'I :

YALE
DIVINITY SCHOOL
LIBRARY

Gift of
The Reverend E. Paul Sylvester

THE LIFE OF CHRIST

rimTWf -  % .^r. « •>-.-.
Copyright, 1911, .4. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Alleluia
Rev. XIX: I

THE
LIFE OF CHRIST

BY THE
REV. G. ROBINSON LEES, B.A.
Author of
"The Witness of the Wilderness," "Village Life in Palestine,'
"Life and Adventure Beyond Jordan," etc., etc.

With 63 full-page illustrations, reproduced
from scenes modelled in wax by the
celebrated Italian sculptor,
D. Mastroianni

NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
1920

COPYEIOHT. 1920,
By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, Inc.

PREFACE
Palestine is the world in miniature. Every physical feature
of the habitable globe is seen in the land. And from the per
petual snow in the recesses of the Lebanon mountains to the
tropical heat of the Dead Sea shore all gradations of climate of
the regions of the earth are found within this small compass,
in the short distance that could be traversed by an English
express train in three hours.
Such a country might, therefore, be expected to offer the sit
uation for a history destined to appeal to all people.
That the history should be extraordinary is not surprising,
for some of the physical features of the country are out of the
common order. A few brooks of water are there, but only one
river ; a river of greater interest than the mighty waters which
irrigate vast continents, and carry on their bosom the com-
> merce of empires ; a river flowing down its tortuous bed in the
[ greatest depression of the earth's crust to the Dead Sea, which
has no outlet but the clouds of heaven.
A life, the life of Christ, is recorded in the history, and like
' the course of the river is unique, reaching the lowest depth of
t humiliation and rising from death to the highest glory.
; Palestine is a land of marvellous contrasts. Grey is the
$ prevailing tint of the open country — soft and rich on the olive
3 trees, cheerless on the scanty grass, and harder still on the
J stone houses. But the grass in the spring-time is adorned with
- flowers of brilliant hue, whose colours can be discerned even in
} the moonlight. Gay costumes illuminate the dwelling places of
1 the inhabitants of the towns and villages. And the sudden
beauty of the after-glow of the setting sun kindles into unex
pected splendour the dull grey landscape.

vi PREFACE
Amid the faded glory of this wonderful land there rises the
form of Christ, and everywhere memory is stirred by a subtle
influence that awakens in the glens and valleys, echoes of the
history in which He appears. The ancient pathways which
intersect the country are haunted with the suggestion of His
footsteps. Lingering traces come into sight as the mystery of
the common way of life is unveiled in the light of other days.
All may be seen by observant eyes through the opening of
the traveller's tent. There is, however, another view from the
inner life of the people, the tent-dwellers of the wilderness who
continue in the way of their forefathers down to their desert
graves, unchanging and unsubdued ; and the farming population
indigenous to the soil of the Holy Land, never exterminated
either by conquest or invasion. In their daily duties are char
acteristic touches which revive old scenes. But the view of
their life from within bears a different aspect from the outlook
of the traveller. The shepherd and his sheep, for instance, re
mind him of the One Flock and the Good Shepherd. They do
a great deal more when the habitual thoughts of the Palestine
shepherd are disclosed. They show that in the words of Jesus
thoughts are expressed as far above the sordid mind of the
ordinary keeper of the sheep as the heavens are above the
earth. A transcendant life is revealed in the thoughts of Jesus which
He alone possessed, but one that He desired His followers to
share with Him in a fellowship as intimate as that of the
shepherd and sheep on the Palestine hills.
Inextricably woven with a vanished race are customs in daily
use amongst the present inhabitants. Hospitality retains its
ancient attributes. Entertained by this old custom our ca
pacity for vision increases. We see Jesus in the home, and in
the guest chamber the centre of the common life. There again
His exalted thoughts, like the splash of colour on the landscape,
transform the common mind. And as the idea of fellowship
develops in the open-handed courtesy of a hospitable people, we
are able to appreciate the meaning of the fellowship of Christ,

PREFACE vii
It is in His fellowship that we can penetrate truth contrary to
common experience, the Truth He revealed for all mankind in
the conditions and forms of thought of Palestine life.
Fellowship has a firmer root in the heart than in the region
of the intellect. That is why there is a charm even in the
names of places associated with the life of Christ, and His
discourses and His parables gain in power through an acquaint
ance with the circumstances in which they were spoken.
During the six interesting and eventful years I spent in
Palestine, the foundation of this book was laid. Not until I
had time for mature reflection was it put into shape. But ma
terial for the structure gradually accumulated through the
intimate acquaintance I made with all parts of the country in
its relation to past ages and its condition in modern times. I
was fortunately able to gain an entrance into the life of the
people and gather knowledge of their point of view. In the
village home, in the house in town, and in the tents of the desert
spaces I saw life from within; life which helped me to realise
the correspondence between the land and the history of its
people. And more than this. It showed me how real was the
life of Christ in the scenes depicted in the records of the
Evangelists, the only documents from whence a knowledge of
His life can be derived.
While they contain the elements of Truth so sublime that the
mind of an ordinary Eastern man never could have conceived
them, there are features in the narratives so intimately asso
ciated with the country that they indicate how this wonderland
of the world corroborates the wonderful story. Though there
is a human element in it, there is also the divine record of a
Divine Life.
It is the heart that is touched by the Divine Life, and con
sequently the heart goes out readily to everything in Palestine ;
and everything there means a great deal more than anywhere
else. But the intellect is quickened as well as the heart, and the
two working together, in the land that reflects the presence of
Christ in scenes which form an appropriate stage for His ac-

viii PREFACE
tivities, animate and sustain the personal relationship with Him
which alone satisfies the human soul.
Bible students need the evidence offered by the Holy Land
as much as the knowledge gained from their study of the orig
inal text, if they desire to be properly equipped for understand
ing and interpreting the Gospel story. The need is greater
than ever. More interest in the country has been developed,
and the desire for a right estimate of the meaning of the fellow
ship of Christ was never so intense as it is today.
The evidence which is based on textual criticism, on what is
called the argument from within, is not sufficiently interior to
inspire the life. Textual truth may enlighten a man's mind
until he is intellectually certain, and still leave him cold. What
is most vital to a theological student is personal relationship,
and this will become more intelligible and more definite in cir
cumstances that are familiar. It is supremely necessary for
him to be able to visualise the scenery amid which the events
occurred, and to breathe the atmosphere for life to be under
stood. This necessity is more apparent when the stupendous claims
made by textual critics of the Scriptures are fully realised, more
particularly regarding that portion (the Pentateuch) which
deals with the Tabernacle in the Wilderness and all that it im
plies. One of the greatest is Wellhausen who says (Proleg.,
Eng. trans., p. 37) : — " The truth is that the Tabernacle is a
copy, not the prototype, of the Temple at Jerusalem." If his
statement were true then the record of the Pentateuch is false.
Unfortunately for him and others in agreement with him we
have the evidence of the customs of wilderness people to which I
have referred in the chapter on the " Larger Hospitality,"
which is of supreme importance in dealing with the subject of
fellowship: the reason why it was written. Renan, in his Life
of Jesus, incidentally refers to hospitality, but I do not know of
any other writer who has in any way dealt with the life of
the people of Palestine that enables us to see how Jesus lived
and moved amongst them.

PREFACE ix
While this effort is the result of independent thought, I have
consulted with interest and profit the books in the list which
follows, and I am conscious of impressions formed during a long
course of study from many sources that I cannot definitely
recall. It is the land of the Gospels and its people that have
been of the greatest help to me.
As I have been writing this book, the supreme effort of my
life, I have looked through past experience over the land where
it was conceived, though years have passed since I lived in the
country, and the life of Christ has been very real to me: not
merely as a Man among men is He real, His transcendant life,
His life Divine, is more plain to behold. G. Robinson Lees.
St. Saviour's Vicarage,
Brixton Hill,
London, S. W.

BOOKS CONSULTED
Alford: Greek Testament.
Andrews: Bible Students Life of our Lord.
Clow: The Day of the Cross.
Davidson: Waiting on God.
Edersheim: Life and Times of the Messiah.
Ellicott: Historical Lectures on the Life of our Lord.
Ellicott: Commentary on the New Testament.
Farrar: The Life of Christ.
Glover: The Jesus of History.
Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews.
Josephus : Wars of the Jews.
Lang: Notes on the Miracles.
Lang: Notes on the Parables.
Lange: The Life of Christ.
Matheson: Studies in the Portrait of Christ.
Neander: The Life of Christ (Bohn's Ed.)
Seeley: Ecce Homo.
Simpson: The Fact of Christ.
Smith, D. : In the Days of His Flesh.
Smith, J.: The Magneticism of Christ.
Trench : Notes on the Parables.
Westcott and Hort: Greek Testament.

CONTENTS

CHAPTEB PAGE
I The Birth of Jesus  1
II The Home in Nazareth  23
III The Forerunner of the Christ  38
IV The Temptation  48
V The Messiah and His Mission  63
VI The First Disciples  75
VII The First Miracle of Christ  82
VIII The Beginning of the Ministry  90
IX The New Birth  106
X The Return to Galilee  118
XI The Larger Hospitality  130
XII A Visit to Jerusalem  145
XIII The Call of the Disciples  154
XIV A Mission Through Galilee  164
XV The Return to Capernaum  169
XVI The Ordination of the Apostles and the Sermon
on the Mount .  177
XVII The Lord's Prayer  195
XVIII The Return from the Mountain  200
XIX Teaching by Parables  213
XX A Day in the Life of Jesus  222
XXI The Mission of the Apostles  231
XXII A Crisis in the Work of Jesus  236
xi

xii CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAOE
XXIII The Opposition of the Rulers  247
XXIV A Missionary Enterprise  254
XXV The Great Confession  262
XXVI The Transfiguration  270
XXVII Towards Jerusalem  275
XXVIII Farewell to Galilee  280
XXIX On the Way to Jerusalem  290
XXX Jesus at the Feast of the Tabernacles . . 304
XXXI Shepherds — False and True  314
XXXII His Perean Ministry  321
XXXIII A Retreat Beyond Jordan  334
XXXIV The Raising of Lazarus  348
XXXV Unto the End  356
XXXVI The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem . . 365
XXXVII Conflict with the Rulers  372
XXXVIII The Great Indictment  383
XXXIX " The Night in Which He Was Betrayed " . 393
XL The Trial of Jesus  407
XLI The Death of Jesus Christ  419
XLII The Resurrection and Ascension .... 432

ILLUSTRATIONS

I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying,
Alleluia  Frontispiece FAQS
And laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them
in the inn  8
For we have seen his star in the East, and are come to worship
him  9
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was
subject unto them  26
They found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions . 27
Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business ... 32
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with
God and man  33
There cometh one mightier than I after me  42
John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from
heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him  43
All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and
worship me  58
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and min
istered unto him  59
Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water-pots with water ... 86
Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise ... 87
Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither
to draw  114
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me
to preach the gospel to the poor  115
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And
immediately the man was made whole  148
Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net . . . .149
They that be whole need not a physician ... go ye and learn
what that meaneth  174
xiii

xiv ILLUSTRATIONS PAGB
And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that
he might send them forth to preach  175
God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are . . . .196
Our Father which art in heaven  197
Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils . .210
Jesus . . . sat by the seaside. And great multitudes were
gathered unto him  211
Behold, a sower went forth to sow  216
Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea . . . .217
He went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose . . 228
And looking up to heaven, he blessed them  229
Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid  240
And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talk
ing with him  241
And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have
mercy on us  292
And set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn . . 293
But Martha was cumbered about much serving  300
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her  301
And the sheep follow him: for they know his voice . . . .318
Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in thy sight . . .319
Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not :
for of such is the kingdom of God  344
Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go . . . . 345
Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's;
and unto God the things that are God's  380
Lord, dost thou wash my feet  381
This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for
you  398
Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done  399
And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master; and
kissed him  404
Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him . . 405
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the
man  408

ILLUSTRATIONS xv
PAGE
I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou
be the Christ  409
They led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate . . 412
Art thou the King of the Jews  413
And they . . . took the reed, and smote him on the head . .416
And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his
head  417
And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man !  420
Pilate . . . took water, and washed his hands before the mul
titude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person 421
They found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they com
pelled to bear his cross  424
And there followed him a great company of people . . .425
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for your
selves, and for your children  428
And they parted his raiment, and cast lots  429
And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary,
there they crucified him  430
" It is finished "  431
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead
men  434
And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting
over against the sepulchre  435
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto
him, Rabboni  436
Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and saith . . . Peace
be unto you  437
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my
God  440
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into
his glory  441

THE LIFE OF CHRIST

THE LIFE OF CHRIST

CHAPTER I
the birth of JESUS
When the reign of Herod the Great was drawing to its close
there dwelt in the village of Nazareth, nestling in the highlands
of Galilee, away from his ancestral home in Bethlehem- Judah,
a man of singular worth. Although he was a carpenter, he be
longed to the house and lineage of David. In the same village
lived a maiden of the same royal stock as Joseph the carpenter,
to whom he was betrothed; and Mary the Nazareth maiden
became the mother of the world's Redeemer, Jesus Christ.1
Out of the shadows of that far-distant time rise scenes of
absorbing interest. The life that is the light of men fills those
i Outside the New Testament the references to Jesus are very meagre but
very valuable. Josephus, in his great work, The Antiquities of the Jews,
has two, one in Book XVIII. chapter iii. 3, which is of uncertain merit, some
scholars rejecting altogether its evidence on the ground that it is an inter
polation of a scribe; others defend it. Conclusive proof of the historical
existence of Jesus is found in Book XX. chapter ix. 1, in the words " Jesus,
who is called Christ," and their context. Tacitus alludes to the death of
Jesus under the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, as an incident of little
consequence, but to us it is precious. Annals, XV. iv. 4: " Aiuctor Nominis
ejus Christus, Tiberio imperitante per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum sup
plicio affectus erat" ("The author of this name (i.e. Christian), Christus,
was executed in the reign of Tiberius by the Procurator Pontius Pilate").
The Talmud refers to Jesus in terms of contempt and bitterness. Even this
sort of allusion is important, if unpleasant, because it certifies His existence,
and the Talmud contains the oral traditions, precepts, and interpretations
of the Jews committed to writing in the early part of the second century;
it shows that Jesus was known to the Jews who would not believe on Him.
Lucian (De Morte Peregrini, XI.) derisively speaks of Jesus as ixeyas —
" the great one." Neumann, in his critical work, Jems ij. 21, writing against
1

2 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
scenes with an eternal gain, and men have never ceased to
wonder how that life became so great from apparently a small
beginning when they have failed to comprehend its mighty
source. Every devout Jew looked for the advent of the Messiah.
Preparation for His coming had already been made in Hebrew
prophecy ; and in the strain of the inspired poetry of the nation
there was an earnest expectation of Some One Who would
establish a new kingdom for the Children of Israel; they never
expected a new kingdom for the children of men. They never
thought of the Messiah as the Son of God appearing in the
universal sense of humanity, but as a man restricted to the
confines of their own race endowed with an aptitude for domin
ion and a royal power for display. They looked for a Saviour
from the enemies of their country, and in their regard for tem
poral power they lost sight of their spiritual foes and their
need of deliverance from a greater bondage than Roman rule.
The light that lighteth every man seemed to have flickered into
the socket. Moral darkness overspread the earth. Vast
changes were taking place in the world. It was not only its
political systems that were being overthrown ; its religions had
lost their meaning, and there was neither security in power nor
stability in faith. Nothing short of the creation of a new
order of human life was needed to lift the world out of the
selfish sphere in which its common thought and action resided.
The two persons most intimately associated at first with this
new order of human life were Joseph and Mary. God chose
the Nazareth maiden of the royal house of David as the instru
ment of His purpose for making a new revelation to mankind.
The new revelation appeared in a new birth, the Incarnation,
in which God identified Himself with man for man to become
identified with God.
After betrothal, when man and maid had been formally pre-
the genealogies, says: "Joseph's descent from the house and family of David
seems sufficiently well established by the irreproachable and early testimony
of Paul (Rom. i. 3). Paul did not simply infer the fact, but received it
from others; on this point all primitive Christendom is agreed."

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 3
sented to one another, they occupied a different position in
the eyes of the people: the maiden more than her future hus
band. Her movements, alwayr carefully guarded, became even
more restricted within the presence of the members of her fam
ily. She was bound by contract to another life, a guarantee
that carried with it the assurance of a sense of right conduct.
There was something definite for her to do; the contemplated
change in her life had to be considered, and with due solemnity,
for a married woman held a place of honour amongst her sex
in the East.
Alone with her thoughts while performing her daily duties,
Mary doubtless pondered over her future, and made prepara
tions for her marriage by skilfully embroidering her raiment
of needlework 2 in which to meet the bridegroom, unconscious
of her future in God's keeping, and of His plan.
One day her meditations were suddenly interrupted. A ra
diant light streamed through the door of the cottage in which
she lived, and her heart leaped in response to a celestial visi
tor's greeting in the familiar language of her people : " Hail,
thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed
art thou among women." 3 The message contained more than
a complimentary address. It conveyed to her the gladdest
news that a Hebrew woman ever wished to hear, that she should
be the mother of the Christ of God, and, what was even more
startling, by the power of the Divine spirit.* Mary wondered
2 Ps. xiv. 14. * St. Luke i. 28, 35.
* St. Matthew's words, " of the Holy Ghost," suggest a Divine creative
energy, as in Gen. i. 2, and Ps. civ. 30, quickening the germ of life. For
those who find a physiological difficulty in accepting the Virgin Birth the
following notes are appended:
On July 31st, 1911, Professor Ray Lankester announced in The Daily
Telegraph that a Mons. Bataillon had succeeded, by pricking with a fine
needle the surface of the minute black sphere of a frog's egg, carefully
preserved from male influence, and in causing it to develop in a perfectly
regular manner, to become a tadpole, and then a young frog. Thus, then,
the possibility of a parthenogenetic reproduction in so high a form of life
as a vertebrate animal has been demonstrated.
My friend, Dr. Kesteven, who has given me the above information, fur
ther states : " We cannot explain how such conception occurs in such
lowly forms as silkworms, bees, ants, and snails. None the less it does

4 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
how the promise could be fulfilled. News of an elderly rela
tive's joy in the province of Judea helped her to realize the
truth, and a visit to the home of her cousin Elizabeth,5 the
aged wife of Zaeharias the priest, confirmed her faith.
On her return to Nazareth the glad tidings fostered in her
heart, and the light of a new dawn in her eyes could not be hid
den from her mother; Joseph also had to be told the wonder
ful news, as a man demands with his bride the fulfilment of
the guarantee of right conduct agreeable with the honour of
his house. He could not have been unmoved. The righteous
feeling in his heart for the purity of his espoused wife might
have harassed and perplexed him; he may have been bewil
dered about his duty, and not have had a clearly defined idea
what to do. God knew the extent of his trial, and he was
assured in a dream 6 there was no cause for him to fear ; his
marriage, therefore, followed the betrothal in the usual course.
In conformity with the severity of Oriental customs, he would
have sent his wife to her people branded with shame, if a better
motive from superior knowledge had not been registered in
his heart. The reason why he acted contrary to custom is
said to have been Divine intervention. Without that state
ment his attitude towards the woman he had taken for his
wife is incomprehensible.
Still, the future had to be faced; the reputation of his wife
in the village had to be considered. While thus embarrassed
with the problem of the future, news came to the village that
a decree had been issued by the Roman Emperor 7 for a census
so occur, but we do not understand it because we have labelled the phe
nomenon in these animals ' a parthenogenesis.' "
See also the testimony of Professor G. J. Romanes in Darwin and after
Darwin, p. 119: "It may now be added . . - that the earlier stages of
parthenogenesis have been observed to occur sporadically in all sub-king
doms of the Metazoa, including the Vertebrata, and even in the highest
class, the Mammalia. These earlier stages consist in spontaneous segmen
tations of ovum; so that, even if a virgin has conceived and borne a son,
and even if such a fact in the human species has been unique, still it would
not betoken any breach of physiological continuity."
6 St. Luke i. 39, 40.
0 St, Matt, i, 20, i st. Luke ii. IS,

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 5
to be taken in his vast dominions. As a concession to popular
sentiment, and out of deference to Herod, the King, every man
was to be enrolled according to his tribe in its ancestral home.
So Joseph took Mary with him to the land of their fathers.8
It was a serious undertaking in her condition, the only means
of transport being an ass on which she could ride with the
usual articles accompanying Eastern travellers, beds, really
quilts stuffed with wool, which served to make the rider more
comfortable during the day, as well as for repose at night ;
and other things needful for a long journey. Joseph walked
beside the beast of burden.
They began their journey in the winter of the year 749 of
the foundation of Rome (a.tj.c), five years before the recog
nized date of the nativity (i.e. B.C. 5). Herod's death in the
spring of the following year, March 13th, 750 (a.u.c.) 9 helps
us to fix the date ; the events associated with his rule before he
died render more assistance, and the Roman historian Tacitus,
who records the presence of Cyrenius, under whom the " tax
ing " (census) was made, in the East at that time, states that
he subdued a Cilician tribe when Cilicia was a province of
Syria, over which he ruled as Proconsul from 747 to 751 a.u.c.
(b.c. 7 to 3).10
In December the work in the fields was finished, and the men
of the agricultural country of Israel were free to go to the
place of enrolment without interfering with their labour. No
other time would have been so convenient, and, as there was
already dissatisfaction with the ruling power, it was necessary
that work should not be interrupted, lest by a further cause
of complaint the turbulent multitudes gathering for the census
might be incited to revolt. The selection of the ancestral
homes of the people as places of enrolment would have aggra
vated rather than allayed popular feeling if the men had been
called from the land when the land called for them.
8 St. Luke ii. 4, 5.
» Josephus, Ant. Book XVII. chap. vi. note 2, Whiston's Ed.
1» Tacitus, Annals, III. 48, note in Furneaux's Ed. Quirinus (Latin name
for Cyrenius) appears to have been Proconsul of Syria b.c. 7-3.

