit to the Temple. In the story of Jesus in the temple 
 at twelve years of age, we doubtless have an authentic tradi- 
 tion and not legend, as are the birth stories. The event was 
 one familiar to Jewish boyhood. It was at the age of twelve 
 that every Jewish lad made his first pilgrimage to the 
 great temple of his nation, took part there in the services 
 and ceremonies of Passover week, and voluntarily assumed 
 the religious duties and obligations of a member of his na- 
 
STORIES OP AWE AND WONDER 115 
 
 tion. The observance of this custom was placed at the time 
 of his first spiritual awakening. Every boy and girl in the 
 years of early adolescence feels the stir of the social and re- 
 ligious appeal. In oriental countries the recognition of 
 the obligation of mature life comes much earlier than with 
 us, but the spiritual awakening of Jesus at this age is 
 paralleled in every boy and girl the world over. 
 
 An interesting sketch of the route to Jerusalem from 
 Galilee, which Jesus and his parents undoubtedly took, and 
 of the observance of the festivals in which they participated, 
 will be found in Kent's Life and Teachings of Jesus, pp. 
 52 to 54. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 If the stories told in the text were assigned to different 
 members of the class for home work as suggested in the 
 last lesson, begin by asking for them. It is important to 
 see that the several members of the class know them well 
 as stories. Use the Gospel text here not for continuous 
 reading, but in selected verses, for the purpose of bringing 
 out passages of beauty, especially the poems or songs. 
 
 The pupils should learn, if they do not already know, 
 what these hymns are called in the church liturgy. They 
 should also learn that the names by which they are known 
 come from the first word of each in its Latin version, as 
 follows : 
 
 Benedictus, "blessed," from the song of Zacharias. 
 
 Magnificat, "magnifies." The so-called "song of Mary" 
 (really of Elisabeth), "My soul doth magnify the Lord." 
 
 Gloria in Excelsis, "glory in the highest," from the 
 angels' song. 
 
 Nunc Dimittis, "now lettest thou depart," from the 
 speech of Simeon. 
 
 It is not desirable to awaken, in children of thirteen, the 
 critical spirit ; but knowledge of facts does not of necessity 
 do this. Children receive knowledge with confidence from 
 those capable of giving them instruction. If for the first 
 six years of their religious training they had been told 
 
116 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 that these were true stories, and then in the seventh year 
 taught that they were legends, a charge of "destructive 
 criticism ' ' might perhaps be made ; but the fault would lie 
 with the earlier teaching and not with that of the present 
 year. The pupils want to know on what they may depend. 
 Statements of fact do not awaken in them the critical atti- 
 tude of mind. They are more likely to love these narra- 
 tives when asked to study them, not as historical events, 
 but as poetic expressions of great ideas; for to the young 
 poetry and romance are usually more fascinating than his- 
 tory. To tell them merely that the stories are "not true" 
 would be misleading. To tell them instead, as should be 
 done, that the stories are not historical, is to put them into 
 the attitude of looking for the real values which the narra- 
 tives contain. Eead in this connection the quotation from 
 Kent, given on p. 119. 
 
 Have the class read the two sentences about the child 
 Jesus which are somewhat like the two about the child 
 John in the last lesson, and record the four in the Note 
 Book (p. 26). 
 
 This lesson cannot be quite completed by itself; it is 
 "continued in our next," which must be studied in part 
 with it. Yet good teaching requires that certain points 
 should be kept in mind to be dealt with during this lesson 
 period. Have the class recite in concert the stories given 
 in Luke: (1) The Annunciation to Mary, (2) Mary's 
 visit to Elisabeth, (3) the Manger in Bethlehem, (4) 
 Shepherds in the Fields, and (5) the Presentation in the 
 Temple. These should be reviewed next Sunday, and the 
 list of Matthew's stories learned. 
 
 There should be begun during this hour some instruc- 
 tion concerning that great fact of which all religions take 
 note and which has been especially emphasized in Chris- 
 tianity, the idea of Incarnation. The union of the divine 
 nature with the human is a truth which has had recogni- 
 tion in many religions. Such recognition and its state- 
 ment constitute one of the permanent concepts of Chris- 
 tianity. Our task as teachers is to help pupils to see that 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND "WONDER 117 
 
 not in one age alone, but in every age, this union of human 
 and divine is shown, and proves that Incarnation is not an 
 isolated fact, but an abiding truth. To help in presenting 
 this idea, use such great verses of our Scripture as the fol- 
 lowing : 
 The sayings of Jesus : 
 
 I and the Father are one. (John 10:30. See also 
 14:7-11.) 
 
 That they all may be one; even as thou, Father, art in 
 me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us. (John 
 17:21.) 
 Paul's speech at Athens: 
 
 For in him we live and move and have our being ; as cer- 
 tain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his 
 offspring. (Acts 17:28.) 
 From the Epistle to the Ephesians: 
 
 That ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God. (3 -.19.) 
 Also such poems as: 
 
 "God hides himself within the love 
 
 Of those whom we love best." (Gannett.) 
 
 Given on p. 119. 
 
 Still the angels sing on high. (Gannett.) 
 "A Madonna of Fra Lippo Lippi." (Gilder.) 
 Both given on p. 120, and in the Pupils' Note Book. 
 Such a religious aim and such scripture passages and 
 poems will enable you to leave at the end of the teaching 
 period an impression of religious values. The pupils will 
 then feel that matters of vital importance in thought and 
 life have been presented to them. 
 
 School and Home. 
 
 These lessons again furnish a chance for home instruc- 
 tion on vital subjects. They should give opportunity to 
 parents to clear up the confused ideas of their children 
 concerning birth. Knowledge of the mother's care for the 
 child during the months when she carries the little one 
 beneath her heart, adds to the feeling of reverence for 
 
118 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 motherhood and childhood ; and boys respond to it as read- 
 ily as do girls. The teacher and the minister may help the 
 parents to use these lessons as a basis for that tender in- 
 struction which will help boys and girls better to under- 
 stand their own lives; which will make the advent of the 
 little child in the home seem to them an event as divine as 
 was the coming to the earth of the child whom the Christ- 
 mas festival celebrates. 
 
 Lesson Assignments. 
 
 None, unless some part of the work in the Note Book 
 may be done at home. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The teacher will study the material offered for the whole 
 chapter, and decide what parts of it may best be done with 
 each lesson, what if any should be assigned as home work. 
 
 The poem " Discipleship, " pp. 27-33, has large initial 
 letters which it is hoped the pupils will wish to decorate. 
 Windsor and Newton's or Prang's water colors may be used, 
 or, much less satisfactory, crayola. 
 
 The pictures on pp. 36 and 38 are to be pasted in. The 
 poems which accompany them constitute a reading lesson. 
 The cradle-song, which it is hoped all our boys and girls 
 will learn to love, is for home use. All the pages from 
 27 to 38 may well be taken home by the pupils on the 
 Sunday before Christmas as part of their own contribution 
 to the home life at the holiday season. These leaves may 
 be again inserted when the book is completed. 
 
 Pages 26, 39 and 40 are the record of the pupils' work 
 on this chapter. The verse at the foot of p. 26 might well 
 be memorized. 
 
 Pictdkes Which May Be Used. 
 
 Hole: Stereopticon Slides, Nos. 200 to 211. (Catalogue of 
 Slides, A. U. A.) These give this artist's conception of the 
 scenes of the stories included in this lesson and the next. 
 
 Hofmann: Annunciation. Wilde, 1; Perry 797. 
 
 Mueller: Annunciation. Wilde, 3. 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 119 
 
 Baroccio: Annunciation. Wilde, 15. 
 
 Botticelli: Annunciation. Perry, 272. 
 
 Albertinelli : Visit of Mary to Elisabeth. Wilde, 6 ; Perry, 3246. 
 Carpaccio : Presentation in the Temple. Perry, 274. 
 
 Mengelberg: Jesus at Twelve on the Way to Jerusalem. 
 
 Wilde, 34. 
 Hofmann : Christ Disputing with the Doctors. Wilde, 38. 
 
 Hofmann: In the Temple. Wilde, 39. 
 
 Holman Hunt: Finding of Christ in the Temple. Wilde, 35. 
 
 Steiking Literaet Expressions. 
 
 Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. 
 
 Yea, and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul, that 
 thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. 
 
 Teaching Material. 
 
 The following quotations will be found helpful with this 
 lesson : 
 
 "In a humble peasant village, amidst the insignia of poverty 
 and toil, Jesus was born. His birth and early training allied him 
 with the countless army of humble toilers whose physical, mental, 
 and moral burdens he sought to take from their weary shoulders. 
 The beautiful narratives that have gathered about his birth will 
 always continue to have a large religious value and to hold an 
 important place in the thought of his followers, for they reflect 
 humanity's ultimate appreciation of his God-given mission and its 
 world-wide meaning. Yet the fact should never be overlooked that 
 the marvellous charm of these narratives lies in those inimitable 
 touches which link him with our common experiences and needs. 
 This element is especially strong in Luke's peerless account of the 
 humble peasant father and mother and of the birth in the lowly 
 manger-cradle. Born 'according to the flesh under the law,' 
 'tempted in all points like as we are,' Jesus set out on the nar- 
 row way that led to complete oneness with his heavenly Father. 
 As our elder brother, he calls upon us to follow him along the 
 same narrow path, and thus to become perfect as he became per- 
 fect." (Kent.) 
 
 God hides himself within the love 
 Of those whom we love best ; 
 
 The smiles and tones that make our homes 
 Are shrines by him possessed. 
 
 He tents within the lonely heart, 
 
 And shepherds every thought; 
 We find him not by seeking long, — 
 
 We lose him not, unsought. 
 
 (Gannett.) 
 
120 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Poems foe Pupils' Note Book and Memory Work. 
 
 Still the angels sing on high, 
 Still the bearded men draw nigh, 
 Bringing worship with the morn, 
 When a little child is bom; 
 Baby-glory in the place, 
 Star-look on the mother's face, 
 Psalm within the mother's heart, 
 Christmas all in counterpart. 
 
 (Gannett.) 
 
 A MADONNA OF FRA LIPPO LIPPI 
 
 No heavenly maid we here behold, 
 Though round her brow a ring of gold ; 
 This baby, solemn-eyed and sweet, 
 Is human all from head to feet. 
 
 Together close her palms are prest 
 In worship of that godly guest ; 
 But glad her heart and unafraid 
 While on her neck his hand is laid. 
 
 Two children, happy, laughing, gay, 
 
 Uphold the little child in play ; 
 
 Not flying angels these, what though 
 
 Four wings from their four shoulders grow. 
 
 Fra Lippo, we have learned from thee 
 A lesson of humanity; 
 To every mother's heart forlorn, 
 In every house the Christ is born. 
 
 (Gilder.) 
 
 CRADLED ALL LOWLY 
 
 Cradled all lowly, behold a little child ; 
 
 Love, pure and holy, above his birth-place smiled. 
 
 Ne'er yet was regal state 
 
 Of monarch proud and great, 
 
 Who grasp'd a nation's fate, 
 So glorious as the manger bed of Bethlehem. 
 
 No longer sorrow, as without hope, earth ! 
 
 A brighter morrow dawned with that infant's birth! 
 
 A day when war shall cease, 
 
 When truth and love and peace 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 121 
 
 Shall bring the world's release 
 In his dear name, the child that lay in Bethlehem. 
 
 The sun declineth along the western hill ; 
 
 A new star shineth, while all the folds are still. 
 
 Man's hate and wrath and wrong 
 
 Shall yield the earth ere long, 
 
 And list the angels' song 
 Around the cradled child, God's light in Bethlehem. 
 
 (Adapted by C. J. Staples.) 
 
 Sidelights. 
 
 Most of the material which parallels these legends is 
 mentioned in the Sidelights to the next lesson, p. 131. 
 Among the Apocryphal Gospels, the Arabic Gospel of the 
 Infancy and the Gospel of Thomas both contain a somewhat 
 amplified story of the visit of the boy Jesus to the temple at 
 twelve. Both give, also, many traditions of the childhood 
 of Jesus which relate to his quickness of mind as a school- 
 boy. 
 
Lesson 15 
 
 "WHEN JESUS WAS BORN" 
 
 (The Story in Matthew) 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, App. pp. 121-124. 
 
 Matthew's Story of Jesus' Birth and Infancy. 
 Mt. 1 : 18 to 2 : 23. 
 
 Another group of legendary narratives relating to the 
 birth of Jesus, those recorded in Matthew, are next to be 
 considered. The general purpose and method of the lesson 
 are the same as in the one preceding; and some of the ele- 
 ments of the stories which relate them to our common life 
 make them equally appealing. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The Two Accounts. Two quite diverse traditions shape 
 the birth stories in Matthew and in Luke. Their poetical 
 value is enhanced by this fact, but their inconsistencies in re- 
 gard to time and place are serious, if one attempts to look at 
 them as historical. There is the conflict as to the home of 
 Joseph and Mary. Luke places it in Nazareth, and Matthew 
 in Bethlehem. Luke has the parents return to Nazareth 
 after the presentation in the temple when the child was forty 
 days old. Matthew's account keeps them in Bethlehem 
 until after the visit of the Magi when the child's age is 
 clearly implied as two years; then sends them to Egypt 
 whence, following a stay lasting until after Herod's death, 
 they return to Nazareth. If one should try to place the 
 visit of the Magi within the forty days of Luke's story, 
 the public presentation in the temple in the face of the 
 warning about Herod introduces serious difficulties. The 
 
 122 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 123 
 
 two accounts, in short, cannot be made to agree, nor do 
 we need to try to make them agree when we use them 
 for their beauty and symbolic value. Omitting as we do 
 the interpolated verses in Luke (1:34, 35), there is one 
 point only in which the two narratives are in strict agree- 
 ment, namely: That Jesus was born in Bethlehem of 
 Judtea. 
 
 Characteristics of Matthew's Story. The narrative has 
 great contrasts and is in turn brilliant and somber. The 
 visit of the Magi gives it oriental magnificence, against 
 which is placed the black shadow of the slaughter of the 
 children of Bethlehem. Herod, grim and sinister, domi- 
 nates the scene. The star sends its gleam across the dark 
 earthly conditions, giving the narrative a touch of heavenly 
 splendor. It is a charming story, full of dramatic con- 
 trasts and of the credulous imagination of the age out of 
 which it sprang. Two elements in it cannot fail to strike 
 the student who examines it. (a) The angel of the Lord 
 gives his messages always to Joseph instead of Mary, 
 and always the word comes in a dream. Five times are 
 warnings and directions so given. "This," says Albert 
 Reville, "is a sign of great naivete, but in this respect 
 antiquity was usually credulous to a degree which con- 
 founds us." He points out that it seems never to have 
 occurred to the narrator that there is no appreciable dif- 
 ference between ' ' having seen or heard a thing in a dream, ' ' 
 and ' ' having dreamed that one saw or heard a thing. " (b) 
 The writer is dominated by the idea that he must prove 
 Jesus to have been the Messiah who was expected by the 
 Jews, so he quotes what he thinks is prophecy and tells us 
 that all these things were done that the prophecy might be 
 fulfilled. 
 
 The Prophecies. None of these quoted passages was 
 originally a "prophecy" or prediction of an event far in 
 the future. The "Notes" tell where each may be found. 
 The book of Hosea pictures the nation Israel as the child 
 of Jehovah, and the words of Hos. 11:1 "Out of Egypt 
 did I call my son" refer to an event then long past, namely, 
 
124 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 the leading out of the children of Israel from the bondage 
 of Egypt. The quotation from Jeremiah referred to the 
 sufferings and slaughter of people of Judah who were taken 
 captive by the Babylonians. It is aptly applied to the 
 supposed death of the children in Bethlehem, but did not 
 predict it. The next quotation, "He shall be called a 
 Nazarene," does not appear in the Old Testament. The 
 "Notes" suggest a possible source (Is. 11: 1) where indeed 
 is a distinct Messianic prediction, but not in substance or 
 in form what Matthew expresses. 
 
 The Virgin Birth. The idea contained in the first para- 
 graph of Matthew's story, that Jesus had no human father, 
 was based by the writer on a passage from Isaiah, which 
 has long been taken as a prophecy of Messiah because 
 Matthew so interpreted it. But a study of the passage 
 shows that Isaiah used it for a very different purpose. 
 Ahaz, king of Judah, was much disheartened because of 
 an alliance between two of his foes, the kings of Syria and 
 of Israel. The prophet cheers the heart of his sovereign 
 by giving him a "word of the Lord" which said that before 
 a boy soon to be born to a young woman, Halema {not vir- 
 gin, Bethpula), should come to the age when he would know 
 good from evil, the land of the kings before whom Ahaz 
 trembled should be deserted. The name to be bestowed on 
 the child, Immanuel, was a sign that God was still with 
 them and would bring these things to pass. (Notice 
 especially the marginal translations of the verse in Isaiah, 
 American revision.) This passage, like the others quoted 
 in Matthew's narrative, is taken from its context and given 
 a new meaning. Having himself come to believe that the 
 supreme qualities revealed in Jesus were due to a super- 
 natural origin, the writer of this Gospel searches his Scrip- 
 tures for a passage which would seem to declare that fact 
 about Messiah. His story and quotation helped to give the 
 idea wide acceptance so that it came in time to be incor- 
 porated into the creeds of the church. The most familiar 
 statement of it is in the so-called Apostles' creed, "Con- 
 ceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary. ' ' 
 
STORIES OP AWE AND WONDER 125 
 
 Part of the evidence that the narrative on which the 
 belief is founded is not historical is here given. (1) Paul, 
 earliest of the New Testament writers, makes no mention 
 of the virgin birth ; instead, he distinctly affirms the human 
 origin of Jesus: "made of the seed of David according to 
 the flesh" (Romans 1:3). "God sent forth his Son made 
 of a woman, made under the law ; . . . and because ye are 
 sons, God sent forth the spirit of his Son into our hearts" 
 (Gal. 4:4, 6). (2) Neither Mark nor John mentions it, 
 and the one reference to it in Luke is considered by 
 scholars, as we have seen, a later interpolation inserted 
 after the doctrine had been developed in the churches. 
 (3) Mary, mother of Jesus, addresses him with the words 
 "Thy father and I," speaking of Joseph. Once she sought 
 to interrupt his public work saying that "he was beside 
 himself." (See Lesson 9, Sec. 49.) How can this be ex- 
 plained if she knew him to be of supernatural origin ? For 
 in that case the wonderful things he did and said would 
 have seemed not the action of a man crazed, but the natural 
 expression of a being so exalted. (4) The silence of Jesus 
 himself on this matter is most significant. Had there been 
 anything so important to know about his birth and des- 
 tiny he would have known it. But he allows men to ad- 
 dress him as the son of Joseph without contradiction or 
 reproof. That he should not have mentioned to his disciples 
 a matter of such moment if he knew of it, and that he 
 should have failed to use it to give weight to his teaching, 
 if he believed himself derived from God in a different way 
 from other human beings, is unthinkable. (5) The idea is 
 essentially un-Jewish. The Messiah foretold in the Old 
 Testament was to be a normal man. Among the Greeks, 
 on the contrary, the belief that heroes and great men sprang 
 from gods was common. No doubt such a belief was a 
 sincere attempt to explain the mystery of great personal- 
 ities, an attempt which was as deeply religious in its mo- 
 tive as was the growth of the same doctrine concerning 
 Jesus in the Christian church. After the destruction of 
 Jerusalem the church was chiefly made up of Greek-speak- 
 
126 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 ing people and largely influenced by Greek thought. In 
 accepting the idea, Christians no doubt felt that they were 
 rendering to Jesus a tribute of honor. 
 
 His disciples today, who can no longer accept the Greek 
 idea, are not detracting from that honor when they declare 
 that the story which tells that Jesus had no human father 
 is unhistorical. The homage of this age is all the more 
 sincere and genuine because it is intelligent. 
 
 Date of Jesus' Birth. Probably Jesus was born not long 
 before the death of Herod the Great, which occurred in 
 4 b. c. Our present system of reckoning time is due to an 
 error of medieval scholars, so that we have to put the birth 
 of Jesus "Before Christ," perhaps about the year 4 b. c. 
 
 The day and month are, of course, unknown. The early 
 church celebrated the event on January 6, and the Ar- 
 menian church still follows this custom. In the fourth 
 century the Roman church began to observe the anniversary 
 of Jesus' birth on December 25, including with it some of 
 the customs of the pagan feast of Saturnalia which had 
 been celebrated on that day. 
 
 The Star. Attempts have sometimes been made to find 
 confirmation for this story in astronomy. A conjunction 
 of Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter, is said to have occurred in 
 the year 7 or 6, before our era, but a conjunction of planets 
 is not one star, and does not look like one, nor does it move 
 about to guide travellers on their way. Variable stars, 
 very bright at certain times and at others very dim, are 
 known to astronomers, but no one of them wanders about 
 the skies or lies so low that a small house in a little vil- 
 lage could be determined by its presence. The incident in 
 our Bible is based on the belief and practice of astrologers 
 rather than on the knowledge of astronomers. It is said 
 that a star of exceptional brightness is recorded in Chinese 
 annals as appearing in the heavens in the year 4 b. C. Even 
 if this were a fact, how would it reveal to Eastern astro- 
 logers that a King of the Jews had been born 1 Just to ask 
 the question shows how romantic and unhistorical is the 
 account of the visit of the wise men. It grew out of the 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 127 
 
 signs which the Rabbis taught were to accompany the ap- 
 pearance of the Messiah. They derived these signs from 
 Scripture passages. One of these (Num. 24: 17) speaks of 
 "a star to come out of Jacob." It seems likely that from 
 this passage the Rabbis taught some connection between a 
 star and the Messiah. The leader of the Jewish revolt 
 under Hadrian, who desired to be the Messiah who should 
 restore the kingdom to Israel, called himself by a name 
 which meant "son of a star." 
 
 The Apocryphal Gospels preserve other traditions which 
 amplified these stories and influenced many of the paint- 
 ings which represent the Nativity. An ox and an ass are 
 frequently introduced, as in Correggio's "Holy Night", 
 from a passage in Habakkuk (3:2) supposed to refer to 
 the Messiah, where the Septuagent reads "in the midst of 
 two lives," that is, two living creatures. The ass is said 
 to symbolize the Gentiles, and the ox the Jews. The pas- 
 sage in the Apocryphal Gospel from which this idea was 
 derived will be found in The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, 
 Chapter XIV. 
 
 The Story in Matthew. "Beyond a doubt, if one puts 
 out of sight the impossibility of this narrative, it possesses 
 great charm. This star which comes to the end of the 
 world to reveal to the princes of human knowledge the 
 birth of the future King of Humanity ; this caravan which, 
 crossing the desert, comes to fill Jerusalem with astonish- 
 ment; these fears of the cruel tyrant, Herod, whose mon- 
 strous crimes could not prevail against the designs of God ; 
 this contrast between rich and powerful personages and 
 the humble child whose high destiny they are the first to 
 declare ; all this forms a most highly colored and attractive 
 picture, and it is not surprising that it has always been a 
 delight to artists and poets." (Albert Reville.) 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 For obvious reasons the reading of the first paragraph of 
 the text in class should be omitted. It may easily happen 
 that in many classes the stories from Matthew will be very 
 
128 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 familiar. If the pupils tell them, do they retain something 
 of the fine literary flavor of the Bible form and language? 
 The growth of legend may, perhaps, be indicated to the 
 class in this way : Ask for the reading of the Magi story, 
 telling the pupils to watch carefully every point, as you 
 intend to ask something about it when the reading is 
 finished. Then ask: How many wise men does the story 
 say came to find the king of the Jews? Do we know who 
 they were? Will most of the class say that there were 
 three of them, and that they were kings, or has any one 
 noticed that the story does not tell how many there were 
 nor call them kings? These ideas they get from the carol 
 "We three kings of Orient are," which represents a de- 
 velopment of the Bible story by later additions. 
 
 A list of stories from Matthew's Gospel, to correspond 
 with the list from Luke, might be named thus: 
 
 (1) The Annunciation to Joseph. (2) The Wise Men 
 and the Star. (3) The Journey to Egypt. (4) Herod's 
 Wicked Deed. (5) The Return to Nazareth. Call for a 
 concert recitation of both lists. Then name the stories at 
 random, and see if the pupils can state promptly the Gos- 
 pel — Matthew or Luke — in which each is found. 
 
 You may illustrate the value of these stories as showing 
 how people had come to think of Jesus and wish to do him 
 full honor, from a modern story, named "The Perfect 
 Tribute, ' ' by Mary Shipman Andrews. That Lincoln lived 
 and that he gave the now famous Gettysburg address are 
 two historical facts, but the main story about the boy who 
 told Lincoln that the silence that greeted his wonderful 
 address was a perfect tribute to its greatness may be pure 
 fiction. The perfect tribute may not have been awarded at 
 the time, when few if any of the listeners realized what a re- 
 markable utterance had been made. It is given in the 
 years following, when all the world recognizes its greatness 
 and that of the man who gave it. The story reflects the 
 opinion of a later time, and so, apart from its literary 
 merit, is a valuable human document. 
 
 In the same way, these wonder stories are human docu- 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 129 
 
 ments helping us to see Jesus himself more truly and to 
 know in what esteem and reverence he was held by the 
 people of his own land a few years after his death. 
 
 The poems, hymns, and carols offered in the last lesson, 
 in this, and the next, will add to the charm of the narratives 
 and help interpret them. Let the pupils choose among them 
 which they prefer after they have heard them read. 
 
 Can you enlarge by this lesson, even in the minds of these 
 children, the idea of incarnation? The trouble with the 
 old dogma is that it taught too little. Trying to reveal 
 God" in human life, it taught that God was revealed in one 
 life only, and finally that Jesus himself was God. Extend 
 the thought and we see God revealed not in one life alone, 
 but in many lives. We reach the real truth of the idea 
 by affirming the divineness of human nature, and the in- 
 carnation of God not in one individual alone, but in hu- 
 manity itself. 
 
 Close with a great thought beautifully expressed: one 
 of the fine verses of Scripture, or a line of a poem which 
 the pupils may carry away with them as memory or an 
 impression. 
 
 Lesson Assignments. 
 
 One poem, or part of a poem, from those given, or a bit 
 of the Scripture text, as desired, to be memorized. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The pupils should fill the spaces in the lists on p. 39; 
 following either this lesson or the next, they should do the 
 work indicated on p. 40. 
 
 If there is too large an amount in this Christmas section 
 to be covered in the Sunday-school sessions, encourage the 
 doing of part of it at home, giving it as lesson assignments. 
 Even if part of the work is done after Christmas, it will 
 not matter, if only the pupils are interested to do it. 
 
 Answers to the outline topics on p. 39, which the teacher 
 may wish for quick reference, are here given: 
 
130 
 
 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 Luke's Account: 
 
 1. Makes the home of Joseph 
 and Mary to be Nazareth. 
 
 2. That the Annunciation was 
 made to Mary. 
 
 3. That it was made by the 
 angel Gabriel. 
 
 i. That Jesus was born in Beth- 
 lehem of Judcea. 
 
 5. That the birth of Jesus was 
 announced by angels to shep- 
 herds abiding in the fields. 
 
 6. That a visit was made to the 
 Child in Bethlehem by the 
 
 7. That Jesus was taken to the 
 temple where he was re- 
 ceived by the prophet Si- 
 meon and the prophetess 
 Anna, who foretold his 
 greatness. 
 
 8. That Joseph and Mary re- 
 turned with the child to the 
 home in Nazareth. 
 
 Matthew's Account: 
 
 1. Implies that the home was 
 in Bethlehem. 
 
 2. That the Annunciation was 
 made to Joseph. 
 
 3. That it was made by the 
 angel Gabriel in a dream. 
 
 4. That Jesus was bom in 
 Bethlehem of Judaa. 
 
 5. That the birth of "A King 
 of the Jews" was revealed 
 to wise men by a star. 
 
 G. That a visit was made to the 
 child in Bethlehem by the 
 wise men. 
 
 7. That Joseph took the child 
 and his mother to Egypt to 
 escape the fury of King 
 Herod, who sent and slew all 
 baby boys in Bethlehem un- 
 der two years of age. 
 
 8. That from Egypt they did 
 not again go home to Beth- 
 lehem but went instead to 
 Nazareth. 
 
 How many things are the same in the two accounts? 
 Only the place of birth (4), the mention of the angel 
 Gabriel (3), and the return to Nazareth (8). 
 
 Pictures to Be Used. 
 
 Le Rolle: Nativity. 
 Correggio : Holy Night. 
 Hofmann: Worship of the Magi. 
 Luini: Adoration of the Magi. 
 Veronese : Adoration of the Magi. 
 Warren : The Star of Bethlehem. 
 Hofmann : Flight into Egypt. 
 Murillo: Flight into Egypt. 
 Merson : Repose in Egypt. 
 Van Dyck : Repose in Egypt. 
 
 Wilde, 11. 
 Wilde, 9. 
 
 Wilde, 20. 
 
 Wilde, 21. 
 
 Wilde, 22. 
 Wilde, 590. 
 
 Wilde, 25. 
 Wilde, 307. 
 
 Wilde, 29. 
 Wilde, 432. 
 
 A list of the pictures of Madonna and Child would cover many 
 pages. For the Note Book, the one by Fra Lippo Lippi is used, 
 with Gilder's poem. The Wilde, Perry, Brown, or Thompson 
 catalogues will suggest others if the teacher desires to use them. 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 131 
 
 Sidelights. 
 
 Many other legends of the infancy of Jesus, far inferior 
 to those in our Gospels, will be found in the Apocryphal 
 Gospels. The Magi story, somewhat amplified, is given in 
 the Pseudo-Matthew (sections 14 to 17). 
 
 A legend about Abraham similar to the Magi story was 
 current in the Jewish Schools. "Nimrod had read in the 
 stars that a man was to be born who should destroy his 
 empire and his false religion. In order to prevent such a 
 catastrophe, he caused all the little children to be massa- 
 cred. But, forewarned in time, the mother of Abraham 
 escaped, and brought forth her son in a cave." 
 
 Stories quite similar to these related of Jesus are found 
 among the birth stories of Krishna in Hindu mythology. 
 He was believed to be an incarnation of the divine life in 
 order "to establish righteousness below." Manda, his 
 father, a shepherd, had come to Mathura to pay his taxes 
 and there Krishna was born ; then he was carried off by 
 night to escape massacre by king Kamsa. 
 
 There are also striking parallels in the Buddhist legends. 
 Gautama, the Buddha, came to be regarded by his followers 
 as omniscient and absolutely sinless. He was believed to 
 have no earthly father, but to have descended of his own 
 accord from the heavenly regions to be born of a woman. 
 Angels are said to have appeared at his birth. He was 
 worshipped by an aged saint who prophesied that he would 
 be a Buddha and show the way of salvation. When he was 
 five months old, five wise men, journeying northward 
 through the air, came down and worshipped him. 
 
Lesson 16 
 
 CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS AND CHRISTMAS HYMNS 
 
 Where a short lesson period is given on the Sunday on 
 which Christmas is celebrated, the material suggested in 
 this lesson may be used. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 The Christmas Symbols. Get from the class what is 
 meant by a symbol. The flag is a symbol of our country. 
 What does it stand for ? What are the Christmas symbols, 
 and what do they mean ? 
 
 (1) The Star. A Municipal Christmas tree was placed 
 in Union Square, New York City. It was Christmas eve, 
 and the Square was thronged with people. Electric lights 
 sparkled all over the branches, when suddenly, a great star, 
 in white electric lights, gleamed out at the very top of the 
 tree. The people were hushed, and stood very still. What 
 would you have been thinking and feeling if you had stood 
 in the crowd? I believe you would have been helped to 
 think of the star as a symbol of the light that shone for 
 human hearts and lives when Jesus came into the world. 
 
 (2) The Manger. The story which stands for the humble 
 birthplace of Jesus tells us the wonderful truth that great- 
 ness is often found in the lowliest spots of earth. No place 
 is too obscure or too humble to receive God's divine gift 
 of a little child who shall one day become one of the great 
 ones of earth. Compare with this the log cabin home of 
 Lincoln, and the upper room over a stable where the poet 
 Keats was born. 
 
 (3) Bethlehem. The manger-thought enlarged : even the 
 little town, in any land may some day be counted among 
 
 132 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND WONDER 133 
 
 the great places of earth if out of it a great soul is believed 
 to have come. 
 
 (4) The Shepherds. This story tells us that God 's truth 
 is not always given to the great and the wise. The 
 humblest heart that is ready for it may receive it. Jesus, 
 you remember, thanked God that some of the truth his heart 
 knew, though hidden from the wise and prudent, had been 
 revealed unto babes. 
 
 (5) The Angels. These are the symbols of all the mes- 
 sengers of every kind that bring God's truth to men. Are 
 we sure that we are watching for them and trying to hear 
 what they have to tell 1 
 
 "Good tidings every day; 
 The messengers ride fast. 
 
 Thanks be to God for all they say; 
 There is such noise on the highway, 
 
 Let us keep still while they ride past." 
 
 (6) The Wise Men. Our story means that when true 
 greatness appears those who are truly wise bow down be- 
 fore it. 
 
 The Christmas Hymns. The pupils should look over, in 
 their own Sunday-school hymn book or the church hymnal, 
 the list of hymns and carols relating to Christmas. They 
 should be familiar with the two great contributions from 
 E. H. Sears, a Unitarian minister, 
 
 "Calm on the listening ear of night" 
 and 
 
 "It came upon the midnight clear." 
 
 Also two from our Unitarian poets: 
 
 "What means this glory round our feet," 
 
 by J. R. Lowell, and 
 
 "I heard the bells on Christmas day," 
 
 by H. W. Longfellow. 
 
134 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Isaac Watts, the famous hymn writer, gives us 
 
 "Joy to the world, the Lord is come" 
 
 set to "Antioch," the inspiring music by Handel. One 
 much loved by children is Phillips Brooks' 
 
 "0 Little Town of Bethlehem," 
 
 and they like, too, the inspiring music and the angel song 
 in Charles Wesley's 
 
 "Hark the herald angels sing," 
 
 which is much marred for our use by its theological im- 
 plications, but is one of the most widely known and used of 
 the Christmas hymns. 
 
 It will help to cultivate a feeling of fellowship for the 
 various representatives of the Christian faith if attention 
 is called to the fact that of the writers of these hymns, 
 we have three Unitarians, one English Independent 
 (Watts), one Episcopalian, and one Methodist. 
 
 From the carols, the pupils should know the German 
 Folk Song 
 
 "Silent night! Peaceful night!" 
 the old English carol 
 
 "God give ye merry Christmastide," 
 and Martin Luther's carol, written for his little son Hans: 
 
 "From Heaven above to earth I come." 
 
 The Note Book contains one of our dearest Christmas 
 songs, 
 
 "Sleep, my little Jesus," 
 
 by William C. Gannett, which should be taken home and 
 sung as a household carol at Christmas ; and the Note Book 
 pages which the pupils may make beautiful, if they will, 
 just for love of beautiful things, bear a poem for which 
 every child should learn to care, "Discipleship," by Fred- 
 erick L. Hosmer. All the teachers will know and the pupils 
 
STORIES OF AWE AND "WONDER 135 
 
 should be told that these two poets, friends through many 
 years, are both ministers of the Unitarian church. 
 
 To these, two of the great hymns of the ages should be 
 added, so that at least the names of each shall be familiar 
 to the pupils. The first, Milton's "Hymn on the Morning 
 of Christ 's Nativity, ' ' need only be mentioned. The second, 
 so vivid in its word pictures, so beautiful both in form and 
 thought, will be enjoyed by most boys and girls of thirteen 
 if they hear it well read. It is given here. 
 
 A CHEISTMAS HYMN 
 
 It was the calm and silent night ! 
 
 Seven hundred years and fifty-three 
 Had Rome been growing up to might, 
 
 And now was queen of land and sea. 
 No sound was heard of clashing wars, — 
 
 Peace brooded o'er the hushed domain: 
 Apollo, Pallas, Jove, and Mars 
 
 Held undisturbed their ancient reign, 
 In the solemn midnight, 
 Centuries ago. 
 
 'Twas in the calm and silent night ! 
 
 The senator of haughty Rome, 
 Impatient, urged his chariot's flight, 
 
 From lordly revel rolling' home; 
 Triumphal arches, gleaming, swell 
 
 His breast with thoughts of boundless sway; 
 What recked the Roman what befell 
 
 A paltry province far away, 
 In the solemn midnight, 
 Centuries ago? 
 
 Within that province far away 
 
 Went plodding home a weary boor; 
 A streak of light before him lay, 
 
 Fall'n through a half -shut stable door 
 Across his path. He passed, — for naught 
 
 Told what was going on within; 
 How keen the stars, his only thought, — 
 
 The air how calm, and cold, and thin, 
 In the solemn midnight, 
 Centuries ago! 
 
136 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 0, strange indifference! low and high 
 
 Drowsed over common joys and cares; 
 The earth was still, — but knew not why; 
 
 The world was listening, unawares. 
 How calm a moment may precede 
 
 One that shall thrill the world forever! 
 To that still moment, none would heed, 
 
 Man's doom was linked no more to sever, — 
 In the solemn midnight, 
 Centuries ago! 
 
 It is the calm and solemn night! 
 
 A thousand bells ring out, and throw 
 Their joyous peals abroad, and smite 
 
 The darkness, — charmed and holy now ! 
 The night that erst no name had worn, 
 
 To it a happy name is given ; 
 For in that stable lay, new-born, 
 The peaceful Prince of earth and heaven, 
 In the solemn midnight, 
 Centuries ago ! 
 
 (Alfred Domett.) 
 
 The teacher may wish to mention, also, that most famous 
 of all the great oratorios, ' ' The Messiah ' ' of Handel, which 
 interprets the Christmas stories in world-famous music. 
 
Chapter V 
 THOU ART THE MESSIAH! 
 
 [It will be necessary at this point to recall the incidents of the 
 last lesson which preceded the Christmas chapter.] 
 
 The Scene and Situation. The life of Jesus now comes 
 to another climax, second only to his consecration of him- 
 self at his baptism. It is the time when he becomes con- 
 vinced that he is to be the Messiah long expected by his 
 nation, when he decides what sort of kingdom that Messiah 
 should try to establish, and warns his followers of the diffi- 
 culties and rewards of their great task. 
 
 These are high lights in the story, made brighter by the 
 shadows which are beginning to fall. For certain things 
 are now making Jesus' way dark before him: interruptions 
 to his teaching by the rush of people desiring to be healed ; 
 the increasing hostility of the religious leaders ; dangers to 
 his life and to his cause from Herod's suspicions; and, bit- 
 terest of all, some doubts regarding the steadfastness of 
 his own band of followers. 
 
 The Material. These lessons are based on selections 
 from Chapters IV, V and VI, of The Gospel of Jesus. 
 Many sections of Chapter V are omitted, partly for lack 
 of time to consider them, partly because the teachings are 
 not wholly suitable to be considered by pupils of this age. 
 Legendary material from the Appendix is added to give 
 the pupils familiarity with the stories. 
 
 Lesson Aims. (1) To show the heroism involved in the 
 career and decisions of Jesus and his followers. (2) To 
 point out the hardships and the rewards of life devoted to 
 great ideals. (3) To give to the pupils some idea of the 
 religious value of consecration. 
 
 137 
 
Lesson 17 
 
 THE BREAD OF HEAVEN 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 74-75, 91-92. 
 App. pp. 124-125. 
 
 74. The Love Feast in the Desert. Mk. 6 : 31-42. 
 
 75. Jesus the Great Healer. Mk. 6:45-46, 
 53-56. 
 
 91. Parable of Foundations of Rock and of Sand. 
 Mt. 7:24-27. 
 
 92. The Effect of Jesus' Teaching. Mk. 1:22. 
 App. p. 124. Walking on the Sea. Mk. 6 : 45-51. 
 App. p. 125. Feeding the Four Thousand. Mk. 
 
 8 : 1-10. 
 
 Outdoor scenes are still before us in this lesson, — the fel- 
 lowship meal in the open air by which Jesus and his fol- 
 lowers shared their limited supply with their companions ; 
 another storm at sea, with its tradition that Jesus came to 
 the assistance of the Twelve, even though to do so he must 
 walk on the waves; the scenes in street, market-place and 
 highway when the crowd pressed for healing; and at the 
 end Jesus' own picture, in his parable-story, of the storm 
 that beat over two houses, when one, well-founded on the 
 rock, stood, while the other fell. To derive spiritual truth 
 for young hearts from stories of happenings in the natural 
 world is here the teacher's task. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The Love Feast in the Desert. (74) This picture of an 
 event in the life of Jesus has, as the "Notes" show, been 
 much colored by other narratives of historical incidents, 
 and by later practices of the Christian church. There is, 
 
 138 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 139 
 
 no doubt, some analogy in the minds of the gospel writers 
 between this story and several other events in the national 
 life. There was their tradition of their nation having been 
 fed by the manna from heaven in the wilderness. There 
 was the story of the unleavened bread used at the passover, 
 which had directed the practice of the nation for centuries 
 at one of its great religious feasts. There was the remark- 
 able passage in their Psalms (107: 5, 6, 9) : 
 
 Hungry and thirsty 
 
 Their soul fainted in them. 
 
 Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble, 
 
 And he delivered them out of their distresses. . . . 
 
 For he satisfleth the longing soul, 
 
 And the hungry soul he filleth with good. 
 
 There was the story of Elisha (II Kings 4:42-44), which 
 told that he had fed one hundred men with twenty loaves 
 of barley and a few heads of grain, and that they all ate 
 of it and left thereof, according to the word of Jehovah. 
 At the time when the Gospels were written, the early church 
 held frequent fellowship meals, which custom, no doubt, 
 did something toward shaping the narrative. For many 
 years afterward there was celebrated the Agape, or love 
 feast, which may have had its origin in this fellowship meal 
 in the desert place. It included the Lord's Supper, after- 
 ward separated from it, which has survived until the present 
 time. 
 
 Notice how much the legendary character of the narra- 
 tive relates to the numbers which are given. What may 
 at first have been only a generous sharing of a small amount 
 of food, grew, in time, to this miracle story in which the 
 numbers of people eating are represented by the thousand. 
 
 A desert place apart. This place would be, according 
 to our narrative, somewhere on the east side of the lake. 
 There is a conflict between the narratives of Mark and of 
 Luke at this point. Luke's statement that it was in a city 
 called Bethsaida, which is near Capernaum, on the north- 
 west shore, does not seem probable, nor does it harmonize 
 with Mk. 6 : 45. According to this narrative, the disciples 
 
140 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 started after the supper for Bethsaida, and the storm which 
 arose beat their boat back so that they landed in the morn- 
 ing at the plain of Gennesaret. 
 
 Me began to teach them. The ministry of Jesus to the 
 people who followed him in the desert place was far greater 
 than the offering of food for their physical need. He 
 looked upon them with compassion, seeing them as helpless 
 as sheep without a shepherd (see Sec. 49), and spent the 
 entire day in giving them instruction. By his teaching, he 
 gave them the "bread of heaven" and the "water of life." 
 