6 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Starting from Nazareth in the morning with their faces set
towards the south, Joseph and Mary passed down the hillside
road to the great plain of Esdraelon. Across its north-eastern
corner they travelled, by the city of Nain, over the ridge of
Little Hermon to the Valley of Jezreel flanked by Mount Gil-
boa and reached their resting-place at nightfall in the way
side khan (inn) under the palm-trees in the neighbourhood of
Scythopolis in the Jordan Valley.11 The valley road was a
better road for a woman like Mary, particularly in December,
when the weather in the central mountain region of the coun
try is capricious, often bjr its severity contributing to the dis
comfort of Eastern travel. Down the Jordan Valley, where
there is no winter, the sun shone vigorously and verdure smiled
in delightful contrast to the highlands. From Scythopolis the
road led first through the rich fields of the wide domain of the
Decapolitan city to the narrowest part of the Ghor (i.e., the
Rift). Thence from the crest of the low hills overlooking the
gorge of the descending river fleeting glimpses of the jungle
by its side were gained before the travellers approached the
long stretch of apparently level ground. Rugged heights rose
above them on the west, and beyond the eastern bank of the
river loftier mountains formed the giant barrier of the Jordan
Plain. Memorable associations with these mountain scenes
and the sacred river brought the past history of their people
and the prospect of a greater future before the minds of the
two travellers.
As the happy pair moved towards their destination they
had ample leisure for thought; joyous nature round them,
though in places disordered by its prolific growth, lifted up
their hearts. It is not difficult to realize to some extent the
subject of their meditation. The anticipation of a great
event fills the mind with wonderful visions of its effect on the
future. There is the sense of a perpetual enlargement of life;
imagination might, therefore, rear a great fabric of expecta
tion. There was but one certainty in it, that the hope in
11 For routes to Jerusalem, see pages 114, 349.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 7
which they shared was the gift of God, and they would be con
tent with what lay immediately before them. Every step
brought them nearer to the end of their journey, where Joseph
would see something more than a coincidence in their arrival
at the City of David. Awaiting him there was a compensation
for all the confusion of his mind and the embarrassment of his
position, something that would make life seem to have more
substance and more value. As Mary drew near the climax of
her consecration, and the glory of her womanhood, a new joy
must have filled her soul. She could not have been unaware
of her acceptance of the will of God as a process, and not
merely an incident, in her life. The contemplation of the
mystery within her, and the burden of her destiny, would in
crease the • apprehension of her responsibility ; but the hallow
ing influence of God's presence would reconcile her mind and
renew her strength for the coming days of pain and triumph.
The tinkle of the distant camel-bell kept them in the sphere
of their daily life. They saw the long train of heavy-laden
beasts carrying their loads to busy market-places. A constant
stream of traders, with their merchandise, and pleasure-seekers
gay with bright equipage and rich costumes, passed them on
the way. In the khans at the side of the road rest was found
at night amidst the throng of travellers to the Herodian cities
below the western hills. Palm-groves and gardens extending
from these cities to their last resting-place in Jericho in the
evening of their fourth day from home increased the interest
of their journey. An early start next morning enabled them
to reach Bethlehem in one long day more, but not before the
gathering shadows of the bordering hills crept along the deep
rift that Joseph and Mary had gradually left behind them,
as they toiled up the lonesome mountain track in front, until
vine-clad heights appeared with sides well clothed with groves
of trees.
Astride one of these hills rested the town of Bethlehem, their
destination. From the path below the ridge on which the town
is built they saw the brilliant colours from the rays of the set-

8 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
ting sun shed their glory on the home of their fathers, and the
fringe of olive-trees and trailing vines darkening below the grey
stone houses lit with varied tints. They climbed the steep
ascent with exulting hearts, longing for rest in the bosom of
scenes rich with historic memories in the guest-chamber of an
old friend of their- famous name ; but, alas ! they arrived so
late that no vacant place was prepared for their reception.
If the last day's journey had been from Jerusalem they would
have entered the town in the morning, when many a guest-
chamber would have been open with a homely welcome for the
two lone travellers from distant Galilee.
Slowly they turned to the khan with a wavering hope of
better fortune. As they passed through the gateway Joseph
looked towards the lewan, the raised platform on the side of
the square enclosure with the accommodating shelter of a roof ;
but its space was fully occupied, " there was no room for them
in the inn." 12 A dull red charcoal fire below the lewan, and
dusky oil-lamps hanging from the rafters above cast a fitful
glare on the swarthy faces of the motley crowd on the only
resting-place for visitors. Outside the lewan in the gloom of
the open space beneath the sky, where wearied beasts were
tethered to rings fastened to the wall or pegs let into the
ground, neither man nor woman ever spent the night, even
when guests were numerous. If there were no room fbr them
on the lewan they gathered round the charcoal fire, the women
apart from the men, away from the camels and horses and
mules and asses in the area.
There must have been a cave or recess, an opening on the
side of the limestone hill that formed a boundary for the khan.
There are caves below the wall of the khan on the way to
12 St. Luke ii. 7. Kard\vfia is a public inn, free for all people. An at
tendant without proprietary rights oifers his services in various ways for
reward. The same word is used for guest-chamber in St. Mark xiv. 14 and
St. Luke xxii. 11. It has a wide application in its reference to visitors,
and therefore depends to some extent on the context for its true interpre
tation; but in all cases it is based on the idea of free hospitality.
Uavdoxelov in St. Luke x. 34 is an inn kept by a host who demands payment
for the reception of visitors.

Edit. A. Noyer; Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
And laid him in a manger ; because there was no room for them in the inn
Luke II: 7

•S*c. £>. Mastroianni

£dti. ^4. Noyer, Paris
For we have seen his star in the East, and are come to worship him
Matthew II: 2

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 9
Jericho, a cave under the hill of the Khan Lebban, a cave at
Khan Minyeh on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and many in
the ruined towns. Such a recess serves as a stable into which
a man puts his animal for greater security ; it would have been
a providential retreat for a woman in pain. Though dark
and damp no other occupant would share it save her faithful
man and their beast of burden.
Amidst the squalor and musty odours spread by the night
wind, and the noisy rattle of rings, and the movements of rest
less animals, there in the long dark watches of the night Mary
bore her travail. When the birth-pangs began Joseph went
for aid ; he fetched the nearest woman to help a woman in her
need. No man, not even her man, must be with an Eastern
woman at her childbirth. Even an outcast's child might have
had a better shelter in some lowly abode where life was less
forbidding, in some place where womanly tenderness was ready
for all who suffer. A khan is unthinkable for the birth of a
child. Who could have imagined and invented the birthplace
,of the Christ as the stable of an Eastern khan?
In this cheerless and inhospitable spot, with its miscellaneous
assembly of travellers engrossed with their own convenience,
oblivious of any need but their own, the Virgin brought forth
her first-born Son. Attendants performed the simple offices
prescribed for every birth from the days of old 13 to the pres
ent time, rubbed the child's body with oil to keep Him well,
with salt to make Him strong, and wrapped Him in swaddling
clothes for His body, arms, and legs to grow perfectly straight,
and laid Him within the little curb of clay on the floor in which
the provender of the beasts is placed for their faring: not a
manger with which a Western man is familiar. The word
" manger " 14 is used on account of the difficulty of translat
ing the Greek word into equivalent English. It is a place for
food, and that place is on the ground within a little curb that
keeps the chopped straw from being scattered over the floor.
is Ezek. xvi. 4; St. Luke ii. 7.
14 Qovrvn (iraTioiidi, I eat) is a place for food, hence the use of the word
"manger" in the English Bible.

10 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
On the plain below the khan another scene was being enacted ;
an event, as thrilling as the birth was surprising, occurred to
men of the lowliest degree in the land of Judah. The more
thoughtful amongst its patriots anxiously looked for the com
ing of their King, and none of them had more time for thought
than the shepherds of its hills and plains; none of them had
more open minds, free from the prejudice of the age and the
particular interest of the stirring times in which they lived.
Besides, a suggestiveness in the fields of Bethlehem kept the
Messianic hope alive. David the shepherd had been called
from them to a kingly throne from whose line the Christ should
come ; it was not inappropriate that the shepherds in the fields
should hear the call to welcome Him.
Sometimes, in December, warm nights follow the hot days
that break through the storms of an Eastern winter, and shep
herds take advantage of the change and pasture their flocks
under the shelter of the hills. While thus engaged the news
for which they had waited long came from the vault above
them flushed with the early dawn. Stars still glittered in the
Syrian sky when something more than the dawn over the dis
tant heights of Moab seemed to fill the air; a light celestial
enfolded the keepers of the sheep, and " they were sore afraid."
Through the veil of glory that wrapped the watching men a
message came in familiar words with unfamiliar sound. A
Messenger announced the wondrous birth, and angelic hosts
sang the songs of Heaven. The angelic messenger said to the
frightened shepherds : " Fear not, for behold I bring you good
tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto
you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour which is
Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: ye shall
find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a man
ger." 1B
" Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy " are words
in common use ; even today these words announce the birth of
a son. The expectant father must always wait for the news
is St. Luke ii. 10-12.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 11
away from his dwelling, generally in the garden or field below
the village. If a son is born a friend runs down the hill shout
ing in loud and joyous tones: " Bsharrah, Bsharrah," i.e.
" Good tidings, good tidings." " Behold, I bring you good
tidings, for unto you a son is born " is a description of the
attitude and speech of the messenger, and the happy father
hurries home to name the child. If a girl appears there are
no good tidings. The friend walks slowly and disconsolately
down the hill to the disappointed parent and offers his condo
lence with the news.
The shepherds, satisfied with the heavenly origin of the
message they had received, hastened to Bethlehem to offer their
congratulations in the ordinary manner of the peasant folk
of the country for the birth of a child. The place to which
they were directed was easily accessible, being open to the
public without charge and free from all restrictions. No other
place could have been more eminently suitable for the birth of
the Saviour of the world than a public inn, and such an inn,
where all sorts and conditions of men lodge for a night on
their earthly pilgrimage. A palace would have been out of
the reach of these eager shepherds, and any other place too
limited for an appeal to mankind. The home of a particular
person belonging to a class carries with it the restraint of the
environment in which it is placed. It was inevitable that the
birthplace of the Messiah, on Whom the world would make a
demand more than had ever been made on any other man,
should represent an opportunity that could apply to all peo
ple. The clothes in which the child was swaddled formed, with
the place where He was laid, the sign for the shepherds. Pro
vision had been made by the mother in joyous anticipation of
the birth consistent with the honour of the family to which she
belonged. If garments worn out by age could no longer serve
their purpose, the rank of the family would be indicated by
the embroidered work on the clothing prepared by the expect
ant mother.

12 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
A new kindness dawned on the world with that happy morn
ing when God appeared in a little child, the fairest emblem
of earth, for men to learn that of such is the kingdom of
Heaven; and as the fleeting years roll by the kindest day in
every year is the day we keep in memory of the wondrous birth.
It stirs the primary impulses of man's being where true life
has its springs and desires are born. In that passing moment
he feels the breath of the Eternal, whispering through an open
door, an open heart, for life's warm currents to flow and make
the world of men more comfortable and more joyous. And
the world called Christian has in a measure responded to the
message from God. The peace and joy that came with His
gift are visible in many a Christian home, and generous giv
ing arises from the heart that is moved by Christian love.
This good feeling dies in some men almost immediately; in
others it declines slowly and gradually under the pressure of
the things of earth, if there be no room for the permanent
abode of the Divine Spirit. The influence of Divine affluence
has touched them, enough to show how much more it might
have been, enough to prove that the Christ Who came still
lives to lead men into an abundant life. In other men the
revelation of the love of God remains, the new life from above
begins, and the man with the Spirit of Christ within him has
received something that will transform the face of life and
death. It is not only salvation, nor the gentle leading of the Child,
that came on that first Christmas Day; on Him the govern
ment 16 of the world was laid, and since that day the civilized
world has altered its date and changed its outlook. All time
before the birth of Christ is b.c. ; the years that follow are the
years of our Lord, a.d. Although this mode of reckoning was
not introduced until the first half of the sixth century, His
rule had created so profound an impression of its value that it
became the dominant factor in the life of the West. Its con
tinuance is a constant recognition of the might of that influ-
i« Isa. ix. 6, 7.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 13
ence on the minds and hearts of men. There is something
more in it than man can devise for changing the computation
of the events of all time in the highest civilization the world
has ever known. The superintending providence of God and
His sustaining power over Christian men have borne the re
sponsible part; any other influences that may have been at
work were merely incidental occurrences which aided the main
purpose. Long ago the need for a slight alteration of the date of the
year of our Lord was discovered when it was too late to make
a change owing to the extent of its use. The date of the
Nativity is five years earlier, 5 b.c. It is corroborated both
by the death of Herod, which took place in the spring of 750
of the foundation of Rome (a.u.c), and the testimony of St.
Luke, who states that John the Baptist began his ministry in
the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cassar.17 - As his
reign began in a.d. 11, when he shared the authority of Au
gustus, the date of John's ministry would be a.d. 26. At that
time Jesus was about thirty years old.
There is no adequate reason for altering the accepted day
of His birth, although December 25th was not kept as a festival
in the East before the time of St. Chrysostom, and was then
received on the tradition of the Roman Church. It was con
jectured, with some probability, that the time was chosen to
substitute the purified joy of a Christian festival for the licence
of the Saturnalia; but the reason for the selection does not
imply that December 25th was not the day. The chief objec
tion to this date is the difficulty of believing in the pasturing
of the flocks at night in winter.18 The weather varies in De
cember and is sometimes very warm; the opportunity would
then be eagerly seized by the shepherds to feed their flocks in
it St. Luke iii. 1-3.
is " In six years' residence in Palestine I remember only one very cold
Christmas; twice I rode to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve without an over
coat in really warm weather; once I went shooting on the day after
Christmas Day wearing » pith helmet on account of the heat; wind and
rain at other times prevailed." — Author.

14 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the fields below the hill on which stands the ancient town.
At the eastern end of Bethlehem, on the crest of the ridge,
there is a permanent memorial of the Nativity, fashioned in
the days of warlike men, and for over 1,600 years it has with
stood the ravages of time and the strife of nations. While the
town has often been destroyed, the memorial church, like a
fortress in appearance and often in use, has remained. No
sign of the wealth of Christendom is visible ; it is the endurance
of its faith rather than its riches that is here commemorated.
The poor and the meek find in it something which is more in
accord with their hope than the merely splendid architecture
of a stately cathedral. The rich and great see there also the
path of peace, a rest for weary feet, and for the broken heart
a place of healing. The low doorway of the entrance is an
immediate sign of the humble spirit that is necessary to appre
ciate the meaning of the nature of the memorial. In the centre
of the building, down a flight of narrow steps, is the grotto
of the Nativity. A silver star on the floor, with the Latin
inscription round it, " Hie de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus
nature est," marks the spot where succeeding generations of
Christians have worshipped in the firm belief that it is the
place where our Lord was born. Justin Martyr,19 a native of
Palestine, the famous Christian and Apologist, who lived less
than a hundred years after, believed in the site, which was
then well known, and it is extremely unlikely that any diffi
culty would arise about its identity. Public inns stand for
ages, and the one in Bethlehem would be still in existence when
Justin Martyr declared his acceptance of the site of the birth
place of His Lord. Hadrian, the Roman Emperor in the year
a.d. 134, found certain Holy Places, and in his anger destroyed
the various buildings connected with them; but the signs of
their existence were not entirely obliterated.
The Holy Places of Palestine are not all authentic ; most of
them were never intended to be more than representations.
is Justin Martyr was born at Flavia Neapolis (ancient Shechem, modern
Nablous) a.d. 103 and died a.d. 166.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 15
They were selected originally for teaching pilgrims the facts
connected with the history associated with Jesus, and impress
ing upon them, through these objects, their reality. Unfor
tunately, the Teachers have not always been explicit; their
words sometimes conveyed more than they were expected to
mean, and what was once the illustration of an object asso
ciated with a fact became the object itself.
The site of the Nativity is more real than representative,
and it is reasonably probable than the Grotto of the Nativity
is the place of the Lord's birth. Palestine is a country whose
people in all ages have expressed their feelings in objects on
which the memory rests with veneration. There may be seen
today dolmens, stone circles, little heaps of stones, twisted
twigs, and even rags on sticks, besides buildings, that carry the
mind through intervening years to remote antiquity. In the
Bible there is frequent allusion to places of interest connected
with events and men. The power of association has never
decreased, and it is not unlikely that those who loved their
Lord would mark the place of His first appearing and keep
it in remembrance. Men believe without compunction in things
relating to secular history and social custom why, then, should
it be deemed incredible to accept the assurance of pious men
whose strong faith has left similar marks on their country?
Customs still prevail in the East, mentioned in the Bible, that
have been transmitted by succeeding generations. There can
be no strain on the intelligence for men to believe the evidence
of enduring faith when it is accompanied by an illustration
that presents in concrete form an indisputable fact.
The attentions of artists, directed by a reverent desire to
depict the Nativity of our Lord, have not always been con
sonant with the knowledge required to represent the scene.
Oxen and sheep, which are never found in the precincts of a
public inn, have been inserted as necessary adjuncts to a
proper appreciation of the event, and various additional fea
tures included, to make an appropriate background for the
satisfaction of people familiar with enclosures and resting-

16 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
places for cattle in their own country of a more permanent
character than a public inn, where travelling men and travelling
beasts remain for the night and pass in the morning. All these
things hinder rather than help the understanding of the true
nature of the circumstances of our Lord's birth,1 and cause men
to deny the more likely features associated with it which assist
the mind in appreciating the fact. The simplicity of the scene
is not enhanced by invention; it may even be destroyed;
whereas a memorial, though unaccompanied by original marks
of identification sufficiently strong to compel men to believe,
may have attached to it something which will confirm their
faith in the fact itself.
As the large number of people in the town would soon dis
perse after the census, a room would then be available for the
Mother and the Child, and Joseph no doubt took advantage
of the opportunity to provide more suitable quarters for them*
so that when the Magi arrived they visited Mary and her Son
in " the house," 20 thus showing the reasonableness of the pro
ceedings of a man like Joseph, whose object was to care for
those in his charge.
The absence of descriptive details in the incidents of the
birth proves how the fact itself was fixed on the minds of the
narrators of the story. Very ordinary people would scarcely
have controlled their desire to proclaim the news to the people
of the town, and the first historians might not unreasonably
have alluded to minute and trivial incidents connected with the
event, and embellished them with their imagination. Nothing
irrelevant is introduced by the writers of the Gospels ; their
statement has a sanctity in its reticence which carries with it
an impression so profound in its difference from all narratives
of ordinary human biographies, especially Eastern stories of
life, that it bears the aspect of truth. Important and neces
sary incidents are alone recorded: the Circumcision and the
Presentation in the Temple by St. Luke, the visit of the
Wise Men from the East, and the Flight into Egypt by St.
20 St. Matt. ii. 11.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 17
Matthew. One account seems to supplement the other.
The Circumcision was on the eighth day after the birth.21
If the Mother and Child had not been removed from their tem
porary shelter before this time, the rite of Circumcision would
require such attention by the Rabbis in Bethlehem that a guest-
chamber would have been found for them. The name of Jesus
was given to the Child on this day, a name in frequent use
amongst the Jews, that was destined to acquire a significance
which has a momentous meaning for all who love their Lord.
Jesus is His Personal name, and Christ the title of His Office
as the Messiah.
The Presentation in the Temple
On the fortieth day from the birth the Virgin presented her
self to the Priest, and the Child to the Lord,22 in the Temple
at Jerusalem, and she made the customary offering of two
turtle-doves, according to the law prescribed for the poor.
Her appearance with the Child was a sign, to one who longed
to see the fulfilment of promise, that the Messiah had come.
The aged Simeon, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, saw
the Child and was satisfied; his heart was moved in grateful
acknowledgment of the scene before him, and he uttered words
that will never die : " Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant
depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation." 2S
No further reference is made to him; something more might
have been welcome, but again we may reckon that the Evangel
ist was guided by the Spirit of God in this slight allusion to
one of the saints of old, preserving only the fact of his recog
nition of the Messiah.
A few more words are used to describe the Prophetess
Anna ; her tribe is even mentioned.24 It showed there lingered
still in the minds of the people the tribal names, and some of
their members were known. She might have been identified
by her description, while Simeon is lost in the mists of con-
21 St. Luke i. 59; ii. 21. 28 St. Luke ii. 25-32.
22 St. Luke ii. 22-4. 24 St. Luke ii. 36-8.

18 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
jecture. Only two old people of all those assembled in the
Temple and its courts saw the wondrous Babe, and realized
the greatness of God's gift to men. Mary must have been
cheered by their faith and encouraged by this mark of God's
everlasting mercy, as she and Joseph marvelled at their pro
phetic insight; and, as the words of fateful meaning dropped
into her mind from Simeon's lips 25 and struck her heart with
foreboding for the future, she could rest in the assurance of
the mercy of God which is over all His people.
The Visit of the Wise Men
Great events in the ancient world were usually connected
with some movement of the heavenly bodies. The births and
deaths of great men were certainly frequently associated with
sidereal phenomena, and this idea prevailed even in England
for many centuries.
In the early days of the science of astronomy the stars
in their courses were studied in a reverent spirit. The desire
for information about them arose from man's need of religion,
not so much for the gratification of the mind as the satisfac
tion of the soul. In the deepest recess of man's nature there
is a craving for something outside himself, something more de
pendable, and this shows a need which no other man can sup
ply. Guides innumerable have been selected for discovering
its real source, but all have failed that have not led to the
Infinite and Eternal God.
The clear, tranquil nights of the East, with their mighty
skies and shining stars, filled the untutored mind with awe,
and devout and thoughtful men with respect. Above them
was something so vast, something so distant, yet so present,
they felt in their sublime conception of the harmony of the
heavens a relationship between themselves and the Great Crea
tor. Eternal Destiny seemed behind the glories of those con
stellations, and the Power, that guided them in their move-
25 St. Luke ii. 35: "Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul
also,"

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 19
ments and kept them in their places, directed also the foot
steps of mankind. As their knowledge of them increased they
became conscious of their acquaintance with the Power which
men recognized, from the nature of their occupation, as lying
beyond their ordinary understanding. Astrologers were on
that account reckoned as men able to interpret, from the in
visible sympathy of heavenly bodies with human life, the des
tinies of men. They were the priests of the temple of the
universe ; to them men went for instruction and aspiration.
When mysterious portents overshadowed their minds, when the
future seemed all adventure, the anxious sought the wise men
for advice and direction, honoured them for their wisdom, and
paid homage to them for their power. Thus King Nebuchad
nezzar treated Daniel 26 as an interpreter of dreams and made
him chief of the wise men of his kingdom, above all the sooth
sayers and astrologers connected with the court. In the pass
ing of time the people's attitude towards Magi changed, the
reverent spirit disappeared, and the astrologers became chan
nels of inquiry or merely instruments for furthering the causes
of those who had the means to employ them. Simon Magus,27
the Sorcerer in Samaria, was an example of the degradation
of a lofty calling.
The Magi who went to Bethlehem in quest of the King were
in all probability Persians, and priests, acquainted, through
the connection of Persian rule over Judea, with the Messianic
hope of its people. In their study of the universe they had
found that human destiny was not bound by the limitations
of their knowledge, and they looked for more than they had
ever obtained. It is when men are alone, and at their highest
and best, that some token of immortality stirs within them
and intimates to them an eternal purpose. Such an experience
is not present at all times, but when it comes it gives the most
intense feelings of reality that we know, and men who have
had the experience are sure of it.
The appearance of a particular star might easily have been
2« Dan. ii. 46-9. 27 Acts viii. 9-11,

20 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
unnoticed by the world of men, and yet have awakened in the
hearts of the Magi the great desire that caused them to leave
their homes and start on a long and perilous journey. If they
had not been convinced of the interpretation they had put on
the presence of the star they would never have left their
luxurious homes for a weary march across an arid desert
whose sand covered the bones of many unfortunate travellers.
They toiled on, undaunted cither by the length of their jour
ney or the difficulties they had to encounter. Tliey inquired
first in Jerusalem, where they were most likely to obtain au
thentic information, for surely in the capital there would be
tidings of the new King, and at the palace of the reigning
monarch they might expect direction to his place of birth.
The rumour of their arrival in the Holy City and their inquiry
would be known amongst the inhabitants, and speculation
excited. " Where is he that is born king ? " was a question
calculated to arouse the people and alarm the old monarch.
Any movement amongst the' inhabitants beyond the usual gos
sip of the city might bring disastrous consequences. Herod's
tyranny had taught them to exercise a restraint over their
feelings; but his teaching produced no effect on himself: fear
alone might keep him within bounds, and fear mingled with
rage dwelt in the old man's heart as he instituted inquiries of
the authorities of the Holy City. There was only one answer
to his question : that in Bethlehem the Messiah would be born.28
Herod then secretly called the Wise Men and asked them when
they first saw the star, told them to go to Bethlehem and re
turn with the report of their discovery, that he also might pay
homage to the young king.
On leaving Jerusalem the star appeared again, and " when
they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." 29
Evidently they had lost sight of it on their journey. Its ab
sence, however, had not deterred them; having once believed
in the sign, they pursued their way. Now they are assured
of their mission, and follow the star to their destination, where
28 St. Matt. ii. 5, 6, 29 St. Matt. ii. 10.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 21
they paid homage to the young Child and presented gifts,80
content with the result of their long wanderings.
A few words in St. Matthew's Gospel describe their visit;
we are left to ponder over the manifestation of the Christ to
these Gentiles and the significance of their gifts. They may
only have been the products of their country. The Church
has made something more of them, and we shall doubtless see
in the Epiphany of the Lord and the tribute of the Magi
something unrecorded by the Evangelist. A deep truth lies in
the homage of the men from the East. Their attitude and
offerings cannot be without a purport. It is the reverence
of wisdom for innocence and beauty, the beauty of holiness.
A little child brings men nearer to heaven than all the specula
tions of philosophers and the reason of the greatest minds;
and the presence of the Lord in the Child in Bethlehem was the
answer to the deep craving of the heart of man for the supreme
object of its affection.
Their desire accomplished, the Magi returned home by an
other route without informing the Jewish King of the success
of their undertaking. He soon knew of their departure, and
his anger blazed forth in all its fury. Fearing the rise of a
Pretender to his throne, he ordered all the children of Bethle
hem under the age of two years to be slain. Although no ref
erence is found in secular history to the Massacre of the Inno
cents, such an omission is not serious, as an event of so little
importance was not likely to be mentioned. It was only one
of many acts of blood of the cruel King. Bethlehem was a
small town of few inhabitants, and probably not very many
children would be slain.
Warned by God in a dream of Herod's intention, Joseph
secretly left Bethlehem for Egypt, the place of refuge for those
whose lives were no longer safe in Judea. With Mary and
the Child he passed along the cobbled street through the city
gate for the road to the south. A toilsome journey lay be
fore them. The first part of it was over the mountains of
so St, Matt. ii. 11.

22 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Hebron. From this resting-place Joseph turned to the west,
to the mountains whose tracks led him down their steep sides
to the foothills by the Phoenician Plain. A more gentle way
and a warmer climate followed the precipitous paths of the
wild mountain region. But a desert had to be crossed, the
waste of sand and stones beyond the palm groves and cactus
hedges of Gaza. Having escaped from the sword of Herod,
he had no doubt in his mind about the safety of the young
Child, though tlie desert might be filled with alarms. The hand
of God guided his footsteps; the eye of God watched over his
charge. Onward Joseph pressed, with hope abounding, along the
faint track of the restless sand. He must have experienced
a singular exaltation, walking with the beast on which was
laid a precious burden, in the fresh air of the morning, in the
white noonday when the dancing light flickered before him, and
in the cool evening as the radiant glow of the red sun sinking
in the west filled the distant horizon with fantastic charm.
Lying beside that burden in the dead silence of the midnight
hours, whether in the tent of a nomad tribe under the luminous
light of the stars, or behind a rock for shelter from the wind
over the desert spaces, the faithful man would feel in the
haunting presence of an invisible power so very real to him the
sense of security.
Each day opened before him the long reaches of the desert
pathway, until there appeared the promise of rest in a distant
picture of white domes and stately buildings fringed with cool
green palm trees, set in the deep blue of the eastern sky —
Egypt at last.
Large and influential communities of his fellow countrymen
had long been settled there. The Jews of Alexandria had a
synagogue in Jerusalem 31 for their own use when visiting the
city of their fathers. Joseph would find work in the land of
Egypt for the support of Mary and the Child until the tyranny
of Herod had passed away.
31 Acts vi. 9.

CHAPTER II
THE HOME IN NAZAEETH
When Joseph and Mary heard of Herod's death they left
Egypt and sought again their home in Nazareth with the
young child Jesus.
Nothing was said about His wondrous birth. A natural
reticence respecting the miraculous conception is not surpris
ing ; if prematurely divulged it was likely to cause unfavourable
social comment. The term " Thy father," afterwards ad
dressed to Jesus in speaking of Joseph, was not a means of
suppressing the truth, but in accord with social custom. A
proper time and suitable atmosphere were necessary for mak
ing public a mystery so profound. The amazing boldness of
St. Matthew in stating that the birth of Jesus was super
natural shows that the fact had been made known after the
disciples had been prepared to receive it by the gradual un
folding of His personality and power, and by the precious
truths revealed in His teaching.
The information about His birth must have been derived
in the first instance from His mother; it was confirmed by the
Divine likeness in His life, and substantiated by His own claim
to a Divine origin. His followers accepted the fact by faith.
In no other way can it be conceived, for it is vain to imagine
that either historical or scientific evidence can be arranged to
satisfy the soul. The problem of the Virgin Birth is one for
settlement by faith rather than by argument ; so is every birth.
The certificate of a registrar is accepted as evidence, but it is
not a proof that a boy is the son of the man whose name is
on the scrap of paper. The proof lies in the heart of the
mother, and faith is necessary for the assurance that she
speaks the truth; if she speaks at all. Unless resemblance to
the putative father is subsequently seen in the son, astonish
ment leads to incredulity in a base mind.
23

24 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
On the other hand, a likeness strengthens faith, and faith
becomes assurance. In that direction lies the credibility of
the Virgin Birth and the Divine Sonship of Jesus. His own
declaration that He came is an indication that His life did not
begin when He was born. His birth was the beginning of His
life on earth in human form. He came in the likeness of men
to exhibit the likeness of God for men to see God, and, by re
ceiving His spirit through fellowship with Him, become par
takers of the characteristics of the Divine Father.
All this makes us more curious about the childhood of Jesus.
Speculation throbs with desire to penetrate the mystery en
veloping the life in the carpenter's home, to lift the veil which
is spread over the years that Jesus spent there before He be
gan the tremendous task of saving the world. Apocryphal
gospels, with well-intentioned purpose but unwise trespass on
man's credulity, have shown Him as a youthful prodigy per
forming miracles for the benefit of His playmates. These
stories are obviously fictitious. A more temperate desire and
a stricter sense of reverence may entertain a discreet wish to
learn something of the young life that grew into a greatness
passing all understanding.
In every reverent mind there will be respect for the man
who undertook the responsible office of natural guardian and
protector of One Whom God gave for the redemption of man
kind, and for His Virgin Mother, under whose tender care and
solicitude the sensitive nature of the Child was nourished. Al
though all Christians may not agree to pay Divine honour to
her, none will refuse to regard her as the ideal woman whom
God chose for the highest duties that a mother has to perform.
Nazareth was an obscure village in Galilee until the Middle
Ages. Nothing was heard of it from the days when Jesus
lived there until it was mentioned by Eusebius in the fourth
century as a village near Tabor. Epiphanius relates, about
the same time, that before the reign of Constantine it was in
habited exclusively by Jews. It is situated on the slopes of
the sides of a natural basin formed by an enclosure of hills in

THE HOME IN NAZARETH 25
the highlands of Galilee. In the highlands of the country
stone is -abundant and easily procured; the houses are there
fore built of that material and raised on a foundation of rock,
so close together that a man can easily jump from one house
top to another and readily escape impending danger.1 In
appearance they are neither remarkable for style nor archi
tectural skill ; all are erected on the same square plan, emanat
ing from a mind devoid of the capacity for making anything
different from the design of his forefathers. A man may even
be his own architect. On a rock foundation four thick walls
are raised to form one room, more rooms are added when more
are required. Climatic considerations and the moderate needs
of a simple life regulate their size, and it is on these reflections
we are able to form an impression of ancient dwellings from
the structures reared by the present inhabitants. Various
references in the Bible assist us further in arriving at the con
clusion that there is very little difference in either the external
appearance or the internal arrangement of an Eastern home.
A good foundation follows the choice of a site in the building
operations of the people who live amongnst the hills where
storm-clouds burst and the rain rushes in torrents over the
rocks, and innumerable little streams tumble precipitately down
the mountains. On the maritime plain along the coast, and
in places where there is little stone, the houses of the poor are
ill fitted to withstand the tempests of rain that at times deluge
the country. Many of their homes, built of mud and raised
on sand, are often swept away; even when this disaster does
not occur the roofs, saturated with the wet, dry quickly and
crack in the heat of the sun that follows the rain. The fissure
then made gradually widens until the walls collapse ; the house
thus divided against itself cannot stand.2 A house that is
built of stone has sometimes a roof composed of branches of
trees, on which earth is laid and beaten flat, where if occasion
needs grass may be grown ; 8 at other times it is made of the
same substantial material as the walls that, rising slightly
i St. Matt. xxiv. 17. 2 St. Luke xi. 17. s ps. cxxix. 6.

26 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
above the roof, form the battlements 4 for the safety of those
who use the housetop.5
In a town the house of a rich man has, in addition to the
apartments for habitation and use, a courtyard for a larger
company than a cottage home could entertain. Whei he re
solves to build he generally begins by digging a well in the
courtyard, or in the solid rock over which the house will stand ;
a flat roof catches the rain, and channels and pipes convey it
to the well.
One long, narrow street forms the main thoroughfare of a
small Syrian town, rising and falling in a crooked and irreg
ular fashion by the houses at the top or on the side of a hill ;
little crossways with pebbled stones, like the pavement of the
main street, separate the various quarters of the inhabitants,
frequently divided by factional interests.
If the structures, with their garish, red-tiled roofs, the
churches and the minaret, could be removed from Nazareth,
this prosperous town of Galilee might represent in style, if not
in size, the village home of Jesus. Every little narrow street
has a romantic and religious interest. One of the small shops
reminds us of the Carpenter. Through the dim light fur
nished by the open door we can see a few tools, a small bench,
and shavings on the floor. The sublime feature of the interest
is absent, yet a radiance fills the place when we associate the
humble workshop with the Christ of God.
The simple life of an Eastern village makes wealth almost
superfluous for daily existence. Having no taste for art, the
house of one man is similar to that of his neighbour ; no per
ceptible difference appears between them except their size.
This absence of elegance gives to the dwellings of the people
a bare and unfurnished appearance ; but what is lacking in the
naked aspect of the village homes is supplied by the natural
charm of their surroundings. No part of Palestine is so well
favoured with a diversity of physical features as the district
round the early home of Jesus. In the spring the gardens,
« Deut. xxii 8. s Acts x. 9: 2 Sam. xi. 2.

•S"c. D. Mastroianni
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto
them
Luke II: 51

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
They found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors both
hearing them, and asking them questions
Luke II: 46

THE HOME IN NAZARETH 27
fresh and green, and the fields around them decked with the
varied tints of many flowers, combine to furnish a delightful
border for the grey stone dwellings. As the gardens do not
belong to the poor, their life has apparently nothing in its
environment to give a tone to the dreary monotony of their
existence. Men do not seem to appreciate a general effect
when they have no particular interest in it. The absence of
means to make life more enjoyable is the sign of their poverty,
rather than an inadequate supply of daily sustenance which is
generally available in a village, so little being needed for the
simple life of the people.
From the crests of the hills that rise above the town the
prospect is delightful. On the north great Hermon rears its
snow-capped head in the distance ; nearer to the sight hill after
hill rolls back to Nazareth. Looking towards the western
horizon, the dim outlines of Carmel are seen abruptly termi
nated by the sea. Beyond the plain of Esdraelon, resting be
low the hills to the south of Nazareth, still farther south, rise
the well-clothed summits of Samaria. By the eastern side of
the plain, Gilboa, of fateful memory, stands before the south
ern hills ; and a little to the east, nearer to Nazareth, appears
the round top of Tabor. Between Tabor and Gilboa lie the
historic fields where Barak led his men and Gideon tested his
warriors. In the bosom of these highland scenes, in an enchanted
circle of physical beauty and famous events, the child Jesus
grew into manhood in a household of boys and girls. Joseph
soon disappears from the story, and a widow is left to rear a
young family. Whatever may have been the relationship 6 of
the various members is not of material interest. It is of little
use disputing about the brethren of Jesus ; He was the eldest,7
and on Him rested the burden of helping the widow with a
houseful of children until they were old enough to help them
selves. His knowledge of domestic affairs continually appears
s St. Mark vi. 3.
7 He was the Carpenter, the one that occupied the position of the head
of the family.

28 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
in His sayings ; they show that He had a living interest in all
that concerned the needs of a village home. He knew the price
of the simplest fare. He had a special love for children.
The human side of Jesus developed in the usual way. He
was subject to the same law for growth as other children, and
reached His manhood step by step in strength, in wisdom, and
in grace. We cannot think that all His kindness and courage
came to Him by a miracle when He began to teach, that when
He dwelt in His Nazareth home He knew nothing of the tri-
umps of patient endurance. Inside that home He grew in
knowledge imparted to Him first by His mother; Joseph's in
struction followed, until He went to the village school, where
the Chazzan, the reader of the synagogue, was the Master.
These primary institutions prepared youths for the higher
schools and academies in charge of the Rabbis.8
While Jesus was never recognized in the eyes of the people
as One Who had by scholastic attainment gained a title for
learning, yet a natural aptitude in Him Who grew in wis
dom found abundant opportunities for increasing His knowl
edge. The idea of His being a simple peasant with little or no
education must be abandoned. Bilingual accomplishments are
not uncommon amongst the better class of the peasants of the
Holy Land accustomed to mix with Europeans, and Jesus in
His Nazareth home must be placed in a higher category than
even the most enterprising countrymen of the Palestine of
today. His position as a Carpenter was superior to that of a
tiller of the soil, and it is a mistake to regard Him as a peas
ant in the sense that we understand and apply the term with
reference to Fellaheen.
Hellenic life and thought had long dominated the north;
the Greek language was in common use and generally under
stood by the inhabitants of Galilee, who came into contact with
their Gentile neighbours. On this account the northern prov
ince fell under the reproach of the more exclusive Jews of
Judea. 8 Josephus, Ant. xvi. 6, 2.

THE HOME IN NAZARETH 29
The language spoken by the common people was Aramaic
(Syro-Chaldee), and Jesus used the same tongue in addressing
them. " Talitha Cumi," " Abba," " Cephas," and " Eloi, Eloi,
lama, Sabbachthani," are Aramaic words. A few Aramaic
terms still survive in the dialects of the south. Hebrew was
then, as now, known only to scholars and well-educated Jews.
Jesus quoted directly from it, showing that He was acquainted
with the original language of the Old Testament, and read
it in the synagogue of Nazareth when He proclaimed His
Advent as the Messiah; He knew also how to write.9
It is not possible to forget that the mother of Jesus was
aware that He was destined to fill the supreme place in the
nation, though we cannot even surmise how much of her ex
pectation she bestowed on her Son, nor do we know the extent
of her own knowledge. The influence of the Divine Spirit on
a holy woman who sang the wondrous song we call the Magnifi
cat leads us to conjecture that she knew more than is gener
ally admitted. The gravity of her position would not always
be concealed from the Boy. Her watchful eye, with its glint
of eager anticipation, might excite His tender inquiry and
by suggestion or promise, if not actual statement, increase
the swelling tide within His growth, and carry Him onward
in His acquisition of higher knowledge than the Teachers in
the synagogue school possessed themselves.
One incident in the silent years affords us a little assistance
in tracing the growth of the Child Jesus. The break in them
is the account given by St. Luke of His first visit to the Temple
in Jerusalem. A Jewish boy looks forward with hope to the
time when he will assume the dignity of admission into the
adult membership of the synagogue by becoming a " Son of the
Law." It was the custom 10 of Joseph and Mary to go an
nually to Jerusalem to the Passover as devout Jews, and their
regular pilgrimage would not be undertaken without an impres
sion on the mind of Jesus. On His reaching the age of twelve
years, when He became a " Son of the Law," He accompanied
9 St. John viii. 8. 10 St. Luke ii. 41.