 Feeding the Four Thousand. This story which the Ap- 
 pendix records and which Mark gives as if it were a differ- 
 ent incident, is really only a different version of the same 
 narrative. It shows, even more clearly than the first, how 
 an account of a very simple and natural happening may 
 be enlarged and exaggerated as it is repeated, especially 
 under the influence of the desire to exalt the power and 
 work of Jesus. 
 
 Walking on the Sea. All the first three Gospels give the 
 incident of the supper in the desert place, but only Matthew 
 and Mark relate the storm on the lake as following it, when 
 Jesus is said to have walked on the water, and only Mat- 
 thew gives the addition of Peter's attempt to go to Jesus. 
 Mark's story seems to contain two conflicting ideas: the 
 first, that Jesus on the shore saw that the boat was in dis- 
 tress and started to go to help his disciples; the second, 
 that as he walked toward them he attempted to pass them 
 by. The latter part shows, especially, how confused was 
 the idea of the narrator concerning this incident. It may 
 well have been based either on the experience of Jesus and 
 his disciples in the storm which we have already consid- 
 ered in Lesson 10 (Sec. 52), or on some similar episode 
 when the disciples found themselves in peril of the waves. 
 It is more than likely that they had such an experience 
 with a storm on the lake, not once, but many times. That 
 Jesus on the shore should attempt to help them as the boat 
 drew near to the land would be probable enough. Indeed, 
 it is possible that the Fourth Gospel gives a suggestion that 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 141 
 
 this is what happened, when it says in relating this inci- 
 dent "They received Jesus into the boat, and straightway 
 the boat was at the land whither they were going." This 
 seems to suggest that a story, which in its present form 
 must be purely legendary, might have had behind it some 
 basis of a very simple and natural experience. 
 
 Jesus the Helper. (75) Again in this Section, we have 
 the picture, now grown so familiar, of the crowds pressing 
 about Jesus in their desire to be healed. It is significant 
 that this paragraph in our story does not say that he cured 
 any one. It is becoming evident that he found these efforts 
 at healing, even when they were most successful, a real 
 interference with his most important work, that of teaching 
 the people. 
 
 Foundations of Bock and Sand. (91) This story of the 
 two houses, one with sufficient and adequate foundation, 
 and the other with a treacherous one, is especially effective 
 as an illustration from the lips of Jesus, the builder. 
 
 Taught . . . not as the scribes. (92) These words re- 
 veal one secret of the power of Jesus ' message. The scribes 
 were accustomed to teach by telling what had been written 
 and what had been said "by them of old time." Jesus 
 spoke out of his own convictions and the words from his 
 heart went straight to the hearts of his hearers. 
 
 Opposition of the Scribes and Pharisees. We must note 
 how the religious leaders of his time were increasingly op- 
 posed to the work and the ideas of Jesus. They are repre- 
 sented here as listening to his words not that they might 
 find the good in them, but in order to catch him in some 
 utterance which would bring the civil authorities against 
 him. The narrative aptly says that they were "lying in 
 wait" for him. The situation grows more and more 
 perilous for Jesus and his disciples from this time. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 Lesson Openings. (1) Two ceremonials of the Chris- 
 tian church with which the pupils are perhaps familiar may 
 introduce the lesson. The first of these is the communion 
 
142 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 service. Its meaning should merely be referred to here, 
 as more will be said about it when we come to consider the 
 last supper of Jesus with his disciples. Bring out, how- 
 ever, at this point the sense of its being a fellowship meal, 
 for that idea is involved in the name of this ordinance 
 of the church. Another custom which the early church 
 observed is still continued by at least one of the great 
 denominations, the Methodist Episcopal. It is the love 
 feast at which only bread and water are used, symbolizing 
 by the most meager articles of food the deepest fellowship 
 and friendliness. It was not at first a religious cere- 
 monial. A very simple and friendly, though perhaps 
 scanty, meal eaten by Jesus and his hearers in the open air, 
 had as its vital features the sense of brotherhood, the op- 
 portunity to share, and that feeling of fellowship which 
 made the occasion memorable. In later time his followers 
 wanted to make a great and wonderful happening out of 
 this incident. But no story of feeding the multitude with 
 bread is so great as what really happened there when the 
 multitude was fed with the spiritual food which Jesus by 
 his teaching gave them to meet their need. 
 
 (2) Recall to the memory of the pupils lines from Lowell, 
 with which they will all be familiar: 
 
 "Not what we give, but what we share, 
 For the gift without the giver is bare." 
 
 In these incidents which open this lesson, we have a beauti- 
 ful story of sharing. It is so like Jesus, is it not ? He gave 
 to others not only part of this scanty supply of food which 
 had been brought for himself and his disciples, but he gave 
 also courtesy and kindness ; best of all, he gave himself. 
 
 Lesson Development. Bring out the oriental idea of 
 hospitality, and help the pupils to see how true and beau- 
 tiful it is. Custom required of them that they should never 
 eat food in the presence of another without offering a part 
 of it. It did not matter if the food was poor, or the supply 
 too small. To share that of which one was about to par- 
 take was a law of life. 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 143 
 
 If the story of the evening meal in the open air suggests 
 to the pupils a picnic, do not allow the thought of the lesson 
 to descend to the idea of a mere frolic. Instead, let the 
 lesson raise one of the common events of life to a higher 
 level. The Sunday-school picnic has value for character, 
 if it develops the spirit of fellowship, of unity, and of good 
 will. 
 
 The exaggeration in numbers is something which boys 
 and girls can, perhaps, understand better if it be possible 
 to test their own account of some gathering they have at- 
 tended. How many people were at church this morning? 
 How many attended some lecture, or political meeting, 
 which has recently been held? What do we find in news- 
 paper accounts of accidents? Are not the numbers first 
 reported generally larger than those which in time we learn 
 to be the right ones ? Scarcely a person who has not given 
 himself careful training can estimate, even approximately, 
 the numbers of an audience. They are invariably stated 
 larger than they are found to be. 
 
 It has been well suggested that in a sense the story of 
 feeding the multitude is a parable of the Galilean ministry. 
 "Without wealth, or influence, or patronage, Jesus fed the 
 minds and souls of men. 
 
 Best of all, develop from the story its spiritual meaning. 
 Jesus fed the multitude with food for their inner life in 
 his instruction, in enlarged fellowship, in kindly ministry, 
 in the new sense of brotherhood which his life among his 
 followers awakened. 
 
 He was able to do this because his own inner life was 
 fed by intimate communion with God. Do you remember 
 how sharply the contrast between food for the body and 
 food for the soul is drawn in another incident related of 
 him? After a wearying journey the disciples went away 
 to buy food, and on their return said to him, "Master, eat." 
 But Jesus replied, "I have meat to eat that ye know not 
 of"; and when they wondered he added, "My meat is to 
 do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work." 
 
 The parable of the house built on the rock should be read 
 
144 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 by the class, but as it has, no doubt, long been familiar to 
 them, and has been so frequently used, it is better to avoid 
 making a moral application of it. Take for granted that 
 the pupils will grasp its meaning as related to their own 
 lives. Call attention, then, not to the lesson to be drawn 
 from it, but to the vivid picture which it presents. 
 
 Lesson Close. Make impressive the thought of the need 
 of food for the spirit. Where may we find the bread of 
 heaven! In the words of Jesus? Yes. In other teach- 
 ings ? Certainly. That is what the church is for — to min- 
 ister to the soul. That is, in part, what books are for — to 
 give us the truth by which we may live. Recall in this 
 connection the words of Jesus in the temptation story: 
 "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that 
 proceedeth out of the mouth of God." 
 
 Use one of the class prayers at the end of the hour. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 The preparation of the prayer for class use is an im- 
 portant part of the year's work. If it has not yet been 
 done, ask each pupil to bring in at least one petition to be 
 considered as part of their class prayer. They may look 
 up printed prayers if they wish, but try especially to get 
 them to put down in simple words one thing that they think 
 they need and for which they wish to pray. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 After the lesson has been taught the pupils will be pre- 
 pared to insert answers to the questions on p. 41. The 
 verse from the Psalms should be read in class, and mem- 
 orized. 
 
 Pictures to Be Used. 
 
 Hole : Feeding of the Five Thousand. 233. 
 
 Hole : Jesus walking on the Sea. 234. 
 
 Murillo : Feeding the Five Thousand. "Wilde, 83. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 Come ye yourselves apart. 
 
 They were as sheep not having a shepherd. 
 
 He taught as one having authority. 
 
Lesson 18 
 WHO SAY YE THAT I AM? 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 93-95. App. p. 126. 
 
 93. The Gentile Woman's Daughter. Mk. 7: 
 24-30. 
 
 94. Jesus as Messiah. Mk. 7 : 31 ; 8 : 27-33. 
 
 95. The Meaning of Diseipleship. Mt. 10 : 28- 
 33, 38-39 ; 16 : 24-28. 
 
 App. p. 126. The Transfiguration Mk. 9 : 2-8. 
 
 The crisis which came into the life of Jesus with the 
 announcement of his mission as Messiah, and his disciples' 
 recognition of it is "the great divide" in his story. The 
 climax of purpose is reached here. All the rest is its ful- 
 fillment through seeming failure. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 He arose . . . and went away. (93) This journey of 
 Jesus represents a period of retirement from work and from 
 the danger which surrounded his ministry in Galilee. The 
 populace seems to have turned away from him, to some 
 extent, after his day's teaching about the bread of life. 
 His followers were further alienated by his denunciation of 
 ceremonial customs as revealed in the incident of eating 
 with unwashed hands (Sec. 77), so he went, for a time, out 
 of his own country "into the region of Tyre." The pas- 
 sage indicates that he wanted to be entirely out of observa- 
 tion, not to be asked for a time either to teach or to heal ; 
 but "he could not be hid," for his fame had gone before 
 him. 
 
 A Gentile, a Syro-Phcenician. The woman who ap- 
 proached Jesus asking him to heal her daughter was one 
 of a branch of the old Phoenician race, that had migrated 
 
 145 
 
146 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 from the East and settled along the coast, and was called 
 Syrian to distinguish it from the Libyan branch in North 
 Africa. 
 
 The Woman's Clever Retort. The words in which Jesus 
 refused the woman's request that her daughter might be 
 healed sound harsh, but it may well be that he used some 
 proverb in common speech, with which the woman was 
 familiar, to explain to her his purpose to work only among 
 his own people. At least it was well known in all the coun- 
 try round about that the Jews were accustomed to refer to 
 all foreigners as "dogs." The saying embodied a graphic 
 figure quite in accord with the concrete picture-method of 
 teaching which Jesus habitually employed. The woman 
 accepts the figure and carries it still further, saying, in 
 effect, ' ' That is true, Sir, and yet the little dogs under the 
 table eat of the children's crumbs." This bright reply 
 aroused the admiration of Jesus for the woman's quick 
 mental grasp, her persistence, and her faith, so that he 
 granted her request. Note the restraint in the account of 
 what followed ! The story merely tells the condition in 
 which the child was found when the mother returned to 
 her home. 
 
 The Journey Bach. (94) The route indicated takes 
 Jesus and his followers well to the north, then down again 
 through Syria to Decapolis. The city of Ctesarea Philippi 
 was about twenty-five or thirty miles north of the lake of 
 Galilee, in one of the loveliest regions in that section of 
 the country. Philip the Tetrarch enlarged and beautified 
 an old city, gave it the name of the Emperor Augustus 
 Csesar coupled with his own, "the Csesarea of Philip," and 
 made it his capital. The word "villages" is used in the 
 text much as we would use the word ' ' suburbs. ' ' 
 
 On the way he asked. "We may think of the question 
 which Jesus put to his disciples and their answers as given 
 in a region covered with a great variety of wild flowers, 
 on roadways shaded by oak and mulberry, olive and fig 
 trees. Read in the "Notes" the clear exposition of the 
 idea of Messiah as coming through the gates of death to 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 147 
 
 the realm of departed spirits, escaping thence on the third 
 day to God, and returning exalted and glorious on the 
 clouds. It must have been indelibly impressed on the minds 
 of his followers that immediately after his acceptance of 
 the title of Messiah from Peter, Jesus foretold his possible 
 death. "We must not imagine that he knew of a certainty 
 what was to happen, but we can see that he read in the 
 words and actions of his enemies only too surely what was 
 likely to occur. He accepted the fate which might come 
 as the difficult path which Messiah must tread. His idea 
 is still dark and bewildering to his followers. Even Peter, 
 who had the flash of insight concerning the mission of Jesus, 
 cannot accept the idea that he might lose his life if he con- 
 tinues to teach the people what he believes about the King- 
 dom of God. Jesus' quick response, "Get thee behind me, 
 Satan," shows how great was the temptation to try to save 
 his own life, and how promptly that temptation was re- 
 sisted. 
 
 Tell no man. The spiritual kingdom which Jesus felt 
 Messiah was to establish was not in accord with popular 
 expectation. The disciples themselves needed much instruc- 
 tion before Jesus' idea became their own, even in part. 
 To acclaim him as Messiah would add to his peril, and 
 their own, from the civil authorities, and might bring about 
 the more serious trouble of popular uprising against the 
 Eoman government; so he instructed them to tell no one 
 that he was Messiah. 
 
 The Cost of Discipleship. (95) Section 95, which brings 
 together sayings recorded at various places in the three 
 Gospels, gives a vivid presentation of the stress of soul in 
 which Jesus looked forward to the fulfillment of his great 
 purpose and the peril which, as he was aware, awaited the 
 attempt. He gives his followers full warning of their pos- 
 sible danger, and says some things so remarkable and 
 universally true that they apply to all time— to his fol- 
 lowers, and to every one who would help establish the 
 Kingdom of righteousness, and truth, and peace. 
 
 The Transfiguration. In this legendary story, full of 
 
148 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 the symbolism of the expectation of the Hebrews, and col- 
 ored by passages of their Scripture, we have perhaps an 
 ecstatic religious experience of Jesus, which he endeavored 
 to share with the three of his followers who were his closest 
 friends. The scene puts into graphic form the new con- 
 ception of the spiritual mission of Jesus, and the disciples' 
 revised idea of the Messiah under his teaching. "Was this 
 incident some inner illumination of the Master's soul, like 
 his baptismal vision 1 What we know is that from his deep 
 experiences he drew that unfaltering courage with which 
 from the time of his recognition of his Messiahship, on to 
 the end, he faced peril, opposition, the desertion of his fol- 
 lowers, public shame, and at last death itself. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 If the class prayer was made the assignment for home 
 work last week, use five minutes before beginning this lesson 
 for its consideration. 
 
 Openings. (1) After reading the lesson together use 
 the Outline Map in the Note Book on which to trace the 
 journey Jesus made with his disciples. Notice the moun- 
 tainous character of much of that region. Have the pupils 
 point to the places where Capernaum, Tyre, Sidon, and 
 Caasarea Philippi were located ; also the Lebanon mountains, 
 and Mt. Hermon. They will like to know that this is the 
 mountain which tradition said was the scene of the Trans- 
 figuration. 
 
 (2) Open the lesson with a series of questions, which 
 relate to foreigners and foreign countries. You will know 
 whether any pupil in your class has visited or lived in an- 
 other land. You may be able to bring some experience of 
 your own, briefly, as a starting point from which to picture 
 this account of Jesus and his followers among a foreign 
 people. We have aliens living in this country — many of 
 them. Where would one see such people at their best, 
 here, or in their own land amid familiar surroundings? 
 Notice the tendency of boys and girls to make fun of those 
 of another land or race; the nicknames for them are all 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 149 
 
 too familiar. Can a feeling of sympathy be cultivated? 
 Try. Suppose you begin abruptly : ' ' Have you ever seen 
 a foreigner?" That causes amusement. Follow immedi- 
 ately with: "Have you ever been a foreigner?" That is 
 a thought that sobers. "Put yourself in his place" when 
 an alien is in mind. Would you do better, or as well, in 
 a foreign tongue? with new customs and surroundings? 
 Would your clothes look queer in Syria? Jesus had seen 
 many people of different lands, no doubt, for Galilee was 
 on the trade routes between Arabia and Tyre. Now he 
 goes into a neighboring country, where he is the "for- 
 eigner." How would he feel toward the people? How 
 would you want them to treat him? Lead the lesson into 
 a consideration of the woman and her petition — then on 
 to the scene between Jesus and the disciples near Ctesarea 
 Philippi. 
 
 Lesson Development. In considering the approval of 
 Jesus for the saying of the woman, recall his commendation 
 of another foreigner. Do the pupils remember who it was, 
 and how Jesus said he had not found such faith in Israel? 
 (See Lesson 7, incident of the Centurion, and let the class 
 review the story.) 
 
 Recall the rumors that had reached Herod about the 
 Wonder- Worker of Galilee. Now by a question Jesus 
 draws from his disciples what people are saying. "One 
 of the old prophets has come to earth again." "John the 
 Baptist is alive. " "Elijah is among us." Then he puts a 
 searching question: Who say ye that I am? By the very 
 words he implies that they may well consider their leader 
 to be one of those of whom the prophets had spoken: 
 "Elijah must first come," "that prophet," or "he who 
 should redeem Israel. " It is impetuous Peter who speaks : 
 ' ' Thou art the Messiah ' ' and wins the approbation of Jesus. 
 Can you think how the Twelve must have felt — what in- 
 tense excitement the words must have stirred in their 
 hearts? Their leader, for whom they had left all, is the 
 great Deliverer! I think I should like to have been one 
 of that little group, in that hour ! 
 
150 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 Now across that joy a dark shadow falls. The path of 
 Messiah is not an easy one. "I must face death at Jeru- 
 salem if we go there — and go we must." What wonder 
 that Peter, impulsive as always, quickly protests. Jesus 
 will not allow himself to believe that he is likely to escape 
 the snare his opponents have already set for him. His 
 words, "Get thee behind me, Satan," are addressed as a 
 rebuke to Peter, who now seems like a tempter to lure 
 Jesus from his purpose. 
 
 "Count the cost" — that is the meaning of the illustration 
 of building a tower, and of the King going to war. "Do 
 not undertake this mission with me," Jesus says in effect, 
 ' ' and then give it up because it requires more sacrifice than 
 you supposed. It may take everything — even your life ; are 
 you willing to go?" 
 
 The wonderful passage about taking up one's cross and 
 following rises into a truth not local but universal. The 
 path of self-denial is the way to the heights; Jesus walked 
 it, and summons us his road. 
 
 Now take the story of transfiguration. After this talk 
 with his disciples, first exciting, then saddening, Jesus was 
 revealed to them in a new light. He was greater than they 
 thought — fit companion of Moses and Elijah, as Messiah 
 should be. He was so great that he was even willing to die 
 if he must, for the sake of his cause. God was with him, 
 approved of him ; God would be with them ; the very hairs 
 of their heads were numbered. Why fear? All this is 
 transformed into the beautiful story which tells that Jesus 
 was transfigured before them — that a vision of his greatness 
 was given them. Can you read the spiritual meanings into 
 it? Let the poem help us. 
 
 Lesson Close. Have the pupils read in closing the lesson, 
 the poem found on p. 42 in their Note Book; taking the 
 stanzas in turn, or in unison if they read well together. 
 
 The poem is printed here, that the teacher may have it for 
 reference, and may take part with the class in the reading. 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 151 
 
 ON THE MOUNT 
 
 Not always on the mount may we 
 Rapt in the heavenly vision be: 
 The shores of thought and feeling know 
 The Spirit's tidal ebb and flow. 
 
 "Lord, it is good abiding here," 
 We cry, the heavenly presence near; 
 The vision vanishes, our eyes 
 Are lifted into vacant skies. 
 
 Yet hath one such exalted hour 
 Upon the soul redeeming power, 
 And in its strength through after days 
 We travel our appointed ways, 
 
 Till all the lowly vale grows bright, 
 Transfigured in remembered light, 
 And in untiring souls we bear 
 The freshness of the upper air. 
 
 The mount for vision : but below 
 The paths of daily duty go, 
 And nobler life therein shall own 
 The pattern on the mountain shown. 
 
 (Frederick Lucian Hosmer.) 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 Report of the class work, if the class is organized, should 
 be assigned each week to a different member, as was earlier 
 suggested. See that each pupil takes the copy of the poem 
 "On the Mount" from the envelope, to memorize during 
 the week. 
 
 Hawthorne 's story, ' ' The Great Stone Face, ' ' is again of 
 interest here in connection with the story of the transfig- 
 uration. Will each member read it at home during the 
 week ? A note to the parents, making the request, will help 
 you to secure this much home work from each pupil. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Ask the pupils to choose one passage which they think 
 striking, and write it in the Note Book, page 42, and insert 
 the picture of Mt. Hermon. Places referred to under Les- 
 son Opening (1), may be marked on Outline Map, p. 43. 
 
152 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. + 
 
 Hole : The Faith of the Syro-Phcenician -woman. 236. 
 
 Hole: The Inquiry near Caasarea Philippi. 237. 
 
 Hole: The Transfiguration. 238. 
 
 Caasarea Philippi — Underwood Stereographs, Nos. 10881, 10849, 
 
 3169, 10878, 10879. 
 Wilde, 219. 
 
 Raphael: Transfiguration. Wilde, 89; Perry, 339. 
 
 Fra Angelico : Transfiguration. Wilde, 257. 
 
 No pictures of the transfiguration are valuable as teaching ma- 
 terial. The teacher may wish pupils to know them as artists' 
 representation of Bible stories. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 I came to cast fire upon the earth; and how would I that it 
 were already kindled. 
 
 Glistening . . . exceeding white, so as no fuller on earth could 
 whiten them. 
 
Lesson 19 
 TRUE GREATNESS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 96-100. 
 
 96. The Ambition of James and John. Mk. 
 10 : 35-45. 
 
 97. Jesus Foretells his Death. Mk. 9:10-13, 
 30-32. 
 
 98. Which of the Disciples is Greatest? ilk. 
 9 : 33-36. 
 
 99. Jesus and the Children. Mk. 9 : 37 ; 10 : 13- 
 16. 
 
 100. Unavowed Friends. Mk. 9 : 38-41. 
 
 In this lesson are included two of the tenderest of those 
 scenes in the life of Jesus which were remembered and 
 recorded by his followers, namely, those which picture him 
 with little children. Some of his most remarkable religious 
 utterances relate to them. He used the child to illustrate 
 that attitude of humility and the receptive spirit which 
 fitted one to be a member of the Kingdom of God. He 
 showed, also, in words that live and glow with meaning, the 
 true greatness of service. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Time and Place of These Events. Two references in 
 these sections (97-98) speak of places in which incidents 
 occurred. The first tells of certain teaching given to the 
 disciples by Jesus while they were "passing through Gali- 
 lee"; the second states their arrival at Capernaum. Our 
 arrangement of the Gospel material puts the request made 
 by James and John just before the incident of the discussion 
 as to which of the disciples was the greatest. Mark has re- 
 corded it later, after a statement that Jesus had come into 
 the borders of Judaaa and beyond the Jordan. For this rea- 
 son commentaries place both this incident and the one of 
 
 153 
 
154 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 blessing little children (Sec. 99) as occurring in Perea, on 
 the last journey to Jerusalem. There is nothing except 
 Mark 's order of arrangement of his material which suggests 
 Perea as the scene. The discussion over chief places in the 
 Kingdom seems rightly to be part of the talk about greatness 
 which occurred on the journey back to Capernaum from 
 Cffisarea Philippi. The incident of blessing little children 
 would seem most natural where our Gospel gives it, in 
 Capernaum, or at least in Galilee, where Jesus had been 
 preaching and healing for months, and where he was well 
 known. 
 
 The Request of James and John. (96) The plea of these 
 two disciples that the chief seats in the new Kingdom might 
 be given to them, reveals how firmly fixed in their minds 
 was the idea of a national deliverance and a temporal king- 
 dom. We must not consider that it meant that they had 
 too exalted an opinion of themselves. They looked for 
 that honor as a reward of their fidelity and length of service. 
 They had been with Jesus from the first ; only Simon Peter, 
 the impetuous, and his brother Andrew ranked with them 
 in being the earliest of his followers. Note that Matthew 
 says their mother made the request. Mark's account, which 
 our text follows, besides being the earlier one, bears the 
 marks of a genuine incident. 
 
 In his questions to them Jesus refers again to the dif- 
 ficulties and perils of discipleship, and tells them that the 
 reward for their services in his cause is not his to bestow; 
 " it is for them for whom it hath been prepared. ' ' Matthew 
 adds the words "of my Father." The indignation of the 
 Ten at the ambition of the two disciples gives the oppor- 
 tunity for the remarkable words which Jesus uttered con- 
 cerning the greatness of service. 
 
 Were passing through Galilee. (97) A return into 
 Galilee where Jesus was so well known had to be made 
 "without observation," if he were to have opportunity to 
 teach his disciples. We have noticed before (Sec. 75), 
 that the throngs of people who came to be healed inter- 
 fered seriously with his real work of teaching. There was 
 added now, also, a greater peril from the antagonism of 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 155 
 
 the Pharisees and from the suspicions of Herod, the crafty 
 Tetrarch of Galilee. 
 
 Son of Man. The phrase here used means Messiah. 
 We must be on our guard against accepting the idea that 
 Jesus foretold his death in terms so specific as are some of 
 those employed in the Gospels. His warnings about the 
 peril to his life, and his teaching that Messiah must suffer, 
 took on this definite form after the events had occurred. 
 "Rise again from the dead" was a puzzling saying; after 
 Jesus' death it signified to his followers that his spirit left 
 the realm of shades, which they thought of as the abode of 
 the dead, and was raised into heaven to be with God, whence 
 he should again appear in power as Messiah to establish 
 the promised kingdom. It was many years after the death 
 of Jesus before the idea of a physical resurrection to a brief 
 period of life on earth came to be accepted. 
 
 Elijah is come. The disciples understood (Mt. 17:13) 
 that in speaking of Elijah he referred to John the Baptist. 
 Jesus' predictions concerning his own death were based in 
 part on John's fate. Those in authority, who had silenced 
 John and taken his life, were now pursuing Jesus and it 
 was more than likely that he could not escape them. 
 
 Were afraid to ask him. That Messiah "should suffer 
 many things and be set at nought" was so foreign to the 
 disciples' thought of the victorious redeemer of Israel that 
 they could not easily understand it, and they feared to ask. 
 
 Came to Capernaum. (98) Once more Jesus and his 
 followers were in the city he had chosen for his home, and 
 in the house in which he dwelt. It is his last stay in 
 Capernaum, for he soon leaves the city to start for the Pass- 
 over in Jerusalem where his life is ended. 
 
 Lowest of all and servant of all. The contention of the 
 disciples, which had occurred on the way as they journeyed, 
 as to who among them was greatest, was known to Jesus, 
 and he took this quiet time alone with them to correct their 
 material conception of what made any one great. He 
 pointed out that true greatness lies in genuine self-for- 
 getting service. ' ' Whoever would be first among you, ' ' he 
 said, "must be lowest (or last) of all and servant of all." 
 
156 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 The picture of Jesus with, the little child is one of the 
 most beautiful scenes given in the Gospel story. Mark 
 alone adds to the picture the telling phrase "taking him in 
 his arms." The words Jesus used point to true humility 
 as the quality needed for greatness in the kingdom of God. 
 
 Jesus Blessing Little Children. (99) Parents were ac- 
 customed to obtain benedictions for their children from the 
 rulers of the synagogue. It is to Jesus that mothers are 
 now bringing the little ones for this customary blessing. 
 The disciples no doubt thought that the interruption to the 
 Master's work of teaching was not justified. The blessing 
 seemed to them a trivial affair. Jesus not only received 
 the children and gave the blessing which was asked, but he 
 used their presence as the occasion to tell his hearers that 
 they should receive the Kingdom of God as a little child. 
 
 John's Report to Jesus. (100) The attitude of Jesus 
 toward one who was reported to be " casting out demons in 
 his name" shows how gladly he welcomed to his fellowship 
 even the least of his followers. Especially one who was 
 seeking to carry his influence to those needing help would 
 not be opposed to his teaching and his methods. The re- 
 ward which should come to one who did the slightest serv- 
 ice for his sake is shown by the sentence about the cup of 
 cold water, one of the best loved and most familiar of all 
 the sayings of Jesus. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Openings. (1) You see from what we have read that 
 Jesus and his disciples talked together about being great. 
 You may refer to the different kinds of greatness: that 
 which depends (a) on position; (b) on achievement; (c) 
 on the quality of life in one's self. "Which of these do 
 jon think the disciples were thinking most about? "What 
 did Jesus teach as essential? Illustrate each sort with a 
 concrete instance. Use newspaper references to some one 
 of prominent position. Let the class mention others, if 
 they can, and name some who are famous because of 
 having done great things. Now help them to comprehend 
 a hero who does some service at cost to himself; who 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 157 
 
 stands by a principle against popular opinion; who tells 
 the truth when he might have been silent; who sacrifices 
 position and honors for the sake of some one else. The 
 illustration for this needs to be a dramatic incident if pupils 
 of this age really appreciate it. How about honors that 
 come from position : are they always deserved ? Some gain 
 them by inheritance, and may or may not have the quali- 
 ties which would win distinction without the position. Do 
 some peop'le secure advantages through having a "pull"? 
 Bring the incidents down to the pupils' lives. Are such 
 positions as captain of football teams, officers in any of the 
 school societies, chief places in dramatic presentations and 
 entertainments secured always by merit, or does influence 
 sometimes prevail instead? 
 
 Now lead to the request o-f the Apostles. They wanted 
 the chief positions of honor and authority in the new King- 
 dom. Do you think they deserved them 1 "Were they, per- 
 haps, relying a little on the friendship of Jesus to secure 
 what they wanted ? You remember that they asked him to 
 grant their request before they told him what it was. How 
 quickly Jesus reveals to them the quality which he expects 
 in his followers. All around them, among the Jewish peo- 
 ple, they could see the ravages of common life, the oppres- 
 sion of the poor, made by those in authority who held high 
 positions. In the spiritual kingdom of which he taught, 
 quality of life was the main thing ; so the honors for which 
 they ask are not his to give. They are reserved for those 
 who prove worthy in the eye of God, who sees the inner life. 
 
 (2) The teacher who draws easily may approach the 
 same theme in another way. A cartoon by Thackeray 
 which may be seen in a file of Scrioner's Monthly (Old 
 Series 20, p. 257) gives the suggestion. You may carry 
 out the idea without having seen the picture. The first 
 drawing, which he names "Rex," shows all the appurte- 
 nances of a king. The second, called "Ludovicus," repre- 
 sents a small, bald-headed, weak, inferior-looking man. In 
 the third drawing, named "Ludovicus Rex," the two are 
 brought together. The man clothed in the royal robes is a 
 very imposing looking personage. When the children see 
 
158 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 the point of what you are trying to represent, get them to 
 name the different sorts of greatness suggested in Opening 
 1, and then lead to the subject of the disciples' request to 
 Jesus as before. 
 
 Lesson Development. It will probably be wise to use, 
 as here suggested, the idea of greatness as the central 
 theme of this lesson, and to take the passages relating to 
 Jesus and the children mainly as illustrative material. 
 You need not dwell on the familiar words, "Suffer little 
 children." The pupils have known this verse as long as 
 any in our New Testament. If dwelt upon here it will 
 seem like going back to the lessons of their childhood. 
 They like better that which gives them the forward look 
 toward the interests of mature life. 
 
 An enlarging outlook of this sort may well be given the 
 class by interesting them in the problem of child labor. 
 Boys and girls in our schools need to know that many chil- 
 dren in our land are still employed in factories, and are 
 compelled to do hard tasks connected with ' ' sweated indus- 
 tries ' ' while still very young. It is a social question upon 
 which, in a very few years, these pupils may have an influ- 
 ence. The topic was treated in story form in this course 
 for children of eight. Here the interest may be deepened, 
 and made more definite. Pacts about the employment of 
 children, kept strictly up to date, may be secured by writ- 
 ing for the free literature on the subject issued by The 
 Child Labor Bureau, 105 East 22nd Street, New York City. 
 You need not dwell on the tragic incidents. More will be 
 accomplished, once the need to do something about child 
 labor is made clear, by bringing out the religious appeal. 
 The saying of Jesus, ' ' Take heed that ye despise not one of 
 these little ones," is amplified in the following verse from 
 Elizabeth Barrett Browning, from a poem written at the 
 time of the awakening over the condition of toiling chil- 
 dren in England. 
 
 "Do you hear the children weeping, my brothers, 
 Ere the sorrow comes with years? 
 They are leaning their young 1 heads against their mothers, 
 And that cannot stop their tears. 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 159 
 
 They look up with their pale and sunken faces, 
 
 And their look is sad to see, 
 For they mind you of their angels in high places, 
 
 With eyes turned on Deity." 
 
 Earnest people in England, when they learned the condi- 
 tions, made and enforced laws which prevented young chil- 
 dren in that land from being employed at wearing tasks. Can 
 we do something to help prevent child-labor in our own land ? 
 
 Several pictures of Jesus receiving and blessing little 
 children are suggested and may be found attractive. The 
 difficulty about using the work of the older artists is that 
 the pictures convey a rather stilted and unnatural idea of 
 Jesus. They have value as works of art, value, too, in 
 showing how people have thought of Jesus in the past. 
 Scenes, however, like that of the Greek priest blessing vil- 
 lage children will do more than the pictures of great artists 
 to teach the pupils what Jesus did, and something of his 
 mode of life and manner of dressing. The great pictures 
 will, in the hands of a skilful teacher, do that other essential 
 thing, — help pupils to realize the ideal quality in the life of 
 Jesus. You may bring out here by the use of any or all of 
 them, or from the story alone, the kindness in the heart of 
 Jesus that was revealed in his treatment of little children 
 Then lead the theme back to greatness in God's kingdom, 
 and show how the little child is a type of such greatness. 
 
 Have a care concerning the way you try to enforce the 
 lesson of humility as an essential element of character. 
 There is a self-respect that is desirable, and boys and girls 
 just coming into manhood and womanhood are conscious 
 of the fact. They should not seek to secure a humility 
 which is mere self -depreciation. The right quality is that 
 generous spirit which is quick to recognize merit in others 
 and which is so filled with good will that it will sacrifice 
 mere position when by doing so the gain to some one else 
 is great. 
 
 In the closing paragraph (Sec. 100), is the account of 
 the man who was said to be casting out demons, using the 
 name of Jesus for the purpose. The disciples very likely 
 thought that he was claiming to be one of their fellow- 
 
160 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 ship, yet was not willing to share their duties and responsi- 
 bilities. Jesus sees more deeply than do they, and accepts 
 as in sympathy with him the man who is merely citing his 
 name and influence in trying to do a good work. 
 
 The scene between the two sons of Zebedee and Jesus 
 gives opportunity for leading this lesson out toward the 
 next, and for dealing with the principle of religious con- 
 secration which this chapter enforces. The high tide of 
 emotion is reached in the question which Jesus asked: 
 "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be bap- 
 tized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" Think 
 of the entire giving of himself, the tragedy and pain he had 
 to bear, which that sentence reveals! He dares to ask the 
 same consecration from his disciples,— and the divine Spirit 
 asks it still, of you and me. "Who are most truly the fol- 
 lowers of Jesus? Pour lines written by Eeginald Heber 
 may help us to answer : — 
 
 "Who best can drink his eup of woe 
 Triumphant over pain; 
 Who patient bears his cross below, — 
 He follows in his train." 
 Lesson Close. 
 
 The class may recite, together, from memory, if possible, 
 one or more of the passages which are to be recorded on p. 
 44 of the Note Book. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 As Jesus is soon to leave Galilee, never to return, the 
 pupils may like to think of some of the things which he saw 
 there. Ask them to bring in lists of some of the things 
 Jesus saw in Galilee, such as trees, flowers, modes of 
 travel, the dress of men and of women; also a list which 
 they may call "Some things which I see every day that 
 Jesus never saw." Such books as the two by Abraham 
 M. Rihbany, A Far Journey and The Syrian Christ will 
 be of help; also Sunderland's The Bible and the Bible 
 Country in the Beacon series; Life in Palestine Whtfn 
 Jesus Lived by J. Estlin Carpenter; George A. Smith's 
 The Historical Geography of Palestine, or Van Dyke's Out 
 of Doors in Palestine. 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 161 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The pupils should write from memory the two passages 
 taken from the lesson; the verse at the end of Section 96, 
 and the one which closes Sec. 99, and insert the round pic- 
 ture, Jesus Blessing Little Children. This is for p. 44. 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 Hole : Jesus Blessing- Little Children. 242. 
 
 Ballheim: Jesus and the Little Child. Wilde, 97. 
 
 (This illustrates Sec. 97.) 
 Hofmann: Jesus and the Children. 
 
 Wilde, 109; Perry, 797-L; Brown, 1014. 
 Ploekhorst : Jesus and the Children. 
 
 Brown, 199; Perry, 807; Wilde, 110. 
 Voegel: Jesus and the Children. Wilde, 111; Brown, 1069. 
 Tissot: Suffer Little Children to Come unto Me. 71. 
 
 Kirschbach : Jesus, the Children's Friend. 
 
 (These illustrate See. 96.) 
 A Greek Priest Blessing Little Children. Underwood Stereo- 
 graph. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 (Many in these sections are especially noteworthy both from 
 their form and their religious meaning. Ask the pupils to choose 
 three which they like best.) 
 
 Sidelights. 
 
 With the teaching of Jesus concerning true greatness the 
 teacher may wish to compare, possibly to use with the class, 
 the famous speech in Shakespeare's Henry VIII, Act III, 
 Scene 2, in which Cardinal Wolsey is speaking of his 
 downfall : 
 
 "Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition : 
 By that sin fell the angels ; how can man, then, 
 The image of his Maker, hope to win by't? 
 Love thyself last; cherish those hearts that hate thee: 
 Corruption wins not more than honesty. 
 Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace, 
 To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not: 
 Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, 
 Thy God's, and truth's : then, if thou fall'st, O Cromwell, 
 Thou fall'st a blessed martyr!" 
 
Lesson 20 
 
 THE PATH OF DISCIPLESHIP : TAKING THE 
 HARD ROAD 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 104-110. 
 
 104. The Rich Young Man. Mk. 10 : 17-27. 
 
 105. Parable of the Foolish Rich Man. Lk. 12: 
 13-20. 
 
 106. Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Lk. 
 12:13-20. 
 
 107. Faithfulness in Little Things. Lk. 16:14- 
 15, 10-12. 
 
 108-9. Difficulties of Discipleship. Lk. 9 : 57-62 ; 
 
 Mt. 10 : 37 ; Mk. 10 : 29-31 ; Mt. 18 .- 7-9. 
 110. The Message to Herod. Lk. 13 : 31-32. 
 
 The time in the life of Jesus represented by this lesson 
 is critical. It is most important that he secure new fol- 
 lowers, and he must demand unflinching loyalty from them. 
 The little group is in danger from the authorities in gov- 
 ernment and the established and conservative elements of 
 society. Neither wealth nor family ties and duties should 
 be allowed to interfere with the claims of the new King- 
 dom. Some of the sayings apply to the conditions which 
 his disciples are here facing. Many of them are so uni- 
 versal in character that they are true now for those who 
 would be followers of Jesus and with him heirs of the King- 
 dom. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 A young man. (104) Luke alone refers to him as a 
 ruler, which term is not used in our text. All the ac- 
 counts represent him as having great wealth, and Mark 
 
 162 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 163 
 
 suggests an attractive personality by stating that Jesus, 
 looking on him, loved him. His respect for Jesus is evi- 
 dent, his question sincere; there seems no desire to praise 
 himself in his simple assertion that he has kept the com- 
 mandments from his youth up. The teaching of Jesus to 
 which he had listened seems to have made him conscious 
 that there is higher achievement possible than that secured 
 by passive obedience. He wanted to do something worthy 
 — hard if need be — to win eternal life. 
 
 None is good save one. The most genuine soul is ever 
 most modest. The word used by the young man to qualify 
 his address of "Master" seems to have implied too much. 
 Jesus says that only God could deserve it. 
 
 One thing thou lackest. The young man had never re- 
 ceived the discipline of hardship, of intense devotion to the 
 highest things, or of sacrifice for others. Jesus points out 
 a way to secure the higher quality of life. It is a hard 
 road, indeed, but the one by which he would lay up treas- 
 ures in heaven, yet the young man turned away; fellow- 
 ship with Jesus seemed to cost too much. 
 
 They that have riches. It is not money in itself that 
 Jesus condemns ; it is that attitude of mind which makes its 
 possessor want always the best things and the easiest way 
 for himself. Can one escape this snare of wealth? Yes, 
 one may. Jesus pointed out that it was possible, even 
 though difficult, and it has often been done. 
 
 The illustration about the camel and the needle's eye is 
 to be taken literally. It is an oriental way of using exag- 
 gerated similes. (See The Syrian Christ, pp. 130-132.) 
 
 The Foolish Rich Man. (105) A request for a division 
 of the inheritance between two brothers, perhaps entirely 
 just, is set aside by Jesus as a matter which he is not en- 
 titled to decide, but it brings out one of his telling parables. 
 There is a social implication in the picture of a man gath- 
 ering up the fruits of the earth for himself alone ; but it is 
 the religious lesson, the foolishness of being contented with 
 mere earthly possessions which is its especial teaching. 
 
 The Rich Man and Lazarus. (107) Teaching that is 
 
164 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 based on true insight is often scoffed at by those who are 
 under the domination of material things. Jesus points out 
 to the Pharisees that they have not been faithful to the 
 trust reposed in them in the possession of property, which 
 he here names "unrighteous mammon" to contrast it with 
 the "true riches" of the spirit. 
 
 The Hard Road. (108-109) How vividly the hardships 
 which Jesus and his followers must endure are here pic- 
 tured! The passage beginning "The foxes have holes," 
 describing the homeless condition of the Master, is touching. 
 Read again in this connection Sec. 95. The last half of 
 109 is interpreted as an oriental form of speech by A. M. 
 Rihbany, in The Syrian Christ, pp. 119-121. 
 
 The Message to Ilerod. (110) The growing hostility of 
 Herod Antipas toward Jesus had become known. He had 
 killed John the Baptist, though reluctantly. It is reported 
 that he is now seeking to kill this other preacher of a new 
 Kingdom of God. Was Jesus in so much danger from 
 Herod? Luke tells us later (23:8) that Herod had long 
 desired to see Jesus, hoping that he might witness a 
 miracle done by him. Who were these Pharisees who 
 warned Jesus ? Some of his own followers ? or, more likely, 
 his opponents who were anxious to get him out of the coun- 
 try? Possibly part of the message, biting and sarcastic, 
 which fell from the lips of Jesus, was meant for them as 
 much as for the Tetrarch. 
 
 Go tell that fox. Jesus uses here a term of contempt 
 which shows what he thought of the mingled timidity and 
 tyranny, insolence and baseness, of Herod Antipas. The 
 phrase "the third day" is a colloquial term for a time near 
 at hand. The words "I am perfected" are not easy to 
 interpret, unless we judge that the after-events uncon- 
 sciously influenced the late report of what Jesus said. "I 
 must go on" seems to mean, "I must keep at my work"; 
 that is, his career must continue yet a short time, then 
 comes the end. 
 