30 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
them. The impressions already formed in the Boy from his
mother's description of the Holy City would excite His ex
pectations. It is scarcely possible to realize their extent and
the eagerness He would feel in the anticipation of the visit.
Jerusalem, to the Jews, is a word of wondrous power. In the
days when the Temple of God, in its magnificence, attracted
them no words can describe the glow of rapture in the Jewish
heart for its love of the City of the Great King. The Holy
City was the centre round which revolved all the patriotism
of the Jewish race. It was instinct with the glory of Jewish
history. Though evidence of their subjugation to pagan Rome existed
there, and a Roman amphitheatre had been built by Herod
the Great, these marks of the oppressor's hold on the land and
people served only to stir into flame the devotion of the Jews
for the city of their fathers. Above all else the Temple of
God, a glorious edifice, stood on the precipitous hill overlook
ing the Kedron Valley. Its lofty towers could be seen by the
Galilean pilgrims as they descended the last slope to the shady
avenues through the delightful gardens on the north of the
city. When they came to Jerusalem by the road from Jericho,
and gazed from the summit of the Mount of Olives on the
magnificent scene before them, their admiration knew no bounds.
Through the olive-trees and fig-trees the whole city spread be
yond the gorge at the foot of the hill. Huge walls of massive
stone rose above the deep valley; at the south-east corner,
higher still, the majestic pinnacle of the Temple stood. Its
riches glowed in the high gates plated with gold and silver.
Great towers, and pillared courts paved with choice marbles,
filled the foreground of a scene of incomparable beauty. Man
sions in the gardens outside the northern wall, clustered homes
within, palm-trees rising above the courtyards, and leafy bow
ers breaking the crests of white domes like foam on the deep
sea waves, formed a picture on which no Jew could look with
out emotion. It was this view of it that, years after, brought
the *.ears to the eyes of Jesus. What the city meant to Him

THE HOME IN NAZARETH 31
as a Boy when first He saw it none can tell, nor how much
of that visit to the Passover was linked with His future life.
It must have been of absorbing interest, for we read of His
being left behind, tarrying in the Temple, sitting in the midst
of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions.11
Instead of His joining the company for their return jour
ney, as Joseph and Mary expected, He was missing. They do
not appear to have thought that anything unusual would hap
pen. They reckoned on His joining the caravan for the north
in the ordinary way, and this thoughtlessness on their part
has led people to imagine that they were unconscious of any
development in the Boy they had brought to Jerusalem in the
customary manner of devout Jews. This, however, is an as
sumption that cannot be maintained. Their search for Him
in various places before going to the Temple might bear that
impression, but their attention being turned to the Holy Place
would dissipate it. Little can be gained by the incident in its
relation to Joseph and Mary. But there is something in it
to help us in forming some conception of the consciousness of
Jesus of His Messiahship, before He assumed the role of
Teacher ; some evidence is found in His words and bearing first
in the Temple towards the doctors, and then in His address
to His mother when she gently rebuked Him for His absence
from their company. A time had arrived in His young life
that comes to all who think seriously, when the ordinary duties
of life are too restricted for their aspirations. High thoughts
filled the Boy's soul ; expanding prospects of life appeared be
fore Him; large views of duty and His own destiny came into
sight, afar off no doubt, but there in the distance within His
knowledge lay His future work, the Father's business.12 The
earthly parental authority is being superseded by a Heavenly
Father's claims. The narrow limits of childhood no longer
11 St. Luke ii. 46.
12 St. Luke ii. 49. 'Ec roit tou irarpSs poo may be either (1) "in My
Father's House," or (2) " about My Father's business." The former is
the patristic rendering, and the one now adopted by many commentators;
but the latter is better known.

32 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
confine the spirit of youth ; the barriers are past, and He moves
onward with the current of His life set directly towards the
Kingdom of the Infinite and Eternal God.
On His return to Nazareth from Jerusalem as a " Son of
the Law," a recognized member of the community able to take
His place with the adults in the synagogue service, a curtain
immediately descends on His life. Until He emerges from the
seclusion of the village to enter on His great work eighteen
years after, nothing more is known about Him beyond the
simple and natural statement of St. Luke, that He increased
in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man.13 The
years from twelve to thirty represent a period in the life of
a man of priceless value. During that time the soul awakens
into life, the mind develops, opinions are formed, and convic
tions established. Whatever these mean to him they settle
his future career, and probably his destiny. In the agricul
tural village of Nazareth life would be circumscribed by very
narrow limits for an ordinary Jew. He would learn something
of the world, mingle occasionally with its stream of profit,
exchange the common gossip of the day with his neighbours,
and visit his relations. His religious duties would keep him
within the movements of the community, his business instincts
take him to the adjacent towns, and his desire for pleasure to
the Galilean lake. There is nothing in all these processes of
human nature to account for the most perfect figure of all
time, the One Who stands immeasurably superior to all man
kind. He lived within twenty miles of the busy scenes of the
northern towns, near the trade routes of the caravans from
the Eastern lands to the Western Sea, yet not a single word
in the Gospels explains how the silent years in Nazareth were
spent ; nothing is said by His contemporaries to indicate that
He was known before He left His village home for His bap
tism in the river Jordan. There is no evidence of any rumour
about an extraordinary Person residing in Nazareth. Na
thaniel, who lived in a village very near to Him, had not heard
is St. Luke ii. 52.

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business
Luke II: 40

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man
Luke II: 52

THE HOME IN NAZARETH 33
of Him, and was slow to believe that any good could come
out of a place with no reputation that was commendable.14
The meagre references of the people in His village and district
who did know something about Him show their astonishment
at the remarkable powers He displayed.15 His own family
were surprised and not altogether pleased with the sensation
He caused; it was something embarrassing to them for their
relation to behave as their reference implied, when they sug
gested that He " was beside Himself " ; 16 it was a notoriety
out of keeping with the reputation they were content to enjoy.
They had evidently seen nothing in His life to indicate that
these marvels were to be expected; for thirty years they had
lived in the same house together without observing anything
apparently unusual. This absence of knowledge may appear
without reflection as if there had been nothing singular in the
home-life of Jesus, and that He was therefore a very ordinary
man; but it is a matter of daily observation that proximity
is often prejudicial to personal knowledge. Habitual dwellers
in a city know little about its special interests, and residents
in scenes of rare beauty, so accustomed to them, are frequently
least responsive to their attractions. This is particularly the
case with Palestine today. Its people have to be taught by
strangers about the features of interest, and a traveller in a
week learns more about a town or a village than the inhab
itants have learnt in all their lives. There is no recorded de
scription of the personal appearance of Jesus, and though
artists have portrayed Him for countless generations we can
not see His form with satisfaction: if we know Him at all it
is through a vision of the soul.
We cannot imagine that the Evangelists were entirely with
out knowledge of the years He spent in the solitude of His
youth and early manhood; natural curiosity, awakened by
the power of One so famous and so beloved, would have caused
them to inquire into the past. The absence of any record of
it seems as intentional and deliberate as His silence respecting
« St. John i. 46. « St, Matt, xiii. 54-8. i« St. Mark iii. 21.

34 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
His Godhead. He kept the secret of His Divine nature until
His showing forth unto Israel. The three years of that won
derful vision of God and Man in Christ Jesus transcend all
considerations for the time He spent in the obscurity of a
Galilean village. But we, who never saw Him as He appeared
before them, linger in thought on those uneventful years in
the hope of finding something that will enable us to realize
more fully the greatest figure of history, to comprehend more
exactly the Being Who by His marvellous influence stirred the
hearts of men to their utmost depths, and continues with in
creasing power to move the world.
He was called the Carpenter, and the carpenter of a village
occupies a position that carries no great weight, attracts but
little notice, creates no stir. His acquaintances are the in
habitants of his village who employ his skill, the people in the
country round his home who become his customers, and the
peasants in neighbouring villages too insignificant to support
a carpenter. He earns a modest wage, enough to supply his
simple needs and nothing more. He is poor, but it is an hon
est poverty that enables him to be free from the grinding care
which enslaves and the inordinate ambition that strives ; and in
his freedom he moves about with ease amongst the people,
sharing their interests without the restraint of inferiority, or
the arrogance of the pride of place; hearing their tales and
helping them to bear their burdens. His position is higher
than the common tillers of the soil, but not high enough to
excite the envy of his neighbours or the jealousy of his friends.
In this lowly and honourable sphere the Christ worked as a
Man among men. The conspicuous feature of His life in
those quiet days is the lesson it imparts, by His example, that
character is the supreme test of success. We see it in His
teaching in the work of His Great Vocation. He shows us that
it is not in the acquisition of wealth, in the attainment of social
distinction, in something outside a man, but in the develop
ment of the life within him. If nature be satisfied, he is free
to grow in the excellences of mind and heart, to cultivate the

THE HOME IN NAZARETH 35
intelligent aspiration of the soul, and rise to those heights of
spiritual power that make the real man. He is not free from
the influences of his environment without it; in its strength
and by its force he controls them, accepting what is good in the
circumstances of his life, and rejecting all that is evil.
In the days when Christ dwelt in Nazareth, His home was
near the busy scenes of commercial enterprise and haunts of
pleasure. The road that passed by His village was often
thronged with passengers engaged in trade, travellers who
visited the cities of the Greeks, soldiers of Imperial Rome, and
the courtiers of the King. Life was more full of rumour in
those days than it is in the land today ; the customs of the
time made it less real ; the sensuous pleasures of Hellenic life
had lowered its standard. It was not easy to live above the
mean and hollow pretence that flaunted its attractions when
Jesus lived in Nazareth. He must have heard the common
scandal of the country-side, the vicious stories of the city life
by the lake, and the tales of a corrupt court; yet He lived in
this atmosphere of evil without hurt to His fair soul. He
was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. So true
had His life been before the world of His village and His
country that no one could answer when He said, " Which of
you convinceth Me of sin? " 1T We may in imagination watch
the movements of the Perfect Man as He walked from His
workshop, or tramped the dusty road, a picture of infinite
grace, His long flowing robes drifting in the breeze that fanned
His cheek, with His clear eyes gazing on the little things
around Him — small to others, but not to Him. A sinless soul
in communion with nature grasps more of the inner meanings
of things than the one tainted with the imperfections of his
time. He was the perfection of human life in all its aspects,
and the quality of a life attracts to itself all that is similar.
In physical appearance, mental vigour, and spiritual nature
He was the perfect unveiling of ideal manhood. The perfec
tion of human nature was not the only part of Jesus of Naz-
17 St John viii. 46.

36 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
areth. His existence was due to the miraculous power of the
Holy Spirit Whose .movements are quite beyond the compass
of the human mind, and cannot therefore be defined by man.
The Spirit, like the wind, bloweth where He listeth.18 Every
breath of the Divine Spirit is like a seed, a germ of the higher
life depending on the receptivity of the soil, the disposition and
the heart of the natural man. When that is perfect, every
relation of the body to the mind, all the actions of the being,
are balanced by the Spiritual Power that created them, and it
is the secret operation of the Holy Ghost within the soul of
man which by the gift of some clearer light, of some greater
strength than nature can supply, carries it luminously and
impetuously onward towards truth and goodness. A man
must be reckoned not so much by what he is as the sum of the
forces that are acting upon him. In addition to the store of
a man's visible equipment in himself and his environment, we
must take into account the spiritual system to which he be
longs, and estimate what he may do or become under the force
communicated by its mysterious power.19 It sweeps along the
unseen domain of energy that lies underneath humanity, and
to comprehend it means the realization of the fundamental
element of life.
There is a natural devoutness in some people, while others
seem impervious to all that is good. A man's spiritual life
lies open to his surroundings as well as himself, and while we
may admit that man's destiny is, to a certain extent, shaped
for him before his birth, it does not rid the individual of his
moral responsibility. Neither the training that Jesus received
from a holy mother nor the advantages of His birth were suffi
cient to equip Him for the future without the continual direc
tion and support of the Holy Spirit. His physical growth
was the outcome of His submission to the Divine will ; the sub
jection to His parents was His answer to that will within Him.
Both in His physical and His spiritual development He had
to encounter all the trials and obstacles that were met by the
is St. John iii. 8. 19 J. Brierley, Ourselves and the Universe, p. 136.

THE HOME IN NAZARETH 37
men of His time, He was confronted by all the difficulties of
His position, and they were infinitely greater because His sin
less life would be fretted by the sorrow that inevitably follows
the contact with evil. The clear vision of the good and great
in nature increased His joy in life, but He was equally free
to discern the base and the mean by which He was surrounded.
When a scene of loveliness or horror is placed before a person
the heart is immediately affected; it feels at once attraction
or repulsion, and acts upon the feeling ; and that action creates
a further movement that reflects upon it for good or ill. The
beauty of holiness or the loathsomeness of sin is more notice
able to a holy man than to one whose spiritual light is dim.
Everything unholy must have been a sore test to the pure soul
of the Christ, and the sorrows that swept over it marred the
perfect serenity of His face. The absolute purity which He
maintained by the patience of His suffering amongst His fel
low-men, the infinite tenderness which He exhibited, the mag
nificent courage which He displayed, the marvellous intuition
which He employed, form a catalogue of gifts that would be
incredible in an ordinary man of His time in a Galilean village.
From its shadows He appears in a form that commands the
attention of the multitude, in a life that demands the consid
eration of mankind, to a death so sublime that it has become
the greatest example of sacrifice the world has ever seen. He
alone of all the sons of men has made a perfect environment
for all time in the fellowship He has established for men with
the Divine Author of their being, so that they may by the
Holy Spirit enter into the fulness of that stature of the Per
fect Man, and through Him obtain eternal life.

CHAPTER III
THE FORERUNNER OF THE CHRIST
" Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, . . . the word of God
came unto John the son of Zaeharias, in the wilderness." 1 As
the reign of Tiberius began in a.d. II,2 we have a fixed date
for the commencement of John's ministry, viz. a.d. 26. It was
brief, stormy and tragic, but it fulfilled the object of his mis
sion and the prophecy at his birth.3 Both the man and his
worth are described by our Lord in very remarkable words.4
He declared that John was a prophet, " and more than a
prophet, for this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send
my messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way
before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are
born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the
Baptist." He was the son of a priest, born out of due time,5 dedi
cated in his infancy for the performance of a great work.
When this son of Zaeharias was promised his destiny was
marked by the prophetic utterance, " He shall be great in the
sight of the Lord. . . . And many of the Children of Israel
shall he turn to the Lord their God." " And the hand of the
Lord was with him." 6 The circumstances of his birth indi
cated the place he was to occupy in his manhood; that place
was God's appointment, and all the supernatural incidents of
his birth were signs of the future greatness which God had
planned for him. This was the important factor in it, not so
much the tokens of a miraculous origin, as the presence of
i St. Luke iii. 1, 2.
2 Suetonius and other historians reckon the years of Tiberius from the
time he commenced to reign with Augustus, when he became collega imperii.
3 St. Luke i. 15. = St. Luke i. 1.
i St. Matt xi. 7-12. e St Luke i. 15, 16, 66.
38

THE FORERUNNER OF THE CHRIST 39
God over all — the parents, the home, and the child. His
gift to the aged priest and his wife of a son, the ordering of
his name and directing of his life, were all in God's scheme for
the herald to proclaim the advent of the Kingdom, and pre
pare the way for the King.
The parents of John were devout people ; " they were both
righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blameless," 7 and He selected these par
ents, and their home, for the Messenger, as He chose the home
for the King. The sublime Song of Zaeharias shows a con
sciousness of the Divine presence and a realization of His
promise, which rise above the stage of merely human compo
sition. There is in it an approach to the Kingdom of Christ,
the beginning of His manifestation ; and the aged priest stands
at the dawn of the brightness of earth's most glorious day.
Into this home of spiritual fervour God's gift was planted
to grow into the fulfilment of the promise and the attainment
of the place of honour which our Lord declared were his due.
Like others who left the company of their fellow-men in sorrow
for the corrupt age in which they lived, and retired to the hills
overlooking Jordan Valley and the wild region on the east and
west of the Dead Sea, to dwell in the solitude of that desert
place, he sought there a more perfect knowledge of the will of
God. In the mysterious silence of the years he spent in the
seclusion of the wilderness, alone in the darkness that gath
ered round him in the caves of the mountains bordering the
Jordan Valley, and in the jungle by the swelling flood of the
river, he learnt more of the reality of life and death than the
men of the cities and towns of Israel. Subsisting on the
meagre supply of life which nature gave him — dried locusts
and wild honey — he lived within sight of the luxury of an
effete age.
In the reign of Herod the Great the city of Jericho had
attained a position of political and economic importance, and
7 St. Luke i. 6.

40 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
its voluptuous life continued when his son Archelaus reigned
in his stead. Its rich lands were farmed by the Romans ; the
revenue from them was collected by the Publicans. Glimpses
of the life of the city, the beauty and extent of its groves and
gardens, and the splendour of its palaces and places of enter
tainment, are afforded us by various writers, Josephus being
the most informing. What he tells us is suggestive of scenes
of Oriental luxury which herald the decay of a nation. Miles
of palm-groves and balsam fields and gardens spread over the
fertile ground watered by streams flowing at random from its
fountains ; gleaming pools formed by the owners of stately
mansions from the brook that ran down the fissure in the
Judean hills ministered to the people's comfort ; while a hippo
drome and amphitheatre offered them exciting pleasures.
Jericho became the resort of the idle rich and indigent poor.
Crowds of all sorts and conditions of men gathered in the
bazaars and places of amusement, and the people revelled in
the abandonment of sensual delights. As a protest against the
licentious indulgence in the city, men turned to the wilderness
on its borders, to the mountains above the plain, and the desert
on the fringe of its fertile lands.
It is when men are most alone and at their highest and best
that the sense of communion with God becomes clear and
strong. For religious men this has ever been the one great
token of eternity. It is an experience that gives them a more
profound sense of reality than they have ever known. John
was such a man. He had felt the glory of the true life of God
shining into his soul ; to him heaven and eternity were as real
as the air he breathed; and he saw that life on earth was
swiftly passing, while the people looked upon it as a show or
a dream; that the men of his time had lost the consciousness
of God; that they could no longer distinguish the voice of the
Eternal from " the shrill loudness of the fleeting day." They
had so long been associated with all that was formal and unreal,
which made life so small and mean, that contact with evil had
no terrors for them. The poor consolation of their ceremonial

THE FORERUNNER OF THE CHRIST 41
observances, to which they clung with loyalty and devotion,
brought neither satisfaction nor peace, although it drew them
more readily into the current of Messianic hope, which had
been intensified in the hearts of the more fervent patriots by
the condition of the world around them. Their expectations
developed according to their desires; the more eager amongst
them looked for the Coming One in the form which favoured
their idea of the Kingdom. The Zealots wished for a King
of might who would overthrow their enemies and create a rul
ing State whose bounds would reach the utmost limits of
Roman dominion ; the Sadducees longed for display ; the Phari
sees hoped for a kingdom that would institute the predomi
nance of their rule and a stricter observance of law and ritual ;
the Essenes, a body of ascetic men sick at heart with the luxury
and frivolity of the time, wanted one stripped of all ostenta
tion, simple yet stern, like their own way of life for man ;
others were prepared to welcome any change from the extor
tionate practices of Roman governors. Everybody looked
for outward form, the coming of a greatness requiring no
effort of their own. Few indeed saw the need of a change in
themselves ; it was always for something without, instead of
something within. Yet the kind of spirit in man is the de
termining factor of his destiny.
Suddenly there appeared the man with the message for the
time; his pulpit the sand-dunes by the river near the Dead Sea
shore. A more appropriate place could not have been found
for it than the region connected with guilty Sodom, the desolate
land where the sweltering heat of summer turns men to madness,
and presents a vivid picture of the wrath to come. Here the
weird, wild figure stood with the atmosphere of the desert around
him, clothed in its rough garment. The coarse robe, the flow
ing locks, the piercing eye, the stern speech of the holy man
took the world by storm ; attracted by his preaching, multitudes
flocked to hear him. From the uplands of Judah, the smiling
fields of Galilee, and the cities and towns of the country a stream
of pilgrims journeyed to the plain between the hills and the

42 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
river, where the Messenger of the Kingdom was preparing the
way for the King. There was a greatness in him, a grandeur
in his mission, which compelled men to listen; there was in him
an irresistible force which even now is felt by those who stand
before his personality and read the scanty words he addressed
to the crowd in the wilderness. He came to serve a cause and
not to take possession of it; to the servant only, and after
service to pass away for the Master to assume the place ap
pointed for Him. This is one of the ways in which John?s
greatness is pre-eminent, and thus his preaching serves for all
time to prepare all men by repentance for the Kingdom of the
Christ. The consternation caused by his strong and forcible lan
guage was accentuated by his strange aspect ; something ex
traordinary was necessary as a vehicle for the burning words
which stirred the consciences of the people, and wrung their
hearts. He had lived before God, the familiarity of His pres
ence made him true, and he spoke as men speak when they are
in earnest, when the issues of life and death shorn of all pre
tence lie naked before them. So John was real; it was his
vision of the realities of things which produced the movement
amongst the people. Under the spell of his glowing words,
empowered by the Spirit of God, they began to see the neces
sity for a change. He had awakened in them a real uneasi
ness, a genuine anxiety ; he made them feel there was something
about them which ought to be removed. He told them all to
repent, since without repentance there is neither an adequate
sense of need nor a disposition to resort to a new life. Re
pentance suggests the apprehension of sin as a fact, a per
sonal fact, as a distinct violation of a holy law, and as such
involving a penalty. And, as this conviction of sin must be
followed by a resolution to forsake it, he told them to bring
forth fruits meet for repentance, to reform ! He brought them
to confession of their sin and to be baptized in order that they
might see by a symbol how the past could be washed away and
the new life begun.