 The defiance and keen satire of Jesus' speech must not 
 be overlooked. It is as if Jesus said, "Go tell that fox, 
 
THOU AET THE MESSIAH 165 
 
 Look you; I shall go on casting out demons and curing 
 people today, and tomorrow, but very soon I shall have 
 finished. I shall indeed 'depart' (go on my way), today, 
 or tomorrow, or the day after. He means to kill me, does 
 he? Can it be that a prophet shall indeed perish outside 
 of Jerusalem? — that Jerusalem which killeth the prophets 
 and stoneth them that are sent unto her ! ' ' 
 
 The Crisis. The situation in which Jesus found himself 
 and his cause just before his departure for Jerusalem, is 
 well stated in the following passage : 
 
 "Pathetic, yet heroic and majestic, is the picture which 
 the gospels give of Jesus during these days of readjust- 
 ment. Wandering amid strange environment, almost over- 
 whelmed with a deep sense of disappointment, apprehen- 
 sive regarding the loyalty of even his immediate followers, 
 facing death and the shame of seeming failure, he prepared 
 not only himself but his disciples for the supreme sacrifice 
 which they were called to make." (Kent.) 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Openings. (1) Who is thought to be the richest man 
 
 in this country? "Rich as ." What name is put 
 
 there in a popular proverb? (Croesus.) Do you want to 
 be rich? Why? What else do you want besides money? 
 Will money buy everything ? Do you think the rich young 
 man ought to have given all of his money to the poor as 
 Jesus asked him to do ? 
 
 Get honest answers to these questions and do not be 
 shocked if they are frankly materialistic. Boys and girls 
 naturally want whatever seems worth having. They know 
 how much respect is given to those who possess wealth. 
 To help them to gain spiritual ideals you must start with 
 the opinions they now have and show respect for them. 
 
 Teachers of girls should be especially careful not to ac- 
 cept perfunctory answers which the pupils imagine are 
 "what the teacher wants," or which they give under the 
 impression that to accept without question what Jesus says 
 shows a religious attitude of mind. Leave unsettled the 
 
166 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 question of what the rich young man should have done, if 
 there is a difference of opinion about it. Try to help them 
 to feel what Jesus said when he saw him turn away from 
 him: How hard it is for a rich man — yes, for any one 
 — to enter the Kingdom of God! Riches may blind the 
 eyes. They may lower ideals. On the other hand, money 
 may be used for great ends, used to carry out high purposes. 
 Now take the thought back to the conditions that Jesus and 
 his followers were facing. Does that make a difference? 
 Call up some situations where the hard thing is the only 
 fine thing to do, — when one would be willing to give up 
 ease, time, money, even life itself. Keep the picture of 
 Jesus and his followers sharply before the class. Let the 
 pupils have a chance to admire their loyalty, devotion, and 
 heroism. This will do more to help your class form right 
 ideals than will any discussion of the modern problems of 
 wealth and poverty, or any consideration of the sacrifices 
 which discipleship today may demand. For these things 
 they have as yet no experience to guide them. 
 
 (2) Use Lowell's poem "The Vision of Sir Launfal" as 
 an introduction to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. 
 Most boys and girls of thirteen know this poem well. Bring 
 out the reasons for Sir Launfal's treatment of the beggar: 
 (a) when he came out of the castle gate; (b) when he came 
 back again. Refer also to Dickens' Christmas Carol where 
 Scrooge had a vision of the visit of three spirits which 
 changed his attitude to the poor. Jesus was telling a story 
 of this sort in which seeming differences were blotted out 
 and essential values as eternity would reveal them were 
 made to appear. Who would enjoy the story most, do you 
 think ? The Pharisees, or the poor men who were compan- 
 ions of Jesus? 
 
 Lesson Development. Bowen's "Notes" give two excel- 
 lent teaching suggestions : The story of St. Francis of As- 
 sisi who renounced wealth and made his vow of poverty, 
 and the last verse of Savage's poem, which is given on p. 
 168. 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 167 
 
 The faithful use of what one now has is the best guar- 
 antee for right use of larger gifts or possessions if they 
 should come. If one said, "If I were rich as So-and-So, I 
 would give $10,000 to the Belgian Relief Fund," we are 
 entitled to ask whether he has given anything to that fund 
 out of his smaller income. So, also, fidelity in the use of 
 that which is another's is the best pledge of the right use 
 of one's own possessions. Jesus told the Pharisees they 
 had not been faithful in what had already been given to 
 them; how then could they expect that true riches should 
 be committed to their trust. Compare with this saying the 
 parable of the talents. 
 
 That the path of discipleship often leads along the hard 
 road is what makes the highest appeal to the heart. That 
 which is hard to do is usually best worth doing. The easy 
 way never reveals our powers to ourselves ; it seldom brings 
 out the heroism in us. All life is a challenge. The re- 
 ligious life is the highest of which we are capable because 
 it demands the most of us. It may lead us, too, by the way 
 of the cross. 
 
 When Garibaldi wanted to secure followers for his cause 
 he said to his men: "Soldiers, I offer you hunger, thirst, 
 cold, heat, no pay, no barracks, no rations, frequent alarms, 
 forced marches, charges at the point of the bayonet. Who- 
 ever loves honor and fatherland, follow me." Compare 
 with this what Jesus said to his disciples. His aim was not 
 to take life, but to save it. Would you like to have fol- 
 lowed Garibaldi ? Would you like to have followed Jesus ? 
 
 The requirements made of the disciples, asking them to 
 give up home, father and mother, houses and lands, in 
 many cases meant literally the breaking of family ties. 
 Jesus had found it necessary to do this too, you remember. 
 Tell what his family said about him; what he said about 
 those who were his mother and his brethren. (See Lesson 
 9.) 
 
 The religious teaching for this lesson, in part also for 
 this whole chapter, is summed up in the word consecra- 
 tion. It is not a mere passive attitude. It is a vital de- 
 
168 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 cision to take the hard road, to give up many things for the 
 sake of something supremely worth while. The memory 
 work tells us in a stirring way what such consecration de- 
 mands. Can you think of some one who has thus given 
 himself to a great task, or to a noble cause ? 
 
 Lesson Close. Use in concert the prayer of consecration 
 on p. 1 of the Note Book. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 Give out the leaf from the envelope which contains the 
 memory work to be learned during the week. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Enter on p. 46 the lists asked for in assignment of work 
 in the last lesson. 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 Hofmann : Christ and the Rich Young Man. 
 
 Wilde, 112; Perry, 802. 
 Bida: The Eich Young Man. 
 
 Soule, unmounted photo, 4x5, 15 cents. 
 Dore: The Eich Man and Lazarus. Wilde, 107; Perry, 584C. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 A great gulf fixed. 
 
 The first shall be last and the last first. 
 Pharisees who were lovers of money. 
 Herod would fain kill thee. 
 
 Added Teaching Material. 
 
 The story of St. Francis of Assisi. 
 Verse from poem by M. J. Savage : 
 
 Though loving friends forsake me, 
 
 Or plead with me in tears ; 
 Though angry foes may threaten, 
 
 To shake my soul with fears; 
 Still to my high allegiance 
 
 I must not faithless be; 
 Through life and death, forever 
 
 Lead on, I'll follow thee ! 
 
THOU ART THE MESSIAH 169 
 
 Memory Work. 
 
 He that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not 
 worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that 
 loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 
 
 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones 
 a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say 
 unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward. 
 
 (Mt. 10:38, 39,42.) 
 
 THE CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP 
 
 God's trumpet wakes the slumbering world, — 
 
 Now each man to his post! 
 The red-cross banner is unfurled, — 
 
 Who joins the glorious host 1 ? 
 
 He who, in fealty to the truth, 
 
 And counting all the cost, 
 Doth consecrate his generous youth, — 
 
 He joins the noble host! 
 
 He who, no anger on his tongue, 
 
 Nor any idle boast, 
 Bears steadfast witness against wrong, — 
 
 He joins the sacred host ! 
 
 He who, with calm, undaunted will, 
 
 Ne'er counts the battle lost, 
 But, though defeated, battles still, — 
 
 He joins the faithful host! 
 
 He who is ready for the cross, 
 
 The cause despised loves most, — 
 And shuns not pain or shame or loss, — 
 
 He joins the martyr host ! 
 
 (Samuel Longfellow.) 
 
Chapter VI 
 THE GATHERING DARKNESS 
 
 The Scene and Situation. Beginning at this point 
 our story rushes rapidly to the tragic close. The journey 
 down to the city where the nation's life centred is bright- 
 ened by several incidents, some of them social in character. 
 There is one joyous episode, the entry into Jerusalem. 
 Then the shadows fall, how swiftly! The scribes and 
 Pharisees plot to take the life of Jesus. One of his own 
 inner circle of followers betrays him. The chapter ends 
 with the arrest by night, with Jesus deserted by his band 
 of followers and held in the clutches of his enemies. 
 
 The Material. The four lessons are based on Sections 
 111 to 146 of the Gospel, omitting those which deal mainly 
 with the teaching in the temple. Some of these omitted 
 paragraphs will be included later, in Lessons 33 to 35. 
 
 The Lesson Aims. (1) To make the story vivid and 
 impressive. (2) To feel the qualities of the Master as re- 
 vealed in his attitude to Samaria, in the lament over Jeru- 
 salem, and in the heart-rending experience in the garden 
 of Gethsemane. (3) To use this part of the record of 
 Jesus ' life to help the pupil to live to the full his own best 
 life, through its emotional appeal. 
 
 Note Book Work. The pages arranged for this chapter 
 are designed to stimulate interest at a time in the course 
 when it might tend to flag. 
 
 170 
 
Lesson 21 
 THE JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 111-117. 
 
 111. The Start. Mk. 10 : 1 ; Lk. 8 : 1-3. 
 
 112. Mary and Martha. Lk. 10 : 38-42. 
 
 113. Jesus Again Foretells his Death. Mk. 10: 
 32-34. 
 
 114. The Inhospitable Samaritan Village. Lk. 17 : 
 11 ; 9 : 52-56. 
 
 115. Parable of the Good Samaritan. Lk. 10: 
 30-36. 
 
 116. Zaccheus. Lk. 19 : 1-9. 
 
 117. Blind Bartimaeus Cured. Mk. 10 : 46-52. 
 
 In contrast with the northern journey, which engaged 
 our interest in the last chapter, we now see Jesus and his 
 disciples starting south, making the annual pilgrimage to 
 Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Several charming inci- 
 dents, having a deep human interest, are given in connec- 
 tion with the journey. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The Start for Jerusalem. (Ill) Our Gospel combines 
 the various records in the first three Gospels which relate 
 the departure of Jesus for Jerusalem, in this manner: 
 And he arose from thence (Mk.) and departed from Galilee 
 (Mt.) and set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem (Lk.), 
 for the Passover was at hand. Both Matthew and Mark 
 tell also that he came into the borders of Juda?a and be- 
 yond the Jordan, which would seem to indicate the longer 
 route through Perea. Luke gives the incident of the 
 
 171 
 
172 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Samaritan village (114) which would imply that Jesus and 
 his disciples started on the shorter route through Samaria. 
 Luke does not mention Perea; but there is nothing in his 
 account to exclude the idea that, being repulsed at the 
 Samaritan village, Jesus then crossed the river Jordan and 
 proceeded through Perea. He, with Mark, shows Jesus 
 going by way of Jericho, where the two incidents of 
 Zaccheus and Bartimasus occurred. This indicates that he 
 had come down the Jordan valley. (Gilbert, p. 204.) 
 
 The Passover was at hand. (Ill) These words state the 
 fact, as the later narrative shows ; though the synoptic Gos- 
 pels do not here give it as the reason why Jesus started to go 
 to Jerusalem. That the earliest narrative up to this point 
 has no mention of a Passover may favor the view that none 
 had occurred since Jesus began his work, and so indicate 
 that the ministry in Galilee lasted less than a year. 
 
 And certain women. It is Luke only who mentions the 
 women who journeyed with Jesus and his disciples and 
 ministered unto them. Mary Magdalene (Mag-da-le'-ne) 
 means "Mary (Miriam) of the town of Magdala." Tradi- 
 tion, wholly without basis, long identified her with the sin- 
 ner who "loved much," and that idea still persists, as is 
 shown in the modern play called "The Magdalene" and in 
 the presentation of Mary Magdalene given in the Passion 
 Play at Oberammergau. These women whose names are 
 given, and others, are said to have "ministered of their 
 substance" to these teachers. This gives an interesting 
 glimpse of one way by which Jesus and his disciples were 
 provided for while teaching and healing. 
 
 Mary and Martha. It is John's account which locates 
 this incident at Bethany. Luke, the earlier gospel, says 
 only a "certain village," where or what one we do not 
 know, nor have we any further record of these two sisters. 
 
 It is probable that the answer Jesus made to Martha con- 
 tains a play on words which translation and change of 
 custom has quite obscured ; for the word used in the phrase 
 "the good part" means a portion, as of a feast; an apt re- 
 ply to Martha's charge that she was left to serve alone. It, 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 173 
 
 might be that it was a bit of pleasant repartee, which the 
 difference in language, as well as our tendency to find a 
 religious meaning in every recorded word of Jesus, prevents 
 us from apprehending. 
 
 Saying was hid from them. Again the record says Jesus 
 tried to prepare his disciples for the event which might 
 occur in Jerusalem, and to show them that it was the way 
 for Messiah which the prophets had foreseen. Two things 
 prevented them from understanding: their reluctance to 
 think about Jesus' death, and their own pre-conceptions of 
 Messiah. 
 
 The Village of Samaria. That the Samaritans, with 
 whom the Jews ordinarily had no dealings, should refuse 
 hospitality to a band of Galileans going down to the na- 
 tional feast, is not surprising. To James and John, who 
 were devoted to Jesus and who had recently come to see in 
 him the nation's Messiah, such treatment was a deep of- 
 fense. Yet how little they had understood the spirit of 
 their Master, if they wanted to bring down vengeance even 
 on the people who were unkind to him! It is significant 
 that his remarkable parable about the kindness of a Samari- 
 tan to an injured man should follow this incident. It must 
 have helped the indignant disciples to a kindlier feeling 
 toward these people. 
 
 The Good Samaritan. (115) This is a concrete example 
 of the working of the law of love. How effective the story 
 must have been, told to pilgrims who in going to the Pass- 
 over, each year, were compelled to pass through the rocky, 
 uninhabited wilderness which lay between the Jordan val- 
 ley and Jerusalem. How doubly effective to the disciples, 
 whose anger had recently been roused against Samaritans! 
 Jesus takes one of the despised people as a type of true gen- 
 erosity and piety. One of the two roads between Jerusa- 
 lem and Jericho was known as the "Bloody Way." It led 
 through the perilous gorge haunted by Bedouin marauders. 
 The traveller — the rest of the story shows that he was a 
 j ew — literally "went down," as the descent is six hundred 
 feet in the twenty-one miles from Jerusalem to Jericho. 
 
174 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 The words "by chance" add an interesting touch to the 
 picture. The Samaritan would not be returning from the 
 feast, nor travelling with the caravan, as the Jews usually 
 did. The priest, in passing by the wounded man, neg- 
 lected the duty of kindness which the law enjoins should 
 be shown to one of his own countrymen. The Levite, eager 
 for ceremonial observances, was still colder at heart. It 
 was the despised Samaritan who was truly kind, who ob- 
 served the law of love. 
 
 Zaccheus. (Zak-kee'-us) (116) Here, as in Lesson 5, we 
 have an incident which shows Jesus as being kind to the 
 despised tax-gatherers. Zaccheus had wealth, but no social 
 standing. Jesus shows him public recognition and favor, 
 and is received joyfully into his house. His words about 
 giving half his goods to the poor and the restoration of 
 more than the law required, imply a mode of action to be 
 followed from this time on ; so Jesus says to him, "This day 
 is salvation come to this house." 
 
 The Sycomore tree is a sort of fig-mulberry, a low, spread- 
 ing tree common in Palestine. 
 
 A great multitude. (117) The word "great" might 
 perhaps better be translated "considerable." This com- 
 pany which started for Jerusalem from Jericho did not 
 necessarily consist solely of the followers of Jesus. It was 
 a general company of pilgrims going to the feast, of which 
 Jesus and his group of followers formed a part. The cure 
 of the blind man is explained in the "Notes," p. 180. Ob- 
 serve where the accent falls in his name, which is pro- 
 nounced Bar-ti-me'-us. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Call for recitation of the "Memory Work" assigned at 
 the last lesson. 
 
 The Gospel material chosen for this day's consideration 
 consists of a series of detached incidents. The thread hold- 
 ing them together is the journey which Jesus and his 
 disciples were making. The lesson may well be taught by 
 running comment and question accompanying the reading 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 175 
 
 of the Gospel narrative. If that method were chosen, either 
 opening here suggested might precede the reading. 
 
 Openings. (1) What day of celebration in the church 
 do you like best in the whole year? Christinas? Thanks- 
 giving? Easter? Children's Day? Which of these has 
 the most of church life in it? Which has most of home 
 life ? Of community life and recreation ? Which has most 
 history connected with it ? It was the most important cele- 
 bration in the whole Jewish year to which Jesus and his dis- 
 ciples were now going. In what part of Palestine have they 
 been living? (Galilee.) To what province are they going ? 
 (Judtea.) To what city? (Jerusalem.) There in the 
 temple for a whole week their greatest yearly feast will be 
 observed. It was connected, as we shall see later, with 
 their religion, their history, their home and community life. 
 Now we are going to read about the long journey Jesus took 
 with his followers to that feast, and about some of the things 
 that happened on the way. 
 
 (2) Do you know about the Unitarian pilgrimage to the 
 General Conference in San Francisco in the summer of 
 1915? (Use any recent occurrence, Y. M. C. A. or Sunday- 
 school convention, or other religious meeting to which a 
 group of people go together.) How did the people travel? 
 (Special train.) How did they sleep? To what dangers, 
 if any, might they have been subject? We are to read, 
 today, about a journey for a similar purpose, one like that, 
 yet very different. (Bring out the mode of travel, distance, 
 lodging, way of securing food, perils of the journey and 
 opportunities for service.) Let us notice, as we read, these 
 various things. Can we understand the conditions which 
 surround Jesus and his followers ? Can we see the pilgrims 
 and think what they must have felt ? Let us try ! 
 
 Lesson Development. When the first section of the les- 
 son (111) has been read, perhaps indifferently and without 
 catching the interest of all the class, go over it again for a 
 concise review, reading yourself, and stopping for the class 
 
176 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 to supply the important word, thus: — and he arose from 
 
 thence where? (Capernaum, probably) and departed 
 
 from (Galilee) and set his face steadfastly to go to (Jerusa- 
 lem) for the (Passover) was at hand. There went with 
 him (The Twelve) and (certain women) ; one of these was 
 (Mary), another (Joanna), and (Susanna) and (many 
 others). What did these women do A sort of camp- 
 ing trip, was it not ? Let us see what happened next ; it is 
 about two more women. (Then have read section 112, with 
 questions and comment following the reading.) 
 
 Plan carefully, in advance, the incident that you care 
 most to stress. Give some attention to all, but center the 
 lesson on the one you feel to be most important. The story 
 of the good Samaritan gives the best opportunity for the 
 religious emphasis in the qualities of loving service there 
 displayed. All the episodes have picturesque elements, 
 which should make them interesting. 
 
 The story of Zaccheus will give you a chance for review. 
 "We had another tax-collector mentioned in this course. 
 Who was he? (Levi.) His other name? (Matthew.) 
 Where did Jesus first see him ? ( Sitting at the place where 
 toll was collected in Capernaum.) Where was Levi now? 
 (Being one of the Twelve, he was with Jesus.) He at 
 least could rejoice when Jesus was kind to Zaccheus, an- 
 other despised tax-collector. Do the children know the 
 old rhyme? 
 
 "Zaccheus he 
 Did climb a tree 
 His Lord to see." 
 
 Some people seem never to know more about this story 
 than is told in these lines. You will remember, I am sure, 
 not only that he climbed the tree, and why, but what hap- 
 pened after. 
 
 The story of the blind beggar reveals a condition sadly 
 common in the East. To this day, one in a hundred is 
 blind in Palestine; while in Europe the proportion is only 
 one in a thousand. The hot sun on the sands, infection 
 from dust and other sources, lack of proper sanitation and 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 177 
 
 medical care, are some of the causes of the numerous afflic- 
 tions in that country which impair the sight. The blind- 
 ness may be only partial and subject to cure with proper 
 treatment. Our lesson story represents this case as a cure 
 wrought by faith. 
 
 Here the religious lesson will be taught mainly by impli- 
 cation and suggestion rather than by direct instruction. 
 The atmosphere of the scene, the object of the journey to 
 Jerusalem, the personality of Jesus, his forgiving spirit, 
 his tender ministry, his wonderful story of kindness, — all 
 these things make their impression on the pupils. To be 
 certain that they know the incidents of the journey, that 
 they see their bearing on the story of Jesus, and realize the 
 scenes, is the teacher's task. 
 
 Lesson Close. If you could have seen or heard only one 
 of the things this lesson states, which would you choose? 
 Would you like to have taken a journey in Jesus' com- 
 pany? Do you think it may have been a pleasure to be 
 with him? There are people whom merely to know is a 
 liberal education for the spirit. Perhaps you can try, this 
 week, to be for a little while with some one who makes 
 you want to be better. "We may go into the Great Presence 
 in the same way, just glad to think of God and to wish for 
 the divine spirit in our hearts. That is what prayer is, 
 sometimes, not asking favors for ourselves, but just asking 
 for the joy of being in touch with the Infinite Life. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 It may be necessary to assign again to some member of 
 the class the "Memory Work" given out at the last lesson. 
 
 The other New Testament references to Samaria offer 
 an interesting theme. Make out slips containing the fol- 
 lowing subjects and references with space left for the an- 
 swer, assigning one to each pupil. 
 
 (1) What direction about Samaria did Jesus give to his 
 disciples on sending them out to preach ? Mt. 10 : 5. 
 
 (2) What is said elsewhere to be the attitude of the 
 Jews toward the Samaritans ? Jno. 4 : 9. 
 
178 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 (3) How did another city in Samaria receive Jesus? 
 Jno. 4 : 39-40. 
 
 (4) What word of reproach did the Jews once give 
 Jesus? Jno. 8:48. 
 
 (5) What did Jesus talk about with a woman of 
 Samaria ? Jno. 4 : 10-14. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Pill spaces on page 47. 
 
 The story called for on p. 48 should be written first as 
 the pupil imagines it to have occurred; then the verse 
 from Luke in which the same incident is told in twenty- 
 eight words should be copied in from the Bible reference. 
 (Lk. 10:30.) For the other topics on the page, answers 
 should be given in the pupils' own words. 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 Hole: The Call of Zaccheus. 244. 
 
 Hole : Sight Restored to Blind Bartimseus. 245. 
 
 Allori : Christ in the House of Mary and Martha. Wilde, 113. 
 Eiehstasdt: Christ in the House of Mary and Martha. 
 
 Wilde, 115. 
 Hofmann: Bethany. Wilde, 114. 
 
 Unknown Artist : Healing of Bartimseus. Wilde, 531. 
 
 Dore: The Good Samaritan. Wilde, 100. 
 
 Plockhorst: The Good Samaritan. Wilde, 466. 
 
 Siemenroth : The Good Samaritan. Wilde, 101. 
 
 On the Road to Jericho. Underwood, 3205. 
 
 Jericho. Wilde, 211. 
 
 Samaria. Wilde, 229. 
 
 Added Teaching Material. 
 
 Compare with this story of healing a blind man the 
 account in Mark 8 : 22-26, and see the impressive symbolic 
 use made of it in one of our modern hymns. As the new 
 Hymn Book may not be at hand, it is given here. The allu- 
 sion in the third stanza, "as in the olden story" is to 
 II Kings, 6 : 17. 
 
 Touch thou mine eyes, — the somber shadows falling 
 Shut from my sight the kindly light of day! 
 
 Out of the depths my soul to thee is calling, 
 Touch thou mine eyes, I cannot see the way 1 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 179 
 
 Dark is the path, through desert places leading-, 
 Alone I tread the wastes of doubt and fear; 
 
 Fainting-, I fall, with bruised feet and bleeding, 
 touch mine eyes, that I may know thee near ! 
 
 Fain would I see, as in the olden story, 
 Thy shining hosts encamped on every side; 
 
 Angels of light, armed with thy power and glory, 
 To guard my steps, whatever may betide. 
 
 Frail is the flesh that waits for thine appearing, 
 And blind the dust that turns to thee for sight ; 
 
 Thy power must quicken earthly sight and hearing, 
 Thy word impart the Spirit's life and light. 
 
 Life of the life that hour by hour is dying, 
 In death, I live, by thy sustaining grace! 
 
 Father, who hearest all thy children's crying, 
 Touch thou mine eyes, that I may see thy face. 
 
 (Marion Franklin Ham.) 
 
 Sidelights and Illustrations. 
 
 Zaccheus offers a lesson in determination and persever- 
 ance. A comparative illustration for these qualities may 
 be found in the account of Booker T. Washington's own 
 story of his first journey to Hampton when he was a boy. 
 See Up From Slavery, Chapter III. (Doubleday, Page 
 &Co.) 
 
 Longfellow's poem, "Blind Bartiimeus, " is not so well 
 known as it might be were it not for the lines of Greek at 
 the close of each stanza. The teacher may read it to the 
 class, reading the Greek lines and asking the children to 
 supply from the Gospel the English equivalent; or the 
 English words may be substituted in the reading. They 
 are: 
 
 1st stanza: "Jesus, have mercy on me!" 
 2nd stanza: "Be of good cheer: rise, he calleth thee." 
 3d stanza : "Go thy way : thy faith hath saved thee. ' ' 
 The three sayings (omitting "Go thy way") are re- 
 peated at the end of the 4th stanza. 
 
Lesson 22 
 ENTERING JERUSALEM IN TRIUMPH 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 118-120. 
 
 118. Jesus Enters the City. Mk. 11:1-11. 
 
 119. The Anointing at Bethany. Mk. 14 : 3-8. 
 
 120. The Fruitless Fig Tree. Mk. 11 : 12-14; Lk. 
 13 : 6-9. 
 
 The events of this lesson occur on the opening days of 
 the last week in the life of Jesus. Here almost for the 
 first time in our story a chronological arrangement of 
 events is possible. 
 
 In the midst of the somber shadows which fill the last 
 week of Jesus' life, we have, at the beginning, one joyous 
 and one tender episode. There is also another of his little 
 story-parables for which his own earlier saying "By their 
 fruits ye shall know them" might have been taken as a 
 text. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Bethphage and Bethany. (118) Bethphage seems to 
 mean ' ' House of figs. ' ' The site is not known, but accord- 
 ing to the Talmud it lay just outside the boundary of 
 Jerusalem. Bethany probably means "House of dates." 
 It was on the slope of the Mount of Olives, farther from 
 the city than Bethphage. ' ' The village that is over against 
 you" probably means Bethany. John (12:1, 12) repre- 
 sents Jesus as reaching the house of friends in Bethany on 
 Sunday, and riding into Jerusalem "on the morrow," i.e., 
 Monday. 
 
 A colt . . . whereon no man ever yet sat. It is pos- 
 sible that this part of the instruction to the disciples was 
 later read back into the account, influenced by the Old 
 
 180 
 
THE GATHEEING DAEKNESS 181 
 
 Testament law, that an unused animal should be employed 
 for sacred purposes. (Num. 19:2; Deut. 21:3.) Com- 
 pare with this also the statement about the sepulcher where 
 Jesus was placed, "where never man had yet lain." (Lk. 
 23 : 53.) The message to be given to the owner of the colt 
 indicates some previous arrangement about the animal with 
 a friend, perhaps a disciple, of Jesus. The two who were 
 sent found the colt, as Jesus said, "without," i.e., outside 
 the court, "in the open street," literally "in the round- 
 about road," the narrow alley leading round the house. 
 The details show that Jesus either knew the family custom, 
 or had arranged where the animal should be found. ' ' The 
 Master hath need of him" was either a signal agreed upon, 
 or it reveals a custom of Jesus on his annual visits to the 
 Passover, which would be recognized and responded to by 
 the owners. 
 
 They that went before. These words may mean the 
 group of his followers who were walking ahead of Jesus, 
 or a group who had gone into the city the night before and 
 now came out to meet him. These spread either their gar- 
 ments (their outer cloaks), or leaves and reeds from the 
 fields, before him as he rode. Their cry "Hosanna! (lit- 
 erally, Save ! ) Blessed is he that cometh, " is a passage from 
 Psalms 118 : 25-26. This is one of the six ' ' Praise Psalms ' ' 
 (113-118) always sung at the Passover feast. As Christ- 
 mas approaches, Christmas hymns naturally come to our 
 minds. These people going to the Passover, naturally re- 
 called the "Hallel" or Passover hymn. The words show 
 the hope in the hearts of the followers of Jesus of a king- 
 dom which should come with the restoration of the nation. 
 
 Now Jesus lodged in Bethany. (119) This (Monday) 
 evening was the only one of the week passed in Bethany, 
 unless the Fourth Gospel is right in indicating that the 
 Sunday night before was also spent there, and that this 
 incident occurred on that evening before the triumphal 
 entry. In the Fourth Gospel the house is said to be 
 Martha's; and the woman who anointed the head of Jesus 
 is said to be Mary. Mark says, as we see, "a woman" and 
 
182 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 places the incident in the house of Simon the leper. As 
 Bowen shows, Simon may have recovered from the leprosy, 
 as did so many of his countrymen; or the house may have 
 been known by the name of a former owner who had died. 
 The story does not say that Simon was present. 
 
 The anointing of the head was a customary attention to 
 an honored guest. Compare the verse in the 23rd Psalm 
 ' ' Thou spreadest a table before me . . . thou anointest my 
 head with oil." 
 
 Some had indignation. Later tradition, as expressed in 
 Matthew, makes those who murmured ' ' the disciples ' ' ; still 
 later, in John, it is Judas who objected. To him, after his 
 disloyalty, any act or comment relating to "the purse" 
 would be attributed. The loving ministry of the woman 
 is one of the most beautiful incidents in the Gospel story. 
 How touching is the veiled allusion of Jesus to his death — 
 "The poor ye have with you always — me ye have not al- 
 ways. ' ' The comment of the writer of the Gospel of Mark 
 (14: 9) that wherever the Gospel should be preached, what 
 the woman had done for Jesus should be told as a memorial 
 of her, though rightly omitted here as not part of the inci- 
 dent, deserves notice in teaching. 
 
 On the morrow. (120) Tuesday of the week which is 
 now called "Holy "Week." For the grouping together of 
 passages in this section, see Bowen 's "Notes," p. 182. The 
 so-called "cursing of the fig tree" is there shown to be a 
 story amplified from the parable here given, which is taken 
 from Luke. 
 
 A fig tree planted in his vineyard. This statement ex- 
 presses the custom followed now, as then, of using a cor- 
 ner of the grounds devoted to grape-vines for fig trees. 
 The parable refers to the Jewish people ("Notes," p. 182). 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Openings. (1) For this once, a way of beginning the 
 lesson, usually too familiar, may be employed. Where did 
 we leave Jesus and his disciples at the last lesson? "Where 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 183 
 
 were they going? The first section we read today finishes 
 the journey. It is the one glad episode in the series of 
 events which lead on to the close of the life of Jesus. Call 
 out the incidents relating to the coming into Jerusalem: 
 the entrance through the city gate, near which would be 
 the place of toll ; probably there were in the streets groups 
 of citizens and visitors to the city from other parts of 
 Palestine, already assembled for the feast. This company 
 of Jesus and his followers did not make much of a proces- 
 sion, considered just as an outward show, even for that 
 time. The picture of the scene made by the artist Hole 
 suggests the contrast between mere earthly rank and posi- 
 tion on the one hand, and greatness of soul on the other. 
 The stately Roman governor, borne by slaves and attended 
 by soldiers, is passing by at the very moment when Jesus 
 and his followers are entering the city. Jesus looks very 
 humble riding the colt, with his company on foot, while the 
 governor is borne aloft in state. The contrast marks the 
 difference between the display of temporal power and the 
 simplicity of this founder of a spiritual kingdom, — a king- 
 dom which looks for no worldly honor and glory, but seeks 
 only to meet human need and supply the wants of the soul. 
 (2) Let the point of contact be some procession which 
 the class has seen : the G. A. R. parade on Memorial Day, or 
 a Labor Day parade. It may be possible to use instead 
 some impromptu popular demonstration. Has the candi- 
 date for the election to the office of President visited your 
 town? What about the crowd at the station when he ar- 
 rived ? Was there any shouting ? What words were used ? 
 Did you ever see a demonstration among college men when 
 they carried someone around on their shoulders, giving 
 their class yell? These scenes will help you to think a lit- 
 tle better what this entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was like. 
 But, you say, that was a religious event ! Yes, but it was 
 political too. Religion and politics were closely joined in 
 those days and in that land; perhaps they are always so 
 joined, in reality. What part of the words the people 
 shouted suggests their religion? ("He that cometh in the 
 
184 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 name of the Lord.") What suggests their political af- 
 fairs ? ( " The kingdom of our father, David. ' ' ) Bring out 
 the details of the scene: the humble animal Jesus rode 
 (horses were then used chiefly in war) ; the peasants in gay 
 clothing, spreading garments and leaves before Jesus, run- 
 ning and shouting the words of a hymn. Did such a way 
 of coming into the city attract attention? Notice from the 
 account the effect produced, and the question the people 
 asked. 
 
 Lesson Development. The ' ' Opening ' ' which calls atten- 
 tion to the political aspect of the entry into Jerusalem may 
 be carried on in some such way as the following : "What is 
 a revolution? Use the pupils' study of United States his- 
 tory to illustrate the sort of revolution which involves a 
 change in government. The story of Luther and his asso- 
 ciates, and the beginnings of Protestantism, will suggest a 
 revolution in religious affairs. Can there be also a revolu- 
 tion in ideas? in social customs? in the habits of an indi- 
 vidual ? What sort of revolution did the Roman authorities 
 think Jesus was trying to make? What did his disciples 
 want and expect? What did he want? Notice that the 
 "Kingdom of God" which he preached might involve all the 
 sorts of revolution indicated, but not in the way his fol- 
 lowers expected. Imagine what (a) the Roman governor, 
 (b) a citizen of Jerusalem, (c) one of the shouting disciples 
 who followed, and (d) one of the Twelve, might have been 
 thinking as Jesus rode into the city. 
 
 Do not minimize the political effect of Jesus' life and 
 work. The Kingdom of righteousness, about which he 
 preached, which was to come ' ' on earth, as it is in heaven, ' ' 
 was very different from the Roman government in Palestine, 
 with its oppressive taxes, its low public morals, its disre- 
 gard for human life. However much Jesus spiritualized 
 his own mission as Messiah, he never lost sight of the needs 
 of the poor, nor failed to see the Kingdom as a reign of 
 justice and righteousness and peace. 
 
 This way of entering the city seems not to have been 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 185 
 
 planned long in advance. It bears the marks of having been 
 arranged on the spur of the moment. Even the sending 
 for the colt may indicate only that Jesus had seen the ani- 
 mal tied before the door of a friend's house a few minutes 
 earlier and had then arranged for its use. A passage from 
 his Bible (Zech. 9:9) may have come into his mind, as it 
 later came into the mind of the evangelist Matthew (21 : 5). 
 He doubtless felt that if he were to accomplish anything 
 in the short time which remained to him, it would be neces- 
 sary to gain public recognition speedily. This method of 
 securing such attention was therefore employed, and it 
 was followed the next morning, as we shall see, by the 
 dramatic incident in the temple itself. (See Lesson 24.) 
 Observe that the method chosen was not such as would be 
 likely to make the people think of Jesus as himself the Mes- 
 siah. It was a very different scene from that which would 
 have fitted the popular notion of the way the Messiah, who 
 was to restore the kingdom and to occupy the throne of 
 David, should come ; yet in its simplicity and in its fulfill- 
 ment of a Messianic passage in the Old Testament, it rep- 
 resented Jesus' own thought of the way Messiah should come 
 to David's city. 
 
 The sending out of the two disciples to secure the animal 
 on which Jesus rode offers a method of stimulating the pu- 
 pils' imagination. They may think of Jesus as having him- 
 self arranged with the owner for its use, and telling him he 
 would send for it. Let them tell in their own words what 
 Jesus might have said. In the same way, ask them to pic- 
 ture the scene when the disciples arrived and found the 
 colt just as Jesus said they would. Let someone object to 
 their taking it away while they insist ; then have the owner 
 come and grant them permission. 
 
 The entrance into the city may be made more real by a 
 few details. Were they going up hill or down hill? What 
 time of the day was it? Where would the sun set, in front 
 of them or behind ? What Jesus thought as he went to the 
 temple and looked around, we may perhaps guess when we 
 see what he did there on the very next day. 
 
186 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 Now turn to a different scene — the supper that evening 
 in the house of Simon the leper, and the lavish kindness 
 of the woman with the alabaster box. The afternoon scene 
 had revealed a sort of love and loyalty on the part of the 
 followers of Jesus which expressed itself in enthusiasm 
 and shouting. Here is a love which is declared in an act 
 of service. How lavishly love gives when it can! Think 
 of some of the ways of giving which do not always justify 
 themselves to the prudent. Flowers, for example, that 
 cost so much and are so beautiful, but to many seem so 
 useless. There is always some one ready to exclaim, "How 
 many useful things that same money would buy!" Can 
 you suggest something else, useful only because of its 
 ministry to the spirit, which might be a token of love's 
 largess ? 
 
 A little review may be made by calling for other incidents 
 in these lessons where women are brought into the story. 
 There is one lesson with another supper scene something 
 like this one (Lesson 9) ; there are three where women are 
 healed (Lessons 4, 6, 11) ; one telling about a woman in a 
 foreign land (Lesson 17) ; one which mentions the mother 
 and sisters of Jesus (Lesson 9) ; and one reference to the 
 women who went with Jesus and his disciples on the journey 
 to Jerusalem and ministered to them (Lesson 21). Let 
 the pupils recall the incidents briefly. Try to get the more 
 reserved among them to take part in such a review. The 
 children who are quick of thought and on tiptoe with eager- 
 ness to recite are apt to secure the chance, while those who 
 are quieter or more deliberate are overlooked. 
 
 Treat the fig-tree story as an acted parable and demonstra- 
 tion lesson on the text ' ' By their fruits ye shall know them. ' ' 
 The class may like to look up and recite the Bible passage 
 about the fruits of the spirit. (Gal. 5:22.) 
 
 The religious lesson to be brought out may well relate to 
 the ways in which love may serve. The easiest and most 
 natural way is to do something for those we love. That is 
 what the woman did in our lesson story ; she gave something 
 costly to Jesus as a token of her love for him. There is 
 
THE GATHERING DAKKNESS 187 
 
 also the service done in the name or for the sake of one 
 much loved. A mother may do many kindnesses to other 
 children just because she loves her own so much. I know 
 a banker who gives money as his service to others on cheques 
 marked with the words "In memory of Marinette," naming 
 a loved daughter who died. For years after the death of 
 Jesus his disciples gave their loving service ' ' in his name. ' ' 
 Many even now give of themselves, their time, their money, 
 everything that costs, out of a genuine love for Jesus which 
 the record of his life inspires. Can you? Or is it love 
 for mother which makes you want to do something for 
 some one else 1 It is all a part of that spirit of love in our 
 hearts which is the spirit of God. Love gives and serves, 
 in Palestine, or in the United States. 
 
 Lesson Close. If the religious lesson you seek to impress 
 goes from your own heart, you will no doubt find that its 
 most fitting expression takes the form of prayer. The one 
 on p. 1 of the Note Book, "For the love that serves," may 
 be used if desired. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 The next lesson gives several scenes in the temple area. 
 The pupils should take home the picture of the model of the 
 temple and locate the places. They will then be ready to 
 trace out the events of the next lesson in their relation to 
 this great building. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The Hole picture is to be inserted on p. 49 and the re- 
 quired account written on p. 50. 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 Hole: The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. 250. 
 
 Deger: The Triumphal Entry. Wilde, 123. 
 
 Tissot: Procession on the Mount of Olives. Wilde, 75. 
 
 Ploekhorst : Christ Entering Jerusalem. Wilde, 534. 
 Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. 
 
 Underwood Stereograph, Nos. 30, 8. 
 
188 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Inside Jaffa Gate. Wilde, 198. 
 
 Herod's Temple. Wilde, 385. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 She hath done what she could. 
 He found nothing but leaves. 
 
Lesson 23 
 
 SCENES IN THE TEMPLE 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 121-122, 1st para- 
 graph ; 123-127, 132. 
 
 121. Jesus Purifies the Temple. Mk. 11 ; 15-19. 
 
 122. By What Authority ? Mk. 11 : 27-33. 
 123-4. What the Wisdom of God Says. Mt. 11 : 
 
 16-19 ; 23 : 34-39. 
 
 125. Effect on the Pharisees. Mk. 12 : 12. 
 
 126. A Parable on Prayer. Lk. 18 : 9-14. 
 
 127. An Attempt to Trap Jesus in his Talk. 
 Mk. 12:13-17. 
 
 132. The Widow's Mite. Lk. 21: 1-4. 
 
 The exciting scene in the temple with which this lesson 
 opens is but one of several which all point to the one end, 
 namely, the success of the Pharisees in crushing this bold 
 reformer. To the stir and excitement of the days, with the 
 multitude gathered into the temple courts from the whole of 
 Palestine, there succeed the calm nights under the open 
 sky on the Mount of Olives. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The Public Rebuke in the Temple. (121) To protest 
 against the iniquities of the priests and the hypocrisy of 
 the Pharisees was part of the mission of Jesus in coming to 
 Jerusalem. No wonder he foresaw his doom when he dared 
 to oppose and condemn the highest and most firmly in- 
 trenched authorities, both financial and religious. His pub- 
 lic rebuke at the temple was well planned and carried out. 
 It seized the moment when so many were present that those 
 in authority dared not oppose the action of Jesus nor ar- 
 
 189 
 
190 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 rest him, for they feared the people. It fell short of inflam- 
 ing the multitude to some violent action, which, had it oc- 
 curred, would have brought Jesus at once into the power 
 of the Roman authorities. While the expulsion of the buy- 
 ers and sellers in the temple enraged the chief priests, it 
 created among the masses such an interest in this prophet 
 from Galilee that they listened to his teaching, through that 
 and succeeding days, as never before ; and their interest re- 
 strained the high priests from any immediate action against 
 Jesus. 
 
 Them that sold and bought in the temple. The traffic 
 consisted in animals and all other articles, such as wine, salt, 
 and oil, used in the temple sacrifice; also in changing the 
 coin of the Empire bearing Caesar's image and superscrip- 
 tion for the local Palestinian currency, since only the latter 
 would be accepted in payment of the temple tax. The 
 carrying of vessels through the temple area had been pro- 
 hibited as a violation of a sacred place ; in spite of this, the 
 custom of using this as a short cut between the city and 
 the Mount of Olives had grown up among those who carried 
 burdens. 
 
 A den of robbers. Jesus rightly named the effect of the 
 traffic, for in its extortions it was sheer robbery, and the 
 poor suffered most. The ancient law which permitted the 
 sale to pilgrims was intended to relieve the burdens of the 
 needy, and mate easier the securing of the necessary things 
 for the sacrifice. Through a system of graft and extortion, 
 which was practiced in Jesus' time, the poor were victim- 
 ized, while the priests grew rich. Uncontrolled traffic in 
 necessities led to unscrupulous methods by which the people 
 were robbed. It is no wonder that Jesus expressed his in- 
 dignation, and by a practical application of his teaching to 
 the situation, openly rebuked and thwarted the men who did 
 these robberies in the name of religion. 
 
 The character of the high priests of that period, and 
 their unscrupulous methods, are matters of common know- 
 ledge. Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was then 
 high priest, maintained a bazaar at which doves were sold 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 191 
 
 at a high profit. Possibly this fact made Jesus the more 
 indignant, and so impressed his disciples that the record 
 especially mentions the overthrow of "the seats of them 
 that sold doves. ' ' It accounts, too, for the great indignation 
 of the chief priests and scribes against Jesus, so that they 
 "sought how they might destroy him." He had touched 
 them in a vital spot, their love of gain, their avarice. 
 
 The place where the sale and barter were carried on was 
 probably the Court of the Gentiles. This rebuke to the 
 temple authorities doubtless occurred on Tuesday, as it was 
 on the day following the triumphal entry into the city. 
 The passage ends with the saying that "when evening 
 came" he went out of the city (Mk. 11: 19). These words 
 are often taken as a general statement covering the rest of 
 the days of his life, and translated "every evening." 
 
 The mount called Olivet. We know it more familiarly 
 as the Mount of Olives. There is no question as to the iden- 
 tity of this region. The name is applied to a range of hills 
 east of Jerusalem, curving from north-east to south-east, 
 separated from the city by the deep valley of Kidron. 
 On these slopes thousands of pilgrims lodged in the open 
 air at every Passover feast, as did Jesus and his disciples 
 on this (Tuesday) and the following night. 
 
 By what authority doest thou these things? (122) This 
 is a reference to his action in clearing the temple the 
 day before. The authority which Jesus had was that of the 
 prophet of God standing for the right. The keenness of his 
 question in reply shows one of the reasons why the common 
 people were so delighted with him. Some of his retorts 
 were sharp as the edge of a sword ; the discomfiture of his 
 opponents was evident to the crowd, and they delighted in 
 a champion of their rights who came off victor in such con- 
 tests. The keen intellectual power which Jesus possessed 
 is often ignored. It was that which drove home his religious 
 teachings with such force, even to untutored minds. 
 
 Wisdom of God. (123, 124) See Bowen's "Notes" on 
 these sections. Jesus tells the Jewish leaders that they are 
 living out the charge against them made in the passage he 
 
192 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 quotes from an unknown writing, of which Luke (11:49) 
 preserves the name, "The Wisdom of God." 
 
 There were sent unto Jesus certain Pharisees and Eerod- 
 ians. (127) These are not the chief priests and scribes 
 who had been worsted in the question as to Jesus ' authority, 
 but their representatives. The plot is arranged adroitly. 
 The Pharisees paid tribute to Csesar as a political necessity, 
 but hated it as an insult to the Jewish nation. The Herod- 
 ians favored such tribute as maintaining the Herod dynasty 
 of which they were adherents. Thus it was made to look 
 like a fair dispute between two parties with opposing views, 
 coming to a leader who would give an impartial answer 
 without fear or favor. But they came that they might 
 "ensnare" him. The word carries the figure of the pit or 
 snare baited to catch a wild animal. Their flattering 
 speeches were meant to put Jesus off his guard ; but he saw 
 their ' ' craftiness, ' ' and they marvelled that he had so clev- 
 erly escaped the trap they set for him. 
 
 Denarius. The Eoman silver coin in which the tribute 
 had to be paid. It was worth about 20 cents. The answer 
 of Jesus, "Render unto Csesar the things that are Caesar's, 
 and unto God the things that are God's," has become a 
 proverb in English speech. 
 
 The Widow's Mite. (132) This beautiful incident oc- 
 curred in the Court of the Women, where chests with 
 trumpet-shaped openings had been placed to receive gifts 
 for the temple treasury. The "lepton" (mite) was the 
 smallest of Jewish coins, and the Rabbis did not allow 
 any one to give less than two, whose combined value was 
 less than half a cent. Yet it was the widow's entire living 
 for the day, — an evidence of the extreme poverty which 
 might be found in Jerusalem at that time. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 In reading the text in class be sure to omit the second 
 paragraph of Section 122, because of its contents, and the 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 193 
 
 others [124, 128-131], on account of the time it would take 
 to read them. The teacher will find it helpful to read the 
 entire text (Sections 121-132) in preparing the lesson. 
 
 Openings. (1) What is the finest building the pupils 
 have ever seen ? Do they know about such famous ones in 
 this country as the Congressional Library at Washington, 
 or the Boston Public Library, or some other nearer your 
 own city which you may name? Do they know one which 
 encloses a court? (Even an apartment house may furnish 
 an example.) Do they know how a cloister or an open por- 
 tico with pillars which surrounds a court looks ? Some pic- 
 ture of an Italian building with a cloister may help to 
 give the idea, so that the pupils will not think of the temple 
 as merely a great structure enclosed in solid walls like the 
 buildings with which they are most familiar. Lead from 
 the modern building you have chosen, and the picture of a 
 cloister, to the wonderful temple Jesus saw gleaming white 
 in the sunlight, and to the scenes enacted in its courts on 
 that April day, which the Christian world still remembers 
 in its annual observance of ' ' Holy Week. ' ' 
 
 (2) Take a dime, a quarter, or a dollar and examine it 
 with the class. What image and superscription does it 
 bear? How does the design stamped upon it make it dif- 
 ferent from a disc of silver of the same size ? Have any of 
 the boys collections of coins? of stamps? Two coins are 
 mentioned in our lesson. If possible, show a coin of some 
 other country. Roman or Palestinian would be best of all. 
 Show a picture of the denarius and call out the incident in 
 which Jesus demanded the coin and pointed to its image and 
 superscription. Try to make the scene seem as real as the 
 one where you are holding the coin and they are pointing to 
 it. Now the other coin mentioned — the mite — what makes 
 it important ? Even so small a piece of money as the Brit- 
 ish farthing is worth more than two of those Jewish coins ; 
 yet the devotion and sacrifice of the poor widow, and Jesus' 
 comment on it, have forever hallowed those almost worthless 
 
194 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 bits of metal. Call attention to the other mention of coin in 
 this lesson — the tables of money changers — and the scene 
 with which it is connected. 
 
 Lesson Development. Use the picture of the model of 
 the temple and test the pupils on their home study of it. 
 Do they realize how one would go steadily up, up, from one 
 level to another, in these courts, and how the Sanctuary 
 (the enclosed building) stands higher than all the rest, at 
 the very top of the hill ? Can they imagine how the temple 
 would look, all its walls being of white marble, which 
 seemed to crown the hill with snow, with the front of the 
 Sanctuary overlaid with gold, and its roof studded with 
 gold spikes? The interior of this crowning structure was 
 the temple's culminating mystery. The approaches to it 
 constituted a series of exclusions. Everyone might go into 
 the court of the Gentiles, trade or play in its ample spaces, 
 and rest in the cool shadows of the cloisters or porticoes. 
 These great arcades, one named "The Royal Porch," an- 
 other ' ' The Porch of Solomon, ' ' had great columns crowned 
 with beautiful cedar roofs. They covered a larger space 
 than most cathedrals which are standing at the present time. 
 Their ample spaces and cool interiors furnished a refresh- 
 ing retreat after the climb up the hill in the hot sun. A 
 low wall, 4 feet high, called the Soreg, marked off the inner 
 area of the temple. Suspended beside each of its nine 
 gates were inscriptions in Greek and Latin, warning all 
 who were not Jews to go no further, the penalty being death. 
 All the Jews — men, women, and children, — might go into 
 the Court of the Women, elevated fourteen steps above the 
 Court of the Gentiles. Its name was given not because only 
 women might enter, but because it was the only inner part 
 of the temple in which they were allowed. Through the 
 gate Nicanor, or Beautiful, with its two doors covered with 
 gold and silver ornaments, and up another flight of steps, 
 only Jewish men (over twelve years of age) who were 
 ceremonially clean might go. That gateway led into the 
 Court of Israel. Three steps higher was another court, 
 
A. 1-8. Gates of Inner Court. 
 
 A. 9. Nicanor, the Beautiful Gate. 
 
 B. 1-8. Gates of Outer Court. 
 
 D. 1. The Chamber of Lepers, D. 2 of 
 Wood, D. 3 of Oil, D. 4 of 
 Nazirites. 
 
 E. The Holy of Holies. 
 
 F. The Sanctuary. 
 
 G. Porch of the Sanctuary. 
 R. Soreg, or partition wall. 
 
 PLAN OF HEROD'S TEMPLE 
 195 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 197 
 
 which only priests and Levites might enter. Then came 
 the enclosed building, the Sanctuary, in front of which was 
 a great porch 150 feet long; over its lofty doorway was a 
 golden grapevine whose clusters measured six feet in 
 length. Inside there were but two rooms. Into the first, 
 called the "Holy Place," only the priests, with bared feet 
 and covered head, and clad in their white robes of office, 
 might enter. At the rear of this room, separated from it 
 by a great curtain or "Veil" of white and scarlet, blue and 
 purple, was a dark, secret chamber only 30 feet square, so 
 mysterious and awful that one man only, the high priest, 
 might enter, and he but once a year. This most sacred 
 spot in the Jewish temple was empty of everything, — except 
 God. ' ' I dwell in the high and holy place, ' ' said Jehovah, 
 in the words of the prophet. (Is. 57:15.) So to the 
 people's thought this was none other than the house of 
 God. Jesus had, no doubt, in his boyhood initiation into 
 the temple worship at the Passover, felt the thrill of awe 
 over all this mystery and secrecy and silence. Yet in his 
 manhood he, like the older Hebrew prophets, learned to 
 know that the heaven is God's throne, and the earth his 
 footstool ; that neither in Jerusalem nor on any holy moun- 
 tain did God need to be worshipped, for ' ' God is spirit, and 
 they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in 
 truth." 
 
 This temple was still new and not yet quite finished when 
 Jesus lived. It was the third on that site. The first was 
 the one Solomon built during his reign, perhaps between 
 962 and 930 b. c. ; the second, known as Zerubbabel's, was 
 the one reconstructed there on the return from the captiv- 
 ity, b. c. 516. Herod the Great began this third one about 
 sixteen years before Jesus was born, in 20 b. c, and it was 
 completed after his death, about 64 a. d., only six years be- 
 fore it was utterly destroyed. On this site, there stands 
 today the building known as the Mosque of Omar. 
 
 The splendid indignation of Jesus when he drove the 
 traders out of the court of the Gentiles will make him seem 
 a very real personage to the pupils. To be mightily stirred 
 
198 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 over a great wrong is an admirable trait, and the courage to 
 attack the wrong makes a man a hero. Many of the pic- 
 tures by the great artists — Titian's "Tribute Money" is a 
 conspicuous example — represent him as so meek and mild 
 that sturdy boys and girls fail to recognize in him a Leader, 
 a Companion, a Brother, a Great Exemplar. Here is a 
 chance to awaken that true admiration which reveals Jesus 
 to them, and helps them to understand themselves. 
 
 The reproach which Jesus made against "this genera- 
 tion" brings in a picture of children at play in the market- 
 place. Boys and girls will readily understand it: the 
 sulky companions who will not do their part, who will not 
 dance when the others play the pipes. Jesus drew his il- 
 lustrations from all the common life around him, and so 
 people liked to hear him speak and understood what he 
 meant. 
 
 The famous story told by Jesus about the two men pray- 
 ing in the temple, gives his idea of genuine prayer, and re- 
 veals the truly humble spirit, which is the only one capable 
 of receiving what God can bestow. 
 
 The incident of the poor widow is one of our Bible treas- 
 ures. Can the children think what it would mean to go 
 without food for a whole day? That is what she did in 
 order that she might give some money for the great temple 
 where she was allowed to go to pray. Bring out the con- 
 trast between giving all one has, however little, and giving 
 even large sums out of one's "spare change," as says a col- 
 lege song. 
 
 The plotting of the authorities against Jesus should be 
 brought out clearly, for it is the beginning of the end. By 
 his keen and true answers to the questions put to him, Jesus 
 seems to outwit them. In the end, only two days later, 
 their scheming succeeds. Tribute to Caesar, was it, about 
 which they asked ? Jesus could ask more puzzling questions 
 than they. That he could so successfully refer to the work 
 of John the Baptist, in the midst of a throng assembled 
 from all parts of Palestine, is a tribute to the real success 
 and permanence of John's work. 
 
THE GATHEEING DARKNESS 199 
 
 Lesson Close. We have studied about the sacred place 
 of the Jewish people, — their great temple with its Holy 
 of Holies. God was there, indeed, but not in that one 
 place alone. He was then, as now, to be found wherever 
 hearts are willing to receive him. Our willingness may be 
 shown by going to the accustomed place of worship. Is our 
 own church one of our sacred places? Has it grown dear 
 to us because there we have sung, and prayed, and found 
 God, together? 
 
 Lesson Assignment 
 
 Let the pupils enlarge their knowledge of the temple by 
 looking up, at home, part or all of the following Bible 
 references to it. The list is taken from Gannett 's "Child- 
 hood of Jesus, ' ' part 4. 
 
 Solomon 's Porch, John 10 : 23 ; Acts 3 : 11 ; 5 : 12. Goodly 
 stones, Luke 21 : 5. Court of Gentiles, traders, etc., Mt. 
 21:12-16; John 2:14. Temple tribute, Mt. 27:24-27; 
 Ex. 30 : 11-16. Slabs of Warning, Acts 21 : 27-32 ; Eph. 2 : 
 11-22. Beautiful Gate, Acts 3:2. Court of Women, 
 prayers, trumpet-chests, Luke 2 : 37 ; 18 : 9-14 ; Mark 12 : 
 41-44 ; John 8 : 20. Altar of Burnt Offerings, Holy Place, 
 gold, pinnacle, Mt. 23 : 16-21, 35 ; 24 : 15 ; 4:5. Altar of 
 Incense, Luke 1:5-13, 21, 22; Ex. 30:1-8. Shew-bread, 
 Mt. 12:1-8; Ex. 25:23-30; Lev. 24:5-9. Lamp-stand, 
 Ex. 25 : 31-40. Veil, Luke 23 : 44-46 ; Ex. 26 : 31-35. In 
 the Holy of Holies, Lev. 16. The First Temple, I Chron. 
 22, 28 ; II Chron. 2-7 ; II Kings 25. Second Temple, Ezra, 
 Chapters 3-6. Third Temple, John 2 : 20. Its ruin, Mt. 
 24 : 1-3. Greater than the Temple, Mt. 5 : 34, 35 ; 23 : 21, 
 22 ; John 4 : 21-24 ; II Chron. 6. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Two pages, 51 and 52, relate to this lesson. Pupils should 
 be allowed to refer to the Plan of the Temple in this book, 
 and mark corresponding parts on the model to be inserted 
 on p. 51 before making the list for the lower part of the 
 page. 
 
200 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 
 Kirchbuck: Casting' out the Money Changers. 
 
 Wilde, 51; Perry, 3268. 
 Hofmann : Purification of the Temple. 
 
 Wilde, 52; Brown, 452; Perry, 707P. 
 Tissot : Driving out those that Sold in the Temple. 80. 
 
 Titian: The Tribute Money. ' Wilde, 126. 
 
Lesson 24 
 
 PASSOVER, BETRAYAL AND ARREST 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 140-146. 
 
 140. The Treachery of Judas. Mk. 14 : 1-2, 10- 
 
 11. 
 141-2. The Last Supper. Mk. 14: 17-21. Lk. 22: 
 
 16-17. Mk. 14:22-25. 
 
 143. Peter's Denial Foretold. Mk. 14 : 26-27, 29- 
 31. Lk. 22 : 31-32. 
 
 144. The Two Swords. Lk. 22 : 35-36, 38. 
 
 145. Gethsemane. Mk. 14 : 32-42. 
 
 146. The Arrest. Mk. 14:43-50. See also Lk. 
 22 : 47-50, 52-53. 
 
 The scenes which this lesson presents can hardly be 
 equalled in all literature for pathos. The tender fellow- 
 ship in the upper room with its tragic sense of impending 
 fate ; the darkness of night in the garden where under the 
 olive trees a great soul agonized while his companions slept ; 
 the treachery of one of the inner circle of followers, and 
 the desertion of the rest, — all these are soul-stirring events 
 to which young hearts will respond, to which older hearts 
 should never grow dull. Let the simply told yet powerful 
 account make its own impression. It will need little ex- 
 planation or comment. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 On this and the succeeding lessons, Bowen 's "Notes" 
 are especially full and valuable. To them the teacher is 
 again referred. 
 
 After two days. (140) The Passover was always ob- 
 served on the 14th of Nisan (the first month of the Jewish 
 
 201 
 
202 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 year, about the same as our April), so the day of the 
 week on which it fell varied from year to year. It is be- 
 lieved that in the year when these events occurred, probably 
 30 a. d., it came on Friday evening ; that is, the Passover 
 supper was the first meal of the Sabbath day. The events 
 of this lesson took place on Thursday. The days of the week 
 are generally referred to in our Bible by numbers. Two of 
 them only are named: the seventh, which is called the 
 Sabbath, and the day before, which in the Old Testament 
 is called "the eve of the Sabbath," and in the Gospels 
 "the Preparation." (See Lesson 26, p. 229. Also Hast- 
 ings' Dictionary of the Bible, complete in one volume, 
 p. 935, article Time.) 
 
 The Passover was the beginning of the feast of Unleav- 
 ened Bread, which lasted seven days. For its institution 
 see Ex. 12 : 11-20. 
 
 Caiaphas. (pr. Ki'-a-phas.) He was the high priest be- 
 tween the years 18 and 36 a. d., and so presided at the meet- 
 ings of the Sanhedrin when the trial of Jesus occurred. 
 (Lesson 25.) Here we note the fact that he is in a plot 
 with other chief priests and scribes to try to bring about 
 Jesus' death. He is mentioned again (Acts 4:6) as tak- 
 ing part in the examination of Peter and John. 
 
 Judas . . . took counsel with them. Luke's statement 
 about Judas, that ' ' Satan entered unto him, ' ' is picturesque 
 and effective for teaching purposes. The "Notes" ade- 
 quately explain the chief point of the betrayal, — that it con- 
 sisted in revealing the secret Jesus had entrusted to the 
 Twelve, that he believed himself to be the Messiah. To 
 this was added another element: Judas revealed also the 
 place in the Mount of Olives where Jesus might be found at 
 night, and pointed out which one of the group was the man 
 the officers were seeking. (Sec. 146.) 
 
 The verses which describe the arrangements for the Pass- 
 over meal on the part of the disciples (Mk. 14: 12-16) are 
 omitted from our Gospel (See "Notes," Sec. 141), because 
 they create confusion concerning the time of these last 
 events in Jesus' life. Mark's account (which is followed 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 203 
 
 by Matthew and Luke), places these preparations "on the 
 first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the 
 Passover, ' ' and makes the meal the Passover supper. Many 
 critics think the writer was influenced by the custom, soon 
 adopted by the early Christians, of celebrating this event on 
 the day when the Jews observed the Passover ; and that the 
 Fourth Gospel is right in representing that the last supper 
 occurred on the day before the Passover feast. (John 13 : 
 1, 29; 18:28; 19:14, 31.) It is this view which is taken 
 in Bowen 's chronology of the events of the last week. 
 
 The omitted incident is of value, however, in showing 
 that plans for the meal which they were to take, probably 
 including also arrangements for the Passover on the follow- 
 ing day, were made in a secret manner. They show a pre- 
 arranged signal, a method of guiding the two disciples to 
 the place so that they need not be told how to go to find it. 
 By this plan Judas would not learn in advance where the 
 room was, and could not notify the authorities that Jesus 
 might be found there. A secret arrangement might delay, 
 even if it could not avert, the purpose of Judas. 
 
 The Supper. (141-2) Note the distinction in terms be- 
 tween the "last supper" and the "Lord's Supper." The 
 "last supper" is the last meal Jesus took with his disciples. 
 It was not the Passover. ("Notes," Sec. 41; also ante, p. 
 202.) "The details correspond to the Kiddush or Ritual 
 of Prayer that was observed by the pious Jewish families 
 on the night preceding the Passover. It included a pre- 
 liminary prayer, followed by the formal breaking of the 
 bread, and the blessing and distribution of a cup of wine 
 by the head of the household." (See Kent, p. 275.) 
 
 This ceremonial was observed by Jesus at that last meal 
 with the Twelve. He gave it, as the account shows, a spe- 
 cial relation to himself. He was accustomed to seeing 
 analogies and expressing them in parables. As he solemnly 
 broke the bread he exclaimed, "My broken body!" and 
 when he poured out the wine said, "My blood, poured out 
 for many!" It is this part of the last supper which the 
 church observes under the name of "The Lord's Supper." 
 
204 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Our earliest account of it is in the first letter to the Corinth- 
 ians. (11 : 23-25.) The three synoptic Gospels also record 
 it ; but the Fourth Gospel makes no mention of it. 
 
 These accounts indicate the way in which it was observed 
 by the early church. It formed part of an ordinary meal 
 at which the followers of Jesus were assembled. "Rich and 
 poor, master and slave, sat down together once a week on 
 the same footing of brotherhood in Christ, and partook of 
 bread, fish and wine. ' ' During the meal bread was broken, 
 wine was passed and prayers were offered. This was done 
 in memory of Jesus, and also in the hope of his second com- 
 ing. In the second century this hope was shown in the tri- 
 umphant, ringing cry which followed the prayers : "Mar- 
 anatha!" — the Lord cometh ! 
 
 Gradually the service of commemoration was separated 
 from the regular meal and was called Eucharist, meaning 
 Blessing or Thanksgiving, and the fellowship meal was 
 called Agape or Love Feast. Ignatius refers to both under 
 the one name Agape; the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles 
 (see p. 214) includes both under the term Eucharist. 
 
 Out of this beautiful and significant service grew the 
 Mass of the Catholic church, believed to be a saving ordi- 
 nance and embodying the theological ideas of atonement and 
 transubstantiation, and the "Lord's Supper" or Commu- 
 nion Service of the Protestant churches, less theological, 
 but retaining in most cases the doctrine of the atonement. 
 How far removed these are from the commemorative serv- 
 ice and the democratic fellowship-meal of the early Chris- 
 tians ! 
 
 A place called Gethsemane. (Geth-sem'-a-ne) (145) 
 The name seems to mean "oil press," and probably indi- 
 cates an olive orchard. In the Fourth Gospel (John 18: 1) 
 it is called a garden, which fact led to the general use of the 
 phrase "the garden of Gethsemane." The other Gospels 
 call it only a piece of land, a place. It may have been 
 more private and retired than the usual lodging place with 
 the other pilgrims, more suited to Jesus' need of prayer, 
 and seeming to offer greater security. If the Fourth Gos- 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 205 
 
 pel is right in saying that "Jesus ofttimes resorted thither 
 with his disciples" (18 : 2), then Judas knew the place. It 
 was necessary to be on the watch against a possible surprise, 
 if Judas should betray to the plotting priests where Jesus 
 might be found. 
 
 So on reaching the place he said to the disciples, ' ' Sit ye 
 here while I pray." Then taking his three closest friends 
 he revealed to them his sore trouble and distress. That he 
 anticipated the arrival of Judas with those who would ar- 
 rest him is shown by his strict charge to them to "keep 
 watch." So little did they understand the danger to which 
 he was exposed that they forgot to be alert. Fatigue, and 
 the coolness and silence of the place, caused them to doze. 
 Each time he returned to them he found them sleeping, and 
 spoke his few heart-rending words of reproach: Could 
 ye not watch with me one hour? The third time he gave 
 them permission to take now their much-needed rest. Even 
 as he spoke he looked up and saw Judas and the company 
 who were to arrest him approaching, and exclaimed, "The 
 hour is come ! the Son of Man is betrayed ! ' ' 
 
 The Arrest. (146) The company which took Jesus was 
 not a band of soldiers, but a hurriedly assembled group, a 
 mob, armed only with short swords and stout sticks. A 
 signal had been agreed upon by which Judas might point 
 out Jesus to them, as they either did not know him or could 
 not easily distinguish him in the darkness. 
 
 Lead him away securely. The phrase suggests that Judas 
 feared for his plan now that Jesus had an inkling of it, and 
 wanted to make sure that it was carried out. 
 
 Are ye come out as against a robler? The hastily gath- 
 ered company sent to arrest Jesus was such as might have 
 been gathered together in pursuit of a marauder. 
 
 Summary. The teacher will notice that the researches of 
 scholars and their conclusions have altered in several impor- 
 tant particulars some commonly accepted views about the 
 events of this last week in the life of Jesus. These revised 
 conclusions are presented in the "Notes" to the Gospel of 
 Jesus, and accepted in these lessons. These should be 
 
206 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 clearly in mind in teaching, and for convenience are here 
 summarized : 
 
 (1) A change will be noted in the assignment of events 
 to the days of the week. Because the triumphal entry has 
 long been celebrated by the church on the Sunday preced- 
 ing Easter — known as Palm Sunday — it has generally been 
 thought to have occurred on that day. Bowen, with other 
 New Testament scholars, places the event on Monday. 
 This makes a difference of one day in the time of events up 
 to Thursday evening as usually given in Commentaries, 
 and avoids the "one day in which no event is recorded" 
 which is a device employed, when the triumphal entry is 
 placed on Sunday, to account for the days to the crucifixion 
 on Friday afternoon. 
 
 (2) All agree that the last supper occurred on Thursday 
 evening ; but many, accepting the statement of Mark 14 : 12, 
 consider the supper as the Passover meal. Here again many 
 scholars believe that the church's custom in celebrating the 
 event at the same time that its Jewish neighbors observed 
 the Passover, influenced this sentence in Mark's narrative. 
 Other internal evidence in Mark, and the statements of the 
 Fourth Gospel, cause them to accept the position here 
 taken, that the meal was the supper observed by Jewish 
 custom the night before the Passover meal, in which bread 
 was broken and wine poured out as a ceremonial observance. 
 
 (3) The third point of difference is in regard to the 
 generally accepted opinion that by his mode of entering 
 Jerusalem Jesus publicly announced himself as the Mes- 
 siah. These lessons show : (a) That the mode of entry was 
 not what the people would look for from the one who was 
 again to establish the throne of David in Israel, as they ex- 
 pected the Messiah to do. (b) Jesus told his disciples to 
 keep secret his admission to them that he believed himself 
 the Messiah ; and even they seem not wholly to have grasped 
 his idea that Messiah must suffer many things and perhaps 
 pass through the gates of death before he should appear as 
 the "one who should redeem Israel." (c) That the chief 
 priests and scribes sought in every way to trap Jesus into 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 207 
 
 some saying which they might report as treason to the 
 Roman government. If he, or his followers, had repre- 
 sented that he was Messiah, the authorities would have had 
 the evidence they were seeking. Not one of the witnesses 
 brought against him mentioned this claim. The direct an- 
 swer of Jesus to the high priest's question at the trial fur- 
 nished the evidence for which they sought. (See Sec. 147, 
 Lesson 25.) (d) That Judas' betrayal consisted not in 
 showing where Jesus might be found, but in revealing the 
 secret of his messiahship to the high priest. The arrest at 
 night and Judas' part in pointing Jesus out to those who 
 sought him was merely an incident in the betrayal, made 
 necessary because "the feast was at hand." During that 
 period of religious observance, the Jews did not tolerate 
 executions. The Romans courted the good opinion of the 
 Jews not only by conforming to this rule, but by releasing 
 at least one political prisoner during that feast, as the Bar- 
 abbas incident shows. So rapidly were matters pushed that 
 Jesus was arrested, tried, condemned, crucified, and his dead 
 body claimed by Joseph of Arimathea before the begin- 
 ning of the Sabbath and the time for the Passover meal, on 
 Friday evening. Had the chief priests possessed earlier 
 the knowledge of Jesus' claim, he might have been followed 
 any day and arrested as soon as the crowd dispersed. 
 
 We must conclude that Jesus never publicly declared 
 himself to be the Messiah until he answered the direct ques- 
 tion of the high priest. It is probable that he was planning 
 to make such announcement during the feast, a proceeding 
 which would be dangerous but not necessarily fatal if the 
 crowd accepted him, and if the freedom from arrest and 
 execution which the festival offered gave him time to make 
 his religious purpose evident. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Openings. (1) The observance in the Christian church 
 of the Communion service may well make the point of ap- 
 proach for this lesson, especially in churches where the cus- 
 tom continues. Its other name, "The Lord's Supper," 
 
208 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 tells at once its origin and leads us back to the account 
 given in this lesson of the last meal with the disciples. 
 Does your church hold a Communion service? Have you 
 seen it conducted ? Do you know why some liberal churches 
 do not observe it ? What Emerson said about it in his essay 
 on The Lord's Supper helps us to understand. So many 
 theological meanings have been put into it by those who at- 
 tach a unique significance to the death of Jesus, that those 
 who wish only to do what Jesus asked when he said "This 
 do in remembrance of me," fear that if they observe the 
 Lord 's Supper their action will be misunderstood. Some of 
 them feel that its use "tends to produce confusion in our 
 view of the relation of the soul to God, ' ' and that what was 
 a natural custom in the early Christian churches is now out- 
 grown. That was what Emerson thought. It is a pity that 
 so beautiful a custom as a fellowship meal could not have 
 been kept as a part of Christian observance everywhere. 
 One or two great branches of the church have "close" Com- 
 munion, — do you know which ones? (Many Baptist and 
 Christian or "Disciple" churches are among them.) These 
 will invite to the service only those Christians who have 
 been baptized by immersion. Most churches have a broader 
 fellowship and a more inclusive invitation. Some years ago 
 a good deal of comment was caused when Dr. Edward 
 Everett Hale knelt at the altar in Trinity church in Boston 
 and partook of the Communion with its members. It was 
 well known that he was a Unitarian minister, and not in 
 agreement with some of the doctrines for which Trinity 
 church stands. The only remark Dr. Hale made when asked 
 by newspaper men to explain what he had done, was that 
 he had his invitation to the Lord's Supper nearly nineteen 
 hundred years ago. He meant, you see, the saying of 
 Jesus, "Do this in remembrance of me." 
 
 (2) There are some charming legends connected with the 
 cup from which Jesus drank the wine at his last meal. It 
 was said that Joseph of Arimathea took the cup and caught 
 in it a little of the blood which flowed from Jesus* side 
 when it was pierced by the spear. Doubly hallowed now, it 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 209 
 
 was treasured for many years, until those who guarded it 
 forgot their great leader and their religion and became un- 
 worthy. Then the cup — they called it the Holy Grail — 
 disappeared ; and famous knights consecrated themselves to 
 the search for it, vowing to be pure in heart that they 
 might be worthy to find it and receive it. There are many 
 beautiful stories, poems, and pictures which relate to this 
 quest: Tennyson's Idylls of the King, and Abbey's paint- 
 ings in Boston Public Library, among others. Perhaps 
 some members of the class had the story of the Holy Grail 
 in an earlier book in this course (Children of the Father, 
 for pupils eight years of age). It was to search for the 
 Grail, you remember, that Sir Launfal rode forth from 
 his castle, as told in Lowell's poem. That poem, too, tells 
 us a way to observe the Lord's Supper that is not dependent 
 on a service in a church. 
 
 "The Holy Supper is kept, indeed, 
 In whatso we share with another's need." 
 
 Is not that, think you, a way of remembering him which 
 would please Jesus himself ? 
 
 Lesson Development. Enough teaching and class drill 
 on the facts concerning the last supper and the Lord's 
 Supper should be given during the lesson development to 
 enable the pupils to fill the spaces on p. 53 of the Note 
 Book. 
 
 In going back in thought from the church's celebration 
 of the Lord's Supper to its origin in the upper room, try to 
 make that scene take on more the semblance of a home fes- 
 tival, for such it was. Jesus had no idea of instituting 
 an ordinance of the church ; nothing was farther from his 
 usual message and practice. But it is a beautiful thought 
 that he was afterwards remembered through one of the 
 simplest and most ordinary events of life, the partaking of 
 the commonest articles of food of that time, bread and wine. 
 As he came to the ceremonial part of the Kiddush, the bless- 
 ing and breaking of bread and pouring out of the wine, a 
 
210 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 sense of his own impending fate came over him. "What won- 
 der that as he looked at the shattered fragments of the crisp 
 cake of bread and the red wine in the cup, he exclaimed, 
 "My broken body! My blood!" Yet the little company 
 was able to finish the observance in the usual way, singing 
 together one of the Passover hymns. 
 
 Then they went out of Jerusalem, across the ravine and 
 the brook Kidron, to the olive orchard on the hills where 
 they were accustomed to pass the night. This night it 
 should be a more quiet retreat than usual, — Gethsemane, 
 where the oil-press stood. Very likely it was moonlight, 
 for the feast was celebrated at the time of the full moon. 
 Under the shade of the olive trees Jesus faced alone — with 
 God — the conditions that confronted him. His work seemed 
 a failure ; one of his inner group of followers had deserted 
 and might betray him. The authorities were bent on put- 
 ting him out of the way. Jesus knew full well what hap- 
 pened to any one whom the Romans condemned; and yet, 
 might it not be possible that he could be saved from such a 
 fate, that he need not drink that cup of bitterness? The 
 prayer of Jesus under the olive trees is evidence enough 
 that he still hoped for some way out, for some rescue from 
 the impending fate. We must take with caution the pas- 
 sages which reflect the later knowledge of events which the 
 writers possessed, and so seem to make Jesus' references 
 to his probable death take the form of definite predictions. 
 The courage of Jesus, the wonder of his steadfastness and 
 faith, his need of prayer, his hope for possible deliverance, 
 his final resignation to the Divine will, are his adorable 
 qualities, to which the pupils will respond. 
 
 The confidence of the disciples, expressed during the walk 
 out from the city to the olive orchard, that whatever hap- 
 pened they would not desert Jesus, did not suffice to hold 
 them in the crisis. Here again, their courage came from 
 the fact that the danger was not clearly apprehended, and 
 seemed too uncertain to be a serious peril. They were not 
 even enough aroused to "watch," as Jesus charged them, 
 either for dangers from without or for those from within. 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 211 
 
 So the very last word of the Gospel account which we read 
 today shows them doing just what they supposed they could 
 never do : " They all left Jesus, and fled. ' ' 
 
 Memories are safeguards. Afterward, how much those 
 last words of Jesus, the broken talk along the way, the in- 
 cidents at the supper, everything that Jesus had said and 
 done, must have meant to the disciples ! Even the memory 
 of their own desertion of the Master helped to keep them 
 faithful in the face of perils manifold all the rest of their 
 lives. These pupils are storing up similar safeguards, in 
 the influence of the home, of the church, of this school and 
 this class. A boy who had been a very troublesome mem- 
 ber of a Sunday-school class later joined the United States 
 Regulars and was sent with his Company to the Philippines. 
 "Mother," he wrote back, "do you know what keeps me at 
 my post and faithful when I am given guard duty at night, 
 and am alone out there under the stars? I think of my 
 Sunday-school class and teacher back home, and the things 
 that were said to me there." We need a mind stored with 
 associations that are tender, fine, true and compelling, — 
 lest we forget ! 
 
 Judas betrayed a great Master and was traitor to a great 
 cause. Perhaps he grew discouraged because so little was 
 done, because there were so few new followers. It is pretty 
 hard to have the "big men" in politics and religion against 
 you; not so easy, either, to judge aright of causes in their 
 beginnings. Compare some other traitors in history. 
 Bring out the value of loyalty. Notice one point in the 
 story which is essentially oriental: the reference to "one 
 who dippeth with me in the dish. " To be a faithless friend 
 after having broken bread together, — that is in oriental 
 lands one of the worst of crimes. (See The Syrian 
 Christ, by A. M. Rihbany, chapter on "Bread and Salt.") 
 To Judas the beginning was no doubt easy, — a dallying with 
 the temptation to tell the high priest that Jesus believed 
 himself to be Israel's deliverer, Messiah. In the end, he 
 sold for a paltry sum a great trust, a mighty Leader, a noble 
 cause ; he was false to all the laws of friendship and hospi- 
 
212 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 tality; he used the kiss of greeting given by a pupil to an 
 honored teacher as the signal by which his base work should 
 be made sure. As a result, he has become that figure held 
 in abhorrence in human memory, — Judas, the betrayer ! 
 
 Lesson Close. Do you think less of Jesus, or more, as 
 you see him at the close of this lesson : arrested, deserted by 
 his followers, facing death, — yet a hero ! That is a memory 
 for the hard places in our own lives. We may make ready 
 for whatever may come with the prayer which Jesus offered : 
 Not my will, but thine, be done. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 The teacher will know to what part of this lesson the 
 pupil will need to give more work than can be done in class. 
 The impression made by the Gospel story should not be 
 dulled by turning any part of it into a distasteful task. It 
 will be better remembered if it may be absorbed rather 
 than studied. 
 
 Supplementary work, on Abbey's pictures, or on any of 
 the poems or stories of the ' ' Holy Grail, ' ' may be found in- 
 teresting and valuable. 
 
 The poem to be memorized may be assigned for home 
 work if desired. It is suggested, however, that several 
 readings of it in class, on successive Sundays, will be found 
 an excellent way of teaching the children to know and love 
 this little gem of American verse. 
 
 Memory Work. 
 
 BALLAD OF TREES AND THE MASTER 
 
 Into the woods my Master went, 
 
 Clean forspent, forspent. 
 
 Into the woods my Master came, 
 
 Forspent with love and shame. 
 
 But. the olives they were not blind to him, 
 
 The little gray leaves were kind to him, 
 
 The thorn-tree had a mind to him, 
 
 When into the woods he came. 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 213 
 
 Out of the woods my Master went, 
 
 And he was well content. 
 
 Out of the woods my Master came, 
 
 Content with death and shame. 
 
 When Death and Shame would woo him last, 
 
 From under the trees they drew him last ; 
 
 'Twas on a tree they slew him — last 
 
 When out of the woods he came. 
 
 (Sidney Lanier.) 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The poem to be memorized is printed in the Note Book, 
 p. 54, and may be used for the reading suggested above. 
 The prayer of Jesus is to be filled in from memory. 
 
 The spaces in the text on p. 53 may be filled at any time 
 after the teaching of this lesson gives the needed informa- 
 tion. 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 Hole: The Last Supper. 254. 
 
 Hole : Agony in the Garden. 255. 
 
 Hole : The Betrayal. 256. 
 
 Hofmann: The Lord's Supper. 
 
 Brown, 1742; Perry, 797T; Wilde, 130. 
 Da Vinci : The Last Supper. 
 
 Brown, 169; Perry, 280; Wilde, 131. 
 Bida : The Last Supper. 
 
 Brown, 702; Perry, 3273; Wilde, 132. 
 Hofmann : Jesus Taken Captive. 
 
 Brown, 806; Perry, 798T; Wilde, 138. 
 Hofmann : In Gethsemane. 
 
 Brown, 401; Perry, 798E; Wilde, 136. 
 Garden of Gethsemane: Underwood Stereograph, 3191, 3212. 
 Abbey: The series on The Holy Grail in the Boston Public 
 Library. May be secured in photographs, and in colored re- 
 productions. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. 
 Your spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 
 
 Sidelights and Illustrations. 
 
 (1) A Communion Service in Japan. A group of 
 Japanese Christians wished to celebrate the communion 
 
214 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 service, but were puzzled over the use of bread and wine. 
 They had no bread, nor any wine except Saki which is fer- 
 mented and often causes drunkenness. The universal bev- 
 erage in that land is tea. Sponge cake is also in common 
 use, as the people had learned from the Castilians (whom 
 they called Casterians) how to make it; and they named 
 the cake Casterra. So they used for their communion serv- 
 ice Casterra and tea, two of the most common articles of 
 food. Does not that truly follow the example of Jesus, 
 who took the most universal foods of his country, bread and 
 wine, at the Last Supper ? 
 
 (2) Celebration of the Eucharist in the Early Christian 
 Church. In a manuscript found in the "Monastery of the 
 Most Holy Sepulchre ' ' in Constantinople, in 1882, there was 
 found a short document which bore the title "Teaching of 
 the Twelve Apostles. ' ' It dates from a time not later than 
 the first half of the second century of the Christian era. It 
 gives instruction on various matters, baptism, fasting, and 
 so on. The prayers to be used at the eucharist are there 
 given, as follows : 
 
 Concerning the eucharist, thus give thanks. 
 
 First as to the cup: "We give thee thanks, our Father, for 
 the holy vine of David thy servant, which thou hast made 
 known to us through Jesus thy servant : to thee be glory for- 
 ever. 
 
 As to the broken bread: "We give thee thanks, our Father, 
 for the life and the knowledge which thou hast made known 
 to us through Jesus thy servant : to thee be glory forever. 
 
 And when ye are filled give thanks thus: "We give thanks, 
 holy Father, for thy holy name which thou hast caused to 
 dwell in our hearts, and for the knowledge, and faith and 
 immortality which thou hast made known to us through Jesus 
 thy servant ; to thee be glory forever. Thou, Almighty Mas- 
 ter, didst make all things for thy name's sake; both food 
 and drink thou hast given to men for enjoyment, that they 
 might give thanks to thee; and on us thou hast bestowed 
 spiritual food and drink and life everlasting, through thy 
 servant. Above all we thank thee that thou art powerful ■ to 
 
THE GATHERING DARKNESS 215 
 
 thee be glory forever. Remember, Lord, thy congregation, to 
 deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in thy love, 
 and gather it from the four winds, sanctified, into thy king- 
 dom which thou hast prepared for it ; for thine is power and 
 glory forever. May grace come and this world pass away. 
 Hosanna to the son of David. If one is holy, let him come; 
 if not, let him repent. Maranatha, Amen. 
 
Chapter VII 
 TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 
 
 The Scene and Situation. The end of the story of 
 Jesus ' life on earth touches the greatest depths and heights 
 of human experience. Its sadness need not repel, it should 
 rather impress young hearts with the reach and wonder of 
 human possibilities, with the sense of the cost of an advance 
 in thought, with a new grasp of the worth of a soul. 
 
 "We deal here with the deepest tragedy, yet it is not the 
 tragedy of despair. The account of the death of Jesus is 
 inexpressibly sad, yet it leads not to failure but to triumph ; 
 not to the end of a cause but to its real beginning ; not to a 
 thought of death as final but to a renewal of belief in im- 
 mortal life. 
 