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
There cometh one mightier than I after me
Mark I: 7

Edi:. A. Noyer, Paris

Sc. D. Mastroianni

John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove,
and it abode upon him
John I: .?.?

THE FORERUNNER OF THE CHRIST 43
The dust and heat of the East affect the people with a sore
burden, which is not merely the cause of discomfort, but dis
ease; and the social amenities of life respond to natural de
mands for its removal. The washing of water, for taking it
away and bringing relief and refreshment, is a well-known
custom of the people. The washing of Baptism symbolized
their cleansing from the accumulated sins of the past which
they had confessed ; their immersion being the acknowledgment
of the desire for the removal of a moral defilement. When
they plunged under the water for a moment and emerged from
the clear element, as it streamed off their bodies carrying with
it every earthly stain, they were helped to understand the
removal of their sins, and the experience of refreshment de
rived from their bathing gave them the hope of a new clean
life. Baptism had been prescribed for the admission of Gentiles
into full participation in the privileges of Israel,8 but never
before had it been proposed that Israel should undergo a bap
tism of repentance. The rite, therefore, acquired a new sig
nificance ; it became a real answer to John's call, and the first
step towards the new Kingdom. After baptism the penitents
stood on its threshold, where a stronger element, an influence
more thorough and more penetrating, awaited them, which
John had promised. Here John pointed to the difference be
tween his own mission and the work of Christ. John's baptism
was preparatory, by water; there was to follow a Divine bap
tism,9 one with the Holy Ghost and with fire; a living flame
which gave the new life, by a greater than John. In the bap
tism of repentance something was to be removed; in the bap
tism by fire something was to be received. There was still an
other difference: although John might prepare, he could not
produce; that part of his work, the true inwardness of the
preparation, was beyond his power. The outer form he could
administer ; the change within he could not determine. He was
8 Edersheim, Life and Times of the Messiah, vol. i. p. 273.
» St. Matt. iii. 11.

44 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
able to perceive, he could recognize the sincerity of the con
fession of those whom he baptized ; he saw their need of the bet
ter life, but he could not give it. Through Christ alone, by
the purification and sanctification of the spirit, entrance was
to be made into the new Kingdom, and He only would decide
who belonged to it, and, finally, separate in the last great
harvest the corn from the chaff in the winnowing process of
His judgment,10 when the corn will be garnered and the chaff
burned with fire.
The Jews had always believed, as children of Abraham, that
they were already citizens of the Kingdom of God ; the sub
stance of the Old Testament contained their relationship to
it, and the meaning of all their ordinances and institutions
was based upon it. Some inner commotion of their minds
regarding their position and the new Baptism must have been
apparent to John when he said with emphatic warning, " God
is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."
They were informed that their proud pretensions could no
longer be justified; " spiritual dignity rests not upon spiritual
descent, but upon spiritual character." He added further, as
a sign of the coming of the Kingdom and the provision for
ascertaining the suitability of those who entered it, " And now
also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : every tree,
therefore, which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, saying,
What shall we do then?"11
To all who approached him with this question he showed
the necessary way of reformation. He had raised a ferment
in their hearts, and he pointed out the only way in which it
could be settled for them to enjoy the privileges of the King
dom: not because of their being the children of a favoured
nation, but by a sincere desire to enter into a new and better
life. When he saw the Pharisees he said, " 0 generation of
vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to
come?"12 From John's question we naturally assume they
10 St. Luke iii. 17. " St. Luke iii. 9, 10. 12 St. Matt. iii. 7.

THE FORERUNNER OF THE CHRIST 45
were unexpected, or their motives for being present were dis
guised. The allusion to vipers is expressed with some bitter
ness, as they are, amongst a large number of reptiles in the
country, the only dangerous variety, and in the sun-stricken
desert where John had made his home he had doubtless seen
them fleeing when the scrub had been burnt and their places of
abode became too hot for comfort. Evidently something had
moved the Pharisees and Sadducees from the exalted position
of their own estimation, and shaken their feeling of satisfac
tion with it. They may have felt that the people might be
turned from their former leaders to follow the new prophet,
and their own place in the public regard would be lost. Al
though the Pharisees and Sadducees are associated in our
minds with terms of reprobation, they had won the respect of
the nation by their concern for the law, and their patriotism,
and like all who love the esteem of others, and work for more
of it, they feared its loss. They may also have been attracted
by a more worthy motive. Whatever it may have been, the
same urgency for a change was for them also. All their observ
ances were useless as preparation for the Kingdom; their
meticulous care for the law was of no avail. Their form was
without life, the spirit of it had departed, the husk alone
remained. The Baptism of Jesus
From the silence of eighteen years in Nazareth Jesus
emerged, and He appeared before John the Baptist on the
banks of the Jordan. Although they were related in the flesh
there was no human recognition. The life in Nazareth of
his Kinsman had been severed from the wilderness life of John.
The two had grown apart, each in his own sphere moving up
ward to a higher plane than ordinary human thought. One
soared higher than the other ; so lofty had His thought world
been to Him that, when He presented Himself for baptism,
John was astonished; a new standard of life came into sight,
anothe" Man stood before him, differing altogether from the

46 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
men he had examined for baptism. Here was no timid, shrink
ing suppliant, seeking a new and better way of life ; no disturb
ing element stirred the placid nature of the new candidate.
His sinless soul, His perfect life, as He approached the Baptist,
fascinated the prophet. He knew Him not as the Messiah,
but he was aware that the One before him was unlike the rest
of men. As he surveyed the serene figure something in the
solemn majesty of His bearing filled John with reverence and
awe, and he, the preacher of repentance, irresistibly felt the
need of the Stranger's work for himself. He realized his own
unworthiness, and the wild Prophet of the Wilderness acknowl
edged in humble submission, " I have need to be baptized of
thee, and comest Thou to me? " 13
John's message to the sinful multitude had been a call for a
change in their hearts as he saw their serious condition; now
he sees something in Jesus which assures him of the stainless
life, hence his endeavour to dissuade Him from baptism. There
was nothing in Him to wash away ; baptism seemed unnecessary
and inappropriate; but Jesus had subjected Himself to all
forms of human jurisdiction and eternal righteousness. He
was circumcised according to law as instituted in the early
history of the nation; He was obedient to the law for life and
conduct as represented by the Mosaic dispensation, and every
one of its commandments He had kept in strict obedience.14
According to Mosaic law those who came in contact with
any one ceremonially unclean were required to submit to the
appointed ablution. Hence the willingness of Jesus to be bap
tized to fulfil all righteousness ; having been in touch with men
He recognized John's baptism as a symbol of purification.
In God's sight He was clean, but through His connection with
unclean people baptism was necessary. He submitted to the
teachings of the Prophets and valued their precepts, as well
as the law, as regulations of life. Baptism signified a new
departure ; it was the witness of the change from the obscurity
of His native village to His public work. Repentance means
is St. Matt. iii. 14. i* Lev. xi.

THE FORERUNNER OF THE CHRIST 47
a change of life, and Baptism represents it. He was stepping
out of the silence of the past into the din and strife of the
future, and a formal recognition of this movement was inevi
table. Baptism was, therefore, the symbolic rite of attesta
tion. It does not create a fact, but attests it ; and the fact
in Christ's baptism was the acknowledgment of His entry on a
public career involving a great purpose, the beginning of a
new epoch in His life before men, in which He represented the
Kingdom of God; not an inward change in Himself, but a
manifestation of the outward form of admission into His King
dom and the way appointed. For John, who knew more than
other men of the work He came to perform, it was even more ; it
was a positive revelation of His consecration as the Lamb of
God which taketh away the sin of the world; and when He de
scended with the Baptist into the waters of the Jordan the
awful sign from Heaven appeared, and the Voice of God testi
fied that Jesus was His Son.15
is St. Matt iii. 17; St. John i. 34.

CHAPTER IV
THE TEMPTATION
The more highly organized the being, the more perfect his
character, and the greater is his capacity for pain — or pleas
ure. It is this factor in the life of Jesus, the perfection of
His nature, which introduces an element of mystery into the
magnitude of His trial. We cannot comprehend it, we can
only expect partially to understand its meaning; but even the
part which is intelligible is sufficient to show us that the su
preme value of life hung on the issue of His contest with Satan.
He alone must have told His disciples the circumstances of His
conflict, and His narrative would have some bearing on His
work, besides the moral result of the fierce struggle in which he
was engaged. In both these aspects it is important for us
to notice the sense of responsibility He attached to its effect
on mankind. His severe trial has a twofold application: on
the one hand He entered into it in His incarnate state; on
the other as the representative man. He is presented to us as
the Second Adam, and, like the first Adam, was tempted, but
in circumstances more unfavourable. In the first Adam there
was the ability to resist evil, and he failed to exercise it ; the
Second Adam was capable of resisting evil and proved it, not
because He was insusceptible, but strong. The first fell
through disobedience to the will of God; the Second conquered
by His obedience, and He found in the will of God the neces
sary power to overcome. The first man was tempted amidst
circumstances calculated to satisfy all the legitimate needs of
man; the second man in a place where there were no visible
means of support.
Between these two states there is every conceivable situa
tion, every one being less hard than the one accepted by the
Son of Man; and this is our encouragement, for no man will
48

THE TEMPTATION 49
ever be tempted beyond his power of endurance ; if he fails his
fall will be due to self-reliance, when his strength might have
been reinforced by the same power which enabled Christ to
achieve His victory, and through the same means at His dis
posal, when He submitted to the will of God. His submission
was not servitude, but loyalty to truth and duty. It meant
the closing of self to the world of things around Him, and the
opening of it for God to reveal Himself, and the world of the
unseen in which His will holds sway.1 The light of truth must
come down from a higher plane than human experience, to en
rich it by a more perfect understanding of the will of God.
Surrender to the will of God implies the recognition of His
sovereign power, and the desire to become possessed of its aid
for the strengthening of the human spirit by a vital union with
the Divine. Christ, as the Divine Son, came to do the will
of God, that tlie Father might carry out His Divine purpose
through the filial obedience of the Son.
In His central thoughts of God and man and destiny, He
broke through every barrier of the ages, and in the visions
He had seen lay the whole power of His temptation. It is
along the lines of all that a man has hoped for that his bitterest
temptations appear. They are always subtly interwoven with
the past, striking deep into the roots of his personality.2 This
fact of hfe, of human experience, reveals to us the course of
development of Jesus into the full consciousness of His office,
now visibly acknowledged by the Father; and the significance
of His temptation may be recognized by its position at the
commencement of His Messianic work. He walked deliberately
from the river to the stern, barren, and inhospitable wilderness,
to prepare for the work of His life. We cannot see the glory
of it unless we observe carefully all He set aside.3 Into the
loneliness of the hills He passed, pondering over the future,
the grave future immediately before Him. Absorbed in these
thoughts, He sought the most appropriate place for medita-
i John Smith, The Magnetism of Christ, p. 19. sPhil. ii. 5-8.
2 The Return of the Angels, by G. H. Morrison, p. 28.

HO THE LIFE OF CHRIST
tion, where nothing could disturb His reflections, the wild and
sterile heights and dark ravines that bound the Jordan Plain,
the outlaw's refuge and the bandit's home. The only sounds
to break the profound silence of this desolate region came from
the creatures of the wild, the distant whirr of insect life borne
on the early morning air from the plain, and the dismal wail
of the jackal and harsh scream of the hyena in the night.4 All
served to form a suitable accompaniment to His thoughts as
He realized what was meant by the work for the Kingdom of
God. The world in all its forms, its human woe, its mortal pain,
its terrible sin, with His own interest in it, became more real
as the bitter pains He must endure and the shame of the cross
grew into shape before Him. With this vision of the future,
of the work He had to perform, of the Kingdom He came to
establish, He was held fast. No mind could ever have seen so
clearly the will of God through the fume and fret of human
life, nor any heart have throbbed with a love so strong as His
— a love which faults, desertion, and denial never quenched, a
tenderness which nothing could destroy. His work was all
for love ; the love of God for man. He was standing on the
threshold of His enterprise, accepting the responsibility, and
shaping the destiny of men. It was the way in which He
looked at it that engaged His attention; His spiritual eleva
tion enabled Him to view the whole scene of His future labour
with a comprehensive idea of its vast issues. While thus occu
pied with the vision of the life before Him and problem of His
work, He was tempted of the devil, and the whole of His life
and work were involved in His threefold temptation. It was
not merely the main entrance to His great purpose, its vesti
bule; His temptation was the contest for the position He had
assumed. In its essence it was spiritual ; in its nature real
and actual. The three forms of it are associated with one idea
represented by two opposing forces, one in accord with the will
of God operating by faith as a process in the heart of man;
i St, Mark i. 13,

THE TEMPTATION 51
the other a secular ideal desired by the nation in harmony
with the spirit of the age. On the side of the expectations of
the people was the Power of Evil.
Our Lord was not unacquainted with the spirit of the age.
He had seen it expressed in the life of His native village, and
He knew that in every man there is something which may be
higher than his own time if he has strength to raise it; that
no one need be utterly subject to the spirit of the age.5 Varia
tions are being constantly produced, and they are found in
men and not in the things about them, except in so far as the
men themselves have altered them. And this process displays
a valuable trait in a man's character, a potentiality, in pro
portion as he is different from the expression of his time. So
cial pressure works against it to stifle its growth, and when
it is for man's welfare the spirit that is opposed to good in
creases the weight to bear it down ; but he who can withstand
the forces arrayed against him, and rise above them, will sur
vive, and become the leader of the age that is to follow. Christ
knew all this; He knew that He had in the course of His de
velopment reached the supreme crisis of His life, and He must
decide for all men and for all time how He shall act for them.
He knew that He could satisfy the people by co-operating with
the spirit of the age, and promote the Kingdom for which the
Jews looked with eager hope. And the devil tempted Him.
He knew, too, the better way, the path of duty which is al
ways the more difficult, submission to the will of God for His
direction: and along this road He resolved to travel where
all the forces of the world and its evil were arrayed against
Him. The severity of His conflict can only be measured by
the pre-eminent position He has gained in the heart of man
kind. He has proved to be the mightiest influence for good the
world has ever known, and He is acknowledged, even by those
who do not follow in His steps, to be the Leader of the highest
and best of men. He stands alone in His elevation, but His
Spirit is in touch with men, drawing them to Him in order
s E. W. Waterhouse, The Psychology of the Christian Life, p. 83.

52 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
that they may also find in Him the power to overcome, and in
His strength to rise above the spirit of the age in which they
live. The actual order of the three Temptations is a matter of
conjecture, as St. Matthew and St. Luke have not the same
arrangement. It is not merely this difference which has been
called in question; their order has no particular importance;
it is the character of the trials through which our Lord passed
about which men dispute. If the narrative on which we rely
for information is naturally interpreted there is no doubt that
the facts it represents are objective events, and not simply sub
jective conditions. There is no dissimilarity in them to the
practical side of our Lord's work and teaching, where a cor
respondence is found between an outward form and an inward
truth. Betwixt the outward event and the inward feeling the
boundary is thin and shadowy; none can tell where one begins
and the other ends, and we might easily conceive that at the
time of the conflict the substantial nature of the temptation
excluded for the moment all outward appearances. A reason
able view of the temptations will neither refuse to accept the
incidents as true nor expect absolute literal accuracy of detail.
Even the necessary movements for the events may be under
stood without recourse to the idea of celestial marvels, the
miraculous transportation of Christ from one place to another.
All the circumstances were within the realm of probability.
The positions were accessible, and there is a mountain with
the remains of a crusading castle upon it (Kelat er Rubad),
since used by Saracen foemen, now decayed and partially
ruined, from whence all parts of Palestine may be seen, and
its borders also. From such a point of vantage it is not diffi
cult to believe in the vast survey of earth's wide dominions,
when we remember the central position of the country, its nar
row limits and the proximity of all the Kingdoms of the earth
in the days of Christ's temptation.
While the Divine Spirit in our Lord remained strong, and He
was engrossed with the subject of His meditation, the pressure

THE TEMPTATION 53
of the ordinary needs of the body was borne heavily upon Him ;
He was truly man, and He hungered. His frame was spent
with the tide of feeling that had passed over Him and the
strain of a rigorous fast, during which His agitated mind had
defined His course of action.
Three times was He attacked in His uttermost human need,
and each time by a different avenue. The first temptation
came through the body by that subtle influence which suggests
the fulfilment of the natural need of man by a legitimate use
of His power to provide for Himself. Scattered around Him
were stones in plenty, so like the loaves He had seen at home
they might easily have been changed to satisfy His hunger;
and the suggestion that He should turn them into bread be
cause He had the power to do it was His temptation. In the
midst of the whirling thought that He could appease the
gnawing pain within Him came another thought gently steal
ing over His soul — that, though He was the Son of God, He
was also Man, into whose dependent condition He had volun
tarily entered, within which it was necessary He should be con
fined; and the thought of God's preserving care, of His will
that man should trust Him, formed the resolve to endure, and
He bravely bore the pangs of hunger in the consciousness of
God's ability to sustain Him. He had to prove at the outset
of His public life, prove it to Himself and to others, that He
came not to alter or to ease the hard circumstances of the
world for Himself and for man, but to overcome them; not to
satisfy only the need of the body, but to show there may be
something more in man, greater than his carnal nature. The
appetites, impulses, and necessities of the body are the least
essential of man's needs, but the most urgent ; man's mind and
heart and soul and spirit, these also must live and grow, for
they contain the life in man that gives to existence its supreme
value. To lose this spiritual capacity is to lose everything
worth having, and to gain immediate satisfaction for the body
would be poor compensation for the loss of all that gives a
mail the right to call himself a man.

54 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
The Man Christ Jesus, restricting Himself within the com
mon laws of human life, had no ordinary means of appeasing
His hunger. He could command the stones to be made bread,
and Satan tempted him to supply His needs in this extraordi
nary way by His supernatural power; but in so doing He
would have left the sphere of human nature, and His life would
have been no human life. The great purpose of God that a
pure and holy life should be lived in human conditions, accord
ing to His word and by His will, would have been foiled a
second time. But Christ refused to use His Divine power to
gratify His human nature in circumstances where lawful means
were denied, and in rejecting the tempter's suggestion He de
clared it was God's will that " Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God," and showed that His word included two notions, one of
revelation and one of commandment, truth and duty ; that life
is for truth and duty, and not for comfort. Things of sense
appeal to men in attractive forms, bodily needs make an em
phatic call on mortal nature, and the answer must be given in
accordance with the word of God that reveals His will, by
which the life of man maintains its even balance. Without
this knowledge there cannot be a high sense of duty, because
there is no duty which has not its corresponding ruth. The
absence of the knowledge of truth is, therefore, a serious im
pediment to the performance of duty. The man who believes
the word of God controls his desires and regulates them by the
will of God, trusts Him under restraints and privations, and
waits for Him to give the means and to indicate the time for
their satisfaction.
In His temptation and His triumph Jesus was the true man
who came to prove that though the world has its wilderness
where men fail and fall, and faint and bleed, yet even in these
hard and lonely places life can best be lived by faith in God's
revealed word, and in obedience to His commandments. " Man
doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that pro
ceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."