 The Material. All the rest of Bowen's Gospel of Jesus 
 (Sees. 147-155) is used; also from the Appendix the 
 legendary material which presents the resurrection stories. 
 
 Lesson Aims. (1) To quicken the spiritual life of the 
 pupils by contact with the spirit that was in Jesus. (2) To 
 give insight into the divine power which works to turn seem- 
 ing failure into success, tragedy into triumph. (3) To in- 
 tensify the pupils' appreciation of the worth of loyalty 
 and sacrifice as elements in religion. 
 
 Note Book Work. This is kept simple. Just enough is 
 given to be some test of what is learned and to give some 
 opportunity for expression. It is hoped that no feeling of 
 having an undesirable task to do shall be associated in the 
 pupils' mind with the wonderful story of how Jesus gave 
 himself for the world 's betterment. 
 
 £16 
 
Lesson 25 
 A PERVERSION OF JUSTICE 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 147-150. 
 
 147. Before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrists. Mk. 
 14 : 53, 55-65. 
 
 148. Peter 's Denial. Mk. 14 : 54, 6G-72. 
 
 149. Jesus before Pilate. IMk. 15 : 1-5. See also 
 Mt. 27:1-2, 11-14. 
 
 150. The Release of Barabbas and Condemnation of 
 Jesus. Mk. 15 : 6-15. 
 
 The arrest of Jesus and his examination before representa- 
 tives of his own nation and religion occurred during the 
 dark hours of a single night. The attempt at a trial at the 
 time when all the world should have been asleep ; the chill 
 and depression of early morning when the crowd shouted 
 for his death and Pilate pronounced sentence; the cruelty 
 and injustice of it all come sharply home to us if we 
 visualize the picture and think what it really means. The 
 shadows lift only when we look beyond these events and far 
 into future time and distant lands. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The whole, council. (147) The Jewish council was 
 named the Sanhedrin from the Greek word Synedrion. The 
 name appears often in the writings of Josephus, the Jewish 
 historian, and in the Talmud. It was a court of justice with 
 the high priest as its head, and consisted of seventy-one 
 members chosen from the two opposing parties, the Pharisees 
 and the Sadducees. When the court met the members sat 
 in a semi-circle so that they might see each other. In front 
 of them were the clerks of the court, and also three rows 
 
 217 
 
218 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 of the disciples of the learned men who constituted this 
 court of justice. 
 
 It is well to notice that there are striking differences in 
 the four Gospels concerning the examination and trial of 
 Jesus. In spite of this fact the main order of events may- 
 be ascertained. The oldest gospel, Mark, has a simplicity of 
 presentation and an inner consistency which makes it of 
 chief value. Our lesson text follows Mark in the main, and 
 omits the account, found only in the Fourth Gospel, of the 
 examination before Annas (John 18:12-23), and the un- 
 historie account in Luke (23:6-12) of sending Jesus to 
 Herod. 
 
 On his arrest Jesus was at once taken to the house of 
 Caiaphas, the high priest. There he was subjected to an 
 examination before the hurriedly assembled Sanhedrists. If 
 the priests, scribes, and elders were all present it was a full 
 council. Matthew and Mark would have us believe it was 
 a formal meeting of the Sanhedrin and that Jesus was on 
 trial before it. The Fourth Gospel, though less reliable in 
 most respects, seems to have preserved here an historical 
 tradition that Jesus was given only an informal examination. 
 The reasons for believing that it was not a formal trial are 
 as follows : 
 
 (1) The meeting was not held at the regular place, which 
 was the "Hall of Hewn Stones" in the temple, but at the 
 high priest's house. (2) A regular session of the court 
 would not be held at night. (3) Certain rules for the con- 
 duct of cases before this council were not carried out. It 
 was required that reasons for the acquittal of the prisoner 
 should be given prior to those which demanded his con- 
 viction. A witness who had spoken in favor of the prisoner 
 might not afterward give evidence against him, though the 
 reverse was allowed. If the prisoner was found not guilty 
 the verdict of acquittal might be given on the day the trial 
 was held, but the sentence of condemnation could be 
 pronounced only on the following day or later. To acquit 
 a prisoner a bare majority of the council was required, but 
 the conviction demanded a two-thirds vote. So many of 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 219 
 
 these regulations were set aside when Jesus was before the 
 council, that it is incredible that the meeting could have been 
 accounted a regular session of the Sanhedrin and the pro- 
 ceedings a formal trial. "We must consider, then, that Jesus 
 was subjected to an examination before the Sanhedrists in 
 order that they might be able to agree together on the 
 charges which they should make against him before Pilate. 
 
 False witness. It is plain that nothing which the wit- 
 nesses said could be counted as evidence sufficient to cause 
 the Eoman governor to condemn Jesus to death. Even a 
 garbled account of some figurative saying of his about de- 
 stroying and rebuilding the temple could not be so con- 
 sidered, nor did the witnesses agree in their statement of it. 
 To all that was said against him, Jesus made no answer even 
 when asked to do so. 
 
 Art thou the Messiah? That question makes clear what 
 it was that Judas had betrayed about his Master. Even 
 the witnesses had given no suggestion that Jesus had ever 
 claimed to be the expected Messiah of the Jewish people. 
 When the challenge came to him in a direct question from 
 the high priest, he must answer; to do otherwise would 
 make him false to his own ideals and to his great mission. 
 His reply "I am," and his assurance that full evidence of 
 his supreme Messianic powers would later be given to them 
 furnished the evidence the priests were seeking, and roused 
 in the minds of the council feelings both of anger and of 
 horror. The high priest's action when he rent his clothes 
 was the conventional symbol of either deep sorrow or ex- 
 treme indignation. It was, then, for what they considered 
 the crime of blasphemy, that is, offering an insult to God, 
 that they unanimously judged Jesus to be worthy of death. 
 
 Their verdict was essentially wrong, but that fact does not 
 prove that it was defective on technical grounds, nor that 
 the judges were wilfully blind. It appeared blasphemous 
 to them for an obscure Galilean who did not have the cre- 
 dentials of a Rabbi, who was not recognized by the relig- 
 ious authorities, who had been arrested and was on trial, to 
 seem to take to himself the sublime mission of the Messiah 
 
220 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 of the Jewish people. His conception of the Kingdom of 
 God was unintelligible to them. 
 
 Into the court. (148) Apparently the Sanhedrin was 
 assembled in one of the upper rooms of the high priest's 
 house. Peter followed as far as he was allowed to go, into 
 the open court around which the house was built. 
 
 Pilate the governor. (149) When the kingdom of Herod 
 the Great was divided among his sons, Archelaus (Ar'-kee- 
 la'-us) was made ruler of Judea, Samaria and Idumaea. So 
 oppressive was his rule, that he was removed on petition of 
 the Jews, and the region put in charge of a Procurator. 
 Pontius Pilate, the fifth of these Procurators or Governors, 
 was appointed in 25-26 a. d., and ruled through the time 
 of Jesus' public ministry and on to a. d. 37. He usually 
 lived in Caesarea, but came to Jerusalem at the Passover 
 season with a detachment of soldiers to quell any possible 
 uprising. His headquarters may have been in the Tower of 
 Antonia (see Temple Plan), or in the palace (Prtetorium) 
 of Herod. 
 
 Barabbas. (150) Notice the makeup of the name, in 
 Aramaic Bar-Abba, meaning "Son of the Father," i. e., of 
 the Rabbi. So Bar-Jonah, son of Jonah (Mt. 16: 17) ; Bar- 
 timffius, son of Timajus. The natural tendency has been to 
 think of Barabbas as a very wicked man, released instead 
 of the innocent Jesus. But Barabbas was a political pris- 
 oner. He had led a revolt against the Roman authority, and 
 so was popular with the Jews who honored him as a patriot. 
 The "murder" with which the gospel charges him, if it oc- 
 curred at all, was the loss of life which accompanied the 
 uprising. 
 
 Pilate's desire to satisfy the Jews, and to run no risk of 
 a riot with so many pilgrims in the city, caused him to sacri- 
 fice Jesus to the demands of his persecutors, and he con- 
 demned him to be crucified. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 It may seem best to allow the reading in class to proceed 
 through the account of the crucifixion to the end of the text 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 221 
 
 of Bowen's Gospel. In that way, the tragic story will be 
 covered in one session, and treatment of the scenes of both 
 lessons may be taken up the following Sunday. 
 
 Openings. (1) There are certain famous trial scenes 
 which may be compared with this of Jesus. One of these is 
 the trial of Socrates by the Athenian assembly. Do the 
 pupils know that his "Apology" or defence, as given by 
 Plato, is one of the great pieces of Greek literature which has 
 come down to us? Socrates, too, was unjustly condemned 
 on religious grounds. You may like also to call attention to 
 the great trial scene in ' ' The Merchant of Venice. ' ' There 
 a threatened injustice is averted, and Shylock, who had 
 plotted against the life of Antonio, finds himself outwitted. 
 Have any of the pupils ever seen a case in court ? Perhaps 
 not, and yet they know enough about our procedure to real- 
 ize that the judge must be impartial. Think of the mockery 
 of a trial in which the judge in charge is interested and 
 desires the death of the prisoner who is on trial before him. 
 That is the situation in this lesson. The high priest and the 
 chief priests had been plotting against the life of Jesus, 
 and now they are sitting to condemn him. 
 
 (2) The company of Jews who assembled in the early 
 morning, outside the Prsetorium, was led, through the ef- 
 forts of the priests, to clamor for the death of Jesus. One 
 sees here the mob, or gang, spirit. This may be used with 
 boys to help them understand how the crowd, just because 
 it was a crowd, called out "Crucify!" Did you ever do 
 anything with a crowd of your companions of which you 
 were ashamed when you thought it over by yourself? 
 Most people do at some time in their lives. Just because so 
 many people are crying out, or condemning something, or 
 throwing stones, or teasing some one, the rest fall in and 
 do the same thing. This is what people have called the 
 "mob spirit." Do you see how these Jews fell into that 
 fault ? Here they were calling out ' ' Crucify him ! ' ' when 
 perhaps some of them had never even seen Jesus, or heard 
 him speak, or if they had they knew him but slightly. They 
 
222 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 did not themselves want Jesus killed ; they only responded to 
 the appeal of the few who led them on and so caused the 
 death of an innocent man. It is hard to stand out against 
 a group of people who are wanting something which one 
 knows is not right, but it is the best thing to do. The verses 
 from Lowell, which are given in the Note Book with this 
 lesson, tell us how great a hero the one who stands alone 
 may be. 
 
 Lesson Development. Bring out Jesus' dignity of bear- 
 ing before the Sanhedrists and Pilate. He answered noth- 
 ing because the charges against him were so obviously un- 
 true. The witnesses contradicted themselves and could not 
 agree. The direct question concerning his mission received 
 an immediate answer. Munkacsy's picture of Jesus before 
 Pilate gives a fine impression as to the bearing of Jesus 
 before the Eoman governor, and may well be used for 
 illustration. 
 
 The story of Peter's denial may easily suggest the subject 
 of loyalty. Boys and girls are intensely loyal to their own 
 group. They understand loyalty to a person better than 
 loyalty to a cause, and probably will be over-severe in their 
 condemnation of Peter for not standing by his Master at 
 any cost. "Will they see that in spite of his fault he had 
 more courage than did the other disciples? that though 
 quick to answer with a lie, he repented almost as soon as he 
 had done the wrong ? 
 
 Observe that, as none of the immediate followers of Jesus 
 went with him into the high priest 's house, there must have 
 been among the spectators some others who were interested 
 in Jesus, from whom came the report of what went on in 
 that upper room. Perhaps Joseph of Arimathsea was there, 
 and others like him of whom we know nothing, as they do 
 not come into our Gospel record. 
 
 Pilate gave his real verdict concerning Jesus when he 
 declared ' ' I find no cause of death in him ' ' ; but he feared 
 a tumult among his subjects more than he feared to do 
 wrong. He listened to the voice of the clamoring people, 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 223 
 
 and not to the voice of conscience. The Romans did so many 
 cruel things to the Jews, and held the life of their subjects 
 so cheap, that one condemnation more of an unknown Gali- 
 lean peasant may have seemed a very slight thing to Pilate. 
 Compare this with God's estimate of life, as Jesus declared 
 it: "Not a sparrow falleth to the ground without your 
 Father." 
 
 Lesson Close. There is no need to try to draw a religious 
 lesson from the events here studied. Everything about the 
 scene and situation is impressive. You need only to help 
 the class to know the story and bring them into the right 
 feeling about it. Whatever seems to you a suitable ending 
 of that task for this Sunday may be chosen to close the 
 study hour. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 Certain of the incidents connected with the trial and 
 crucifixion of Jesus, which are omitted from Bowen's ar- 
 rangement of the Gospel because they are not historical, are 
 of interest, since they have entered into art. You will want 
 the pupils to know what they are, so that they may read 
 the pictures aright. Among these are the account in Luke, 
 of Pilate's sending Jesus to Herod (23: 1-12) ; also in Mat- 
 thew, the story of Judas (27: 3-10) ; Pilate's wife's dream 
 (27: 19) ; Pilate washing his hands before the people (27: 
 24r-25). The account in the Fourth Gospel, especially its 
 reference to Pilate's question "What is truth?" has points 
 of interest, and in many respects reflects the ideas of the 
 early Christian church. Assign these various incidents to 
 different pupils to be looked up and reported in class the 
 following Sunday. You may wish to ask the class to read 
 at home the account of these last hours of Jesus ' life in one 
 or more of the Gospels. If possible secure the interest and 
 help of the parents in this request. Perhaps they will read 
 with the children one of these accounts. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The page of the Note Book which accompanies this les- 
 
224 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 son, 55, contains two verses of Lowell's poem "The Present 
 Crisis," intended to be a reading lesson. The picture by 
 Ciseri is to be inserted. 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 Hole: Jesus before Caiaphas. 257. 
 
 Hole: Jesus before Pilate. 259. 
 
 Hole: Pilate's Private Examination of Jesus. 260. 
 
 Tissot : Protestations of Peter. 102. 
 
 Tissot: False Witness before Caiaphas. 106. 
 
 Tissot : First Denial of Peter. 107. 
 
 Tissot: Led from Caiaphas to Pilate. 110. 
 
 Tissot : Let Him be Crucified. 112. 
 Munkacsy : Christ before Pilate. Wilde, 141 ; Perry, 831. 
 
 Benjamin West: Peter's Denial. Wilde, 140. 
 Antonio Ciseri : Eece Homo. 
 
 Wilde, 143; Brown, 90; Perry, 1102. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 
 [Instead of selecting any special passage, call attention to the 
 remarkable simplicity and restraint of the narrative. Nothing 
 is over-done or over-emphasized. In that fact lies its power. 
 Perhaps the members of the class will notice and mention some 
 especially striking phrase or sentence.] 
 
Lesson 26 
 JESUS LIFTED UP 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, 151-154. 
 
 151. The Crown of Thorns. Mk. 15 : 16-21. 
 
 152. The Crucifixion. Mk. 15 : 22-32. 
 
 153. The Death of Jesus. Mk. 15 : 33-37, 39-41. 
 
 154. The Burial of Jesus. Mk. 15 : 42-47. 
 
 We may well read the death of Jesus in the light of a 
 passage from the Fourth Gospel, which represents him as 
 saying, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." 
 Tragic though it was in relation to his physical life, his 
 death secured the triumph of his teaching and his cause. It 
 was the beginning of a world-wide extension of his message. 
 Jesus is not merely a suffering martyr in an obscure country 
 of the East ; he has become the world's ideal. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Soldiers of the governor. (151) Pilate delivered Jesus 
 over to his soldiers. We do not know whether they were 
 Italians or Syrians. The probability is that they were 
 Roman soldiers, for they seemed to share a popular dislike 
 of the Jews. The scourging which they inflicted upon 
 Jesus probably took place outside the building in the pres- 
 ence of the mob. This treatment of those about to be cruci- 
 fied was customary, and the scourging was so severe that it 
 sometimes caused death. Perhaps the severity of the sol- 
 diers was in the end merciful, as it tended to shorten the 
 time of the agony upon the cross. 
 
 The Prcetorium. The writer means by this title the 
 governor's residence in the city. It may have been the 
 
 225 
 
226 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 palace of Herod, or the Castle of Antonia, (see temple plan), 
 where the soldiers were quartered. 
 
 The Mockery. The charge on which Jesus was con- 
 demned, that he claimed to be a king of the Jews, offered a 
 chance for what doubtless was to the soldiers an amusing 
 bit of play. They would offer mock homage to this pre- 
 tender. The scarlet robe, which was thrown over Jesus, was 
 the short cloak, or chlamys, worn by soldiers, officers, and 
 rulers. It may have been an old or even discarded garment 
 in which some trace of color remained. The crown was 
 twisted from a thorn branch, very likely secured from the 
 brushwood kept in the court for the customary fire. Then 
 the whole group began to acclaim Jesus as king, crying, 
 ' ' Hail, King of the Jews ! ' ' and bending the knee to him in a 
 mockery of obeisance. Not content with their rude play, 
 they added brutality to mockery, and this to the man al- 
 ready exhausted from the strain of the night trial and the 
 cruel scourging! 
 
 Compelled one passing by, Simon of Gyrene (Sy-re'ne). 
 It was customary to require the victim to bear to the place 
 of execution a portion of the cross on which he was to be 
 sacrificed. It was only the cross-piece, as the upright was 
 already standing in the ground. Jesus was found to be too 
 weak for even this load. The soldiers had power to press 
 into service any one whom they would, and they chose a 
 passerby, an African Jew, named Simon. Cyrene was a city 
 in northern Africa, where there was a large Jewish colony. 
 This member of it had doubtless come to Jerusalem for the 
 Passover, and was at this early morning hour just entering 
 the city. 
 
 Golgotha (Gol'-go-tha.) (152) The Aramaic word is 
 Gulgolta, meaning skull. The name may have indicated the 
 shape of the knoll on which the crucifixion took place, or it 
 may have suggested that there were a number of tombs in 
 the vicinity. Where the place of crucifixion was cannot now 
 be determined. The Jewish law required that executions 
 should take place outside the walls of the city (Lev. 24: 14). 
 Kent says that a hill north of the temple area, just outside 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 227 
 
 the present Damascus gate and within sight of the great 
 highway that leads northward, best satisfies the Biblical 
 description of the place. If this suggestion be the right one, 
 the especial hill where the crucifixion occurred may no 
 longer be seen. Workmen have long since quarried away 
 the rock on which the cross probably stood. 
 
 The third hour. The Jews reckoned their day from sun- 
 rise to sunset. In their counting, therefore, the third hour 
 was nine a. m. The Roman day began at midnight. "When 
 the Fourth Gospel names the sixth hour as the time when 
 sentence was finally passed, it would mean in the Roman 
 day 6 a.m. ; or the writer may have been using Jewish 
 reckoning, meaning noon. Mark is of course right. The 
 time was nine o'clock in the morning. 
 
 They crucified him. The form of the cross used by the 
 Romans for this cruel method of death is not known. No 
 indication is given in the Gospels except the statement that 
 the superscription was placed over the head of Jesus, which 
 seems to suggest that the upright extended a little distance 
 above the head. The body rested on a piece of wood at- 
 tached to the upright as a saddle, the extended arms were 
 fastened to the cross-piece, and the feet to the upright. The 
 Romans took pains to have the place of crucifixion a public 
 one, so that all might see how they punished offences which 
 they judged to be worthy of death. The passersby could 
 then speak to those who were fastened to the crosses, as they 
 did to Jesus. They could extend the sponge of wine in re- 
 lief of the cruel thirst, for the body was low, within easy 
 reach of the ground. The inscription placed over Jesus is 
 given in our Gospel in the simpler form as recorded in Mark, 
 ' ' The King of the Jews. ' ' There is nothing improbable in 
 the idea that the name of Jesus was also included, as that 
 was the usual custom. Bowen's Gospel has, however, 
 rightly followed the record of the earliest account which we 
 possess. 
 
 The two rollers. That the innocent Jesus should have 
 been placed in his death between two criminals seemed to his 
 followers an outrage, but none was intended by the authori- 
 
228 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 ties. It shows merely that there were others on whom the 
 sentence was to be carried out, and the three executions 
 took place at one time. The soldiers were required to watch 
 the bodies until death occurred. They were allowed the 
 personal belongings of those who were crucified, and our 
 record represents them as dividing the garments of Jesus, 
 casting lots for them. 
 
 Darkness over the land. (153) No supernatural event is 
 indicated in this statement. There could not have been an 
 eclipse of the sun, because the Passover occurred at the time 
 of the full moon. If the clouds gathered during the early 
 hours of the afternoon, the writer of the account would find 
 the conditions in nature fitted to the great tragedy and 
 would mention the fact. 
 
 Eloi, Eloi. The oldest record of the life of Jesus gives 
 this sentence as the only one spoken by him on the cross. 
 It is the first line of Psalm 22. That some of the Jews who 
 were passing by thought he was calling upon Elijah may in- 
 dicate that Jesus spoke the sentence not in the Aramaic of 
 his common speech, but in the original Hebrew of his Scrip- 
 tures, in which, no doubt, he had been well trained. The 
 form of these words in the Hebrew, Eli, Eli, would sound 
 more like the name of the prophet. In any event one must 
 conclude that the Jewish on-lookers were not very familiar 
 with this passage of their Scriptures. 
 
 Uttered a loud cry. It is a pathetic picture which our 
 account gives us of the wordless cry with which the spirit 
 of Jesus passed out of this life. That his death occurred in 
 so short a time, only six hours after he was nailed to the 
 cross, is probably due in a great part to the severity of the 
 scourging which preceded the crucifixion. 
 
 The words "gave up the ghost" retain an old form of 
 expression for the passing of the spirit in death. A similar 
 phrase used elsewhere in the New Testament "The Holy 
 Ghost" is also an old form for Holy Spirit. 
 
 Bowen gives as the best authenticated date for the death 
 of Jesus, Friday, April 7, a. d. 30. 
 
 The Centurion. This captain of the band of soldiers 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 229 
 
 whose duty required them to be present until the death of 
 the victims had occurred, was greatly impressed with the 
 bearing and speech of Jesus, as is shown by his comment 
 when the Master's life went out: "Surely this was a son 
 of God." Probably from his pagan point of view what he 
 said was, "Surely this is a son of the gods." 
 
 Women beholding from afar. The record gives us a 
 touching tribute to the fidelity of some of the women who 
 came to Jerusalem in the group of the followers of Jesus. 
 It was cruel torture to watch his suffering, and hear the 
 gibes of those who passed by and of the two robbers who 
 were crucified with him, yet they would not wholly desert 
 their leader, and were watching "from afar" during the 
 sad hours when the body of Jesus hung on the cross. 
 
 The Preparation. (154) Originally this term indicated 
 the few hours just before the Sabbath day, which began at 
 sunset, in which such preparations might be made as would 
 avoid ceremonial uncleanness, or extra work, on the Sabbath 
 day. In time the term came to be applied to the entire day 
 preceding the Sabbath, and the writer here so explains it for 
 the benefit of his Gentile readers. 
 
 Joseph of Arimathea. This stranger was an "honorable 
 councillor, ' ' that is, a permanent member of the Sanhedrin, 
 and may have voted against Jesus at the session which ex- 
 amined him in order to make accusation to Pilate. Why he 
 was interested in Jesus' burial is clearly stated in Bowen's 
 "Notes" (p. 208). The legends which represent him as 
 being later a disciple of Jesus are attractive, but without 
 historical basis. However, the slight indications which the 
 Gospels give, that he had some interest in Jesus, and the 
 direct statement of the Fourth Gospel that he was secretly a 
 disciple of Jesus may have some weight. The old Jewish 
 law (Deut. 21:22-23) that a criminal who was hanged 
 should be buried the same day lest the land be defiled, must 
 have been frequently disregarded under the Roman rule 
 when the dead were allowed to remain on the cross for 
 weeks and even months. That the death of Jesus, occurring 
 as it did so many hours earlier than could reasonably be 
 
230 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 expected, was known to Joseph in ample time to make his 
 request to Pilate to bury the body, may indicate some es- 
 pecial interest on his part in what was happening to Jesus. 
 There is no reason for accepting the statement of the Fourth 
 Gospel — which is idealized throughout — that he "laid the 
 body in his own tomb, ' ' since any available tomb which was 
 empty would be at his service. One such tomb recently dis- 
 covered, the so-called "Gordon's Tomb," is a fine example 
 of the "tomb hewn in the rock" — vault, we should call it — 
 of that period. The hours of the ' ' Preparation ' ' permitted 
 the purchase of the linen cloth in which the body was 
 wrapped before being placed in the tomb. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 The teaching of this lesson may well begin with the reci- 
 tation by the pupils of the incidents assigned last week for 
 home work. 
 
 Openings. (1) Gerome's picture, "Golgotha," brings 
 the lesson scene before the class in a way which is suggestive 
 without being too repellent. It is full of motion. The 
 wind sways the trees and drives the clouds across the sky. 
 A procession is moving along the highway, and two men at 
 the rear are jeering at Jesus. The sufferers are hidden; 
 only the shadows of the crosses on the hot sands reveal the 
 crucifixion scene. Jerusalem, the city that killeth the 
 prophets, is dimly seen in the distance. The study of this 
 picture with the class will enable you to review the account 
 read last Sunday, to consider the parts of it which may need 
 explanation, and to compare the four Gospels to see what 
 each records concerning the death of Jesus. 
 
 (2) Compare with this account the record of other great 
 souls who have suffered and died for the faith that was in 
 them as Jesus did; 
 
 "Who to his cross and passion bring 
 Their fellowship of suffering." 
 
 Socrates is one of the most noble examples. A lesson 
 about his life, "Socrates, the Unafraid," comes two years 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 231 
 
 earlier in this course. (Heroic Lives, for pupils of 11.) 
 You may be able to get an account of his death from the 
 pupils themselves. The third verse of the poem by W. H. 
 Carruth, ' ' Each in His Own Tongue, ' ' links the two names 
 together and tells us in worthy verse that all sacrifice for 
 the sake of others, from the mother bird starved for her 
 brood to Jesus himself, is part of the life of God revealed 
 in the world. Another instance is the death of Joan of 
 Arc "a victim to the ingratitude of her friends and the 
 brutality of her foes. ' ' This story also comes in an earlier 
 year in the course. (Children of the Father, for pupils 
 8 years old.) Other historical examples, such as Sir 
 Thomas More, the Roman philosopher Epictetus, and 
 Professor Francisco Ferrer, who was executed in Spain, 
 October 13, 1909, may be used. Move promptly from the 
 illustrative comparison chosen to the account which makes 
 the lesson, for it is that which is the subject to be taught 
 in this hour. 
 
 Lesson Development. The sadness of this scene is a 
 necessary part of it. It need not be over-emphasized, 
 neither should it be avoided. Tragedy, to boys and girls 
 of the age of these pupils, is invested with all the wonder 
 and mystery which surrounds that adult life toward which 
 they are looking. The splendor and heroism of the death 
 of Jesus will impress them more than will the thought of 
 pain and loss. Remember the appeal which lies in such 
 words as ' ' Dead on the field of battle ! ' ' and put that same 
 appeal to loyalty, to devotion, to self-surrender, into this 
 heroic death on the world battle-field for the triumph of 
 spiritual things. The greatest impulse to noble thought 
 and life has come from this spiritual heroism, this sublime 
 sacrifice. If rightly presented the pupils will receive it, 
 not with depression and sadness, but with a lift of the heart, 
 a spiritual exaltation. 
 
 Do not obscure the human quality in the experience of 
 Jesus on the cross, for there the glory lies. The one sen- 
 tence which the earliest record gives as falling from his 
 
232 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 lips while on the cross shows not alone his physical but his 
 spiritual agony. Even so great a soul could feel as if God 
 had deserted him. He, too, could doubt, as we do at times. 
 Is not our assurance that he was not forsaken of God a 
 basis for confidence that our own similar doubts are a mis- 
 take? That one touch brings him near to every heart in 
 every age. 
 
 This glimpse of his human weakness intensifies the won- 
 derful heroism of Jesus. It shows that he bore his own 
 trouble and pain as we may bear ours, in the strength 
 drawn from the Divine Life which ever sustains the human 
 life that relies upon it in trust and confidence. 
 
 William Dean Howells has made wonderful use of this 
 incident to show how seeming success may be actual failure, 
 in the little poem here quoted : — 
 
 CALVARY * 
 
 "If he could doubt on his triumphant cross, 
 How much more I, in the defeat and loss 
 Of seeing all my selfish dreams fulfilled; 
 Of having lived the very life I willed; 
 Of being all that I desired to be : 
 My God! My God! why hast thou forsaken me?" 
 
 The symbolism of the cross is important. Since Jesus 
 hallowed it by dying upon it, it has become a sign in re- 
 ligion which is honored all over the world. It stands for 
 the love that is willing to give itself for others. Help the 
 children to see why a famous English Unitarian, Sir John 
 Bowring, who did not think of the death of Jesus as an 
 atonement for the sins of the world, could write :— 
 
 "In the cross of Christ I glory, 
 
 Towering o'er the wrecks of time ; 
 All the light of sacred story 
 
 Gathers round its head sublime." 
 
 * From Stops of Various Quills, copyright 1895 by Harper and 
 Brothers. By special permission of the author and publishers. 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 233 
 
 At some part of the teaching period, the accounts in the 
 Pour Gospels should be compared, and the so-called ' ' Seven 
 Words from the Cross" learned. Which are given in Mark 
 and in Matthew? Which in Luke? In John? The Note 
 Book page should be made up from memory after this in- 
 struction. 
 
 A real truth is hidden in one of the taunts hurled at 
 Jesus by the scribes and elders: "He saved others, him- 
 self he cannot save." Any one who gives himself for the 
 less fortunate ones of earth has left no strength nor any 
 desire to gain anything for himself. His service is part of 
 love's lavish giving, and the charge that he cannot save 
 himself, meant to be a reproach, is in reality a tribute of 
 honor. 
 
 While no spirit of controversy should be roused, the dif- 
 ference between the view of the death of Jesus here taken, 
 and that which sees in it an atonement for the sins of the 
 world should be made clear. Lead up to it through the 
 old Jewish service of atonement for sin. In that section of 
 the temple to which priests and Levites alone were ad- 
 mitted, stood a great altar on which parts of the slain 
 animals were burned as offerings to God. The law told 
 what the sacrifice for sin should be. The people gave of 
 their flocks, or paid money for the purchase of the animals 
 for this sacrifice. The early Christians, trained in the 
 Jewish ideas of sacrifice, and wanting an explanation for 
 the death of Jesus, thought that it took the place, once for 
 all, of their yearly offerings of the blood of animals as a 
 sacrifice for sin. All the songs about "the blood of Jesus," 
 all the words of the New Testament which speak of such 
 atonement, are based on the ancient Jewish idea that blood 
 must be shed in order to satisfy the justice of God and 
 make him willing to forgive sin. Our faith sees the loving 
 heart of God as willing to forgive every sinner who repents, 
 as Jesus taught us in his parable about the loving father. 
 Here are some of the things we will remember : — 
 
 1. That the death of Jesus means much to every one be- 
 cause it reveals his heart of love and his fidelity to truth 
 
234 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 and righteousness. By this sacrifice of himself he helped 
 reveal God to the world ; for God is love. 
 
 2. Jesus is only one of the "saviors" of the world, but 
 for us the greatest, since he inspired that faith and love in 
 human hearts which has given us the long line of heroes and 
 martyrs, of thinkers and workers in our Christian history. 
 
 3. The death of Jesus sealed his message and example. 
 It is his life and his teaching which are our guide, which 
 will help us to live in a manner acceptable to God. 
 
 4. Jesus loved and forgave the sinners he knew; he 
 prayed on the cross that God would forgive those who re- 
 viled and crucified him. Such love helps us to know what 
 God's love is, and to be sure that every one who turns away 
 from his wrong-doing and wants to be pure in heart will 
 receive God's forgiveness and help. 
 
 5. "We may best follow Jesus by keeping the spirit of 
 love and good will in our hearts, by doing good to all, by 
 being faithful to whatever is true and right, even unto 
 death. 
 
 Lesson Close. Eead together the Whittier hymn, 
 "Wherever through the ages rise," or the verse from the 
 poem by Carruth. Close with the prayer of consecration 
 on p. 1 of the Note Book. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 The pupils are to look up the incidents recorded in the 
 other Gospels which are not made a part of this lesson. 
 
 (1) Tell the story of Jesus bearing his cross, and what 
 he said to the women. (Lk. 23 : 27-28.) 
 
 (2) Tell what he said to his mother and the Beloved Dis- 
 ciple as they stood near the cross. (John 19 : 25-27.) 
 
 (3) Give the account of the conversation between the 
 two robbers. (Lk. 23 : 39^3.) 
 
 (4) Tell the story of what was done with the coat or 
 tunic. (John 19:23-24.) 
 
 (5) Relate what is said to have happened as Jesus died. 
 (Mt. 27:51-53.) 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 235 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The pupils are to learn that while some of the recorded 
 sayings of Jesus on the cross are not "historical," they in- 
 terpret the spirit of Jesus as it was revealed to some of his 
 followers, and so have value to us. 
 
 The seven sayings recorded in the four Gospels are to 
 be entered on the Note Book page. These are traditionally 
 called "The Seven Words from the Cross." The list fol- 
 lows for convenient reference in teaching. The pupils 
 should not have access to it in doing their own work, but 
 should look up the passages in the Bible. 
 From Matthew and Mark: 
 
 My God! My God! why hast thou forsaken me? (Mt. 
 27:46;Mk. 15:34.) 
 From Luke: 
 
 Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. 
 (Lk. 23:34.) 
 
 Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise. (Lk. 23 : 43.) 
 
 Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. (Lk. 23 : 
 46.) 
 From John: 
 
 Woman, behold thy son ! (John 19 : 26-27. ) 
 
 I thirst. (John 19: 28.) 
 
 It is finished. (John 19:30.) 
 
 Pictuees Which May Be Used. 
 Hole : Jesus, Sinking under the Weight of the Cross, Addresses 
 the Women. 263. 
 
 Hole : Death of Jesus and Return of Multitude. 264. 
 
 Hole : Joseph of Arimathea Laying the Body in the Tomb. 265. 
 Rubens: Descent from the Cross. Wilde, 151; Perry, 636. 
 
 Ciseri: Christ Borne to the Tomb. Wilde, 156. 
 
 Bartolommeo : The Entombment. Wilde, 265. 
 
 Dobson: John and the Mother of Jesus. Wilde, 157. 
 
 Dyce : John and the Mother of Jesus. Wilde, 158. 
 
 Sidelights and Illustrations. 
 
 It was popularly believed that the death of great persons 
 was marked by marvelous portents. Virgil, in his 
 "Georgics" (1:466) states that "at the death of Cassar 
 
236 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 there was an eclipse from the fourth to the ninth hour." 
 (Kent.) 
 
 ' ' For the human race the death of Jesus was the transfigu- 
 ration of all that he was and taught. This fact is ex- 
 pressed by the profound words, recorded in the Fourth 
 Gospel : ' I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me. ' 
 It was the challenge to his race, to his generation, to the 
 whole world to halt and to heed. History presents many 
 illustrations of this principle. The tragic death of Lin- 
 coln, at the height of his power and usefulness, transfigured 
 and ennobled the simplicity and beauty of his character 
 and the greatness of his service for humanity." (Kent.) 
 
 Added Teaching Material. 
 
 Wherever through the ages rise 
 
 The altars of self-sacrifice, 
 
 Where love its arms hath opened wide, 
 
 Or man for man has calmly died, 
 
 We see the same white wings outspread, 
 
 That hovered o'er the Master's head; 
 
 And in all lands beneath the sun 
 
 The heart afflrmeth, "Love is one." 
 
 Up from undated time they eome, 
 The martyr-souls of heathendom, 
 And to his cross and passion bring 
 Their fellowship of suffering. 
 And the one marvel of their death 
 To the one order witnesseth, — 
 Each, in his measure, hut a part 
 Of thine unmeasured loving heart. 
 
 (John Greenleaf Whittier.) 
 
 A picket frozen on duty, — 
 
 A mother starved for her brood, — 
 Socrates drinking the hemlock, 
 
 And Jesus on the rood; 
 And millions who, humble and nameless, 
 
 The straight hard pathway plod, — 
 Some call it consecration, 
 
 And others call it God. 
 
 (Carruth.) 
 
Lesson 27 
 
 RESURRECTION STORIES 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Section 155. Appendix, 
 pp. 127-133. 
 
 155. How Jesus' Church Began. Mt. 28:16a; 
 
 ICor. 15:5-8; Acts 4: 2. 
 Appendix, Mark's Resurrection Story. Mk. 16: 
 
 1-8. 
 Matthew's Resurrection Story. Mt. 27:62 to 
 
 28 : 8 ; 28 : 11-20. 
 Luke's Resurrection Story. Lk. 23 : 55 to 24: 11; 
 
 24:13-39,41-53. 
 
 [The teacher will find it best to prepare this lesson and the 
 next at the same time and fit the lesson plan for the two Sundays 
 to the material to be covered. As in the birth stories, we are 
 here dealing with legendary material; but the growth of the 
 legends points to a vital truth of Christianity, and indicates an 
 attempted explanation of one of its great faiths. If this course 
 is followed as indicated, these lessons will fall at or near the 
 Easter festival and will help the pupils to understand the dis- 
 ciples' ideas of resurrection and to formulate their own.] 
 
 The story of Jesus does not end with the record of his 
 death. Something else happened which put new life and 
 new hope into his heart-broken and discouraged followers. 
 What that was the last section of our Gospel, selected mainly 
 from the words of Paul, tries to tell us. We will read also 
 in connection with that passage the resurrection stories as 
 the three Gospels record them, — stories which contradict 
 each other at many points, which present angels and appa- 
 ritions of dead bodies, so that we know that they cannot be 
 history. Can we see in them a genuine attempt to explain 
 
 237 
 
238 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 the wonderful thing that had happened? To understand 
 what that wonderful thing was, and to find the chief cause 
 for it, is our task in this lesson. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Resurrection Stories as Lesson Material. These legends 
 are valuable as lesson material for several reasons: 
 
 (1) The pupils should know the stories if they are to 
 understand them. (2) The accounts furnish much of the 
 symbolism of Easter, just as the stories of Jesus' birth 
 provide the Christmas symbols. (3) They are imaginative 
 attempts to explain a great fact which was vital in early 
 Christianity, and is still one of its central elements of faith. 
 To consider the explanation, inadequate though it be, 
 brings the faith into prominence. (4) Genuine reasons for 
 belief in the spiritual resurrection of Jesus and the life im- 
 mortal will be by contrast more clearly understood. (5) 
 These stories throw light on the mind and heart of the early 
 Christians. They show what was believed with absolute 
 conviction, and at the same time how that faith was set forth 
 with the limitations imposed by the popular ideas of that 
 time. 
 
 The First Record of Belief in the Resurrection of Jesus. 
 (155) The section with which Bowen's Gospel of Jesus 
 closes contains in its second and third sentences the earliest 
 statement of the belief in resurrection to be found in our 
 New Testament. It is taken from Paul 's first letter to the 
 Corinthians (15:5-8) where he is setting forth what he 
 preaches about the resurrection of Jesus. Notice that his 
 evidence for the resurrection is based wholly on the ap- 
 pearances of Jesus to his follotvers after his death. Into 
 the list of these appearances, he puts his own experience at 
 his conversion, to which he afterward referred as "the 
 heavenly vision." (Acts 26:19.) Probably he would 
 have described the other appearances of Jesus in the same 
 way. Since the date assigned to I Corinthians is approxi- 
 mately 57 a. d., it is evident that our very first record of 
 the belief of the early church on this matter of the resur- 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 239 
 
 rection was written at least twenty-seven years after the 
 death of Jesus. 
 
 Notice, too, that in Paul's statements there is no mention 
 of the empty grave, no account of an angel or angels giving 
 a message from Jesus to his followers, no thought of his 
 dead body as brought to life again. 
 
 The closing verse of the section, taken from Acts 4 : 2, 
 states that the disciples went forth everywhere proclaiming 
 in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. This "resurrec- 
 tion from the dead" which the disciples and Paul preached 
 as the core of their faith, was, so far as it concerned Jesus, 
 the transference of his spirit from the nether world, where 
 they believed the dead abide, to heavenly life with God. 
 What this meant to them is indicated later. (See pp. 248- 
 249.) Our New Testament evidence, then, shows that the 
 idea of a spiritual (not a material) resurrection was the one 
 accepted and preached during at least twenty-five years after 
 Jesus died. (See Bowen's "Notes," pp. 208-210.) 
 
 Date of the Resurrection Stories. All the resurrection 
 narratives in the Gospels are much later than the letters of 
 Paul to the Corinthians. Mark is probably fifteen years 
 later, Matthew and Luke from twenty to forty, and the 
 Acts more nearly fifty; while the Fourth Gospel, latest of 
 all, dates from the early part of the second century or later. 
 These facts alone would indicate that Paul rather than the 
 Gospel writers presents the idea of resurrection held in the 
 early Christian church. 
 