THE TEMPTATION 55
There is a singular appropriateness in the use of these words
from the book of Deuteronomy,6 and the example set by Christ.
Israel, redeemed from the bondage of Egypt, were fed by the
hand of God, in order that they might live in communion with
the Giver of their daily food, and think more of the Giver
than the gift. The manna in the waste places of rocks and
sand, where nothing could be grown, was substantial evidence
of Divine providence, of an Almighty Father Who recognized
their need and supplied it. Life ought to have been simple
and direct with the principle of faith so plainly manifest in
their existence, but they grew weary, having thought only of
the food they received, forgetting its Provider; and the an
swer to their complaining ca.me in the words our Lord used
to the tempter. He showed by His example that man's sup
port was not in the gift but the Giver ; and the Giver is greater
than the gift. His Hfe was perfectly simple because it was a
life of perfect principle. He came to do God's will, to mani
fest it to men who knew it not, who could not by themselves
fulfil it ; such was the work He came to perform. And through
out His brief ministry, by precept and practice, He continued
to make it plain. As He sat on the stone of Jacob's well on a
subsequent journey through Samaria, His disciples pressed
Him to eat when He was busy with the work of the Kingdom,
and He answered them in the words : " My meat is to do the
will of Him that sent me." 7 After teaching the people many
of His wondrous lessons, He saw with grief they had been mis
understood, and the multitude followed Him because they " did
eat of the loaves and were filled." 8 He knew man's carnal
nature, and though He fed the hungry out of His deep com
passion, He never used His power to support Himself. He
simply acted according to the will of God and taught others
also to seek first admission into the Kingdom, ,the knowledge
of the right way of Hfe, and told them that all things necessary
for the body would be added unto them. He came to deny
self, to put self down and set God up, for self to be of no ac-
6 peut viii. 3, r St John iv. 34. 8 St. John vi. 26.

56 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
count that God might be all in all, and His will the rule of
life in the heart of man, and He called men to follow Him
into the Kingdom by the same faith. He defined the condi
tion of the citizenship as the state of entire dependence upon
God and absolute submission to His will. He indicated the
character 9 of the citizen, as far as this life is concerned, in
the happy trustfulness of children in their complete reHance
on the Father. He pointed to the lilies of the field to show
God's providence,10 to the numbered hairs of the head to ex
hibit His knowledge,11 and to the pitiful tragedy of a fallen
sparrow to convince the people of His care.12
The second temptation had, in addition to the personal ele
ment respecting the Sonship of the Messiah, a national side
to its character, and a new situation was found for the tempt
er's design; the scene was changed from the lone wilderness to
the centre of Jewish life. Having failed in his efforts to tempt
Jesus to use His supernatural power for His support, he tried
to induce Him to seek a supernatural sign of His Father's
love, and justify His faith in His providential care. From
the dizzy height of the pinnacle on which He stood, with Satan
beside Him, Christ could look on the crowd in the Temple
courts below, assembled for the daily sacrifice, hopelessly wait
ing for the time when the prestige of their nation would be
restored and a Deliverer appear to overthrow the hated yoke
of heathen Rome, ready to accept the literal interpretation
of the prophet Malachi, " The Lord Whom ye seek shall sud
denly come to His Holy Temple," if a celestial marvel fur
nished a visible manifestation of His advent. And the devil,
with sinister purpose, suggested to Christ that He should test
His Sonship by a miraculous act of God to assure Him of
His Father's care, which, at the same time, by an ostentatious
display of His providence, would encourage the false notions
of the people who were looking for a supernatural token of the
Messiah. Satan's insidious proposal was based on a warrant
» St. Matt xviii. 3. n St. Luke xii. 7.
io St. Luke xii, 27, 12 St. Luke xii. 6,

THE TEMPTATION 57
of Scripture craftily perverted from its real meaning for his
own nefarious plan. It concealed his ulterior motive in the
obvious intention to test the faith of the Son in the love of the
Father. He quoted a very precious promise, " He shaU give
His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they
shall bear Thee up," and said, " If Thou be the Son of God,
cast Thyself down." 13 After the firm trust Christ had ex
hibited in the will of God to sustain Him in the wilderness, the
temptation to rely on another form of support seemed but a
further demonstration of the same faith ; a specious method of
reasoning more suitable for the vacillating mind of a person
whose relationship to God was not assured. The right place
before Him is often hard to determine ; men are disposed either
to doubt altogether or venture too much; the true position is
known only to those who really love Him. They are satisfied
with their place, even if it be the entrance to a path of peril,
and there they trust Him at the call of duty ; but to go when
there is no call of duty is presumption, and in it there is an
element of uncertainty, no clear sight of God's will, and there
fore no real faith. It is an interference with the Divine pre
rogative arising from spiritual pride, that demands a special
act of providence for its gratification, and witnesses to view
the situation its vanity desires.
The devil can only use the natural laws of the human mind
for his purpose as we use them for our own, but he is quick
to seize an opportunity when it occurs and make the best of
it. He knows when immediate interests have obscured the light
of faith within, and takes advantage of its struggles for exist
ence to suggest a stimulant for increasing its vitality, and
many a foolish and hazardous enterprise is undertaken with
disastrous consequences which might have been avoided by legi
timate means; and they affect others besides those directly
concerned. God can furnish occasions when they are required and enable
us to use them, but only with adequate motives, and for wise
isSt. Matt. iv. 6.

58 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
ends. Startling evidence is never offered when His ways are
plain. Satan's cunning device to overthrow God's purpose for
Israel by tempting His Son did not succeed; his proposal was
instantly rejected. The idea of presuming on God's goodness,
when it was sufficiently well known to Him, was utterly re
pugnant to the wholesome mind of Jesus. An intelligent un
derstanding of God's word and His will is a spiritual rather
than an intellectual process, and depends on relationship; the
Son knows the Father's will because He is the Son, and noth
ing can destroy the confidence of love. There is no need to
test it by a special revelation of the Father's care, and Christ
was too loyal a Son to wish for a vulgar display of it for those
whose hearts were too cold to respond to its radiant truth.
If by a miracle He had been saved from destruction after
following the advice of the tempter, neither priests nor peo
ple would have understood God's providence. Their history
as a nation was a sign of it, but the world had infused its
spirit into them, the things of sense blinded their eyes to the
true meaning of God's will, and they could not see anything
but their own, and that will, perverted by the passions of hu
man nature, was contrary to the will of God. Their minds,
long accustomed to be interested and occupied by the world
around them, had acquired a bent in its direction, and Satan
wished to urge them forward because it led them further and
further away from the true bearings of life.
In rejecting the tempter's suggestion our Lord quoted the
words from Deut. vi. 16 (" Thou shalt not tempt the Lord
thy God "),14 which referred to the time in the wilderness when
the people doubted God's presence and His providence until
they saw a supernatural proof of it at Massah, to show that
it was not a sign from without which was needed, but a new
spirit within; a more humble and reverent attitude towards
Him, and willing hearts to believe His word. It completely
shattered Satan's hopes of the establishment of a kingdom
n St. Matt. iv. 7.

acr v_
Sc. D. Mastroianni

Edit. A. Noyer, Pans
All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me
Matthew IV: 9

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him
Matthew IV: n

THE TEMPTATION 59
on the lines the people expected, but they never lost their
cravings for signs of its advent ; time after time they besought
our Lord to give them one from heaven as evidence of His
mission. The wonders that He wrought were not the kind
they coveted, yet in them was the power that a sincere and
earnest seeker after truth might have found. Even the dis
ciples were slow to perceive it as belonging to God, as the
same power that ruled the world of nature. When it had been
manifested in feeding the multitude, its significance was missed,
and they were afraid in their peril on the waters of the Sea of
Galilee because " they considered not the miracle of the
loaves." 1B
While no suitable opening for a revelation of God's power
was neglected, the proper time for it was accurately reckoned,
and suitable means adopted for exhibiting it to the people.
A marvellous exactitude of relationship is disclosed in our
Lord's life between Himself and the Father, so that all might
know how to behave under circumstances that require a right
attitude towards God.
In the third temptation the personal is associated with the
universal; the devil offered Jesus unlimited rule in return for
His homage. There is no insidious meaning in this astounding
overture ; it is a bold and serious proposition, and is addressed
to the love of power in man : the vulgar ambition of mere
domination which belongs to universal human nature. Satan
had recognized the royal nature of Jesus and the vast range of
His mind, and wished to incite in Him the lust for power,
which is never gratified except in proportion as he who re
ceives it falls down and worships the tempter.
The great kings of the earth had attained their eminence
by using their power to exalt themselves and enslave mankind.
The Eastern despot occupied an isolated social pinnacle around
which multitudes fawned and trembled ; his undisputed word
was law, and men shuddered at his glance; his glory shone
through the steam of human toil, and the cost of the glitter
is St. Mark vi. 52.

60 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
of his pageants was paid by human lives. To become a King
and change it aU might have been a great achievement for
Jesus, if He had passed beyond the limits He had set Himself
in obedience to the will of God, but a better way He found
in the submission of Himself to law, in loyalty to its Author in
Whom right is enthroned, and by Whose will it is established.
For the temptation to be real to Jesus, and reasonable for
others to understand, an exceeding high mountain was selected
from whose height the point of vantage might be gained to
satisfy its requirements. Doubt has frequently been expressed
that a situation in any degree answering the moderate demands
of probability could be found for such a purpose. The idea
that the temptation was entirely subjective and had no corre
spondence with an objective event is contrary to the Divine
teaching of the Incarnation, which has an outward form asso
ciated with an inward spirit for inculcating truth. This is
obviously the method adopted by our Lord, and there is no
reason to suppose a departure was made in this instance in
the treatment He received, which He would naturally desire to
explain to His followers for their instruction. The chief
obstacle to the recognition of the natural interpretation of
the narrative is due to the difficulty of believing in the exist
ence of the high mountain. There is, however, a lofty peak
on the east of the Jordan near the valley, which furnishes a
prospect that would form the fabric of a vision of the King
doms of the world to one whose mind was charged with their
history. The fortress-crowned summit of Jebel Ajlun, Kelat
er Rubad, the Mizpeh of Gilead, which may have been the
place where Moses stood to view the settled home of Israel,
and the spot from whence Abraham saw the promised land,
offers the most favourable situation in a country with narrow
limits, which at that time was the centre of the world, for a
representative survey of earth's vast empires.
Standing on the top of it I have seen the eastern plateau
which stretches across the desert towards the ancient king
doms of Babylon and Persia, the hills on the Dead Sea shore

THE TEMPTATION 61
that recede in the distance to the fringe of the land of Egypt,
the central ridge of mountains across the river above the plain
of Esdraelon, and Mount Carmel terminating abruptly above
the shore of the great sea of the west, and on the north the
snow-clad Lebanon, the sentinel of the Syrian border.
Before our Lord, as He gazed on the margin of the Jewish
Fatherland, were the boundaries of the great empires of the
world, a substantial basis for a vision of their glory. The
future would not be hid from Him. His acquaintance with
Greek culture by His association with Hellenic life in the north
ern towns of the country through His knowledge of the lan
guage, His experience of Roman law in their occupation of the
lands of His birth, and the promise of the future in which
these two elements were inevitably destined to combine for the
spread of civilization filled the vivid picture of the past, present,
and the future, and, like a panorama, passed unveiled before
the mind of the Son of Man ; and Satan offered all for His hom
age. As the fleeting vision faded a darker picture grew into
form on which His choice was fixed. It was not for the govern
ment of the world by law He came, but by a stern self-restraint
and unflagging toil He set His energies for deeds of freedom ;
a higher and holier purpose animated His soul than the de
sire to rule; an incredible and inexhaustible love for the wel
fare of humanity moved His heart. He came to save the
world, not to enslave it ; to elevate mankind, not Himself. In
stead of the splendour of an earthly throne and a crown of
gold, a cross with its inexorable pain, a circle of thorns for
His fair brow, and the exhausting labour of a great sacrifice,
were the means by which His Kingdom was to be established.
There is no liberty which has lifted high the heart of man
and inspired his soul with love for others that has not been
won by the sacrifice of selfish aims in lowly service. There
is no life superbly true that has not been inspired by a sacri
fice supremely great. The cross is bound up with the life of
man; the necessity for sacrifice prevails in every sphere of
effort. The stern condition must be fulfilled that he who

62 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
would serve others cannot serve himself, and if he would save
them he must sacrifice himself. The disturbing element that
rouses self to seek its own desire and inflame it for greater
power is the tempter, and the only response to his dark design
was given by our Lord : " Get thee hence, Satan ; for it is
written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only
shalt thou serve." 16
ib St. Matt. iv. 10.

CHAPTER V
THE MESSIAH AND HIS MISSION
When the conflict had passed the devil went away for a time
and angels came and ministered unto Jesus.1 His strength
restored, He left the sterile heights and dark ravines of the
wilderness for the fellowship of men. His work lay before
Him; the way in which it was to be accomplished He had de
termined; but, whatever plan He had formed in His mind, it
has no definite shape for us to examine. His purpose is not
so obscure ; we can see it in the contest through which He
emerged in triumph. He looked upon the world as God's
world, and in that outlook there is the world's hope. He
came to save it by sacrifice and serve it by inspiration. While
He looked at it from above. He approached it from within, by
revealing to the soul of man the Kingdom of God in a form
by which it could be perceived, and by awakening in man
through an inward experience the desire to possess it. In His
temptation it became manifest as the rule of the will of God
in the heart of man, and man was regarded as a potential
instrument for the establishment of God's Kingdom ; not as
the product of a system, but as the proof of a new person
ality in the loving response of a free man willing to do the
will of God. It is not a mechanical freedom in man that God
desires ; it is the freedom of people who have known and resisted
evil. But freedom is impossible without power; Jesus therefore
taught man about God. He exhibited His power, His good
ness, and His care; He also showed men themselves and their
need of God, so that when a man came to himself 2 he would
turn to God and trust in Him for the power to resist the evil
i St. Matt. iv. 11. 2 Cf. St. Luke xv. 17.
63

64 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
that prevented man fully realizing the life which God intended
him to enjoy. Thus the individual and the Kingdom grew
together, and the Kingdom came by the progressive sanctifica-
tion of the soul. Strength to resist evil entered into man
through the operation of the will of God to fortify the will of
man; a better life became possible by the introduction of a
new Spirit, and a new influence emanating from the new life
created an atmosphere for the development of the idea of free
dom in others. Men may not have seen in the longing for
liberty expressed by various movements in civilization God's
purpose for the emancipation of the world from the power of
evil, nor are they always able to perceive in the desire for lib
erty a symptom of the need of man for freedom from the
tyranny of sin. Though no direct reference is made by them
to evil, and men even ignore it, real freedom can never be
obtained until the power of evil is overthrown.
When the schemes of great reformers for altering the abject
conditions of human life deal with organization for the ad
ministration of their projects by something outside a man for
the control of what there is within him, a still greater prob
lem awaits them of finding the power to carry out the schemes
they have devised on the principle of freedom in which they
believe. No real progress can be made towards improvement
by forcing laws on people ; liberty is destroyed in the process ;
it is merely substituting one form of tyranny for another.
All improvement depends on consent. Without loyal consent
there cannot be the freedom which recognizes in others what
it claims for itself.
In the progressive revelation of God the law is our school
master to bring us to Christ ; 3 and His Gospel, the proclama
tion of liberty to the captive,4 freedom from the power of
evil, contains the gift of the power 5 to overcome evil. Jesus
said, " Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free." 8 Truth in the sense of reality formed the basis of His
a Gal. iii. 24. b St. John iii. 15, 16.
* St. Luke iv. 18. a St. John viii. 32.

THE MESSIAH AND HIS MISSION 65
teaching. Truth is power. And the man that tells the truth
at all times, who is true in every word and every deed, has
within him the power to rise triumphant over all the world.
The life of Jesus has that power because He was perfectly true
and perfectly free.
Truth does not come naturally to men ; it has to be revealed.
If it came naturally there would be no use for the faculties
with which God has endowed mankind, no need for a man to
exert himself; the indolent would fare as well as the diligent.
Nor is truth revealed with that absolute certainty which pre
cludes investigation, but with sufficient assurance for encourag
ing men to persist in their inquiry. The further they advance
in accepting the truth, the stronger becomes the basis of their
assurance.7 It is uncertainty that makes men nerveless, that
deprives them of the energy to put forth the best that is in
them. Uncertainty of the truth marked the time when Jesus came.
The people had one hope — the hope of the Messiah ; but that
hope had lost its lustre in the delay of His appearing. Weari
ness having exhausted the spirit and dulled the mind, their
ideas concerning Him were vague. They lived in an artificial
world, glowing with the love of Oriental form and colour;
no longer perceiving a Divine agency at work, the semblance of
things rather than realities pleased their fancy. They wanted
signs,8 something outside on which they could gaze ; they needed
something inside on which they could live. Their desire for
signs meant a form of revelation which furnished proofs be
yond doubt and contradiction, that would save them from any
effort of their own to discover the truth. So accustomed were
they to signs they could not think for themselves, and the facts
of life made no impression upon them. One supreme fact they
had failed to notice — that inspiration belongs to men to whom
the Spirit of God giveth understanding. Without understand
ing a knowledge of the truth, of the realities of life and God's
dealing with them, signs were nothing more than charms. One
r St. Matt, xiii, 12, s St. Matt. xii. 39.

66 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
sign was as good as another, and as useless, to the man in
whom the superficial aspect of things had destroyed his ca
pacity for discerning the truth concerning them.
The real meaning of God's commandment had been lost in
its literal interpretation. " Hear, O Israel ; the Lord our
God is one Lord ; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
" And these words which I command thee this day shall be
in thine heart. . . . And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon
thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
" And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house
and on thy gates." 9
These great words had so little real significance for the
people that a small leather box (a phylactery) of four com
partments, containing parchment scrolls inscribed with pas
sages from the Law, was fastened by leather straps to the
forehead. A similar box tied to the left arm, was as near to
the heart as the command was understood. The people obeyed
as literally the command to write the words on the door-posts
by placing at the entrance of the house the Mezuzah, a little
case in which the words "El Shaddai " (the Almighty) were
visible ; and they left it there.
The Jews looked upon their Scriptures as the actual words
of God, invested with a sanctity which created a value in the
letters themselves. Laws were similarly regarded; hence the
subserviency to the letter and the total absence of the recogni
tion of the spirit and principle of the law.
Outside things had become so prominent a feature of life
that men accepted appearances for realities. At every turn
in the short and narrow streets of the cities men were involved
in appearances. The signs each one bore in the gaily col
oured crowd of the bazaar settled his position in the community
s Deut. vi. 4-9: This reverence for the letter prompted them to refrain
from committing to writing the traditions of the elders and the teaching
of the rabbis. Constant repetition engraved them on the memory until
they were regarded as equal in value to the original law, The letter of
the law of God assumed the same importance.

THE MESSIAH AND HIS MISSION 67
and separated one man from another. Class distinctions, with
which each man had to be content, placed an indelible mark
upon him and fixed his condition; but it bore no resemblance
to his character. Jesus saw these fetters on the mind and the
use made of them for interfering with man's liberty. It was
not the abolition of class distinctions that He sought, but the
equality and freedom of mankind before God, and He showed
by His own life that, in His fellowship, every man might
possess the Divine Spirit for the formation of the character
of the children of the Divine Father.10
He accepted the necessary conditions of the life of the time
as He found them.
He had nothing to say about Government or politics, about
labour and capital, about the distribution of wealth, or social
problems. He knew that organizations working from with
out a man could not adequately deal with the spirit within
him. It was the whole man and his outlook Jesus came to
change by the introduction of a new spirit ; not merely to save
mankind from poverty and injustice and social disability, but
from the root of all mischief, sin; to cleanse the spring of
human life at its source by the supremacy of the Divine
Spirit.11 His salvation does not therefore imply neglect of
external wrong, but its removal by virtue of the change
wrought in the man who receives the Spirit of God to do His
will. Every department of human life and social organization
were to be sanctified by His spirit, the true spirit of liberty and
progress. The Kingdom Jesus came to establish stands for a moral
and spiritual, not a territorial, conception of His rule; the
rule of God in the sphere of human thought and feeling, His
rule over the social, political, and intellectual forces in the
world. He alluded to the world as having a temperament devoid of
aspiration, and an attitude destitute of reverence, which exer
cises a perilous influence on the desire for a higher and better
10 St. John viii. 36. n The principle of the Incarnation.

68 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
life. He saw, what other men through Him have seen, that
worldliness is the spirit of childishness carried into manhood,
the desire for the visible, the tangible, until things present, so
alluring at first, eventually rule the life. The Jews had passed
under its sway; while they loathed the practices of the Gen
tiles, they failed to see the form of worldliness which held them
fast. Their religion was external, and looked like a business ad
vertisement. The Scribes and Pharisees, who professed to be
its faithful witnesses, displayed it where men could more easily
notice their regard for its appearance. They made broad
their phylacteries to ensure recognition, paid their tithes in
careful detail, ostentatiously distributed their alms, appeared
to fast and seemed to pray. Outwardly they were estimable;
inwardly they were corrupt.12
The people generally were divided into two classes, " the
righteous " and " the sinners." 13 All who professed to be re
ligious were called " righteous " ; the rest were " sinners." A
simple and natural distinction, according to the " signs " of
the times. By carefully observing their laws the " righteous "
imagined they were right. After paying their tithes and say
ing their prayers, they believed that God had received what
was due to Him, and they were at liberty to live as they de
sired. If by keeping one set of laws they could satisfy God
and add to their merit, they thought that more laws would
increase their credit with God and release them even further
from their natural obligations.14 Having successfully lied to
themselves, they believed they could as easily cheat God, and
deceive their fellow-men.
The rulers pretended to be free, as they professed to be
pious. They writhed under the galling servitude of Rome,
they felt the sting of the presence of the Roman soldier, yet
they walked with conscious pride of their place in the world,
and looked with undisguised contempt on all who did not belong
to their race. Suspicion regarding their position prepared
J? St Luke xi, 39, 42. is St. Luke v. 32. i* See " Corban," p. 293.