 Reasons Why the Resurrection Stories Cannot Be Con- 
 sidered Historical. (1) Jesus himself said nothing about 
 the resurrection of his body from the grave. Such state- 
 ments as "after three days rise again" (Mk. 8 : 31 ; 9 : 31), 
 "the third day be raised up" (Mt. 16:21; Lk. 9:22), in- 
 dicate a transfer of the spirit from the under-world to the 
 heaven of God's presence, which was just what the early 
 church believed had happened. No saying of Jesus regard- 
 ing his future warrants the expectation that his body would 
 come forth from the tomb. (2) Paul says nothing of an 
 empty tomb, nor does he suggest that the body of Jesus was 
 
240 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 raised up ; instead, his famous chapter on the resurrection 
 (I Cor. 15) clearly implies (in verses 44 and 50) that it did 
 not rise. (3) The accounts in the four Gospels are so differ- 
 ent from each other that they cannot be reconciled. In many 
 respects they contradict each other. The stories in Matthew 
 and Mark agree in five points and differ in seventeen. Luke 
 and Mark agree in six points and differ in ten. Matthew 
 and Luke agree in four points and differ in fourteen. The 
 three synoptic Gospels agree in these three statements only : 
 that at least two women went to the sepulcher, that they 
 found the stone rolled back, and that they received an an- 
 gelic announcement that Jesus was risen. (This summary 
 of agreements is taken from Gilbert's Jesus.) The differ- 
 ences in these accounts are so great that they could not all 
 be true ; and there is no evidence that any one of them has 
 more historical value than any other. (4) The one point on 
 which the four Gospels are in perfect agreement, which 
 might for this reason seem to be historical, is that the tomb 
 was found open on the morning of the third day after the 
 death of Jesus. This statement, if true, must have been 
 carried in memory as a tradition during all the years before 
 there was any written account of the events. But the di- 
 vergence in the stories themselves tells against even this one 
 point, which otherwise might seem to be well attested. "It 
 is difficult to believe," says Gilbert, "that there was from 
 the beginning a sure tradition that the tomb was found open 
 on the third day after the crucifixion, and yet no sure tradi- 
 tion as to who found it open, or why any one had come 
 thither. But such is the fact. John says that one woman 
 came, Matthew two, Mark three, and Luke not less than five, 
 possibly more. And as to the why. In Mark and Luke, the 
 women come to anoint the body, in Matthew to see the 
 tomb, while in John the same Mary who in Matthew comes 
 to see the tomb and in Mark to anoint the body, speaks of 
 wishing to find the body that she may take it away. Now 
 it does not seem credible that there can have been an orig- 
 inal tradition regarding an open tomb which yet preserved 
 nothing definite as to who came, or why they came." 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 241 
 
 (5) All the accounts bring in the word of an angel or an- 
 gels, to testify that Jesus was risen. We are not, then, deal- 
 ing with ordinary evidence, human witnesses and natural 
 facts. As in the birth stories, the presence of angels sug- 
 gests at once poetic embellishments, or devices having a spir- 
 itual import, not prosaic accounts of facts. (6) The state- 
 ment in the stories that the tomb was empty as well as open 
 rests in Mark on angelic evidence; in Luke, written much 
 later, on the observation of Peter; in the Fourth Gospel 
 (written nearly a century after the supposed events) not on 
 angelic evidence at all, but on the witness of Peter and an- 
 other disciple. This change in the account as time passed 
 seems to show a growing feeling of the importance of a mate- 
 rial resurrection to attest the appearances of Jesus on which 
 the belief in the resurrection rested. These ' ' appearances, ' ' 
 too, grow more material as time goes by. In the first rec- 
 ord, Paul implies that they are visions; in Luke, Jesus is 
 said to appear in a material body which may be handled, 
 shows his hands and feet and eats food before the disciples. 
 In the latest account, in John, Jesus shows his followers his 
 pierced hands and side. 
 
 A further account of the reasons why scholars cannot ac- 
 cept the resurrection stories as historical will be found in 
 Bowen's "Notes," pp. 215-217; in Gilbert's Jesus, part 
 3, Chapter II, where the subject is fully treated, and in 
 Kent's Life and Teachings of Jesus, pp. 303-310. 
 
 Why These Stories Came to Be Told. They grew out of 
 a deep reality of experience which transformed the disciples 
 of Jesus. They fitted the thought of the time, which found 
 it easy to accept the idea of a physical resurrection. The 
 desire to make the accounts of the appearances of Jesus im- 
 pressive led to the touches which are graphic and suggest 
 the presence of a material body. The need of attesting cer- 
 tain beliefs of the time and of combating heresies led to a 
 strong emphasis on the physical resurrection of Jesus, as is 
 shown in the narratives in Luke and John. The stories are 
 the efforts made by sincere people in a credulous age, when 
 miracles were readily accepted, to explain their faith in im- 
 
242 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 mortality and their confidence in the spiritual Kingdom for 
 which they labored. 
 
 Conclusion. "What happened at the tomb of Jesus on the 
 Sunday morning after his death, if anything, we do not 
 know. There is no account written which can tell us, for 
 all of those given in our Gospels are legends which grew up 
 out of the people's beliefs, not from their knowledge. But 
 this fact does not rob Christianity of anything vital to its 
 faith ; instead, it relieves it of a burden which tends to ob- 
 scure its message. The resurrection of Jesus preached by 
 the disciples and first Christians was not material, but 
 spiritual. It related not to the body, but to the personality 
 and life of Jesus. 
 
 The disciples believed that the spirit of Jesus continued 
 to live after he had been put to death. In their belief we 
 may still share, although compelled to reject the accounts 
 which were later set forth in the Gospels as offering the 
 grounds for that belief. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Opening's. (1) Follow the reading of the resurrection 
 stories from the three gospels with questions as to the dif- 
 ferences in the three accounts and the points they have in 
 common. Use the sheet of the Note Book and allow the 
 class to work together in securing the results and recording 
 them. This will give a sense of fellowship in work which is 
 as much an end to be sought as is the power to do inde- 
 pendent work. 
 
 When each has finished the page, direct the thought to 
 the real meaning of these differences. When something 
 happened and was remembered even though many years 
 passed before it was recorded, the main facts are alike in 
 the various accounts: it is in details that they differ. We 
 call such a memory a tradition. In these stories there is 
 so little in common that we are sure there was no tradition 
 from which they all came. They are really attempts to 
 explain something that had happened. To make sure that 
 the pupils understand what it was that had happened and 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 243 
 
 its influence on the Christian church, is the main point of 
 the lesson development which should follow. 
 
 (2) Before the reading of the resurrection stories in class 
 the teacher may relate the following: There was once, it 
 is said, an architect who erected a dome over the part of a 
 cathedral where the nave and transepts met. It had been 
 the custom to place strong pillars at the four corners to 
 bear the weight of the dome. This architect thought out a 
 new method. He strengthened the walls, and used flying 
 buttresses on the outside to make them more secure. "When 
 the work was finished, those in authority came to look at it, 
 and were fearful. "It will never stand!" they cried; 
 "something must be done at once." So they called the 
 architect and ordered him to put columns under the dome 
 in the usual manner. He told them it was needless: that 
 the dome was amply supported already, — but they would 
 not listen. So the columns were put in and the dome 
 modified to present the usual appearance, and those in 
 authority were satified. 
 
 Centuries afterward some repairs were needed; a scaf- 
 folding was erected, and workmen climbed up to the dome. 
 Then it was found that the architect had only seemed to 
 obey the orders given him. The columns failed by an inch 
 to reach up to the dome, and so had never supported it. 
 All through the years the walls and buttresses had been 
 sufficient for the purpose, as the architect had claimed they 
 would be. The people 's confidence that the dome would be 
 upheld was justified, but the reason on which they based 
 their confidence — the strength of the columns — was not the 
 right one. 
 
 Can you see, I wonder, how this is like the stories some 
 of the early Christian writers told to justify their faith 
 that the spirit of Jesus lived after he had been put to death 1 
 They seemed to think that in order to prove that Jesus was 
 alive they had to prove that his body had been made alive 
 again after he had died on the cross. Their faith that 
 Jesus still lived in spirit was faith in immortality, and the 
 Christian church has shared it through all the centuries; 
 
244 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 but the reasons these stories give fall short in the attempt 
 to sustain that great fundamental religious faith. Many, 
 many people believe that the spirit lives after the body 
 perishes, who cannot accept as true these accounts of a 
 bodily resurrection of Jesus. 
 
 Now let us read the stories carefully, and see how dif- 
 ferent the later ones are from the earlier, — how much more 
 they try to tell. 
 
 Lesson Development. The first task for this hour, which 
 should mainly be spent in reading the lesson material, is to 
 help the pupils to see the transformation which occurred 
 in the disciples, from doubt to assurance, from despair to 
 confidence, from sadness to joy. The cause of this change 
 in them will in this lesson be merely stated : — that they had 
 visions of Jesus which convinced them that he was alive 
 with God in the spirit world ; that he could still help them 
 and others to be ready for the Kingdom, which was soon to 
 be established, and that he was in truth the Messiah sent 
 from God to the people of Israel. This is very briefly told 
 in Sec. 155, taken from Paul's words. The lesson next 
 Sunday will help us to understand this change more fully. 
 
 The second aim of the teaching period should be to make 
 sure that the pupils know the legends of the material resur- 
 rection, and see the contrast between Paul's brief state- 
 ment of visions and these detailed accounts of an open and 
 empty grave ; these appearances of the pierced and wounded 
 body of Jesus, whose reality is assured to them by their 
 being allowed to touch it and by seeing him partake of 
 food. The growth of the legend in material details is strik- 
 ingly shown in the presentation in Bowen's Gospel, first of 
 Mark's short and broken account, then Matthew's, and 
 finally Luke's. It might be well to end the reading of 
 Mark's story in the way suggested in the "Notes," replac- 
 ing the words "for they were afraid" with the phrase "for 
 they feared — ." The end of the sentence, telling what the 
 women feared, and the original ending of Mark's story, 
 were lost before the writers of the first and third gospel had 
 ever seen what he had written. 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 245 
 
 Let the pupils talk about these stories, and make their 
 own comments as they read. Often what they say is illu- 
 minating. If allowed to talk freely, and encouraged to try 
 to feel in sympathy with the writers of these stories who 
 had a great faith and deep religious convictions to main- 
 tain, they will be quick to appreciate the inner experience 
 which is symbolized in earthquakes and angels and divine 
 messages, in visions of the supreme personality which had 
 left its impress on human lives. Will they not see for them- 
 selves how strange it would be that two of the followers of 
 Jesus on the way to Bmmaus should not recognize him if 
 he appeared to them in his usual bodily form? Another 
 miracle has to be devised to account for it, that "their eyes 
 were holden." But the meaning of the story, that after 
 his death and their heavenly visions the disciples under- 
 stood better what Jesus had tried to teach them out of the 
 Scriptures about Messiah and his fate, is plain enough. 
 Must they not often have said to each other in the days 
 after Jesus had left them, "Were not our hearts dull within 
 us while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us 
 the Scriptures?" If the lesson is well directed, the im- 
 pression left on the pupils' minds by the study of these 
 narratives should be that the followers of Jesus in the first 
 half century of the Christian church had a vital faith, a 
 genuine religious experience, but a mistaken method of 
 trying to explain that experience and that faith.* 
 
 Lesson Close. The teacher and class may stand and join 
 hands in a "circle of life," repeating together the ancient 
 prayer: "Let the words of my mouth, and the medita- 
 tions of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, Lord, my 
 strength and my redeemer." Or the Easter prayer from 
 the Note Book may be used, in preparation for that service. 
 
 * If at least two Sundays intervene between this lesson and the 
 celebration of Easter, it would be well for the teacher to extend this 
 subject by taking up the still later resurrection story in the Fourth 
 Gospel, comparing it with the three accounts here considered. This 
 would allow more time also for the Note Book work, and bring the 
 lesson which considers the meaning of Easter on the Sunday pre- 
 ceding that festival of the church. 
 
246 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 It may be found necessary, if time presses, to try to have 
 the Note Book work done out of class. That would furnish 
 work for the interval between the lessons. Or, the resur- 
 rection stories from the Fourth Gospel may be assigned to 
 different members, to be read at home and related at the 
 opening of the next lesson. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The spaces on pp. 57-58 may be filled by comparing the 
 three accounts as given in the Appendix to Bowen 's Gospel. 
 The pupils may make the comparison as they work, and 
 should state their own answers in their own way. They 
 will discover that Mark says that Mary Magdelene and 
 Mary the mother of James and Salome (does this mean two 
 women or three?) went to the tomb; Matthew names two 
 Marys, so does Luke, and adds Joanna and other women. 
 Mark states the time as very early on the first day of the 
 week at the rising of the sun (Sunday morning) ; Matthew 
 gives it as late on the Sabbath day (i.e. Saturday after- 
 noon) as it began to draw on toward the first day of the 
 week (which began Saturday at 6 p.m.); Luke, as the first 
 day at early dawn. All the stories tell that at least two 
 women went, that they found the tomb open, and that an 
 angelic visitor announced that Jesus was not there, that he 
 had risen. Mark represents the angel as a young man in 
 the tomb; Matthew, as a glowing figure in white sitting 
 outside on the stone ; and Luke says there were two men in 
 dazzling apparel. Matthew alone tells the story of the 
 guard and the report that the disciples had stolen the body, 
 while Luke alone gives the journey to Emmaus and the 
 ascension. 
 
 Allow entire freedom in these replies. The answers will 
 show you what skill your pupils have in getting at the 
 statements made in the various accounts, and their power of 
 attention in reading. 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 
 
 247 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 
 (These illustrate various parts of the legendary stories of the 
 resurrection. ) 
 
 Hole : The Visit of the Women on the First Day of the Week. 
 
 266. 
 
 Hole : Peter and John at the Sepulcher. 267. 
 
 Hole: Jesus Reveals Himself to Mary Magdalene. 268. 
 
 Hole : The Walk to Emmaus. 269. 
 
 Hole: Jesus Appearing to Simon Peter. 270. 
 
 Hole: The Doubting of Thomas. 271. 
 
 Hole : Jesus Meets Simon Peter and the Other Apostles in 
 Galilee. 272. 
 
 Tissot : Running to the Sepulcher. 117. 
 
 Tissot : Eating with the Disciples. 119. 
 
 Hofmann: Easter Morning. Wilde, 160. 
 
 Plockhorst : Risen Lord and Mary Magdalene. Wilde, 161. 
 
 Plockhorst : Holy Women at the Tomb. Wilde, 342. 
 
 Burne-Jones: Mary Magdalene at the Sepulcher. Wilde, 344. 
 
 Bouguereau : Holy Women at the Tomb. Wilde, 400. 
 
 Burnand: Peter and John Hastening to the Sepulcher. 
 
 Wilde, 538. 
 
 Plockhorst: Walk to Emmaus. Wilde, 164. 
 
 Furst : Walk to Emmaus. Wilde, 165. 
 
 Hofmann : Walk to Emmaus. Wilde, 166. 
 
 Miiller: Supper at Emmaus. Wilde, 167. 
 
 Diethe: Supper at Emmaus. Wilde, 168. 
 
 Rembrandt : Supper at Emmaus. Wilde, 169. 
 
 Striking Literary Expressions. 
 It was exceeding great. 
 
 The watchers did tremble and became as dead men. 
 They departed quickly with fear and great joy. 
 
Lesson 28 
 
 THE REAL RESURRECTION AND THE ABIDING 
 CHRIST 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 A few points remain to be considered as a basis for the 
 right interpretation of the resurrection of Jesus and 
 the thought of the immortal life which we celebrate at 
 Easter. 
 
 Effect of the Death of Jesus. After 'Jesus had been put 
 to death on the cross his opponents believed that this was 
 the end of his teaching and his leadership. The disciples, 
 too, one is sure, felt much the same way. Who now should 
 redeem Israel? Had Jesus been mistaken in thinking he 
 was Messiah, and that the Kingdom of God was soon to 
 come? They had given themselves to a new cause. They 
 had even risked their lives for it, and now it seemed to be 
 at an end. They were heart-broken at the loss of their 
 friend and Master, and even feared for their own lives. 
 What was left for them to do but to turn to their home in 
 Galilee and take up once more their work as fishermen? 
 This, it is quite certain, is just what they did. 
 
 The Transformation in the Disciples. Then quite un- 
 expectedly something remarkable happened to Peter. He 
 had a vision of Jesus just as if he were alive again. Did it 
 come when he was out fishing, alone, at night 1 Did he per- 
 haps seem to see Jesus walking on the sea? Did he fall on 
 his knees and cry out ' ' Depart from me, for I am a sinful 
 man, Lord"? 
 
 We do not know, for too little is told us in the record. 
 We have Paul's sentences about the appearances of Jesus 
 to various disciples and to himself; we have the reference 
 to his own experience which calls it a "heavenly vision"; 
 
 248 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 249 
 
 and we have a sentence, in the later legends which reports 
 the apostles as saying "The Lord is risen indeed, and hath 
 appeared to Simon." (Lk. 24: 34.) It is significant that 
 the Greek word here translated "appeared" is used al- 
 most exclusively both in Luke and Acts to indicate a spirit- 
 ual appearance or vision.* Because of this fact it is rea- 
 sonable to conclude that Peter's experience, like that of 
 Paul, was a vision. Paul tells us that the same thing hap- 
 pened to James, to the whole group of the apostles, and 
 then to more than five hundred of the followers of Jesus 
 at once. The "Notes" suggest two explanations of these 
 "visions," both scientific. (Bowen's Gospel, "Notes" p. 
 209.) They were real experiences which had a transform- 
 ing effect on the disciples. They changed the thought of 
 these men concerning what had happened to Jesus and so to 
 the Kingdom of God of which he had spoken. The 
 "visions" put courage into their hearts and gave them a 
 way of explaining what had happened, gave them, too, a 
 new expectation of the Kingdom and of Jesus as Messiah. 
 They could no longer go on just as fishermen, but must re- 
 turn to Jerusalem to preach what they had learned from 
 Jesus, which now for the first time they felt they under- 
 stood. They were transformed into eager, devoted teach- 
 ers. They wanted others to understand about the King- 
 dom, to understand what Jesus had tried to do, to believe 
 with them that he was still alive and about to come again 
 to establish God's Kingdom on earth. They had within 
 them now a spiritual life and a faith that made them cour- 
 ageous enough even to face death for their cause. What 
 the ideas were which so changed them we will now try to 
 understand. 
 
 The Great Idea. Notice first the phrase which Paul 
 and the other preachers and writers used, that Jesus was 
 risen from the dead. They did not say, or mean, that he 
 was risen from the grave. To know what they meant we 
 
 * The teacher who is interested to do so may compare the pas- 
 sages: Lk. 1:11; 9:31; Acta 2:3; 7:2, 30, 35; 9:17; 16:9; 
 26: 16. 
 
250 THE STOEY OP JESUS 
 
 must know what they thought about those who had died. 
 They believed that all who died, good and bad alike, went 
 into an under-world region which they named Sheol, or 
 Hades, where they had only a dull, shadowy existence. In 
 Jesus' time they had come to think that there were two parts 
 of Sheol, one which they called Paradise, for the good, one 
 called Gehenna, for those who were bad. These were sepa- 
 rated by a great gulf, across which one could see, could 
 speak and be heard, as the parable of the rich man and Laza- 
 rus shows. But existence even in Paradise was not thought 
 of as happy or interesting, and when the time came, they 
 said, when Messiah should establish God's Kingdom on 
 earth, those in Paradise would come back, and be once more 
 alive and active in the new Kingdom. 
 
 Now their visions of Jesus after his death convinced them 
 that Jesus had risen out of this under-world, that he was 
 alive in heaven with God, and that now he could return 
 to earth whenever he would. They understood better what 
 he meant when he had told them that the Son of Man would 
 so rise. They found passages in their Bible which seemed 
 to say just that, and Jesus had thought so, too. He was 
 Messiah, then, as he had believed! He could return to 
 earth to establish Messiah's Kingdom. He was not far off, 
 in a shadowy world, but alive, near. They might see him 
 at any moment. Any of his followers who died before the 
 Kingdom was established would be raised up out of that 
 nether-world, and they would all share the joys of the 
 new Kingdom with Jesus, its great Messiah. Is it any 
 wonder that they were filled with zeal to make people un- 
 derstand that Jesus had so risen, that he was Messiah, that 
 he would come again to establish God's Kingdom, and that 
 only those who believed and followed him and his teachings 
 should have part or lot in that Kingdom? That is what 
 they meant when they said that Jesus was "risen from the 
 dead. ' ' Perhaps today, trained as we are in the thought of 
 immortal life, we would not use the same words to state our 
 faith that the spirit of Jesus continued to live after the body 
 died ; but if not, it is because their belief and their preach- 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 251 
 
 ing helped to put the idea of Sheol out of people's minds, 
 and to establish that thought of life after death which is our 
 Christian inheritance. (Read in this connection both I Cor. 
 15 and I Thes. 4:13-18.) 
 
 To the thought of Jesus as thus raised from the dead was 
 added the glorious hope of his speedy return to earth as 
 Messiah to establish the Kingdom. They ended all their 
 fellowship meals and the Lord's Supper with one great 
 shout, "Maranatha," which meant, "The Lord cometh." 
 
 It was this preaching by Peter and the rest which started 
 the Christian church. If it had not been for their belief 
 that Jesus thus "rose from the dead" and would soon come 
 again to finish the work he had begun, and their eager de- 
 sire to make many people ready for the new Kingdom to be 
 established when he should appear, we might never have 
 known of the wonderful life, the divine teachings and the 
 heroic death of their Master and ours. 
 
 Summary. (1) The early Christians believed in the 
 resurrection of the spirit, not of the body, of Jesus ; that 
 he was alive after his body was slain. (2) The stories that 
 were told later about the resurrection of his body were an 
 honest attempt to explain that belief and the "appearances" 
 on which it was based. They were the form or dress in 
 which the idea of the resurrection from the dead was finally 
 clothed. (3) The Christian church started from the great 
 impulse which this idea, added to the teachings of Jesus and 
 the impression made by his life, gave to his followers. (4) 
 Our Easter faith, then, rests on the conviction that the spirit 
 of Jesus was too worthy to perish, that his influence is 
 deathless ; that the Christ spirit in the human heart is an 
 abiding reality ; and that in the same way that his spirit is 
 alive, we shall live also. 
 
 Thus our Christian conviction of immortality is grounded 
 in an instinctive faith of the human heart, a faith earlier 
 than Jesus, which no critical study of the Gospel resurrec- 
 tion stories can injure or displace. The more spiritual life 
 becomes, the more does it give us this conviction that it is 
 
252 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 divine, part and parcel of the life of God, and so too valu- 
 able to perish. Jesus gave that evidence to his followers in 
 a way so striking that it has strengthened the faith of the 
 world in the life immortal. It is in this way that he has 
 brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 
 Life that is part of God's life is eternal as God is eternal. 
 ' ' God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. ' ' 
 
 Our Easter faith renews the sense of the living Christ 
 who abides, who reveals the pattern of the best human life, 
 whose spirit of love in human hearts today is the power 
 that helps to save and bless the world. The personality 
 of Jesus has become the Christian ideal of life, compelling 
 when clearly seen. The sense of the immediate presence of 
 God in which he lived, which came also to his followers 
 when they believed him still alive, is still, as in the past, 
 the dynamic force which impels the followers of the Master 
 to seek to establish, with power and efficiency, the Kingdom 
 of God on earth. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Opening. Begin by questioning the pupils something as 
 follows : — 
 
 Can you remember when you first learned that the earth 
 is round ? If you had not been taught this fact, how would 
 the earth appear to you? Now try to think of the earth 
 as a flat plane on which one is living. Can you then real- 
 ize that you would probably imagine an under-world, and 
 wonder what the place would be like? You would prob- 
 ably imagine an over-world too, would you not, above the 
 sky ? It is something like this that Jesus and his followers 
 and all the people of his time thought of our universe. It 
 was long after this date that Copernicus, (1473-1543) con- 
 vinced thinking people that the earth is round and is only 
 one among many worlds that swing out through space. He 
 had hard work convincing the people of his time that what 
 he said about our earth was true, because, you see, they had 
 always thought of it as this flat earth and three-story uni- 
 verse you have been trying to imagine. Now you will un- 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 253 
 
 derstand why it was easy for the disciples of Jesus to believe 
 in the sort of resurrection of which we would not readily 
 think. That Jesus had, in their thought, been taken from 
 the under-world, which was only a shadowy place where the 
 spirits of the dead remained, to the heaven above where 
 God is, was to their minds a resurrection from the dead. 
 
 Now give to the pupils a little idea of the conception of 
 Sheol, or Hades, that was held in Jesus' time, and lead up 
 to the present thought of the Christian church which has 
 grown out of this older conception : — that the human spirit 
 persists beyond the death of the body, and that wherever it 
 may go it cannot drift beyond God's love and care. 
 
 Lesson Development. The teacher should be prepared 
 for the question which may come from some member of the 
 class : " If we do not believe* the resurrection stories just 
 as they are written in GUI' Bible, why do we celebrate 
 Easter?" You will have tried to make clear how we, like 
 the Apostles, may believe - that the life of Jesus continued 
 after the death of his body. That, then, is the basis of the 
 Easter faith as it related to Jesus. But the day celebrates 
 an older faith and a deeper confidence of the human heart. 
 It is the festival of the life immortal. 
 
 Can you help the pupils to see that beliefs based on state- 
 ments made in the Bible may change, while the truth con- 
 tained in that belief remains? Jesus found in his Bible 
 sayings which referred to a coming Messiah ; but he did not 
 believe as did most of the people in his land about that 
 Messiah. The early Christians believed that Jesus was to 
 return to earth at once to establish God's Kingdom; but 
 the Christian religion was not lost when that belief had to 
 be given up. For fourteen hundred years after Jesus lived 
 people thought, as did the Jews and the early Christians, 
 that the earth was flat, that heaven was just above the sky, 
 and that the world of departed spirits was just under the flat 
 earth. All that changed, so that even boys and girls now 
 think of the earth as round and spinning through space; 
 but faith in immortality did not die out of the human heart 
 
254 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 when that change in belief occurred. Can you see, then, 
 how we may look at the Easter stories as legends which 
 grew up to explain faith in eternal life, and still believe 
 ir. eternal life and keep Easter Day to express that belief? 
 What, then, are our reasons for observing Easter as a 
 festival in a church of the liberal faith ? Let us state them 
 again in this order: — 
 
 (1) It is the church's celebration of belief in the spirit- 
 ual resurrection of Jesus. Back of the temporary form 
 which the idea of the disciples took was the eternal truth 
 that 
 
 "What is excellent, 
 As God lives, is permanent." 
 
 The disciples believed that Jesus lived again because they 
 were so confident that his spirit was worthy to survive, that 
 it was part of the life of God and so could not perish. In 
 this faith we may share. 
 
 (2) Easter is also the church's celebration of belief in 
 the life immortal as granted not to Jesus alone, but to every 
 child of earth. The awakening of nature in the springtime 
 becomes a symbol of this survival of life. The divine forces 
 which clothe the world anew work also in the human spirit, 
 so Easter becomes the festival of continued life. 
 
 (3) The Easter festival celebrates also the birthday of the 
 Christian church. If it had not been for the belief in the 
 resurrection of the spirit of Jesus, which put new heart into 
 the disciples and made them want to preach the gospel they 
 had learned from him, we might never have heard his mes- 
 sage and there might not have been a Christian church. 
 
 Just as in our national life we celebrate February 22nd 
 as the birthday of Washington, our first President, and the 
 Fourth of July as the birthday of our Nation, so in our 
 church life, with deep reverence for the things which have 
 been won for us out of the past, we celebrate December 
 25th as the birthday of Jesus, and Easter Sunday as the 
 birthday of the Christian church. 
 
 Lesson Close. If the school is preparing for the Easter 
 
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH 255 
 
 festival when this lesson is studied, it may seem to the 
 teacher desirable to use in closing the prayer found on the 
 leaflet which contains the Easter Service which the school 
 will use. This will help prepare the class for its use on the 
 Sunday when Easter is observed. The school prayer found 
 in Service No. 2, in the new series published by the Beacon 
 Press, is here given. It is given also on the page of prayers 
 for class use in the Note Book. 
 
 Prayer for Easter: 
 
 God, Shepherd of our souls, who givest us life and all things 
 richly to enjoy, drive from our hearts the shadow of fear, set our 
 thoughts on things that are above, and lead us in the way of peace; 
 that, having served thee faithfully while on earth, we may, when 
 our task is ended, share thy life and thy love in the world to come. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 On p. 59 the Easter Message is given in a five-word motto 
 and in two quotations. These should all be memorized. 
 The motto furnishes opportunity for a bit of decorative col- 
 oring, similar to that in the Christmas section, if the pupils 
 like to do the work. 
 
 The teaching in the class session should furnish the infor- 
 mation needed for the work on p. 60. The Bible verse with 
 which the page closes is found in Romans 6 : 4. 
 
 [The writer of this book acknowledges her indebtedness to many 
 authors in this treatment of the stories of the resurrection: espe- 
 cially to Bowen's The Resurrection in the New Testament (G. P. 
 Putnam's Sons ) , to Chapter VII of A. W. Martin's Life of Jesus 
 (D. Appleton & Co.), to the books by George Holley Gilbert and 
 Charles Foster Kent before cited (p. xxvi and elsewhere) ; and for 
 the idea of teaching children to see in Easter the birthday of the 
 Christian Church, to Rev. Theodore D. Bacon, in an article on 
 "What to Tell the Children About Easter," Christian Register for 
 April 13, 1916.] 
 
Chapter VIII 
 STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 
 
 The Scene and Situation. We are now to put ourselves 
 for a little time, as well as we may, into the position of the 
 followers of Jesus in the first century after his death. At 
 first those who remembered him must often have looked 
 back upon the days when he was still with them. Can you 
 not fancy that they sometimes said to each other, "Oh, 
 don't you remember?" as they recalled some of the inci- 
 dents of that fellowship. The things which he had tried 
 to teach them, the words he had spoken in Galilee and in 
 the temple courts, came back to them with new meaning. 
 Then the years came when no one who had seen Jesus was 
 alive ; but his followers treasured his memory, and tried to 
 be ready for the Kingdom when it should be established. 
 The Christian faith which was formulated in the first hun- 
 dred years after Jesus lived was not a wholly new thing. 
 It flowered out of former beliefs. The new ideas fitted into 
 those which the converts to Christianity already held, and 
 were modified by them. All the time great, new thoughts 
 were coming into the world, great, new hopes were stirring 
 human hearts. 
 
 Material. The Bible selections used in this chapter are 
 all taken from the Fourth Gospel. This enables the pupils 
 to learn something about the character of that Gospel, to 
 know some of its distinctive stories, and to understand bet- 
 ter how their own textbook for the year, Bowen's Gospel 
 of Jesus, was made up. They may have a clearer idea about 
 the material which is historical, and that which, though un- 
 historical, has a spiritual intention. 
 
 Lesson Aims. Here one must try to give the pupils some 
 glimpses of Jesus through the eyes of those who had begun 
 to idealize him. They should learn to see the true ideas 
 embodied in crude conceptions, the permanent truths which 
 symbol and mysticism enshrine. 
 
 256 
 
Lesson 29 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LOVE 
 
 Bible : The Fourth Gospel. 
 For especial consideration, the following pas- 
 sages : 
 The Appeal to Love. John 21 : 1-23. 
 The New Commandment. John 13 : 34. 
 
 The lesson title gives a keyword to describe the fourth 
 Gospel in our New Testament, called there The Gospel ac- 
 cording to John. The book is not biography or history. 
 Its religious purpose is obvious. The view of Jesus which 
 it presents is one which has grown out of a great love for 
 his life and message, and it makes love the key-note of 
 religion. 
 
 The writer of this Gospel gives the scene on the shore, 
 with its searching questions, as one of the "appearances" 
 of Jesus after his resurrection. This enables us to link this 
 lesson closely with the last, and gives an indication of the 
 quality of this gospel in which love is emphasized as an 
 element of religion. The second passage embodies a message 
 concerning love attributed to Jesus himself. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The Fourth Gospel. The Bible text which makes the 
 basis of the preceding lessons, telling the story of Jesus' life 
 and death, has all been taken from the first three Gospels, — 
 Matthew, Mark and Luke. These are called "Synoptic 
 Gospels" because they give a similar view of the life and 
 work of Jesus. For the most part, what we can really de- 
 pend on as giving some history of what Jesus did and a 
 
 257 
 
258 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 record of his teachings is found in these three. The 
 Fourth, called "The Gospel according to John," is not 
 history, though taken with the other Gospels it may furnish 
 some historical details, especially on the record of the last 
 week in the life of Jesus. Nor is it biography. It does 
 not attempt to give an account of the life of the Master. 
 It is, instead, a religious essay, a philosophical work filled 
 with spiritual insight, and with knowledge of those divine 
 influences which are able to transform life. The philosophy 
 of the book is largely Greek. Its author thought of Jesus 
 as the Greeks thought of demi-gods, as one who was more 
 than human. The idea of incarnation in its more limited 
 sense, as God revealed in that one life, permeates the book. 
 It is full of symbolism, of mysticism. The author 's idea of 
 Jesus is put into words which are represented as being 
 spoken by Jesus himself. These utterances often contain 
 great religious truth wonderfully expressed. They show 
 how the spirit of God creates spiritual life in the soul. They 
 are full of that insight which recognizes that love — good- 
 will — is the central principle in religion, just as Jesus had 
 said that it was in his two great commandments. So these 
 remarkable passages in the Fourth Gospel seem to interpret 
 the very soul of Jesus and the heart of his gospel. The 
 pupils will learn little about the doctrines in philosophy 
 and theology which the writer held, but they will rejoice 
 in his symbolism and respond to the religious spirit which 
 pervades the book. That we may interpret that spirit 
 aright, let us call this little work of only twenty-one chap- 
 ters "The Gospel according to Love." 
 
 Date of the Fourth Gospel. Recent considerations con- 
 cerning the date of the composition of this book strongly 
 favor the early part of the second century, about 100 to 
 120 a. d., as the time when it was written. The Greek 
 philosophy which permeates it, revealed especially in the 
 doctrine of the Logos or "Word" in the opening chapter, 
 exercised a powerful influence on the Christian church dur- 
 ing the second and third centuries of its history, and the 
 beliefs which the book sets forth are those which were com- 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 259 
 
 monly accepted by the Christians of Alexandria and Ephe- 
 sus during the opening years of the second century, a. d. 
 
 Authorship. The title of the book bears John 's name, but 
 no one knows what John is meant. The writer cannot be 
 the Apostle of that name, for his spirit is very different from 
 that of the John whom Jesus named "Son of Thunder." 
 In spite of a tradition that John the Apostle lived to an 
 extreme old age, the evidence, gathered from a study of 
 the writings of the church fathers, that he early met a 
 martyr 's death, seems to be increasing, and is now generally 
 accepted. The late date of the Gospel precludes the author- 
 ship of John, son of Zebedee. Some devout Christian of the 
 early part of the second century, who may perhaps have 
 been named John, gave us this Gospel. 
 
 Some Characteristics of the Fourth Gospel. The sym- 
 bolism of this book is very marked. The influence of the 
 sacred number, seven, is seen in the fact that seven miracles 
 or scenes from the tradition concerning Jesus are chosen 
 for illustration. There are seven symbols which typify the 
 character of Jesus as a revelation of God. These are the 
 bread, the light, the door, the good shepherd, the resurrec- 
 tion and the life, the way, and the vine. These symbols 
 give a picturesque character to its sayings which will appeal 
 to pupils of this grade; while its mystical quality and its 
 spiritual faith give it a value for the development of the 
 religious life which is not surpassed by any other book in 
 our Scriptures. 
 
 Its Presentation of Jesus. Here the purpose of the writer 
 is especially manifest. He wishes to show Jesus as "the 
 son of God," and his material is chosen with that end in 
 view. There are here no birth stories, no childhood inci- 
 dents, no temptation. Whatever would reveal human weak- 
 ness, like the agony in Gethsemane and the despairing cry 
 on the cross, are omitted. Healings of ordinary diseases 
 and the casting out of demons are not recorded here. Or- 
 dinary Jewish physicians and exorcists did these things. 
 The incidents related of Jesus are miracles, like turn- 
 ing water into wine, and raising Lazarus from the dead. 
 
260 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Everything is done to enhance the glory of Jesus and pre- 
 sent him as a supernatural character. How different are 
 the discussions and controversies with the Jews in Jeru- 
 salem here given — concerning their unbelief in his person 
 as an exalted being, one who was God-descended — from 
 the Synoptic accounts of his reproofs to the scribes and 
 Pharisees for their greed, their hypocrisy and their slavish 
 following of tradition. It is evident that here we have a 
 writing of a much later period, when the controversies over 
 the nature of Jesus had arisen, and the love that would 
 honor his memory sought by all means to exalt him above 
 the rest of humanity. It is to the Synoptics that we go for 
 the real Jesus, who, despite his Messiahship, is a man who 
 grows weary, who knows his human limitations, who fails in 
 some of his efforts, who was close to the common people and 
 took their part against their oppressors, who spoke rarely 
 about himself, but said much about the Kingdom of Heaven 
 and what one should do to be ready for it. It is obvious 
 that for any true picture of the life of Jesus, we must go, 
 as these lessons have done, to the earlier Gospels. For a 
 meditation on the religion which the life and teachings of 
 Jesus inspired, we turn to our Fourth Gospel, as to a record 
 of deep and genuine religious experience. 
 
 The Lesson Story (John 21:1-23). This chapter is 
 often called the Appendix to John's Gospel, and scholars 
 have questioned whether it was written by the same author 
 as the rest of the book. Its resemblance to the account in 
 Luke 5 : 1-11 will be noticed. The story is crammed with 
 the marvelous and symbolical, yet suggests a background 
 of the actual fellowship of Jesus with his closest friends. 
 
 The Sea of Tiberias (v. 1). This is a late name for 
 the Sea of Galilee, also called Sea of Gennesaret. 
 
 Those who were together (v. 2). James and John, so 
 often mentioned in the first three Gospels, do not appear 
 in this one except in this appendix, and here not by name, 
 but as ' ' the sons of Zebedee. ' ' Simon Peter is here referred 
 to without his brother Andrew. Thomas the twin (Didy- 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 261 
 
 mus), Nathanael, and two others not named, bring the 
 number of those present up to the sacred seven. 
 
 The Question (v. 5). Its form implies a negative an- 
 swer, so that it might well read, ' ' You haven 't anything to 
 eat, have you?" (with falling inflection). 
 
 The disciple whom Jesus loved (v. 7). In the beginning 
 of this Gospel there is an unnamed disciple who shares with 
 Andrew the honor of being the very first to follow Jesus, 
 thus preceding Peter, who is brought to Jesus by his brother 
 Andrew. In the account of the last supper, there is a name- 
 less disciple, — the same? — one "whom Jesus loved," re- 
 clining in his bosom, and Peter gets through him the answer 
 to his question about the betrayer. He is the one who is 
 at the cross when all the other disciples have fled, and to 
 him Jesus entrusts the care of his mother. He appears 
 again in the resurrection story as the one who outran Peter 
 on the way to the tomb. By this literary device of always 
 referring to him, not by name, but as the disciple whom 
 Jesus loved, the writer exalts some one of the followers of 
 Jesus at the expense of Peter, who had come to be consid- 
 ered the first of the Apostles. Was it John to whom he thus 
 refers ? It has generally been so considered, but we cannot 
 be sure. It must have been a disciple who had received 
 great honor in the early church, else the author could hardly 
 have ventured to give him a more important place than he 
 accords to Peter. The reference to him in this chapter, 
 v. 22, " If I will that he tarry till I come, ' ' seems to imply 
 that he lived to a great age, and it is now believed, as be- 
 fore stated, that John met an early death by martyrdom. 
 The author of this appendix-chapter identifies the beloved 
 disciple with the writer of this Fourth Gospel (v. 24) ; prob- 
 ably a mistake on his part, since it does not seem likely that 
 any author would so conceal and magnify himself. When 
 tradition came to say : John wrote this Gospel, then on the 
 basis of verse 24 it also said: John was the beloved dis- 
 ciple. But we cannot be sure that the author so intended. 
 By ' ' the disciple whom Jesus loved ' ' the author meant either 
 
262 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 'John, or some other disciple of Jesus whom he especially- 
 wished to honor. 
 
 Coat (v. 71). The fisherman's blouse, or outer garment, 
 is intended. The statement "for he was naked" means 
 that he had on only the under-garment. The word is gen- 
 erally so used in the New Testament. Compare Mark 14: 
 52. 
 
 The hundred cubits (v. 8). The distance is about a hun- 
 dred and fifty feet. This number, and the number of fishes, 
 ' ' an hundred and fifty and three, ' ' are probably symbolical, 
 though the significance is not now certainly known. 
 
 The Meal (vs. 12, 13). The simple out-door meal cooked 
 over the open fire is a type of the Eucharist. This is in- 
 dicated in such phrases as "Jesus cometh" when he was al- 
 ready with them; in the picture of Jesus as the Master of 
 the feast: "He taketh the bread and giveth them"; also 
 in the food mentioned, bread and fish. There are many in- 
 dications that fish was much used in the early church at the 
 Eucharistic meal in place of wine. In pictures in the 
 catacombs fish is on the altar or table as one of the conse- 
 crated elements. Compare also Luke 24: 42, 43. 
 
 The Questions to Peter (vs. 15-17). Two different words 
 for love are here used. The questions might read, ' ' Simon, 
 do you love me?" "Simon, son of John, are you my 
 friend?" Compare with the comment "Feed my sheep, 
 feed my lambs," the allegory of the good shepherd, John 
 10: 1-6. (See Lesson 36.) The effect on the early church 
 of this charge to Peter would be the reestablishment of 
 Peter to first place among the disciples and as the head of 
 the new church, — apparently the purpose for which this 
 appendix was written. 
 
 Tarry till I come (v. 22). This is a direct reference to 
 the belief of the early Christians that Jesus was soon to re- 
 turn to earth to establish Messiah's Kingdom. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 [The treatment here suggested for this lesson need not be 
 carried out in full. More questions should be introduced than 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 263 
 
 could be here indicated. Many teachers may prefer to omit en- 
 tirely any attempt to suggest the philosophy which underlies this 
 ■book in our Bible. It is offered here to furnish a brief statement 
 for teachers who have pupils mature enough to need some expla- 
 nation of this element of the Gospel. 
 
 Each pupil needs a copy of the Bible in class for this and the 
 following lessons.] 
 
 Lesson Opening and Development. We learned early 
 in this course that four books in our Bible tell something 
 about Jesus. Let us name them. (Secure concert recita- 
 tion.) The Gospel of Jesus we have been using was made 
 up from three of these: which three? (Matthew, Mark 
 and Luke.) Let us look now at the beginning of the 
 Fourth : What title is given to it ? (According to John. ) 
 What John have we heard about in the story of Jesus? 
 (Probably both John the Baptist and John the Apostle will 
 be mentioned.) For a long time many people believed that 
 John the Apostle wrote this book; others have suggested 
 that it contained some of his teachings, and his memories 
 of Jesus set down by one of his followers. Scholars are now 
 convinced that John the Apostle was martyred long before 
 the time when this book was written. A study of it shows 
 that it was probably written in the early part, perhaps the 
 first twenty years, of the second century of our era. How 
 would you write those dates? (a.d. 101 to 120). Now if 
 this Gospel according to John tells something about Jesus, 
 can you think of any reason why it was not included in 
 Bowen's Gospel of Jesus which we have been using? (You 
 are likely to get answers which suggest that its stories are 
 part of the legendary material, like that in the Appendix 
 to our textbook. ) The real reason is that this Fourth Gos- 
 pel is not biography at all, nor history. It is an essay or 
 sermon. It does not give the same view of Jesus that we get 
 from the other Gospels. Can you learn a big word that 
 is sometimes used for the first three ? They are called the 
 "Synoptic Gospels," from a word meaning "to see to- 
 gether," because they all give much the same account of 
 Jesus. But this book is different. It was written for a 
 
264 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 purpose. Do you know what philosophy is? It is an at- 
 tempt to explain something, — God, or life, or the soul, or 
 how we think, or how the world came to be. Now this 
 writer had a philosophy about the way the world came into 
 being. His book begins with the same three words, "In 
 the beginning," that open another Bible book. Let us 
 compare them. (See Gen. 1:1; John 1: 1.) But what he 
 gives is not an order of creation, as in the Genesis chapter. 
 It is his belief, learned from the Greeks, that God made the 
 world and all that is through a Spirit, here called "The 
 Word" (the Greek name was Logos), and that Jesus was 
 that Spirit "made flesh," that is, become a human being, 
 and living for a time on earth. So he was really trying to 
 explain what he thought about the nature of Jesus, and 
 how his life, his teachings and death had started a new re- 
 ligion. He did not think so much about a Messiah for the 
 Jews, as about a new religious leader for all the world, one 
 who helps us better to know what God is like. 
 