THE MESSIAH AND HIS MISSION 69
them for wrath at anything which might be construed to refer
to their servile state. An angry outburst followed Christ's
statement respecting the bondage of sin, when He said : " The
truth shall make you free." 15 It rankled in their hearts, al
though it had nothing to do with their subservience to Roman
dominion. They answered : " We be Abraham's seed and were
never in bondage to any man." 16 And the Roman soldiers,
whom they feared, garrisoned their city; a Roman governor
exercised his rule over them; and they paid tribute to a Ro
man Emperor.
A more hopeless state of mind for obtaining knowledge of
the truth, for observing facts, and for recognizing the actual
and ordinary affairs of life can scarcely be conceived. And
there were no newspapers recording the events of the day, cir
culating reliable information, detecting flaws in public meth
ods and the weakness of public morals, stimulating opinion
and ventilating ideas, to formulate plans for the benefit of the
people and foster the desire for liberty. Rumour — and we
know what value can be placed on rumour — kept the tongues
of the people busy, and such bazaar gossip as forms the staple
product of the Eastern mind employed their imagination with
out profit. We can thus understand why Jesus afterwards
desired to place a salutary check on the dissemination of the
reports of His miracles.17 Repetition might carry a confused
meaning about what He had done, and cause the lesson He
wished to convey to disappear in common gossip. The most
powerful lessons are those which are least talked about; they
embody ideas too vast and deep for articulation, and need time
to permeate the mind and sink into the heart. And the lessons
taught by the Man of Galilee in simple speech became a mighty
force. It is necessary to appreciate the stupendous task Jesus had
before Him besides the way in which He undertook His work.
Mood and temper and character react on everything that
reaches them, and mind and heart interpret according to tem-
is St. John viii. 32, is St, John viii. 33, w St. Matt, viii, 4, ix. 30.

70 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
perament and character as well as knowledge. The Jews failed
to understand the true inwardness of Christ's teaching, as they
failed to recognize the incarnate God, because they wanted
what they desired in the way they expected. Nothing con
trary to their expectation and experience satisfied the rulers,
who were able to exercise their will on the people. Powerful
interests, religious, political, social, and economic, in the hands
of a few, controlled the multitude, who had everything to gain
by opposing them ; but their opposition rarely went beyond a
murmur. The people were hopelessly impotent; vested inter
ests were extremely powerful.
The religious interest of the Scribes and Pharisees very
quickly realized the necessity for defence against the teaching
of Jesus. Aroused by the force of its reality, bitter feelings
awakened in the hearts of the rulers, who saw in the formidable
nature of the new movement their own condemnation. That a
mere layman should dare to set up His claim to spread a new
doctrine contrary to their interpretation of the law stirred in
them the most violent opposition.
The social and political interests represented by the rich
Sadducean families, who, disturbed by the increasing number
of the disciples of Jesus, caused the rulers to fear that a
change in the political situation might involve them in serious
trouble with the Roman authorities. Alarmed, the politicians
said, " If we let Him . . . alone, the Romans shall come and
take away both our place and nation." 18
The financiabinterests of the people in Jerusalem were very
considerable. Pilgrims came to the Temple in such numbers
that a lucrative business filled the pockets of both priests and
people through the various industries required to meet the
needs of visitors. By cleansing the Temple courts Jesus in
flicted a serious blow on the traffic encouraged by the priests.
The whole character of society was in danger of being
changed by the renewing spirit inculcated by the teaching of
Jesus ; so the rulers thought who disliked it, and their percep-
is St. John xi. 48.

THE MESSIAH AND HIS MISSION 71
tion in this case was not at fault. Against their interests the
Man of GaHlee appeared as the revelation of a higher and
better life, a Hfe for man involving a change so great that
Jesus termed it a new birth, the renewal of the whole of the
spiritual man, a radical alteration of his inner spiritual
mood.19 He exhibited this Hfe on earth, and He left wit
nesses to make known what they had seen and heard, and they
declared that they had also received something which had
changed their Hves.
Jesus left no account of His works and words in His own
writing, further evidence of His love for man, in keeping from
him the outward form and securing his freedom for independ
ent investigation. If He had left writing of His own, every
letter would have been regarded with a sanctity that might
have led again to the worship of the literal form, and the prob
able loss of the spiritual element in the narrative of His life.
The Jews had stumbled through their excessive respect for the
letter and their consequent failure to recognize the spirit, " for
the letter kiUeth, but the spirit giveth Hfe." 20
Nothing has been found in the Gospels about the physical
features of Jesus, nothing to help men to see His outward
form. This omission is remarkable, and apparently inten
tional, so utterly unlike the ordinary method of treating the
subject of a memoir, that it seems to be His Divinity rather
than His humanity to which men are directed. What else can
it mean than this; and the support of His teaching that it is
the inward spirit, the character of a man, which matters, and
not his appearance?
There must have been other characteristics famiHar to His
friends, which seem to have been deliberately omitted from
the narrative of His Hfe, while His manner of looking and the
tone of His voice passed naturally into the story without be
ing observed. Look and tone are never forgotten, even when
date and place fade from the memory. Something in the look
19 Cf. Xicodemus, pp. 127, 138; Woman of Samaria, p. 135; Confession of
St Peter, p. 2S1 : and St John vii. 38. =o 2 Cor. iii. 6.

72 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
of Jesus stirred the souls of men. The questioning in His eyes
held those who saw His face ; the wistfulness in it moved them.
He " looked on Peter " 21 when the disciple denied His Lord,
and that look meant the saving of his soul. He " looked
up " 22 to Zacchams, the Publican, in the sycamore-tree, and in
looking sought the lost.
The tone of His Voice, the touch of His hand, were always
remembered. There was a note of certainty in His voice
greater than other men knew, and His touch, when he healed the
leper, impressed the disciples almost as much as the miracle of
healing. So natural are these reminiscences that they cannot be
imaginary. So indelible was the impression left on the minds
and hearts of those who wandered about with Jesus, so simple
has been the method of imparting their knowledge, that it
bears the stamp of truth, and men have realized it as true, and
have found in their search after truth the same power which
the disciples of old received.
Though only fragments of the wonderful life of Jesus have
been preserved, yet from them we are able to construct the
fabric. Trifling variations are noticeable, but all the facts
related, although sometimes presented in a different form, are
in substantial accord. If the four Gospels had been alike in
every particular suspicion would have been aroused by the
apparent collusion of the writers, and the value of the Evan
gelists as independent witnesses seriously impaired. Now their
credibility is supported by the diversity of their methods.
One of the most remarkable features of this record of the
Messiah and His mission is found in the brief space of time cov
ered by the incidents enumerated by the Evangelists. Only
about forty days of the whole time are accounted for in the
occurrences which furnish the Gospel story, if we exclude the
time spent on journeys and the periods when Jesus lived in
seclusion. It seems almost incredible that so much is found
in so little; that in the memories of forty days there are
21 St. Luke xxii, 61, 28 St Luke xix. 5.

THE MESSIAH AND HIS MISSION 73
incidents which have become more important than anything
else in the history of the world.
The writers do not profess to follow the ordinary methods
of biographers. They relate important utterances, and pre
sent us with pictures of extraordinary events. We have fleet
ing glimpses of unrecorded relationships, of personal friend
ships made in circumstances altogether unknown, occasional
references to movements from one place to another without any
sequence or order, and the gaps in the history seem to rob us
of its natural qualities. Here and there specimens are given
of a day's occupation,23 unlike the work of other men, but no
special reference is made to the distinction; the writers record
it without any comment of their own. They inform us of the
effect produced on the people rather than on themselves. The
people were amazed, not the disciples.
What are these fragments collected by men of little note
if the enterprise to which they were committed by their Master
is of no account in the reckoning? Not much more than what
happened in their experience! But the venture had behind
it a larger experience of the work of Jesus, the Christ, Whose
life the Apostles reveal. Others had gained by a personal
knowledge of Him an interest in His life and work, and they
accepted the Gospels as comprising what they also knew, the
testimony of the truth about Jesus, which the men who formed
the early Church handed down to their successors in the enter
prise of the Gospel; and the Church of Christ stands as the
witness of Christ. However imperfect that witness may be,
it is less imperfect than it seems, and is due to men taking a
part of the Gospel and thinking it is the whole. Some men
think of the sacrifice of Christ, and it becomes the centre of
their worship, as if it embraced all the Gospel for them, yet
it may be only the beginning of their life's new day. Others
take the Sermon on the Mount and say that it comprises all
the Gospel men need, forgetting man's first need is salvation
from sin through the sacrifice of Christ. The full, rich Gos-
23 St. Mark iv. 35.

74 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
pel comprehends more than the parts which men emphasize for
their own satisfaction, and differ with one another about their
views of them. Amid these many aspects of the truth there is
a reconciling element which Jesus left as His legacy, which all
men must accept and use if they would understand the gladdest
news that ever broke on the ears of mortal man. " This is My
commandment, that ye love one another." 24 " By this shall
all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to
another." 25
Inspiration does not interfere with the natural ability of
the authors of the Gospels either to increase or diminish their
activity. It is the human element they employed in compiling
the brief history of their Lord which exhibits their freedom,
and which makes it more agreeable to the natural man, while
the power of the Divine Spirit moves through their efforts to
draw him into contemplation of the supernatural. If all had
been in absolute agreement, one narrative might have sufficed,
and we should have lost the human part which encourages us
to act with the freedom that is necessary for us to express
our own feelings towards the true life of man. The Evan
gelists have nothing to say about their feelings, they were too
much occupied with the facts before them ; we do not even
know the result of our Lord's work in them from what they
say so much as from what we see. The total absence of praise
or blame in their description of the treatment Jesus received
from friends and foes leaves us free to form our own opinion
of His ministry. No attempt is made by them to persuade
men to accept the different accounts they gave in simple lan
guage of His life and work. Its simplicity is a guarantee
of its being true. The Evangelists had seen God. Their
illumination they do not describe ; it was an inward experience ;
His gift of sight. Our fluctuating experience may obscure
our view ; natural feelings do not always help us to realize the
supernatural; we need also His Spirit to see the unveiling of
the personality and purpose of Jesus Christ.
2* St. John xv. 12. 25 St. John xiii. 35.

CHAPTER VI

THE FIRST DISCIPLES

While Jesus was engaged in His conflict with the devil, the
religious authorities in Jerusalem were occupied in the consid
eration of the news of the popular movement in the Jordan
Valley. Rumours of the success of John the Baptist's mission
had caused a stir in the Sanhedrin, and its members could no
longer ignore the agitation produced in the multitude. Some
thing must be done by the spiritual leaders of the people,
either to acknowledge the preacher or denounce his work as
subversive of the proper recognition of their traditions. If
he were the Messiah, it was obviously their duty to support
him; on the other hand a merely fanatical reformer might be
removed, and his followers dispersed. Delay in dealing with
the commotion that had been created would only lessen their
influence with the people ; it was therefore decided to send a
deputation of inquiry, and priests and Levites in the name of
the rulers went to John and asked him tlie question, " Who
art thou?" "What sayest thou of thyself?" He answered
frankly, " I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make
straight the way of the Lord." x John had no thought of him
self, nor of his reputation; he was only a voice, the herald
of the approach of another ; his work was only a symbol, the
sign of the reality that was coming. He was the preacher of
the dawn, and it was about to pass into the day of the greater
glory he had announced. Those who had followed him were
soon to leave him, even to grow weary of him, and some who
had been moved to better ways slipped back into their old
paths ; in others a reaction set in, the terrors he had awakened
in them were lost, and, having recovered from their fright,
they mocked him with contemptuous remarks about his per-
i St. John i. 23, 23. 75

76 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
son 2 and manner in revenge for the fear he had caused. But
his popularity did not disappear before the way into the King
dom had been made plain, and the Messiah recognized by some.
who had believed his message.
" The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and
said, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of
the world. This is He of Whom I said, After me cometh a
Man which is preferred before me." 3 " Again the next day
after John stood, and two of his disciples: and looking upon
Jesus as He walked he said, Behold the Lamb of God! And
the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus." 4
A greater than John attracted his disciples, and John was
left for the One Who was preferred before him.
From the narratives of St. Matthew and St. Luke we gather
that John's ministry commenced in the wilderness of Judea,
the southern end of the Jordan VaUey, and as we peruse St.
John's Gospel we notice that he continued his work along the
side of the river. We read of him at iEnon, within the Samari
tan hills, on the western boundary of the Jordan Plain, and
also in the presence of Herod Antipas; but the scene of his
operations was first restricted to the course of the river, and
to that part of it with sloping banks. In very few places
would it be possible conveniently to enter the water ; the banks
are usuaUy very high, and even at most of the fords the cross
ing is dangerous. The only places on the river's bank where
it would be reasonably possible for penitents to walk into the
water were few. Two only are generaUy identified with the
Baptist's work, one on the easf? of Jericho, and the other far
ther up the stream. Both of them have been regarded as the
scene of our Lord's baptism by men who are well-known Pales
tine explorers. It is, however, more probable that penitents
were baptized at both fords, some in tie lower reaches of the
river where John first commenced his mission, and afterwards
on the eastern bank near Bethabara.6 The Baptist's move-
2 St. Luke vii. 33. 3 St. John i. 29, 30. * St. John i. 35, 37.
s In the Revised Version we have Bethany for Bethabara, and the rea-

THE FIRST DISCIPLES 77
ments were due to the season of the year and to the convenience
of the people. His presence at Mnon was certainly owing to
the extreme heat, when crowds could not walk about in the
sweltering valley. An old Arab geographer describes it as
" the mouth of hell." Van de Velde, the explorer, on approach
ing the Ghor (the rift), the Arabic name of the Jordan Valley,
said : " The warm and fiery wind from the Ghor met us right
in the face. . . . The air seemed to be on fire. . . . My guides,
as well as myself, thought we should die in this gigantic fur
nace." Having crossed the Ghor several times in the great heat
of summer, I can testify that this is an appropriate descrip
tion. During the winter it is pleasant ; in early spring de
lightful; but later, life there is intolerable, and in the summer
impossible, without a dwelling for a shelter. Josephus says
that " the people of Jericho are clothed in linen only, even when
snow covers the rest of Judea." 6 When we learn that John
baptized at ^Enon because there was much water, we may rest
assured it was summer, because it is the only place in the
neighbourhood with much water at that season, and the refer
ence to the change of place is a further indication of the time
of the year.
When our Lord joined the company after His temptation
John had evidently moved farther up the stream to the ford
near Bethabara. It was past the middle of March, and the
son for the change is due to the discovery that Origen changed the name
of Bethany for Bethabara in the MSS. where " in almost all copies " he
said it was found. Bethabara probably means the house of fords, and
Bethany the house of shipping. Bethabara has now been identified on
the discovery by the late Colonel Conder of the ford Abarah, one of the
main fords of the Jordan near Beisan, across which Gideon's army followed
the Midianites (Judges vii. 24), and the great highway from east to west.
This ford is about twenty miles from Cana. There is no place along the
river more likely in appearance for John's purpose; the ground slopes
gradually towards the water from the plain, where a large concourse of
people might easily assemble.
Somewhat similar to it in a less degree is the lower ford where John first
baptized, and where sand-dunes offered a pulpit for his preaching.
At most of the other fords there is a rapid current, deep water, and
soft mud. o Josephus, Wars iv, viii. 3.

78 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
weather was already hot — too hot in the lower part of the
valley for comfort — and the pilgrims attending John's preach
ing sought cover for their accommodation in the neighbouring
village of Bethabara amongst the trees on the river's bank, or
in simple structures made from their branches on the plain.
In one of these booths Jesus probably sought shelter on leav
ing the wilderness, and John's two disciples followed Him, when
their master pointed to Him as the Lamb of God. In response
to His question, "What seek ye? " they asked for His abode,
saying, " Where dwellest Thou ? " 7 He answered, " Come and
see," and, as it was about the tenth hour — four o'clock in
the afternoon — they remained with Him until the close of the
day. One of the two which heard John speak of Jesus, and
followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother; the other
unnamed was undoubtedly John the writer, who had thus de
scribed the circumstances of the call of the first two disciples
in the simple yet pregnant words, " Come and see." John was
the most thoughtful of all the Lord's followers, and entered
most intimately into the very secrecy of the Lord's teaching.
He was the beloved disciple. How much of the significance of
the Baptist's description of Christ as " the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world," was observed by John the
Apostle we cannot surmise; it was probably nothing more at
the time than the moral perfection of Jesus suggested by the
Baptist's description, and the transparent purity of His heart,
which he and his companion instinctively recognized. These
men were sensibly in need of something which they had not
found in the baptism of John, something which they saw in
the Stranger whom they addressed in terms of great respect
as Rabbi. They soon advanced in knowledge, for Andrew
immediately sought his brother Simon with the wonderful news
of their discovery, saying: " We have found the Messias, the
Christ." 8 And when Jesus beheld him He said : " Thou art
Simon, the son of Jona ; thou shalt be called Cephas." 9 He
saw in Simon what no one else had seen, the movement in him
7 St. John i. 38. s St. John i. 41. s St. John i. 42.

THE FIRST DISCIPLES 79
towards a richer and fuller life unknown even to himself. This
revelation proved for Simon an attraction to the Master Who
had discerned in him and interpreted to him a possibility of
strength for which he yearned in his instinct for good. He
said, " Thou shalt be called Cephas," i.e. " Rock." Out of the
mixture of instability, weakness, and impulsiveness a new man
shall arise whose natural characteristics shall be blended and
ripened into consistency and endurance.
Nothing like this method of selection had been adopted be
fore; no one had ever possessed the power to search a man's
soul for its possibilities, and in the discovery draw him towards
the source of the power required for their fulfilment.
After Simon, Philip, a man from the same town, was called
to join the little company, and Jesus, purposing to go into
Galilee, moved northwards with His new disciples. On the
way Philip's joy caused him to seek another to share the glad
tidings ; he found Nathaniel, probably on their approach to
Cana, and told him that the Messiah had come. When he
said He was Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, Nathaniel's
comment was discouraging; he expressed instant dissatisfac
tion. The reputation borne by Nazareth was a hindrance to
his belief in Philip's news. Local rivalry would not entirely
account for Nathaniel's remark, " Can there any good thing
come out of Nazareth? " 10 Beyond this feeling of the in
habitants of one village for another there is in most of the
districts of Palestine a definite knowledge of the character of
their people. Each of them has features which are represented
in the public mind by a particular description, yet in every
place there are men better than its reputation, and Philip, un
dismayed by his friend's reluctance, pressed his invitation to
" Come and see " until it was accepted. Nathaniel's reception
immediately convinced him that Jesus was no ordinary resident
of the despised village ; the words with which he was greeted
disarmed his fears and removed his doubts. " Jesus saw Na
thaniel coming to Him, and saith of him, Behold an IsraeHte
10 St. John i. 46.

80 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
indeed, in whom is no guile ! " n In amazement he asked,
" Whence knowest Thou me ? " " Jesus answered and said
unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast un
der the fig-tree, I saw thee." His seeing had a greater signifi
cance than mere recognition. It meant that Nathaniel was
understood as well as seen, and his surprise furnishes us with
knowledge of our Lord as well as himself. We notice again
His marvellous insight into character, a perceptive faculty
so clear that it penetrated the heart and disclosed its secrets.
He knew what was in man in a degree that never could* be
measured by ordinary human knowledge gained amongst the
people of an obscure village and occasional intercourse with
the greater world of life beyond its borders. It was a part of
Himself, a power within Him, recognized by Nathaniel in the
answer 12 he had received to his enquiry as something more
than natural intefligence, and without further hesitation he
acknowledged Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God, " the King
of Israel." 13 Though hastily formed and immature, his judg
ment proved he was conscious of a presence far higher than
he had ever seen, and as great as he had ever expected. Un
like the majority of the class of people who ardently longed
for the Messiah, he was without guile, free from prejudice,
from unwillingness to accept the truth when it appeared in a
different form from what he expected, yielding without argu
ment when his unbiassed mind received it. He believed in Jesus
when he discovered that Jesus believed in him. It is this con
sciousness of Divine recognition that attracts attention and
constitutes the call; then follows the gradual revelation of
the greater things of the Kingdom of God.14 At first Na
thaniel saw nothing in the name of Jesus, and nothing good in
Nazareth ; but when he saw Jesus Himself, heard His voice,
and recognized His power, he welcomed Him as the Messiah —
not perhaps in the reality of His Person and Office; that was
reserved for a future vision when the eyes of his soul were fully
11 St. John i. 47. is St. John i. 49.
12 St. John i. 48. " St. John i. 50.