 You see, do you not, that those who loved Jesus and tried 
 to follow him wanted to explain why he had been able to do 
 such a wonderful work, why they believed God had raised 
 him from the under-world to the heaven overhead, why his 
 followers could have spiritual visions of him after his death, 
 and why his religion brought such spiritual life into the 
 hearts of the Christians. 
 
 The stories told about Jesus are very wonderful mira- 
 cles, selected from the many legends to show his glory, the 
 writer says, "We want to know what they tell and what to 
 think about them. Most of all we want to know something 
 about the writer's religion, here so wonderfully revealed. 
 For he had learned from the teaching of Jesus a deep 
 religious lesson. It was that God is love, and that true 
 religion consists in having the spirit of love in one's heart, 
 as Jesus had taught. Can the class recite the two great 
 commandments, learned earlier in the course 1 * If not, 
 teach them here. (Matt. 22: 37-39.) Add to them the 
 New Commandment of this Gospel : "A new commandment 
 
 * In Living Together and Children of the Father. 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 265 
 
 I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have 
 loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13: 34.) 
 Can we see now a reason for a name we give to this Gospel 
 as our lesson-title, "The Gospel according to Love"? We 
 read it, not to learn about the doings of Jesus, but to find 
 something of his spirit, and his teaching as it was pre- 
 sented by one of his followers more than seventy years after 
 his death. 
 
 Now we will read from this book a story which seems to 
 follow on from our resurrection stories: given as one of 
 the "appearances" of Jesus to his followers. 
 
 The class reads John 21 : 1-23. 
 
 Make such explanations of the story from the lesson notes 
 as may seem desirable, after the reading is finished. 
 
 The story is told as an appearance of Jesus to his follow- 
 ers after he had died. Can you see in it some things that 
 were memories of actual occurrences? Might Jesus have 
 eaten with his fisher-followers on the shore while he was 
 still with them? The breakfast of bread and fish cooked 
 over an open fire may have been a fairly common incident 
 of the early days of the ministry in Galilee. Can you think 
 of a time when Jesus might have asked Peter if he loved 
 him, and given him this commission? Such times as the 
 sending out the disciples to teach (Lesson 12) or following 
 his rejection by his family and townsmen (Lesson 9) give 
 suitable settings. But the writer has a purpose in telling 
 this story in this way as an appearance of Jesus after 
 his death. Peter had denied his Master at the trial; he 
 wants to show that he was reinstated and given by Jesus 
 a commission as leader in the early church. Bring out, 
 too, from the pupils a word about the love feast in the 
 desert, (Lesson 17) and the Eucharist (Lesson 24) in re- 
 view, and note the resemblance of phrases in this account 
 to the observance of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 Comparison of this story with another miracle-story of 
 a great catch of fishes (Luke 5: 1-11) will be interesting 
 if time permits. The resemblances between the two are 
 very great. 
 
266 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Another legendary story about Peter which did not get 
 into Scripture will interest the class. It tells that Peter 
 was in Borne when the Christians were persecuted and mar- 
 tyred for their faith. He fled from the city to save his 
 life. As he was going along the road he met Jesus going 
 toward the city, and knowing that he saw a vision asked with 
 trembling voice, "Master, whither goest thou?" (Quo 
 vadis?) Jesus answered, "I go to Eome to be crucified 
 afresh." At this Peter turned back to the city and the 
 vision vanished. Soon, says the story, he was arrested and 
 killed for his faith, crucified as Jesus was ; but he requested 
 to be placed on the cross head downward, as not worthy 
 to receive exactly the mode of death that had been inflicted 
 on his Master. It is only a story, but it has given the name 
 to a church just outside Eome, Quo Vadis, and the title to a 
 novel by Sienkiewicz. 
 
 You may be able to use the following illustrative inci- 
 dent : On one occasion when Mrs. Laura Ormiston Chant 
 had given a public lecture in London and was leaving the 
 hall, she passed two women who were talking together. 
 "Mrs. Chant gave us a fine lecture," said one. "Yes," 
 answered the other, doubtfully, knowing Mrs. Chant to be 
 a Unitarian. Then raising her voice, as she saw the lec- 
 turer near, "Yes, but she does not love my Jesus." Mrs. 
 Chant stepped nearer and said, gently, "Perhaps not, but 
 she wants to tell you that she loves her own Jesus. ' ' Differ- 
 ent people may have different ideas about the founder of 
 Christianity derived from their study of his life, but all 
 alike may love him. 
 
 Lesson Close. The appealing part of this lesson story 
 lies in the thrice-repeated question of Jesus: Lovest thou 
 me? Do you think Peter did love Jesus? Did the writer 
 of this story love him? Yet he had never seen Jesus, and 
 he had theories about him as the "Word" or "Son of God" 
 which the humble fisherman of Galilee would not have 
 understood or believed. How would you rather think of 
 Jesus : as Peter did who had known him, or as this philoso- 
 
STIRRING MEMOEIES AND RADIANT HOPES 267 
 
 pher did who was trying to explain his nature? Did the 
 philosopher 's love for Jesus depend on his belief about him ? 
 No, for many others who did not believe as he did have 
 loved him and lived the religion he taught. Shall we keep 
 in our hearts a word from our Bible as expressing our own 
 feeling toward Jesus? "Whom, not having seen, ye love." 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 Ask each pupil to write out for next Sunday one incident 
 about Jesus which he thinks the Apostles would have espe- 
 cially remembered after Jesus had left them. The differ- 
 ent incidents chosen will help the class to review briefly 
 some scenes given in the earlier lessons. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The answers to the questions are to be written, p. 61, and 
 the Bible passage inserted from memory after it has been 
 learned. 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 
 Raphael: The Charge to Peter. Stereopticon, A. U. A. 300. 
 Perugino : Christ's Charge to Peter. Perry, 258. 
 
Lesson 30 
 
 TWO FOURTH GOSPEL STOEIES 
 
 The Marriage Feast at Cana. Jno. 2 : 1-11. 
 At the Pool of Bethesda. Jno. 5: 1-18. 
 
 An opportunity is here given to become familiar with 
 two symbolic narratives of John's Gospel. They afford a 
 fine contrast to the accounts of healing with which the minis- 
 try of Jesus began in Galilee. The difference between the 
 picture of Jesus here given and that in the other gospels will 
 be apparent to pupils when they are asked to notice it. 
 They will understand the effort to enhance the glory of 
 Jesus from love for him and his religion. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Few comments on the two stories chosen will be needed. 
 They should be read in the light of the general view of the 
 Fourth Gospel given in the last lesson. 
 
 The Marriage at Cana. This is the first of the seven 
 "signs" which the author uses to manifest the glory of 
 Jesus. They are not simply "wonders," but are symbolic 
 deeds. The important thing is not what is said to have 
 happened, but the idea behind it. The writer seems to be 
 presenting an allegory that is acted out rather than spoken 
 in words. The superiority of the new religion over the old, 
 of Jesus over John, is always implied. John was an ascetic. 
 Jesus goes to a wedding feast. The wine of the old religion 
 was of poor quality and the supply failed : ' ' they have no 
 wine." From the water of the old Jewish law and cere- 
 monial Jesus creates the new wine which brings comfort 
 and joy. 
 
 The pupils will not need the allegorical interpretation. 
 Let them read the account merely as a story told to enhance 
 
 268 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 269 
 
 the glory of Jesus by one of those who loved him and found 
 his religion a power in their lives. A few explanations of 
 the text follow. 
 
 The third day. The time-sequence in the mind of the 
 writer is indicated in some detail. His first incident (1 : 19- 
 28 ) occurs in Bethany ; then follows a series of three, each 
 of which begins with the phrase, "On the morrow" (vs. 29, 
 35, 43). This incident seems to be suggested as occurring 
 on the third day after Jesus was "minded to go into Gali- 
 lee" (v. 43). From the beginning it is the seventh, or Sab- 
 bath, and so symbolic. This seeming care about the order of 
 events must not mislead us into thinking the author either 
 knew himself or had before him any detailed account of the 
 movements of Jesus. In all legendary and symbolic inci- 
 dents, the farther removed they are from the time they 
 seek to represent, the more detailed and definite they be- 
 come. 
 
 Six water-pots of stone (v. 6). The amount of water 
 supposed to be turned into wine is very definitely stated. 
 The firkin contained about nine gallons ; so the quantity of 
 wine as stated would be about four and one half barrels. 
 
 After the Jews' manner of purifying. Note these sig- 
 nificant words as indicating the symbolic character of the 
 story. Jesus shows the superiority of his wine (Gospel) 
 over the water of Judaism as a means of purifying. (See 
 Water Symbolism, p. 277.) The number and size of the 
 vessels are given to manifest the fulness of the grace con- 
 ferred by Jesus. To the same cause may be attributed the 
 statement in v. 7, "they filled them up to the brim." The 
 reason for making this large amount of wine after the guests 
 had already drunk up the whole supply originally provided 
 is given in v. 11 as the "manifestation of his glory." 
 
 Woman, what have I to do with thee (v. 4). The mother 
 of Jesus is never called by name in this Gospel. In this 
 formal address, there is nothing indicating the natural ten- 
 der human relation. The author's idea of the remoteness 
 of the incarnated Logos from his human relatives is in- 
 tensified by this formality of speech. 
 
270 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 When men have drunk freely (v. 10). A more accurate 
 translation would be "When they are drunk" or "have be- 
 come intoxicated." 
 
 This beginning of his signs (v. 11). Compare this story 
 with the simple healing of the demoniac in the synagogue 
 at Capernaum (Mk, 1: 23-26) with which the oldest record 
 opens the public work of Jesus. There the pity-motif is 
 dominant ; here it is entirely lacking. The author states 
 plainly his purpose in telling this story : ' ' This beginning 
 of his signs did Jesus . . . and manifested his glory." 
 Note the lack of result from this seeming manifestation of 
 power. No one but the disciples seems to have paid any 
 attention to the "manifestation of glory." They are the 
 only ones who are said to have "believed," and they must 
 already have believed in him or they would not have been 
 his followers. 
 
 The Second Story. (John 5: 1-18.) The life-giving 
 power which the religion of Jesus bestowed, to which the 
 author of this Gospel steadily testifies, is here brought into 
 the physical realm in the account of healing the man 
 who had been infirm for thirty-eight years. The story in- 
 troduces one of the discourses on religion which make this 
 Gospel so remarkable. 
 
 A feast of the Jews (v. 1). The pupils' study of the Old 
 Testament record of the Hebrew people in the year preced- 
 ing this one will no doubt have given them the list of their 
 feasts : Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, New Year, Dedi- 
 cation and Purim. Some of the ancient manuscripts here 
 read "the feast," which would mean the Passover. Some 
 scholars favor Purim or at any rate some summer or au- 
 tumn festival. 
 
 The representation in this Gospel that Jesus was much in 
 Jerusalem and Judea, especially early in his ministry, and 
 the mention of three separate Passovers at which he was 
 present, shows one reason why this Gospel cannot be "har- 
 monized" with the other three, which indicate one feast 
 only at which Jesus was in Jerusalem, — the Passover at 
 which he was crucified. 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 271 
 
 The sheep-gate (v. 2). As the italics indicate, the word 
 "gate" is not in the original; the passage might be trans- 
 lated simply "the sheep pool." No one is sure what place 
 is meant ; and the name is given in three ways, Bethesda, 
 Bethsaida and Bethzatha, in different manuscripts. 
 
 The moving of the water. In the Revised Version the 
 part of v. 3 containing this phrase, and all of v. 4 are put 
 into the margin. The description seems to fit an intermit- 
 tent spring; the troubling of the water by an angel of the 
 Lord is the explanation given for the phenomenon, quite in 
 keeping with the way in which natural events were then 
 accounted for. 
 
 The method of dealing with miracles in the New Testa- 
 ment narrative has been given earlier in these lessons. (See 
 Lesson 4, p. 34.) 
 
 The Jews (vs. 16 and 18). The Synoptics would have 
 said either "scribes" or "Pharisees," or both. The atti- 
 tude of his opponents who "sought the more to kill him" 
 is characteristic of the very end of Jesus' ministry, not its 
 beginning as here represented. 
 
 Called God his own Father. Jesus did that, indeed, and 
 our Father as well, as the opening words of his Prayer, 
 "Our Father," show. The conclusion drawn from it does 
 not follow, "making himself equal with God." "Making 
 himself of the same sort as God" would be the right con- 
 clusion, and would state our common faith that human souls 
 are of the same nature as God. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Begin the lesson by asking for the incidents assigned last 
 week. This, and the reading in class of the two stories in 
 this lesson may take at least half of the lesson period. The 
 suggestion here given for opening the lesson is meant to 
 follow the reading; but some teachers may think best to 
 introduce the reading of the stories with the opening illustra- 
 tion. 
 
 Lesson Opening and Development. When you look 
 
272 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 through a prism what do you see? Color! All the rain- 
 bow-tints, seeming to surround the objects at which you 
 look. A tree is no longer just green. Trunk, stems, leaves, 
 seem to be surrounded by these bands of color. Lovely, isn't 
 it? Do you see the tree as plainly? When people first 
 looked through these three-sided pieces of glass, I wonder 
 if they thought they were learning something new about the 
 tree, — seeing something in it they could not see with the eye 
 alone? In time they found they were not seeing anything 
 new in the tree at all, but were learning something about 
 the light which shone on the tree: that every ray of white 
 light is made up of these colors. Lovely though they are, 
 they obscure the sight. Only the clear white light in which 
 all the colors are perfectly blended enables us to see clearly. 
 The great lenses which astronomers use in telescopes tend to 
 break up the white light into its colors, and that tendency 
 has to be overcome if they are to see the moon, or "Venus, or 
 Mars, plainly. 
 
 Does not the Fourth Gospel give something of the same 
 effect in looking at Jesus? How lovely, and vague, and 
 remote, and rainbow-tinted he seems, surrounded by the 
 "glory" which the author saw as he looked at him. Let 
 us not make the mistake of thinking that he is telling us 
 anything new about Jesus, or giving us a clearer sight of him 
 than the other Gospels give. This color and charm, — let 
 us enjoy it to the full! This exaltation of Jesus as more 
 than human, as able to perform such stupendous miracles, 
 tells us something about the writer of the book rather than 
 about Jesus, — his quality of mind, his fine spirit, his phi- 
 losophy of God and all created things. "We are learning 
 something from these rainbow tints in the Fourth Gospel, — 
 but not something new about Jesus, so far as the facts of his 
 life are concerned. We may learn something about his 
 spirit, and much about the effect that his religion had on 
 human hearts when Jesus was no longer here on the earth. 
 
 Look for the real glory in the nature of Jesus, not an 
 artificial one. Would you really think any more of him — 
 after all the wonderful things we have learned about him 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 273 
 
 in these lessons — if you believed that he actually tarned 
 some water into wine in order that a few wedding guests 
 might have a little more? Magicians have been reported 
 as doing similar things ; do we especially honor them ? But 
 that the real Jesus, whom we have been trying to see, could 
 such a long time afterward so inspire love in one of his fol- 
 lowers that he wanted to honor him, wanted to live his re- 
 ligion and teach it to others, and thought he was doing so in 
 telling this story about him, — that is something worth learn- 
 ing, for it shows us an influence that has shaped the destiny 
 of nations and directed the course of human progress. 
 
 The healing incident gives opportunity to ask about the 
 healings on the Sabbath day given in Lesson 6. The inci- 
 dents may be briefly told if remembered, and attention called 
 to the difference in the two accounts. What objections were 
 then offered by the ruler of the synagogue? 
 
 The effect of the religion of Jesus on those who try to 
 follow him may be illustrated for the class by some modern 
 instance. If your locality offers some notable example of a 
 Christ-like life you may make use of it. Or some prominent 
 religious leader — W. E. Channing, Edward Everett Hale, 
 Florence Nightingale, or Phillips Brooks — may be selected. 
 
 Lesson Close. "Whoever has real religion in his heart 
 and life does something for others by just being what he is. 
 He may reveal his spirit of religion in something he writes, 
 as did the author of the Fourth Gospel ; or in something he 
 says from the pulpit, like Bishop Brooks or Dr. Channing ; 
 or in the many gracious words and deeds of every day life, 
 like some man or woman you know. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 If home work seems desirable, it may relate to some 
 phase of the life or work of the modern instance chosen for 
 the lesson illustration; or the Note Book work may be as- 
 signed as a home task. A leaflet on Dr. Channing will be 
 found in Our Leaders (No. 1). The Beacon, Vol. IV, No. 
 14, contains much material on Dr. Hale, with attractive 
 
274 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 pictures ; Vol. I, No. 1, has an article on Florence Nightin- 
 gale, with portrait. These are adapted to the interest and 
 capacity of pupils of this grade. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Insert on p. 62 the home work assigned last Sunday. 
 
 What the pupils write under each of the three headings, 
 p. 63, will show you how well you have used the opening 
 illustration in your teaching. 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 (Both of these stories have often been pictured by artists.) 
 
 Hole : The Marriage Feast at Cana. 217. 
 
 Hole : Healing the Man at the Pool of Bethesda. 248. 
 
 Veronese: Marriage at Cana. Wilde, 50; Perry, 382. 
 
 Tintoretto: Marriage at Cana. Brown, 2074. 
 
 Bida : Healing at Pool of Bethesda. Wilde, 60. 
 
 Van Dyck : Talking with the Lame Man, Bethesda. Wilde, 62. 
 Sehonherr: Christ at Bethesda. Wilde, 546. 
 
Lesson 31 
 
 THE WATER OF LIFE : A WAYSIDE TALK 
 
 At the Well in Samaria. John 4: 1 -42. 
 Living Water. John 7: 37-44. 
 
 The basis of this story that Jesus talked about religion 
 with a woman whom he met by the way in Samaria, may 
 well have been one of the disciples' memories of an occur- 
 rence that was at first startling, then illuminating. It is 
 certainly characteristic of his gentle and friendly treatment 
 of women, at a time when they were generally ignored. 
 Especially is it in accord with other incidents in which out- 
 casts were given consideration and kindness by this friend 
 of the helpless and needy. The dialogue, wholly in the 
 style of the author of the book, is rightly considered one of 
 the most remarkable conversations on record. 
 
 The figure of the thirsty soul supplied with living water, 
 oriental in origin, has now entered into our speech and 
 thought. However much the author may have put his own 
 cast of thought into these words, the figure may well have 
 come from Jesus and have been treasured in the memory of 
 his followers. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The scene in which this story is placed brings up many 
 points of interest in the history of the Hebrew people. 
 These points will be noticed in the order in which they oc- 
 cur in the narrative. 
 
 When the Lord knew (v. 1). The double use of the word 
 Lord in the Bible is confusing, and the same divergence is 
 carried into our common speech. At one time it means 
 God, the Almighty, Jehovah; at another it is a term of 
 honor applied to a man of authority or position: "My 
 
 275 
 
276 THE STOEY OF JESUS 
 
 lord the King," "My lord Elijah." Rebecca says to the 
 stranger at the well, "Drink, my lord"; and in the parable 
 of faithful and unfaithful servants, "My lord delayeth his 
 coming," and elsewhere, meaning a master or superior. 
 The word was familiarly used by the disciples as term of 
 address to Jesus, and meant simply "Master" or 
 ' ' Teacher. ' ' The use of the word for Jesus does not imply 
 any identification of him with God, even at the time when 
 his followers had come to think of him as more than human. 
 So a modern man might say "The Lord is merciful and 
 gracious," meaning God, and then talk of Lord Salisbury, 
 without a thought of the similarity of the word. The usage 
 in the Bible is parallel. The word translated "Lord" is 
 the Greek "Kurios," which is just Master, Mister, Mr., 
 Herr, Monsieur. "When Rev. Samuel J. Barrows travelled 
 in Greece he was commonly addressed as ' ' Kurios Barrows. ' ' 
 
 Must needs pass through Samaria. The journey through 
 Samaria in going from Jerusalem to Galilee was noticed in 
 a former lesson (No. 21 ) . The parenthetical sentence which 
 closes verse 9 states the attitude of strict Jews toward these 
 despised neighbors. 
 
 Sychar (v. 5). This town is now thought to be the mod- 
 ern Askar, a village about half a mile from Jacob's well. 
 
 Jacob's well (v. 6). A very ancient landmark in Pales- 
 tine, which unbroken tradition has located on the southern 
 edge of the plain at the foot of Mt. Gerizim. The Greek 
 word means ' ' spring. ' ' 
 
 The sixth hour. Probably noon is the time intended 
 here, as in the account of the crucifixion. 
 
 Give me to drink. Jesus asks a favor of the woman, a 
 simple courtesy to a weary traveller. So different is this 
 from the usual attitude of scorn and contempt toward Sa- 
 maritans on the part of Jews, that the woman questions 
 him about it. Jesus ' answer is not a reply to her question ; 
 it is a little talk on religion, put, as the Orientals love to do, 
 into a puzzle to be guessed, a hidden meaning in common 
 words. The woman takes the answer quite literally; even 
 after a more direct and positive statement about the "living 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 277 
 
 ■water," (vs. 13 and 14) she still thinks of water from the 
 well, as her words in v. 15 show. 
 
 The water symbolism of all the stories in the first part of 
 the Fourth Gospel is noticeable. At Cana Jesus shows 
 the superiority of his wine (Gospel) over the water of 
 Judaism as a means of purifying. At Bethesda the in- 
 feriority of the water of Judaism for healing is shown. 
 In the scene at the well, the contrast between Judaism and 
 Christianity as a means of quenching thirst is brought out. 
 The climax of this symbolism of water for the gospel of 
 Jesus comes in the second passage selected for this lesson, 
 John 7 : 37. 
 
 Go call thy husband (v. 16). This part of the dialogue 
 is introduced by the author to suggest that Jesus had super- 
 natural knowledge. In a skillful re-writing of this story, 
 Forbush (in Life of Jesus, published by Charles Scrib- 
 ner's Sons) eliminates this quality; makes the positive state- 
 ment of Jesus into a hesitating question, "The man with 
 whom you are living — is not — your husband?" and omits 
 all reference to the five husbands. It makes the scene more 
 natural, but does not carry out the intent of the narra- 
 tive. 
 
 Thou art a prophet (v. 19). Better "soothsayer" or 
 "diviner." But the word leads at once to the old con- 
 troversy between Jews and Samaritans about the place to 
 worship. "This mountain" (v. 20) is Gerizim. The Sa- 
 maritans had once built on top of it a temple for the worship 
 of Jehovah, which had been destroyed before the time of 
 Jesus. 
 
 The verses which follow, indicating universal worship of 
 God who is Spirit, are among the most remarkable passages 
 of our Scripture. 
 
 I that speak unto thee am he. This assertion of Jesus 
 that he is the Christ (Greek form of the word Messiah), 
 placed at so early a period in his ministry, is a direct con- 
 tradiction of the representation made in the Synoptics. 
 There, Jesus tells his disciples, after months of association 
 with them, as a great secret, his conviction of his mission as 
 
278 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Messiah ; and the betrayal of that secret by Judas was the 
 event which brought about the death of Jesus. This is a 
 picture that is obtained by looking backward. The author 
 is more anxious to teach that Jesus was the Christ than to 
 give an accurate account of his life. 
 
 The disciples marvelled (v. 27). It was contrary to 
 Jewish custom for a Kabbi to converse with a woman in a 
 public place. So for the disciples to find Jesus talking on 
 serious themes with a woman was startling. 
 
 The Savior of the world. That Messiah should redeem 
 not only the Jewish people but the whole world is an idea 
 that is much later than the time here pictured; so is the 
 phrase itself. Part of the value of this Fourth Gospel is 
 in its universal outlook. True worship is possible not alone 
 in Mt. Gerizim or in Jerusalem, but wherever human hearts 
 worship God, who is spirit, in spirit and in truth. The re- 
 ligion which has love as its central principle fits human need 
 everywhere, and its Founder is not merely a Jewish Mes- 
 siah but the world's Christ. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Lesson Opening and Development. "Where does our 
 water supply come from? (Use local conditions in your 
 city, town, or village.) How many of you have ever seen 
 a spring bubbling up from the ground? Or a deep well 
 with a stone curb ? Was the water cold and fresh ? What 
 is the difference between "living water" and "stagnant 
 water"? Why did the people in Palestine value their wells 
 so greatly? In the old days they sang songs to them. A 
 well song is recorded in our Bible, — just four lines. (Num. 
 21 : 17, 18. ) Can you see the people gathering together at 
 a great well and marching about with their water-jugs as 
 they chanted the words? 
 
 Secure from the class the name of the well in this lesson, 
 and locate it on the map, — near Shechem and Sychar in 
 Samaria. 
 
 The great religious sayings in this lesson are the impor- 
 tant part of it, and the pupils should become familiar with 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 279 
 
 them. They will enjoy the scene as a memory of something 
 Jesus once did, when he was kind to a woman of the land 
 where differences in religion and in race had cultivated age- 
 long feuds. These were at their height when Jesus lived. 
 Yet he showed himself always a friend to this people ; told 
 one of his most effective parables with a Samaritan as the 
 hero, and here is kind to one of the outcast women of that 
 nation. So the story not only gives us some wonderful 
 religious utterances, it shows Jesus in one of his acts of 
 friendliness. 
 
 Use the idea of living water as typifying true religion. 
 The thirst which the soul may know had been spoken of 
 long before, and made the theme of one of the great Psalms 
 in Jesus' Bible and ours: 
 
 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. 
 
 (Ps. 42:2.) 
 
 In this story Jesus is saying that true religion is like a 
 bubbling spring in the heart, supplying its need and 
 quenching its thirst, springing up into life eternal. 
 
 An illustration may be found in one of Jack London's 
 stories. A group of men, chased by pirates, took refuge 
 on a rocky island in the South Seas. The pirates knew 
 there was no spring on the island, so they surrounded it, 
 expecting the men would soon be forced to surrender be- 
 cause of thirst. There was in the group a friendly native, 
 who knew that a spring of fresh water bubbled up into the 
 ocean through a fissure in the rock. Every night when it 
 was dark a man swam out a few feet from the island to the 
 ledge of rock, and stooping down filled a bottle with the 
 fresh water and carried it back to his comrades. After a 
 time the pirates knew that in some way the men had found 
 water, and they gave up the siege. 
 
 If the water of life springs up in one's heart, quenching 
 the soul's thirst, do you think others will know about it? 
 There can be no doubt that true religion in the heart is 
 always evident. It has an effect on the life which can be 
 seen. But true religion, even that which Jesus revealed, 
 
280 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 does not come from merely calling one "s self a Christian, or 
 going to church, or believing some special things about 
 Jesus. A woman who had charge of a large group of girls 
 said that she watched them very carefully, and that those 
 who claimed to be Christians often could not be distin- 
 guished from the rest by any greater gentleness, or kind- 
 ness, or serenity of heart, or better conduct; but some 
 could. Some who did not claim to be followers of Jesus 
 showed a religious spirit that made their lives fine and 
 true. Which of these were truly Christians? 
 
 The great verses in this chapter, 14 and 24, may be read 
 in concert as a help toward memorizing them. Read also 
 the second passage about living water. Here the writer 
 has Jesus stand as representing his religion, offering to 
 give the water of life to those athirst. 
 
 Lesson Close. A great prayer makes this request: 
 "Show us the spring that flows from the eternal silence of 
 God and gives new light to the eyes of all who drink of it." 
 Can we make this prayer our own? 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 Different topics may be assigned to different pupils. 
 Here are three for the purpose. 
 
 1. Read the story of the blessing and cursing from Mt. 
 Ebal and Mt. Gerizim, Deut. 27:9-26, and write in your 
 own words what the people did. 
 
 2. Write the story of a drink from the well of Bethlehem, 
 II Sam. 23 : 13-17 or I Chron. 11 : 15-19. 
 
 3. Write the story of the four wells, Gen. 26 : 12-33. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 One page of the Note Book (64) gives a test on the text 
 of the Fourth Gospel story just read. A second page (65) 
 is provided for the stories to be written as home work to be 
 inserted next Sunday, and for the "Well Song," which 
 may be copied in from the Bible reference. 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 281 
 
 Pictures Which M|iY Be Used. 
 
 Dore: Jesus and the Woman of Samaria. Wilde, 54. 
 
 Hofmann : Jesus and the Woman of Samaria. Wilde, 55. 
 
 Baliverti: Jesus and the Woman of Samaria. Wilde, 56. 
 
Lesson 32 
 
 A TEACHER COME FROM GOD 
 
 The Visit of Nicodemus, a Teacher of Israel. 
 John 3 : 1-21. 
 
 Here is another of the Fourth Gospel stories which shows 
 what some of his followers thought about Jesus nearly a 
 century after he lived. The picture has become a part of 
 Christian inheritance. The contrast between the prosaic 
 mind of Nicodemus and the spiritual insight of Jesus is 
 sharply drawn. The discourse, while filled with the theo- 
 logical conceptions of the writer, is picturesque and sug- 
 gestive. The scene is ideal, — a little drama showing two 
 types of religious teachers, and setting forth the spiritual 
 quality demanded of one who is to inherit eternal life. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Nicodemus (v. 1). He is mentioned only in the Fourth 
 Gospel, and is here shown as a Pharisee, a ruler or rabbi 
 in Israel. The picture here given of the skill of Jesus in 
 teaching a teacher makes a fine contrast to the last lesson 
 where he is represented as teaching a humble woman. 
 
 Came . . . by night. The implication is that he was un- 
 willing to consult Jesus openly by day. Hole has made a 
 very effective picture of this scene as taking place on a 
 housetop, the roofs and domes of Jerusalem showing on all 
 sides, and the stars gleaming in the sky. 
 
 A teacher come from God (v. 2). The meaning is a 
 teacher commissioned by God. The reason given for this 
 conviction on the part of Nicodemus and the rabbis associ- 
 ated with him is that signs or marvels which Jesus had done 
 had certified his commission. Jesus asserts, on the con- 
 
 282 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 283 
 
 trary, that it is a spiritual condition, a new birth, which fits 
 one to teach spiritual truth, not the ability to show signs 
 and wonders. It is that same spiritual renewal which fits 
 him to enter the Kingdom of God. 
 
 Of water and the Spirit (v. 5). "Water may here be 
 used as a symbol, or, more probably, as referring to baptism 
 which in the early church was the condition on which the 
 gift of the Spirit, and so membership in the Kingdom, was 
 bestowed. 
 
 The wind oloweth (v. 8). The aptness of the figure of 
 the wind blowing where it will, for the gift of the Spirit, has 
 long been recognized. 
 
 Art thou the teacher of Israel and understandest not? 
 This is a cutting rebuke. It puts into this dramatic dialogue 
 the idea expressed in one of the sayings of Jesus given us by 
 the Synoptics, that if the blind lead the blind both fall into 
 the ditch. 
 
 The Son of man (v. 13). The words "who is in heaven" 
 which follow this phrase are a late addition and should be 
 omitted. The writer is here putting into the mouth of Jesus 
 his conception of him as the Logos descended from heaven, 
 and so able to teach spiritual things. 
 
 Whosoever oelieveth. Contrast the insistence on believing 
 on Jesus or on the name of Jesus, in this Gospel, with the 
 answer of Jesus to the rich young ruler who came to him 
 asking what he should do to inherit eternal life. (Luke 
 18:18-24.) 
 
 God so loved the world. Here is a part of that vision of 
 love as at the very heart of God, and so the essential thing in 
 religion, which makes this Fourth Gospel such a remarkable 
 book. The author 's vision of God as so loving the world that 
 he would send into it one who should reveal what God is like, 
 compasses a great truth. Its chief defect is the limitation of 
 that love. The heart of God has been revealed not once, but 
 many times, in great souls that live in close touch with God, 
 and make more plain the divine will to human hearts. 
 
 Light is come . . . and men loved the darkness (v. 19). 
 The author was picturing the rejection of Jesus and his 
 
284 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 teaching ; but what a great truth he touched here, and how 
 wonderfully is it expressed! Judgment comes indeed on 
 the soul that loves the darkness rather than the light, that 
 chooses the low in preference to the high. In this is the 
 root of sin, and this great soul put that truth into words 
 the world will not forget. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Bring up at the opening of the hour the home work as- 
 signed at the last lesson. 
 
 In reading this lesson in class, plan the order so that you 
 take verse 4 yourself. There are terms right for the pupil 
 to hear and know which may cause them embarrassment if 
 asked to read aloud. Tact in the management of a class 
 helps to spiritual ends. Your consideration will be more 
 appreciated than you will know. 
 
 Lesson Opening and Development. Begin by calling at- 
 tention to the fact that pictures of Jesus usually have a halo 
 around the head. Can the pupils tell why the artists did 
 this 1 They may say that it was to show that Jesus was dif- 
 ferent from other men. That is partly true, but it was not 
 the only reason, for the saints in the pictures were given 
 halos too. What were they trying to show? Yes, — spirit; 
 that quality which in the words of Jesus in this story is 
 said to be like wind or breath, that one can not see and does 
 not know how it comes. Artists have to picture things that 
 can be seen ; but they want to suggest the unseen elements of 
 a nature, its true spiritual quality. So they had a sign for 
 this wonderful thing, — and the sign was light. A ring of 
 light around the head, as we see in so many pictures ; light 
 gleaming from the figure of the baby Jesus, as in Correggio 's 
 "Holy Night," — these were the indications of one who, as 
 this story says, had been "born of the Spirit." 
 
 How much does this story tell you about Nicodemus? 
 How many sentences does he speak ? Do you know how the 
 interview ends? Very little is said about him, but we feel 
 at once that here is a Rabbi of a very different sort from 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 285 
 
 Jesus. Is it any wonder that the world has been glad to see 
 in Jesus with his great spiritual gifts a "teacher sent from 
 God"? 
 
 Let us call the author of this Gospel John, remembering 
 that we do not know what John is meant. Now let us think 
 whether this story about two teachers, Jesus and Nicodemus, 
 gives us some genuine sayings of Jesus, or does it tell what 
 John wished that Jesus had said? We have seen that an 
 incident may be true to the spirit of Jesus even if it never 
 occurred just as told. Can we see now that some great 
 words in religion may be true to the spirit of Jesus even if 
 we cannot think that he said them just as recorded? In 
 this case, for example, is it likely that any one heard this 
 conversation? Do you suppose Jesus ever told any one just 
 what had happened if it did happen? Perhaps it is John's 
 language; is it any less valuable for that? There was in 
 Greece a great teacher, named Socrates. Most of what we 
 know about his teachings we get from his disciple Plato, who 
 wrote his dialogues with his students. Plato was a great 
 philosopher. What Socrates said may have been put into 
 much better form by Plato than it had when it was spoken 
 by his master. Some of the great utterances may belong to 
 Plato, but the spirit of them came to him because of what 
 Socrates had taught. There was in Palestine a great 
 teacher, Jesus, who spoke to people in the street and market 
 place, as Socrates did in Greece, but did not write books. 
 One of his followers, John, a philosopher with a gift for 
 writing, gave us this book about his Master. Can you see 
 how the spirit of all these great religious sayings may have 
 come from Jesus, when the form they took and the phil- 
 osophy they reveal may have been John's? Truth is re- 
 vealed in many ways, and more than one great soul may be 
 needed to put it into the form in which it lives and helps 
 the world. 
 
 Have the class look up the story of Moses lifting up the 
 serpent in the wilderness (Num. 21:4-9), to which refer- 
 ence is made in this lesson. John knew his Bible, didn't 
 he ? He knew how to find parallels between what was there 
 
286 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 recorded of Moses and what had happened to Jesus. Recall 
 again to the class the verse, "And I, if I be lifted up, will 
 draw all men unto me." (John 12:32.) John meant by 
 "lifted up" — what? The crucifixion, no doubt. Can we 
 think of another way in which Jesus has been "lifted up" 
 to the world? It is by recognizing the wonder of his life 
 and teachings, by seeing in them an ideal for humanity, 
 that Jesus is best "lifted up." When his life becomes for 
 all the world the true ideal, the pattern they strive to fol- 
 low, it will draw — yes, pull — all men unto him. 
 
 Lesson Close. Will the "prayer of the followers of 
 Jesus" seem to you to end fittingly the lesson on following 
 the ideal which you have tried to give? 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 As this lesson closes the part of the course chosen from 
 the Fourth Gospel, will some of the pupils like to read some 
 other parts of it at home? If the parents could be inter- 
 ested in advance in this work so that all the family might 
 read together some of the famous chapters — say 14 to 17 — 
 or the closing part of the book if preferred, it will be well. 
 How much of an idea can the pupils give the parents about 
 the real value of this Gospel ? A little cooperation in this 
 way between home and school will give you one effective test 
 of your teaching : whether you have imparted to these young 
 minds a comparative sense of values, and given them the 
 right attitude to the book ; and whether you have interested 
 them in it so that they want to read more. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The spaces to be filled on p. 66 will show you how well 
 the pupils remember the story you have just read together 
 in class. For the last topic the words inserted may be 
 either "born anew" (R. V.) or "born from above" (R. V. 
 margin), and the meaning is that the spirit of one who 
 would teach should be renewed. 
 
STIRRING MEMORIES AND RADIANT HOPES 287 
 
 Pictures Which May Be Used. 
 
 Hole : The Visit of Nicodemus. 247. 
 
 Artist unknown: The Visit of Nicodemus. 
 
 From an Old German Bible, Wilde, 53. 
 
Chapter IX 
 THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 The Contents op this Chapter. In closing our study 
 of the life of Jesus, we are to consider a few of his teach- 
 ings. Some of these give his vision of the last things. 
 Some are so vital a part of religious truth that we know 
 them to be the very heart of our Christian faith. Some are 
 given in story form, as was Jesus' happy custom. In the 
 end, we ask ourselves the important question, What does it 
 mean to be truly a follower of Jesus of Nazareth ? 
 
 The Material. A number of sections from Bowen's 
 Gospel of Jesus, omitted while the incidents in the life of 
 Jesus were being considered, are here taken up. 
 
 Lesson Aims. This chapter is the culmination of the 
 story of Jesus, and seeks to help the pupils to gather up the 
 impression of his life as a whole, to gain concisely a few 
 essential points of his teaching, and to feel the meaning of 
 it all in their own lives. Yet the religious lesson should be 
 taught largely by indirection. It should be made appealing 
 because it is made attractive, and compelling because ab- 
 stract ideas are translated into terms of life. 
 
 Note Book "Work. Each lesson in this chapter contains 
 either a poem or passage of Scripture to be read in class. 
 These interpret and enforce the message of Jesus, and may 
 well become part of the pupil 's mental and spiritual equip- 
 ment. 
 
 288 
 
Lesson 33 
 
 JESUS' MESSAGE ABOUT LOVE AND 
 FORGIVENESS 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 89, 90, 101, 102. 
 130. 
 
 89. Eetaliation. Mt. 5 : 38-41. 
 
 90. Love Your Enemies. Mt. 5:42-48. 
 
 101. How Often Shall I Forgive 2 Mt. 18 : 15, 21- 
 22; 6:14-15; 5:23-24. 
 
 102. The Forgiven Man Who Would Not Forgive. 
 Mt. 18:23-35. 
 
 130. The Great Commandments. Mt. 22 : 34-40. 
 
 Love and forgiveness are here taught as essential to the 
 spirit of one who would live aright. Jesus does not say, 
 ' ' If you wish to be my followers you must do these things. ' ' 
 He is stating what he believes to be God's requirement for 
 every human soul. The climax comes in the closing sec- 
 tion where the two great commandments are stated. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Ye have heard that it was said. (89) Jesus is quoting 
 the ancient Hebrew law, made in barbarous days as a rough 
 and ready rule for the judges to whom the people came with 
 their complaints of injury. Evidently some people were 
 still using the rule long outgrown in the courts as a law of 
 life for themselves, a rule of retaliation. The "Notes" tell 
 where these laws may be found. 
 
 But I say unto you. Jesus puts behind his instruction, 
 not the authority of something said long before and gener- 
 ally accepted as true, but the authority of immediate spir- 
 itual insight. Pie asked that his hearers, too, look into their 
 own hearts for the same assurance which he felt: "Why, 
 
 289 
 
290 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 even of yourselves, judge ye not what is right?" (Lk. 
 12:57.) 
 
 Besist not. This is a rule which one who has learned to 
 love even his enemies sees to be, not non-resistance to evil, 
 but the most effective resistance. Do not retaliate when a 
 wrong is done to you, returning injury for injury. Can 
 you not see that if you do to another the very wrong he has 
 just done to you, the result is two wrong things done? 
 Eeconcile your differences by the spirit which is willing to 
 be generous as well as just. Do not wait to be compelled to 
 do so by the law and the court, by outside authority instead 
 of the compelling spirit of love in your own heart. Jesus 
 carries the figure of the law-court all through this passage. 
 It is most interesting when read in the light of the condi- 
 tions of his own time, where the poor and humble found it 
 difficult to get justice even in a court of law. Notice how 
 the early Christian teachers preached this same message: 
 "Render to no man evil for evil." (Rom. 12: 17.) 
 
 Love your enemies. (90) Jesus was not the first to 
 teach this great principle of life. His own Bible had taught 
 the same thing in very concrete form. Here is one of the 
 passages : 
 
 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; 
 And if be be thirsty, give him water to drink : 
 For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head, 
 And Jehovah will reward thee. 
 
 (Prov. 25:21, 22.) 
 
 Paul quoted this in his letter to the Romans and added 
 to it words which pointed out, as Jesus had done, what 
 is the effective form of resistance to evil: 
 
 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 
 
 (Rom. 12:21.) 
 
 Notice the change in the last sentence of this section from 
 the familiar form. The words "complete in love" are a 
 more correct translation than the familiar form, "Ye shall 
 be perfect." 
 
THE HEART OP THE GOSPEL 291 
 
 The Law of Forgiveness. (101) One who repents of his 
 wrong-doing is always to be forgiven by the one whom he 
 has injured. That is the plain meaning of the "seventy 
 times seven. ' ' Here is again a charge to be like the Father, 
 to be complete in love. The use of the term "brother," 
 though having here a wider application, reminds us that an 
 injury received from a member of one's own family is often 
 harder to forgive than one from an entire stranger. Yet 
 to be reconciled to any who "have aught against thee" is 
 here shown as the essential condition for the soul that seeks 
 to worship in spirit and in truth. 
 
 The Parable. (102) As usual, Jesus makes his teaching 
 concrete by putting it into story form. It is meant only 
 as a picture. There is no need to give any consideration 
 to the value of the sums named; the mention of "ten 
 thousand" in one case and "a hundred" in another makes 
 the contrast clear. It is the spirit of one who seeks a favor 
 and receives it, and then refuses a far smaller favor to 
 another who is in debt to him, to which we should give 
 heed. The parable is set into oriental conditions. Doubt- 
 less the oppression of one who was in debt, the prison, the 
 tormentors, were all too familiar to Jesus and his hearers, 
 in those times when tribute to Rome was exacted. 
 
 The Two Commandments. (Sec. 130) "Love to God and 
 love to man" are the two things enjoined by Jesus as essen- 
 tial to the religious life. His answer to the question seems 
 to us simple and beautiful, but it was no easy matter to 
 answer at the time, when there was much dispute over just 
 this question. Jesus replied so skilfully that his enemies 
 dared not ask him further questions, and so truly that these 
 two great commandments he named are widely recognized 
 as containing the essential elements for the religious life. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGGESTIONS 
 
 Opening. (For a class of boys.) How many of your 
 class are members of a Boy Scout troop ? You will of course 
 know without asking them. Draw out from the class the 
 requirements of the Scout law, the obligations of the Scout 
 
292 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 oath. Is there anything in either one which is not enjoined 
 on any one who would be truly a Christian? These boys 
 have been brought up in a Christian nation. They have 
 heard the teachings of Jesus in Sunday school and home 
 from childhood ; yet they needed for their best effort a new 
 oath, a new law, a new way of saying the same things 
 Christianity has taught for centuries. Can they see from 
 this how, although the religion of the Jews had long taught 
 kindness in a very definite way, it gave a new impulse to 
 life when Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies 
 and do good to those who persecuted them? If you have 
 a Jewish lad in class, can he tell what emphasis is put on 
 love as a right principle of life in the religion of his 
 fathers? If you are teaching a Japanese, does he know 
 that in his native land the law of kindness is taught as nec- 
 essary for right life for every one, and that it is given es- 
 pecial emphasis in the training of their soldiers? Great 
 souls in every nation have seen the same thing: that the 
 spirit of good-will in the heart is the spirit of religion, and 
 only when we have it can we treat every one as we should. 
 We may learn that truth in many ways : from the words of 
 Jesus, or through some other religion, or through the Scout 
 law ; the important thing is that we put it into practice. 
 
 In classes of girls, the rules and teachings of the Camp- 
 fire Girls, or the King's Daughters, or the Junior Alliance, 
 may be used in the same way to show needed reinforcement 
 of teachings which have been forgotten or ignored. 
 
 Lesson Development. Ask one pupil to tell what the 
 quotation means, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a 
 tooth." Bring out the meaning of retaliation by a concrete 
 case based on this quotation. Then put the saying of Jesus 
 into another form: "Do not retaliate when evil is done to 
 you." This may save some quibble over the idea of 
 non-resistance. Remember that Jesus' rule is a way of 
 securing the only effective resistance to evil; for evil is 
 overcome, not by more evil, but by good; not by hatred, 
 but by love. If any of the class seem to think Jesus' rule 
 
THE HEART OP THE GOSPEL 293 
 
 of life too soft or easy or weak, lacking in courage or manli- 
 ness, let them read his words in Sec. 133, where he is de- 
 nouncing wrong and condemning the wrong-doer. Did that 
 take courage ? It was, in fact, a most dangerous proceeding. 
 It led to his death, but gave the world a new religion with 
 love as its heart, — the love that condemns the wrong and 
 forgives the wrong-doer. 
 
 The story of the forgiven debtor who would not forgive 
 will be more impressive to pupils of thirteen if the money 
 is read in terms with which they are familiar. We speak, 
 not of talents, but of dollars. For a man to be excused from 
 paying a debt of ten thousand dollars, and then to persecute 
 a poor laborer who owed him a hundred dollars, — that does 
 reveal a mean spirit! It is well to make a point of the 
 financial aspect of the story: so many sins in every age 
 relate to dealings in money matters. Call attention at the 
 same time to the version of the Lord's Prayer which says 
 "Forgive us our debts." Then widen the meaning to other 
 obligations. The well-known quotation from Portia 's speech 
 in Shakespeare 's Merchant of Venice may not be well known 
 to your pupils: 
 
 "We do pray for mercy, 
 And that same prayer should teach us all to render 
 The deeds of mercy." 
 
 'Jesus not only taught people to forgive their enemies, he 
 practiced what he preached. Can the pupils recall the 
 prayer from the cross? 
 
 Now take up the question asked of Jesus. Who were 
 the people who thought of a question to ask Jesus because 
 he had been answering so well? (The Pharisees.) Who 
 put the question to Jesus? A scribe, — one whose duty it 
 was to make copies of the ancient law in that day when all 
 books were made by hand. Have your pupils seen a roll 
 of parchment? If there is a Jewish Synagogue in your 
 neighborhood, they could see one in use at any service: a 
 long strip, rolled on rods from each end toward the middle. 
 The scribes knew the law, and interpreted to the people its 
 
294 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 many requirements. The Jews often debated sharply which 
 of them all was of first importance. When Jesus answered 
 the question, he might please some of his hearers, but might 
 offend more, since each had made up his own mind. Notice 
 that the scribe asked for one commandment and that Jesus 
 gave two. Both make love the main thing in religion: 
 Love to God, and love to one's neighbor. How beautifully 
 some of the followers of Jesus expressed this same thought 
 we shall see from the references to other Bible passages, 
 and to a familiar one given in a new form in our Note 
 Book. Look up Prov. 25 : 21, 22 ; and note the use made of 
 the quotation in Paul's letter to the Romans (12:20). 
 See also I John 2 : 10 ; 4 : 7-8. 
 
 Lesson Close. Read in concert the passage from I Cor. 
 13 as it is given in the Note Book. It is given below in this 
 lesson. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 Have the pupils memorize the Note Book passage, either 
 in its familiar Bible form or as here given, as the parents 
 choose. If most of them know it already, they may choose 
 to learn this form of it, or to memorize one of the other 
 Bible references. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The one word asked for as the heart of the teaching of 
 Jesus, p. 67, is of course love. To interpret it let the pupil 
 use a word of his own choice, "good-will," "kindness" or 
 "mercy." The two commandments should be written from 
 memory, and the next two answers given in the pupil's 
 own words. On the next page (68) are grouped four great 
 passages about love, two of which the pupil should insert. 
 The second is in Section 90 of Bowen's Gospel. 
 
 Sidelights and Illustrations. 
 
 I. Compare with this teaching of Jesus the verse from 
 the Buddhist Scriptures: Hatred does not cease by hatred 
 at any time : hatred ceases by love. 
 
THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL 295 
 
 II. A story making a practical application of this teach- 
 ing to everyday life may be found in The Beacon, Vol. 
 Ill, No. 32, "Alberta's Second Mile," by Nellie M. Leonard. 
 
 Added Teaching Material. 
 
 Love is very patient, very kind. Love knows no jealousy ; 
 love makes no parade, gives itself no airs, is never rude, 
 never selfish, never irritated, never resentful ; love is never 
 glad when others go wrong, love is gladdened by goodness; 
 always slow to expose, always eager to believe the best, 
 always hopeful, always patient. (Translation of I Cor. 
 13 : 4-7, by Dr. James Moffatt, Mansfield College, Oxford, 
 England.) 
 
Lesson 34 
 JESUS' MESSAGE ABOUT BEING READY 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 134-137. 
 
 134. The Coming of the Kingdom. Mk. 13: 
 1-4, 30-32, 33; Lk. 17:20-21, 24, 26-30; 21: 
 34-36 ; 12 : 39-40. 
 
 135. Story of the Returning Master. Mk. 13 : 34- 
 37; Mt. 24:45-51. 
 
 136. A Story About Talents. Mt. 25:14-29; 
 13:12. 
 
 137. Story of the Marriage Feast. Lk. 12:35- 
 37a; Mt. 25:13, 1-12. 
 
 A little picture of Jesus leaving the beautiful temple 
 area while his disciples point to the marble building is 
 given in the opening sentences of this lesson. Much of his 
 teaching in these last words relates to the sudden arrival of 
 Messiah to establish the Kingdom. The church has long 
 seen in them a meaning which applies to a spiritual King- 
 dom in human hearts, and a warning to be prepared for 
 the unexpected things, the emergencies and catastrophes of 
 life. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 Chapter IX of Bowen 's Gospel contains certain teachings 
 of Jesus recorded in various places in the Gospels, grouped 
 together under the title "The Last Words." All the sec- 
 tions in the chapter are included in this lesson and the 
 next. 
 
 Jesus went forth from the temple. This was on Thurs- 
 day afternoon, and was his final departure from the temple. 
 The great group of buildings, with courts and porches, was 
 visible from many points around. The large columns Avhich 
 supported the roofs of the porches, a double row on three 
 
 296 
 
THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL 297 
 
 sides and four rows on the south, were each a single stone. 
 Herod, when he built the outside enclosing wall, used huge 
 blocks of stone whose dimensions, as stated by the Jewish 
 historian Josephus,* are almost beyond belief. The white 
 marble walls of the enclosures, and the central "House of 
 the Lord," made the height on which it was placed look, 
 from the roadways approaching the city, like a "mountain 
 of snow." No wonder one of the disciples (we are not told 
 which one) exclaimed, "What stones! What buildings!" 
 Jesus answered that not one of these great stones should 
 be left on another. In fact the destruction of the temple, 
 70 a. d., was practically complete ; what was left of it is 
 insignificant compared with the extensive remains of many 
 other ancient temples. (See Milman, History of the Jews, 
 II, p. 16.) 
 
 We need not suppose that Jesus had any supernatural 
 knowledge about the future of the temple, to enable him 
 to make a prediction which was so almost literally fulfilled. 
 His knowledge related to the eternal principles of justice. 
 Unless righteousness ruled, unless justice prevailed, unless 
 kindness and brotherhood were made a law of the religious 
 life, these mighty stones, yea, the nation itself and its re- 
 ligion, would go down. The temple was overthrown, the 
 nation destroyed, the people scattered. That the religion 
 of the Hebrew people survives, despite these catastrophes, 
 is due to the fact that the remnant of the people heeded the 
 words of their great prophets, of whom Jesus was one, who 
 said that justice and righteousness are fundamental in 
 religion. 
 
 He sat on the Mount of Olives, over against the temple. 
 From the road which led across the Kidron valley and up 
 the slope beyond, there was a wonderful view of the temple. 
 A description of that great structure as seen from this 
 road is given in Tacitus, Hist. v. 8. From the mount of 
 Olives it would still be clearly visible. This fact explains 
 
 * Antiquities, Book XV, Chap. 11:3. Wars of the Jews, V, 
 5: 1, 2. 
 
298 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 the meaning of the words "over against the temple." 
 
 What shall be the sign? When we remember what Jesus 
 had said earlier about seeking a sign, {Gospel, Sec. 57) we 
 will understand why the words recorded in Luke, in which 
 Jesus says that the Kingdom will not come with a warning 
 so that its approach may be observed, is put here as his 
 reply. The long passage in Mark 13 : 5-30 which does deal 
 with signs and portents, wars, earthquakes and famine, 
 trials before councils and governors and kings, persecu- 
 tions and death, contains much that grew out of the expe- 
 rience of the disciples during the first century after Jesus 
 lived. Verse 20 is distinctly a look backward, not forward ; 
 and many things in the other verses indicate that we 
 probably have here an apocalyptic document, originating 
 from the followers of Jesus rather than from Jesus himself. 
 So it has been omitted from Bowen's Gospel. The points 
 here indicated in the reply are, the suddenness of the com- 
 ing, that it should occur in that generation, that the time 
 was unknown, and that they were to watch and be ready. 
 The events did not happen in the way in which Jesus or 
 his followers expected ; but all that he taught about being 
 ready, about the quality of life which would fit its possessor 
 to be a member of God's Kingdom, was true then and is 
 true still. 
 
 Watch, therefore! (135) The illustrations Jesus used 
 to show how easily those who were working and watching 
 for a new order could grow lax about it are striking. The 
 porter, the steward who grew careless, the men who received 
 the talents, and they who waited for the bridegroom, were 
 figures common at the time, and the incidents were drawn 
 from the life and conditions which the people knew. All 
 are used to emphasize the suddenness of Messiah's coming, 
 and to warn his followers to be always ready. 
 
 At even, midnight, cock-crowing, morning. These are 
 popular terms to describe the four Roman night watches, 
 and would roughly indicate 9, 12, 3 and 6 o'clock. 
 
 Unto one he gave five talents. In ancient times gold, 
 silver and copper were used by weight as a medium of 
 
THE HEART OP THE GOSPEL 299 
 
 exchange long before they were coined into money, and even 
 afterward. In all mining regions, articles are often paid 
 for by a certain amount by weight of gold dust or gold 
 nuggets, and by silver metal. Our New Testament story 
 makes us familiar with three of these weights, the shekel, 
 the "pound" or mina, (plural minse) and the talent. Of 
 these the shekel was the familiar weight. The mina was 
 equal to fifty shekels, and the talent to three thousand 
 shekels. The version of this parable given in Luke uses 
 the word pounds (minte), while Matthew, which Bowen's 
 Gospel here follows, names the much larger sums, talents. 
 At a rough estimate the value of the shekel is about 60 
 cents. See article "Money" in Hastings' Dictionary of 
 the Bible. 
 
 Went and traded with them. The result indicates the 
 business ability and fidelity of the servant who received five 
 talents. He invested the money, or traded with it, and 
 gained a profit equal to the original sum. Notice his re- 
 ward: "I will set thee over many things," which meant 
 further responsibility, further advantage to himself, and 
 the joy which fidelity and skill bring. 
 
 Thou wicked and slothful servant. The excuse which the 
 servant who had received one talent made does not sound 
 genuine. His conception of his Master as a "hard man" 
 would have been more likely to make him afraid not to 
 carry out the trust reposed in him. It looks as if he had 
 said to himself, "I'll see that you do not make any profit 
 on this part of your money, whatever happens to me." 
 Therefore, to the eyes of the Master who trusted him he 
 not only lacked diligence and courage, he was wrong in 
 intent. 
 
 Unto every one that hath shall be given. What the story 
 really points out is, that if one uses what he has more 
 will be given him to use. The latter part of this saying, 
 "... hath not . . . even that which he hath" is a para- 
 dox ; its meaning is evident, its form makes it more striking. 
 
 The Foolish Virgins. Of all the stories about being 
 ready, the one which tells of the marriage feast is most 
 
300 THE STOEY OF JESUS 
 
 vivid. Our knowledge of wedding customs in Bible times 
 is somewhat uncertain, but it is known that they included 
 a wedding procession, a marriage supper, usually at the 
 home of the bridegroom, and the wedding festivities which 
 followed, lasting sometimes for seven days. This story pic- 
 tures the first of these customs. How condensed, yet how 
 graphic, it is. The lamps are torches, made with tow fas- 
 tened to long sticks and dipped in oil. Not enough oil was 
 supplied by the foolish virgins, and so at the critical mo- 
 ment, when the torches should have burned most brightly, 
 they were going out and there was no reserve of oil into 
 which to dip them again and re-light. How concisely the 
 points of the story are made: "the bridegroom came, they 
 that were ready went in, the door was shut." The story 
 leaves us outside with the foolish virgins. But it is not 
 the wedding feast of which we are thinking, it is the King- 
 dom, and how sad it would be not to be ready for it when 
 it comes. 
 
 For modern Syrian wedding customs, see A Far Journey, 
 by Abraham M. Rihbany, pp. 47-55. See also Hastings' 
 Dictionary of the Bible, article Marriage. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Opening. The scene with which the story opens is one of 
 those touches of reality which, slight as it was, remained 
 in the memory of the followers of Jesus, because it was a 
 new and startling thought, and also from the fact that the 
 tragic close of the week made impressive even its slightest 
 events. Imagine a group of the disciples comparing their 
 memories of that week. One after another brings some 
 treasured incident to mind. Then one says, "Yes, and 
 that last day when we had left the temple where he had 
 spoken so wonderfully, I pointed out those great stones in 
 the wall of the Royal Porch. He said not one of those 
 stones would be left on another. It doesn't look yet as if 
 anything could happen to them. But with wars, and earth- 
 quakes, — who knows? And then when Messiah comes, — 
 perhaps then it will happen, for a sign. You asked him, 
 
THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL 301 
 
 Andrew, when the end would come, and he said he did not 
 know; no one knew — but God. We must watch and be 
 ready!" Then, sadly: "How little we knew then, what 
 would happen to him so soon ! ' ' 
 
 The class will help you with a picture of this sort. Let 
 them tell what such a group might have talked about ; lead 
 on to the events that did happen soon, as a brief review. 
 Be sure that the last impression is a look forward, not back. 
 They were working for the Kingdom, Jesus would come 
 soon as Messiah, there would be a change in conditions then ; 
 they must watch and be ready, and teach others to be ready 
 too. 
 
 Lesson Development. This lesson is well adapted to the 
 method of teaching by question and comment as the reading 
 proceeds, since the later sections are story illustrations of 
 the theme. Keep clear the historical perspective and the 
 symbolic meaning of these stories. Jesus and his followers 
 expected a new order of government on earth within their 
 generation, when conditions would be changed, — the poor be 
 relieved, the oppressed go free, and all who were faithful 
 to God's commands should be rewarded. In the belief in 
 which they had all been trained, it was through Messiah 
 that all these things should come to pass. Jesus, as we have 
 seen, believed that his Scriptures taught that Messiah 
 (Christ) must first pass through the gates of death and 
 then return. After his death his followers believed this, 
 too, and waited and watched for him. 
 
 If you have trained your pupils to think about what they 
 read from their Gospel, they ought to say, "But the King- 
 dom didn't come in that generation." No, not in the way 
 Jesus expected. Nor has it come since in the way the church 
 looked for it, when Christ should appear and make an end 
 to all things. Whittier tells this in these lines from ' ' Our 
 Master." 
 
 "He cometh not a king to reign, 
 The world's long hope is dim ; 
 The weary centuries watch in vain 
 The clouds of heaven for him." 
 
302 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Now try to make clear the difference between the tran- 
 sient and the permanent in this teaching of Jesus. Are we 
 to watch and be ready? For what? Some pupil will be 
 pretty sure to say, "For death," and to think of the King- 
 dom as the heavenly place where the soul may go when 
 this life ends. But Jesus was talking about life, and a 
 Kingdom on this earth for which he taught his followers to 
 pray. The event was joyous,' — that was what the coming 
 of the bridegroom meant ; and the foolish five were shut out 
 from a good time, a happy event, by forgetting to watch 
 and be ready. The careless porter, the negligent servant, 
 the unfaithful steward, all lost a reward they expected and 
 wanted to receive. Can the pupils apply these illustrations 
 to their own lives, to the effect on themselves, of being pre- 
 pared for an event, of having a supply of strength and pa- 
 tience and love for the crises of life ? Then, if they can be 
 ready for these successive events of life as they come, they 
 may be sure God will find them ready for the event which 
 closes life, and for all that is to come after. 
 
 Use the Scout training in being ready for emergencies and 
 for new conditions, as one illustration of this lesson in mod- 
 ern life. Note especially the qualities of mind and heart 
 that are made essential, — honesty, integrity, doing kind- 
 nesses, the ideals of manly honor which are held up to the 
 Scouts. Ask for some situation in Scout training and test- 
 ing where being ready is essential. Can some case be 
 given in athletics, in college work, in a teacher's task, in 
 newspaper work? Then carry the illustration given into 
 the spiritual realm. What are the qualities of life needed 
 by one who would enter into God's Kingdom, who would 
 belong to it, work for it, love it? Now can the pupils see 
 that while some of the things Jesus said were conditioned 
 by his own time and surroundings, the principles he gave 
 are true for all time? 
 
 Let us hope that world conditions will not long be such as 
 to suggest military preparedness to the minds of pupils of 
 thirteen in connection with this lesson on being ready. If 
 it comes up, let them express themselves, and remember that 
 
THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL 303 
 
 they will reflect mainly what they hear at home. They are 
 not old enough in mind or experience to have any real judg- 
 ment on national questions, but they are old enough to have 
 great ideals of a good time coming when nations shall not 
 learn war any more. Lend your influence, as you teach, 
 to an ideal of the Kingdom of God as a Kingdom of good- 
 will, among nations as well as individuals, to an ideal of 
 peace. 
 
 Pupils are often interested in concrete details which to 
 their elders may seem trivial. Will some one like to figure 
 up how much ten talents, five, and one, would mean in 
 dollars? (See p. 299.) 
 
 How often Jesus used weddings and feasts to illustrate 
 his teaching! He knew human life and its deep interests. 
 Every peasant who heard him would see the scene he pic- 
 tured and feel the regret of those who came too late to 
 take their part in the joyous celebration. 
 
 Lesson Close. The deeply impressive and lyrical verses 
 by Tennyson, based on the parable which ends this lesson, 
 may be read from the Note Book as a fitting close to the 
 story-sermon of Jesus. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 If any is made, it should be one that requires but little 
 work, for the season favors out-door activities. One pupil 
 may look up the poem in Tennyson where the song, "Late, 
 late, so late ' ' is found. Another may find the hymn quoted 
 in these teaching notes — the verse from "Whittier begins it 
 — and read it in class. Is any one of the pupils able to read 
 Emerson's "Days" and tell in his own words what it says? 
 The Note Book work for this lesson may be assigned for 
 home work, if preferred. 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 Have the pupils write the story of the Marriage Feast in 
 the fewest words possible. They may compare the length 
 of their story with that in the Gospel. Is it easy to make 
 it so short as that, unless the same words are used? 
 
304 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 The song from "Idylls of the King" is inserted that it 
 may be read in class. 
 
 Pictures Which Mat Be Used. 
 
 Von Piloty: Parable of the Virgins. Wilde, 128. 
 
 Bida : The Foolish Virgins. Wilde, 532. 
 
 Sidelights. 
 
 The teacher will be helped in teaching this lesson by 
 reading the sermon by Dr. Robert Collyer, entitled "The 
 Parable of the Reserves." 
 
 Added Teaching Material. 
 
 The poem suggested for the lesson close, from "Guine- 
 vere," Tennyson's "Idylls of the King," is here given: 
 
 Late, late, so late ! and dark the night and chill ! 
 Late, late, so late ! but we can enter still. 
 Too late, too late! ye cannot enter now. 
 
 No light had we : for that we do repent ; 
 And learning this, the bridegroom will relent. 
 Too late, too late ! ye cannot enter now. 
 
 No light : so late ! and dark and chill the night ! 
 let us in, that we may find the light ! 
 Too late, too late ! ye cannot enter now. 
 
 Have we not heard the bridegroom is so sweet? 
 let us in, tho' late, to kiss his feet ! 
 No, no, too late! ye cannot enter now. 
 
Lesson 35 
 JESUS' MESSAGE ABOUT SERVICE 
 
 Bowen, The Gospel of Jesus, Sections 138-139. 
 
 138. The Narrow Gate. Mt. 7 : 13-14, 21-23. 
 
 139. Inasmuch! Mt. 25:31-45. 
 
 It is fitting that our presentation of the story of Jesus 
 should end with some of his most impressive sayings, and 
 that for this closing lesson about him we should take one 
 of the most remarkable of his picture-parables. It is set 
 in oriental conditions of life and thought, but the idea 
 presented is so great and worthy that we may well consider 
 it the crown of his teaching. 
 
 INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The Two Gates. (138) The opening sentence of this sec- 
 tion suggests a picture. One sees a traveller approaching a 
 walled city. The wide .gate is the entrance that is quickly 
 seen, one into which many people are going. It would be 
 easy to take that one, to follow the crowd. But a narrow 
 gate, harder to find, is the right approach, the best en- 
 trance. The place where each leads, "to destruction," "to 
 life," suggests instantly the fact that the picture is a par- 
 able of life. Those who would be worthy to be members of 
 the Kingdom must not merely seek, they must strive, to 
 enter. Bowen 's Gospel has omitted the figure of the way 
 as confusing to the picture. But the combination makes an 
 impressive sentence for the teacher's use: "wide is the gate 
 and broad is the way," "strait (i.e. narrow) is the gate 
 and hemmed in the way." The reasons why one needs to 
 strive seem obvious as we read. 
 
 Not every one. This verse is a crucial test of membership 
 in God's Kingdom. Not what one believes about Jesus, 
 not even whether one accepts his leadership and calls him- 
 
 305 
 
306 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 self a Christian, determines his fitness. Jesus himself gave 
 the test, — he that doeth the will of God. 
 
 Unto me. To his immediate followers Jesus spoke 
 frankly of his conviction that he was the Messiah. So here 
 he represents the attitude he will take to those who have 
 failed to listen to his teaching and become his followers, 
 when the day of the Kingdom shall arrive. In the next 
 paragraph (139), probably spoken to a larger group of 
 hearers, he does not in any way identify the "Son of Man" 
 with himself. 
 
 In that day. These words are used several times by 
 Jesus to indicate the time when the Kingdom should be 
 established and the test applied to show who were worthy 
 to be members of it. The day meant, therefore, a day of 
 testing or judging, and in time came to be referred to as 
 Judgment Day. When centuries rolled by and Jesus did 
 not return, the thought of his followers transferred the time 
 to the end of the world, and "that day" was spoken of as 
 the Last Judgment. 
 
 Did we not eat and drink in thy presence? The picture 
 Jesus gives is of a time in the near future. The group 
 who are claiming to be his followers are his own country- 
 men, who knew him in his life-time, who saw him in the 
 streets and used his name in doing "mighty works." This 
 is added evidence that Jesus expected to return as Messiah 
 within the time of that generation. 
 
 The Judgment Day. (139) The scene in which the par- 
 able is set is filled with imagery which was part of the 
 belief of the time. It is not strange, as Bowen's "Notes" 
 tell us, that Jesus believed in angels and devils, in eter- 
 nal fires, in a dramatic day of testing when a King 
 should sit on a throne and judge the nations. It is sur- 
 prising that so many people still believe in the parable as 
 a literal picture of something yet to happen. It is even 
 more surprising that many who no longer think of a literal 
 day of judgment, with Christ on a throne selecting the 
 righteous for his Kingdom, with a heaven of bliss or an 
 eternal fire as the destiny of mortals, should also forget 
 
THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL 307 
 
 or ignore the spiritual realities for which these things stand. 
 The picture Jesus gave has furnished the symbolism; the 
 judgment day of the soul is an eternal fact. 
 
 The Son of Man. (139) Here the phrase which is some- 
 times used merely as the equivalent of "man" unquestion- 
 ably means Messiah. In the vivid picture he comes "in 
 his glory" with angels and sits on a throne. The term 
 King is used later for the leading figure in the parable. 
 
 Sheep . . . goats. Notice that this figure is used in one 
 sentence only. At first it is simile, the people are sep- 
 arated as the shepherd divides the sheep from the goats; 
 then it is metaphor, the words sheep and goats standing for 
 the group of people on the right and left respectively. 
 
 Inasmuch . . . unto me. It is fitting that the message 
 closing this course should remind us again how closely Jesus 
 identified himself with the common people, how sincerely 
 he sought their welfare, how truly he lived his own gospel 
 of service. The Kingdom of God is indeed prepared from 
 the foundation of the world for those who truly serve, either 
 by personal ministry or by large measures for their wel- 
 fare, the least of God's children. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 Openings. (1) Have any of you ever seen a walled 
 city ? Why did cities have walls about them in olden times 
 and not now? The roads led directly to gates. When 
 Jesus spoke of the narrow gate and the wide, of the broad 
 way and the one hemmed in, the people saw the things he 
 described as well as you would see a trolley and an auto- 
 mobile if we should speak of them. Tell in your own 
 words what Jesus meant when he said the gate leading into 
 life was narrow and only a few went in. 
 
 (2) The teacher may use a print or photograph of the 
 "Last Judgment" by Michael Angelo, a painting which cov- 
 ers the wall at the east end of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. 
 Have the class compare the details of the picture with the 
 parable. Just what point in the story do you think it 
 represents? What parts of the picture might have been 
 
308 THE STORY OP JESUS 
 
 painted from something the painter had seen? (Men, 
 clouds, wings, etc.) What parts are imaginary? (De- 
 mons, angels, the fiery pit, the Paradise above with the 
 gates of pearl.) Do you see that even for imaginary 
 things one must use the things he sees and knows? The 
 demons are in human shape with some parts of an animal 
 added, such as horns and tail and tusks ; angels are radiant 
 human beings with wings. No one ever saw such figures, 
 they have no existence save in imagination. But they 
 stand for something. The scene here given never hap- 
 pened and never will happen; but there are things hap- 
 pening all the time in the souls of men and women, boys 
 and girls, which we may think about when we see this pic- 
 ture, or read the words of Jesus in the parable. Let us 
 think what some of them are. 
 
 Lesson Development. The pupils in your class, like the 
 people who listened to Jesus, will be easily caught by the 
 picturesque setting of this story. In trying to make them 
 see that the test of fitness for the Kingdom is service, do not 
 push aside the picturesque elements. Instead, help them 
 to see that angels and demons, a pit of fire and a city with 
 gates of pearl, a Judge who rewards and condemns and a 
 Day of Judgment, are all symbols, and that the symbols 
 mean something in our lives. 
 
 There are big words and big ideas suggested by this les- 
 son: sin, judgment, reward, punishment, destiny. Help 
 the pupils to think them out in their own way. Probably 
 they will give definite instances; they will name certain 
 sins and evils in the world, they will perhaps have crude 
 notions about arbitrary rewards and punishments as be- 
 stowed by God. They will be severe, they may seem almost 
 vindictive, in their condemnations. You need not try to 
 mate them over all at once in this respect: the years will 
 do that if you give them a little start now in the right 
 direction. What are the great real things? Not angels 
 and devils, which they never see because they do not exist, 
 but good things and less good ones, right ways of doing and 
 
THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL 309 
 
 wrong ways, good people, others not so good. Doing wrong 
 is not merely breaking rules, or doing something that some 
 one has forbidden: it is choosing the worse way when you 
 see a better one. That judgment days come all through 
 one's life need not lessen one's conviction that our life as 
 a whole will be tested, and that our destiny is dependent 
 on our deeds. 
 
 "What did Jesus set up as the test of fitness for the King- 
 dom of God? Not allegiance to him, not what one be- 
 lieves, but the service that springs from a heart of love. 
 The best loyalty to any leader is that which loves the 
 things he loves and tries to secure them. "You fed the 
 hungry, gave drink to the thirsty," — does that mean that 
 one should feed every tramp that comes to the door? Let 
 the class discuss this, for it is one of the questions of our 
 life in communities. Teach clearly the larger forms of 
 service. Whoever works to secure a standard loaf of bread 
 in the bakeries is helping to feed many of God's children. 
 Whoever works for a pure supply of milk in cities helps to 
 feed a multitude of babies. We hear often the term 
 "social service." Ask for illustrations and instances of it. 
 Call up the saying of Jesus from a former lesson (19) "He 
 that would be great among you, let him serve. ' ' 
 
 Can this class do some form of service that they think 
 would show them to be members of the Kingdom of God? 
 What shall it be ? 
 
 Lesson Close. If the Longfellow poem from the Note 
 Book has been read in class, you may wish to use as a con- 
 cert recitation its two closing lines, or the Bible verse they 
 paraphrase. If the last thought of the teaching period is 
 service, the "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of 
 these least" may best impress the thought that should 
 abide. 
 
 Lesson Assignment. 
 
 Will the pupils write for you, in a brief paragraph, one 
 thing about this year's lessons which they have especially 
 liked? 
 
310 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The two famous passages from Jesus' teaching are to be 
 written on p. 71, after they have been memorized. The 
 closing lines of the selection from "Christus" are printed 
 in the Note Book, to be read together by the class. 
 
 Pictures "Which Mat Be Used. 
 Angelo : Last Judgment. Perry, 300 ; Brown, 1099. 
 
 Sidelights and Illustrations. 
 
 1. In an allegory named the Tablet, ascribed by tradi- 
 tion to Cebes, a disciple of Socrates, there is a figure strik- 
 ingly similar to that used by Jesus in the opening sentences 
 of this lesson. (Mt. 7 : 13-14.) 
 
 Seest thou not a certain small door, and a pathway before the 
 door, in no way crowded, but few, very few, go in thereat? This 
 is the way that leadeth to true discipline. 
 
 2. An incident relating to the early Christian church is 
 told by Matthew Arnold in one of his sonnets. There 
 grew up in the church a Phrygian sect, which claimed that 
 any one who sinned after he had been baptized could never 
 again be forgiven. Tertullian, who spoke on their side in 
 the discussion, said, "He saves the sheep, but not the 
 goats." The great heart of the early church, still throb- 
 bing with that love for sinners which Jesus had revealed to 
 them as the love of God, was wiser. On the walls of the 
 catacombs, where, underground, amid the rocky tombs of 
 their dead the Christians met, a rude sketch of the Good 
 Shepherd was made on the wall; and on his shoulder was 
 placed, not a lamb, but a kid. 
 
 Added Teaching Material. 
 
 From CHRISTUS 
 
 The Ages come and go, 
 The Centuries pass as Years; 
 The world itself is old ; 
 The portals of Time unfold 
 
THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL 311 
 
 On hinges of iron, that grate 
 
 And groan with the rust and the weight, 
 
 Like the hinges of a gate 
 
 That hath fallen to decay; 
 
 But the evil doth not cease; 
 
 There is war instead of peace, 
 
 Instead of Love there is hate; 
 
 And still I must wander and wait, 
 
 Still I must watch and pray, 
 
 Not forgetting in whose sight, 
 
 A thousand years in their flight 
 
 Are as a single day. 
 
 What, then! doth Charity fail? 
 
 Is Faith of no avail? 
 
 Is Hope blown out like a light 
 
 By a gust of wind in the night? 
 
 The clashing of creeds, and the strife 
 
 Of the many beliefs, that in vain 
 
 Perplex man's heart and brain, 
 
 Are naught but the rustle of leaves, 
 
 When the breath of God upheaves 
 
 The boughs of the Tree of Life, 
 
 And they subside again ! 
 
 And I remember still 
 
 The words, and from whom they came, 
 
 Not he that repeateth the name, 
 
 But he that doeth the will. 
 
 From all vain pomps and shows, 
 
 From the pride that overflows, 
 
 And the false conceits of men; 
 
 From all the narrow rules 
 
 And subtleties of Schools, 
 
 And the craft of tongue and pen; 
 
 Bewildered in its search, 
 
 Bewildered with the cry: 
 
 Lo, here ! lo, there, the Church ! 
 
 Poor, sad humanity 
 
 Through all the dust and heat 
 
 Turns back with bleeding feet, 
 
 By the weary road it came, 
 
 Unto the simple thought 
 
 By the great Master taught, 
 
 And that remaineth still: 
 
 Not he that repeateth the name, 
 
 But he that doeth the will ! 
 
 (H. W. Longfellow.)' 
 
Lesson 36 
 
 THE RELIGION OF JESUS 
 
 /his lesson is meant to be a summary rather than a re- 
 view. The teacher will wish to gather up the results of 
 the year's study, and leave an impression of beauty and 
 worth which shall form an ideal of life to be followed. 
 For religion is a way of life. Great truths inspire the 
 soul, and the truth made flesh is its most compelling form. 
 Here, in one who commands the allegiance of a goodly 
 part of the world, we see religion embodied in a human 
 spirit and lived out in a human life. The heart and will 
 of the pupil ought to be touched by it, so that the current 
 of life consciously turns in the right direction. If the 
 pupils see Jesus truly, and hear his message aright, they 
 will begin to enter into fulness of life. 
 
 TEACHING POINTS 
 
 What ive mean by the Gospel of Jesus. We mean his 
 teaching together with his personality. The name has been 
 applied to accounts of the career of Jesus since the time of 
 Justin Martyr (165 a. d.). The word Gospel means liter- 
 ally "good news." "What Jesus was and what he taught 
 started new ideas and new ways of life in the world. Out 
 of that beginning grew the whole movement known as the 
 Christian church. In it there are many separate 
 churches, of various names: Greek Catholic, Roman 
 Catholic, and all the sorts of Protestant churches. In all 
 of them there are people who love Jesus, who are trying to 
 make religion a vital part of their lives. These churches 
 differ in many ways. They do not think alike about Jesus, 
 about the way to worship God, nor do they always agree on 
 what is the essential thing in Christianity. But they all 
 
 312 
 
THE HE4RT OP THE GOSPEL 313 
 
 grew out of the impulse which the life and teaching of 
 Jesus gave to the world. 
 
 We will consider separately the two elements — Jesus' 
 teaching and his personality — which together make up our 
 idea of the Gospel. 
 
 1. The Message of Jesus. As our lessons have shown, 
 his teaching centred round the idea of love as the essential 
 quality from which the true religious life springs. He 
 showed his followers : 
 
 (a) That God is love. This he made clear by parables, 
 and by sayings which told of God's readiness to give good 
 gifts to all his children. He used the dear home relations 
 as symbols of the divine love, teaching his followers to call 
 God "Our Father." It is love that saves and redeems 
 when any child of earth has gone wrong, and there is joy 
 in heaven, he said, over one sinner who repents. 
 
 (b) That religion consists in loving God and one's fel- 
 low man ; and that the test which shows whether or not we 
 are fit to belong to the Kingdom of God is the test of serv- 
 ice, of doing God's will. The two great commandments as 
 given by Jesus are another statement of that wonderful 
 saying in the book of the prophet Micah : 
 
 "What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, and to love 
 mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God 1 
 
 One who has this spirit of love (good-will) will forgive 
 as he wishes to be forgiven; he will not retaliate when in- 
 jured ; he will be just and generous ; he will seek to be one 
 with God by being complete in love. 
 
 (c) That the Kingdom of God is to be realized on earth, 
 and those who are truly the followers of Jesus will work for 
 it and be themselves ready for its coming. 
 
 2. The Personality of Jesus. Jesus lived his gospel, and 
 showed the world how completely the divine life may be 
 revealed in a human life. "What he was has therefore had 
 a vast influence on his followers. In no one point is there 
 so great divergence, among the churches which accept his 
 teaching, as on this concerning the nature of Jesus and the 
 meaning of his death. 
 
314 THE STOKY OF JESUS 
 
 The essential thing to remember about this divergence 
 is, that opinion or belief about Jesus is not what makes one 
 a Christian, or a member of the Kingdom of God. The 
 teaching of Jesus and the spirit which he manifested (we 
 have come to call it the Christ spirit) together constitute 
 the religion of Jesus ; and they are truly his followers who 
 have in their hearts the spirit of love, which is the spirit of 
 God, as he had it, and let that love influence all their ac- 
 tions and their thoughts. 
 
 It follows, then, that in every Christian church of what- 
 ever name or form of belief, there are people who live the 
 religious life and follow the teachings of Jesus; for they 
 accept the religion of Jesus, not in their beliefs about his 
 nature, but in doing the will of God as he revealed it to 
 the world. 
 
 TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 
 
 A ray of white light is made up of separate colors which 
 a prism will resolve. (See illustration in Lesson 30.) 
 Then the strands of color may again be brought together 
 into a beam of white light in which no separate color is 
 seen. The Gospel is like that beam of light. We may 
 analyze its parts, see separate ideas that make up the re- 
 ligion of Jesus and consider his personality as a part of that 
 influence on the world which his life and teaching made. 
 Usually we think of all these together, the white light 
 which represents our faith and our ideals. 
 
 Ask the class for the names of the various Protestant 
 denominations. How many can they give? Be sure that 
 they include their own. Good people may be found in all 
 of them. Are they all then equally valuable? What 
 things make the differences between them? (History, 
 ideas for which they stand, associations, great representa- 
 tives.) Do you feel friendly toward them all? Do you 
 then agree with them all ? Should you like one better than 
 the rest? Why? Now teach the searching passage from 
 the Fourth Gospel, which says that although there be many 
 folds, there is one flock and one shepherd. (John 10: 16.) 
 
THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL 315 
 
 Ask for the parables or passages in which Jesus teaches 
 that God is love; the two great commandments; the great- 
 ness of service. Do not let a review of this sort drag, and 
 omit it if other parts of the lesson arouse more interest. 
 Can you teach quite definitely how we may fulfil the two 
 commandments to love God and our fellow-man? How is 
 it that we may love God? By loving all that is fine and 
 true and good in the world; by loving the qualities in 
 human life which are excellent. It is just such love and 
 admiration which helps us to be what we feel we ought to 
 become. "We grow more Christ-like as we love and desire 
 more and more the things that are truly excellent. 
 
 How can we learn to love all sorts of human beings, peo- 
 ple of every color, of every nation, of every sort and kind ? 
 By trying to be always kind and just to them, and appreci- 
 ative of the best in them. ' ' The worst I know I would do 
 good to," Whittier makes a monk say in one of his poems. 
 When we try to have that spirit toward each one whom we 
 meet, or hear about, or think about, we are realizing the life 
 of God in our lives as Jesus did in his. Bring out these 
 ideas from the class instead of telling them. There are dif- 
 ferent meanings to the word love ; what is here meant is the 
 spirit of good-will which seeks to be just and kind and mer- 
 ciful. That love we may give to every human being, even 
 the most degraded and wicked. 
 
 You may wish to teach this statement from the preamble 
 of the General Conference of Unitarian and other Christian 
 Churches : 
 
 These churches accept the religion of Jesus, holding, in 
 accordance with his teaching, that practical religion is 
 summed up in love to God and love to man. 
 
 Here are two tests of discipleship to Jesus which the 
 class may be glad to remember : 
 
 Herein is my father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; 
 and so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15: 8.) 
 
 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye 
 have love one to another. (John 13:35.) 
 
316 THE STORY OF JESUS 
 
 In some classes these lines of Matthew Arnold will make 
 an effective presentation of the influence of the personality 
 of Jesus : 
 
 Was Christ a man like us? Ah! let us try 
 If we, then, too, can be such men as he! 
 
 The spirit that was in Jesus is still vital in the world; 
 and his influence reaches to our hearts and to this very time 
 in which we live. The hymn by Rev. P. L. Hosmer tells us 
 that 
 
 "The voice of old by Jordan's flood 
 Yet floats upon the air; 
 We hear it in beatitude, 
 In parable and prayer. 
 
 "And still the beauty of that life 
 
 Shines star-like on our way, 
 And breathes its calm amid the strife 
 And burden of today." 
 
 A young girl once came to Dr. Lyman Abbott, asking to 
 join his church. "Do you want to be like Christ?" he 
 asked her. "I don't know," she answered slowly, with per- 
 fect honesty; "I want to be like mother." Is there some 
 one you know who shows you the Christ spirit so clearly 
 that you want it for your own ? Every such life reveals in 
 its measure, as Jesus did in his, the life of God in the soul, 
 and helps on the progress of mankind. 
 
 The Lesson Close. The treatment of the lesson sug- 
 gested above, and the quotations there used which are also 
 in the Note Book, offer impressive elements, and ought to 
 make this close of the year's work vital to the religious life 
 of every member of the class. Will not the prayer written 
 by the class be the suitable close of the lesson at this final 
 session 1 
 
 Note Book Work. 
 
 The hardest work asked of the pupils in the course is the 
 
THE HEART OP THE GOSPEL 317 
 
 statement of opinion called for on p. 72. Yet the study- 
 should have given them a genuine idea of the principles 
 underlying the Christian life. The passages from John, 
 and the two lines from the poem will be a help to them in 
 formulating their own thought of discipleship. 
 
 The hymn on the last page may be read or recited to- 
 gether by the class.