THE FIRST DISCIPLES 81
opened, and he was better able to comprehend the great love
of God for man.15 Jacob's dream, the symbol of what was
promised, would unfold a wider meaning than he had hitherto
perceived. He might have recalled the picture of the sleep
ing wanderer, the lost son of Isaac, when God's pity overshad
owed him and a ladder formed the pathway for God's mes
sengers ; he had yet to learn that Christ was the intermediary
between earth and heaven, that through Him the portals of
glory would open wide, and by Him God's love for the lost be
revealed. is St. John i. 51.

CHAPTER VII
THE FIRST MIRACLE OF CHRIST
" And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there : and both Jesus was called,
and His disciples, to the marriage." 1 Thus St. John con
tinues his record of the beginning of the public work of his
Lord. Accompanied by His disciples, of whom John was one,
and therefore an eye-witness, He went to Cana. Many dis
cussions have arisen respecting the claims of two villages in
Galilee for the honour of being the scene of this notable event.
Between Kefr Kenna, on the high road from Nazareth to the
Sea of Galilee, and Kenna el Jelil, a few miles farther north,
there is very little choice in the evidence they furnish for pre
eminence. Kefr Kenna is the traditional site, and receives
more favour, because it is on the tourist route from Nazareth
to Tiberias, and nearer to Bethabara. Either of them will
answer the purpose of the narrative, as there is nothing in
volved in their identification beyond the desire to know the
certainty of a particular site, and when it is not of any assist
ance in elucidating the story there is no need for decision.
From Bethabara to Cana the distance is about twenty miles,
one day's journey. The statement "on the third day" does
not necessarily indicate the length of time occupied in walk
ing to Cana; it refers more likely to the order of events be
ginning with the testimony of John the Baptist that Jesus was
the Lamb of God.2 The next day John publicly drew the
attention of his disciples to Jesus, and they attached themselves
to their new Leader, and the day following (the third day),
on their way to Cana, Nathaniel joined them.
Bethany (Bethabara) beyond Jordan is still regarded by
some people as situated on the left bank of the river opposite
Jericho. An Eastern man, able to start on a journey from
i St. John ii. 1. 2 St. John i. 29.
82

THE FIRST MIRACLE OF CHRIST 83
this place at his own time, accompanied by friends anxious to
converse with him, would occupy more than three days in walk
ing to Cana. Dean Farrar says he has covered the distance
in that time, presumably on horseback, but acknowledges " it
requires quick travelling." 3
An Oriental is not a quick traveller on foot ; he moves lei
surely, lingers often on the way, and when he is engaged in
conversation he rests frequently. Jesus and His new disciples
could not have arrived at Cana for a marriage on the third
day from a place so far distant as the one over Jordan be
yond Jericho, and more especially as time was required to
persuade the man under a fig-tree to join them on their jour
ney. Reference to the fig-tree not only denotes the time of
the year, but indicates, when a man sits beneath its shade,
the time of the day, and furnishes more evidence for disagree
ment with the southern situation for Bethabara. Fig-trees
grew in the vicinity of a permanent settlement, and, though we
are not told the name of the place near where Nathaniel was
found, we naturally assume it was close to a town or village,
and presumably his own town of Cana. Jesus and His dis
ciples therefore had reached the place, as we should expect, in
ample time to prepare for the wedding.
The northern site of Bethabara (Bethany beyond Jordan)
is not only appropriate for this occasion, it is equally suitable
for a later journey, when Jesus left Bethabara in Perea after
the death of Lazarus, and reached the home of Martha and
Mary on the fourth day,4 that is exactly the time He would
naturally occupy on His way to Bethany in Judea, whereas,
one day would have sufficed if Bethabara had been opposite
Jericho. No reference is made of a return to Nazareth. Jesus had
apparently turned His back on His old home, and His old life,
when He went to the Jordan in search of John the Baptist.
The call had come to him ; henceforth He was the Messiah with
a Mission, and no longer a Carpenter with a workshop.
3 See Farrar's Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 160, * St John xi, 17.

84 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
As an invited Guest, it was necessary for Him to be at the
wedding in time for the supper. His disciples were doubtless
called to the marriage as His friends, and this suggests an
early start from Bethabara, and an early arrival in Cana for
the invitation to be given to them for the feast. The presence
of His mother, her knowledge of the resources of the family,
and the prominent place she occupied in being able to address
the servants, indicate a kinship with the giver of the feast.
And her reference to the need of more wine seems to have been
partly due to the appearance of the new guests. It was also
a sign of the intimacy she enjoyed in the household, and her
desire for the proper treatment of her Son's friends. His an
swer B to her statement " They have no wine " is somewhat per
plexing, not merely in the form of it, which is a consequence
of rendering the original expression " Woman " into equivalent
English, but in its meaning. There is a gentle rebuke in the
courteous address, and, though we may be assured it was made
gracefully, yet it must have been startling in its effect. The
tone of wonder expressed in the last recorded words our Lord
addressed to his mother, " Wist ye not that I must be about
My Father's business ? " 6 is not here shown ; instead of it a
deeper meaning is evident. " What have I to do with thee ? "
was a common term of difference without disrespect ; but it con
veyed to the mother a sign that the tender relationship of
mother and Son had reached a stage when a new life opens
into directions which lie beyond a parent's control, that the
long human fellowship must take a different course ; His
mother and His brethren in future will be those who do the
will of God, who belong to the Kingdom.7 She had seen His
development without realizing the deep purpose, the wide aim
of His Divine Mission, but with an expectation of greatness
which she might share. The events of the last few weeks could
not have been hidden from her ; their import suggested a possi-
b St. John ii. 4. Woman (Tvvai) is the same word used by our Lord on
the cross, also to Mary Magdalene. Augustus addressed Cleopatra in Dio
Cassius, Hist. Lib. xii., as Tivai.
8 St. Luke ij. 49, 7 St. Matt, xii. 47-50,

THE FIRST MIRACLE OF CHRIST 85
bility of power she could neither understand nor measure.
Whatever it was, she had no part in its movement because
she was His mother, and our Lord's gentle rebuke showed it
plainly in the words, "Woman, what have I to do with thee?
Mine hour is not yet come " — that is, the hour for a public
declaration of His Messiahship; the people's need was always
the time for help. It appeared when the company were assem
bled in the guest-chamber, and the hour came when the cir
cumstances were ready for His service.
Although His mother had nothing more to do with it, she
discerned its advent, and said to the servants, " Whatsoever
He saith unto you, do it." The sight of the waterpots, the
presence of the attendants, the need of the guests, are all
trivial incidents, yet so reasonable that no one can hesitate in
accepting the record of what happened at the village wedding,
even when consideration could not be given to the true inward
ness of the meaning of the miracle that followed. Those pres
ent were mostly concerned with the liberality of the purveyor
of the feast, and the quality of his wine ; few of the guests were
aware of the power of Jesus. There was no inordinate dis
play, no majestic movements were visible; the servants filled
the waterpots at His word — in their alacrity filled them to
the brim — and forthwith drew from them wine, and conveyed
it to the governor of the feast. Everything was done simply
and naturally, as if there were nothing at all extraordinary.
The governor made a mild joke in his surprise at the quality
of the wine, the only jest that is found in the Bible. It is
only striking because of its allusion to the supply of another
and better kind of wine, one of those casual, and therefore
more natural, references which aid truth.
" This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee,
and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on
Him." 8
This manifestation of the glory of the Lord is the essential
feature of the narrative of the viUage wedding. Nothing else
s St, John ii. 11.

86 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
signifies except to form a setting for the wonderful picture,
the circumstances for the scene, the opportunity for the sign,
of the glory of the Lord. By the power of His Divine Spirit 9
He converted water into wine. It was the symbol of His own
life, and the work He came to perform for others. He took
upon Him our nature to take it unto God. It was the glory
of Christ to take human life and make it Divine. His glory
was not only in the display of power; that was the outward
form, the sign of it ; the inward meaning of His act also con
tained His glory. The miracle only made the hidden glory
visible. When His Spirit enters the Hfe of a man singularly
incapable in himself of exhibiting the life of Christ, the quality
of his poor life is changed, new desires are born and enriched
by a closer fellowship with Christ for the fulfilment of His
Divine purpose, and a flavour is given to its representation.
We know then, by the likeness it bears to the life of Jesus, that
it has been transformed. In no other way can we ascertain
the truth than by observation.10 We cannot know things in
themselves, only in and through their external appearance;
nor can we think of the existence of any being without at least
supposing an outward token under which it is revealed to us.
It is not even possible to imagine a man, unless we assume he
has a form and actions which are appropriate expressions of
humanity ; and, to believe in God, some display of power tran
scending all human energy is necessary as a suitable revelation.
Miracles are a natural consequence of God in Christ Jesus.
They do not attest the truth of the revelation ; but they are a
witness to the authority of Him Who made it. They are not
the only evidence of His Divinity, these signs of Divine power;
the realization of the true aim of God in the life of man, the
purpose for which they were manifested, must also be taken
into consideration. No attempt is made by the Evangelists,
in their record of the miraculous power of our Lord, to explain
9 The Miracles of Jesus, p. 33, by Archibishop Lang.
io Mozley's Bampton Lectures on Miracles, note 1, p. 244,

Edit. A. Noyer,.Pans Sc, D Mastroianni
Jesus saith unto them" Fill the water-pots with water
John II: 7

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise
John II: 16

THE FIRST MIRACLE- OF CHRIST 87
or describe it; they assume it with the natural simplicity of
familiarity, as if they were unconscious of exciting curiosity,
unaware of having said anything to cause men to wonder
either at their story of the work of their Lord or the mani
festation of His power. The natural and the supernatural
are united with the ease of the certainty of their knowledge.
In the miracle at Cana we may discern the unfolding of the
purpose of Jesus ; it is significant of the work of His life to
transform the world by the conversion of society through
the regeneration of man. Where the- supremacy of the Divine
Spirit is found the same process is in operation, a new and
positive factor is introduced into life that does not disown the
innocent gaiety of homely pleasure. Laughter is not banished
by the presence of Jesus. The singing soul has a greater
glory in it than the sad countenance. In this we see the differ
ence between the Forerunner of the Kingdom and its King.
John came to prepare men for the Kingdom; Christ came to
show it unto them. The former was solitary and unsocial,
loud and fierce in his denunciation of sin to rouse in men the
desire to escape from it ; the Messiah entered into men's lives
to share their joys and sorrows and keep sin away. He set
seal on the union of man and maid to make it pure, and mani
fested His glory in the home to promote its happiness. The
new disciples saw it, and believed on Him, in this beginning of
miracles. Other guests were too busily engrossed with the re
sult of His work for them; nothing is said of its effect on the
mother of Jesus ; it is tacitly understood ; the only persons
really interested were the men who followed Him from the Jor
dan in their eagerness to know more about Him. It was a
momentary scene in which His Divine glory was shown. And
so much of it surrounds all men; seeing and not perceiving
they pass along the way of life in ignorance.
The miracles of Jesus are the testimony of God revealing
Himself in Him, for the fulness of God dwelt in Him. We
might speak of the extraordinary works of His life without

88 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
employing the word " miracle " to characterize them. He
used the term signs J1 instead of the word with which we are
familiar, and these signs were the tokens of the power He
exhibited for the purpose of directing men's minds to the
revelation of the Kingdom He came to establish in their hearts ;
each of them was adapted to a particular case, and the power
itself is identical with the omnipotence of God. And as our
Lord in such operations was one with the Father, the state of
mind in which He accomplished His work was also in harmony
with Him. He speaks of the power He displays in miracles as
God's power working through Him,12 and His words as Spirit
and Life.13 When He sent His disciples on their mission the
power they exercised in the performance of their works of
heaHng came from God through faith in the words of their
Lord. His word was the productive principle by which re
ceptive faith partook of the power that was destined to effect
the miracle.
The believers in miraculous power, on the same principle,
received in the moment of the working of the miracle, by the
sympathetic elevation of their mind, a share in the disposition
of the mind of Christ, and in this moment of their approach
to God the miracle became an operating force in their life.
Thus faith was necessary in many cases for the working of
miracles, but not in all ; some were works of Divine beneficence,
as in the feeding of the multitudes. The social position of
the person on whom or for whom the miracle was wrought
had no relation to Divine selection; it was the condition of the
heart, and not the distinction of the person that was required.
Thus the works of Christ harmonized with His teaching;
both illustrated the purpose of God's Kingdom. His great
aim was to make all men sure that the Kingdom of God had
come. His signs conveyed visible lessons to help men to see
it, whether they accepted them or not. Some believed and
were satisfied ; others were roused into active hostility ; the rest
who saw them were more or less indifferent, and took no further
11 o-nneia, St. John iv. 48, 12 St. John xiv. 10. " St. John vi. 63,

THE FIRST MIRACLE OF CHRIST 89
interest in them. The attention created by the signs drew
within the reach of our Lord's influence all who were likely to
profit. His words accompanied His works, and the seed of the
Kingdom was sown in the world of men.

CHAPTER VIII
THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY
From Cana Jesus went to Capernaum with His mother, His
brethren, and His disciples.1 They followed the road over a
well-cultivated plain to the hills above the sea of Galilee. The
modern traveller turns towards the southern end of the lake.
As he rides down the western declivity of the commanding
heights, difficult at times for an inexperienced rider, his desire
to gaze on the placid water beneath him is easily gratified.
Even if the view be regarded for itself alone, without reference
to the romantic interest of its past history, it will fulfil any
moderate expectations. The bright blue sea in the pear-
shaped basin, 682 feet below the level of the ocean, lying almost
deserted in so deep an impression, has a beauty of its own,
perhaps of an unnatural kind, more impressive in its solitude
than if it were crowded with fishing-boats and pleasure-steam
ers. It is thirteen miles long, and nearly seven miles across
the widest part on the north, its apex being on the south,
from whence the Jordan flows in a crystal stream, a striking
contrast to its entrance on the north-east. From no point
can both ends be seen, but the central and northern parts are
everywhere visible except from the extreme south.
Tiberias is now the only town on its shore. Beyond the
ruined basaltic walls and towers to the south-west on the nar
row strip of land that borders the water, rises a small white
building with a dome. Four hot springs (140° Fahr.) are
there, the baths of Tiberias mentioned by Pliny and Josephus
when famous for their healing qualities beyond the bounds of
the land of Israel. To these medicinal waters people flock in
large numbers. The name of the baths has been preserved
throughout the ages, and their reputation, now confined within
iSt. John ii. 12. 90

THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY 91
narrower limits, still survives. I once joined the multitude of
stricken humanity, when in the neighbourhood, for the sake
of a servant, but the scene within the walls forced me to re
tire, and the man I took inside recovered his health without
the aid of the baths. Wasps in possession of the place in
large numbers terrified him; other inmates, fearing the con
sequences of their fever more than the hostile insects, splashed
in the heated basins, surrounded by the accumulated dirt of
many years.
The town of Tiberias, partially destroyed by an earthquake
in 1837, dejected and forlorn in appearance, appeals eloquently
for recovery and relief from its squalor; its notoriety may be
imagined from the frequent description of native visitors as
" the court of the King of Fleas." Josephus says it was built
by Herod Antipas near the warm baths called Ammaus (now
Hammam), and named after his friend and patron, the Roman
Emperor Tiberius. Ruins of the ancient wall exist today ; the
more imposing structures ¦ — citadel, palace, and forum — have
disappeared. Herod granted the town many privileges, and
made it the capital of Galilee. After the destruction of Jeru
salem a.d. 70, it became the seat of Rabbinical learning, and
the cradle of modern Judaism. Here Rabbi Judah, towards
the end of the second century, collected and committed to writ
ing the great mass of traditional law known as the Mishna.
This was followed by its supplement and commentary, the
Gemara (the Jerusalem Talmud), in the next century.
Orthodox Jews refused at first to dwell in the Herodian
town because heathen statues adorned the castle walls and its
foundations were laid on the site of bones that had been ex
posed by the builders. These unsightly features created in
the minds of the reputable inhabitants of the lake-shore towns
a wholesome repugnance to the new city. Numerous govern
ment officials increased their animosity, and the depraved court
of Herod made Tiberias an impossible place for religious
people. When the memory of its early history faded from the
Jewish mind there appeared to be no more reasonable objec-

92 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
tions to a Jewish settlement. Its unfavourable distinction in
our Lord's day no doubt accounted for the omission of this
name from its history. Other towns of similar notoriety that
flourished in the neighbourhood of the lake in the life-time of
Jesus received similar treatment. Tarichae, " the pickling
places," a centre of fishing industry at the southern end of the
lake, had a large population and an extensive trade, but no
trace is left either of its name or its site. A mound called
Kerak, near where the Jordan leaves the lake, represents all
that man can conceive of this ancient fishing port.
Only four towns are mentioned in the New Testament be
sides Tiberias as existing along the coast — namely, Magdala,
Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida — and they are at the
other end of the water. A lake-shore road, nearly level all the
way, connected them; it joined the roads to the north and
south of the lake, and passed along the eastern side to Gergesa,
Gamala, and the cities of the Decapolis.
About three miles northwards from Tiberias, by the water's
edge, a collection of hovels forms the squalid village of Megdel
with its solitary palm-tree ; the site of Magdala, the home of
Mary Magdalene. Beyond this insignificant hamlet the mar
vellously fertile plain of Gennesareth, one mile broad and three
miles long, watered by three tiny streams well stocked with fish,
occupies the next portion of the western shore. A strand of
enchanting beauty, not more than a dozen yards wide, forms
in one of these delightful spots a little bay, where myriads of
tiny shells, the size of the head of a pin, glisten in the sunlight.
In other places oleanders, with their crimson blossoms, fringe
the shore, and dip their flowers in the rippling waves. It is
impossible to penetrate with ease the tangle of plants that
in their tropical luxuriance grow in this wild garden of nature.
Trailing vines, no longer useful, weeds and fruits of discordant
habits, mingle in this wilderness of verdure decked with the
hues of many flowers.
Towards its northern borders the mountain at the west
appears to have been cleft in two. Along the bottom of this

THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY 93
ravine, with almost perpendicular walls, emerges the road from
Nazareth and Cana, and the towns of the west, on its way to
the cities of the Galilean Sea, and thence to Damascus. By
the northern boundary of the plain is Khan Minyeh, and Ain
et Tin, a fountain very near the lake where reeds and papyrus
grow abundantly. Behind the spring is the ruined khan, and
on a sharp bluff appears the remains of part of a castle.
Underneath, near where a town is buried, the road from the
south touches the lake at an appropriate spot for a custom
house. On this ruined site, when Jesus walked from Cana, a
city flourished ; its walls are still visible far into the sea, which
is here remarkably shallow. I have a painful cause of remem
brance, having tried to swim in the sea over the stones not
yet dissolved by the movement of the water. The lost city has
been identified as Capernaum. Near Khan Minyeh, on the
northern shore, a heap of black ruins contain what is left of a
synagogue. Some of the pedestals are in situ. Fragments
of capitals, cornices, and decorated stones, one ornamented
with a pot of manna, another with bunches of grapes, are
heaped together in indescribable confusion. This deserted
mass on the desolate shore is Tell Hum, by many people re
garded as having a better claim, chiefly on account of the
ruined synagogue, to the name of old Capernaum.
In less than an hour's ride to the north, away from the sea,
through prodigious thistles and wild mustard-trees, a ruin
named Kerazeh, peeping out of the wilderness of weeds, has
been suggested as the site of Chorazin.
Two miles and a half beyond Tell Hum the Jordan enters
the Sea of Galilee ; it is not very wide, and can be easily forded
where it joins the lake. Across the river's mouth are the
ruins of eastern Bethsaida, built by Herod Philip, the brother
of Herod Antipas, and called by him Julias.
From the left bank of the Jordan the plain of Batihah, re
sembling Gennesareth in fertility and similar in size, reaches
the high ground above the eastern coast. About six miles
from the river, on the side of Wady Samakh, are the ruins of

94 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Khersa, or Ghersa, where the hills retreat from the shore a
little north of a point opposite Tiberias. From this point the
slope towards the lake inclines more rapidly. Some distance
from the margin of the hills, on higher ground, in a conspicuous
position, are the remains of Gamala, one of the largest cities
and strongest fortresses in the country. There can be little
doubt that Ghersa is the Gergesa of the New Testament ; its
territory adjoins the country of the Gadarenes, terminating
abruptly above the great gorge of the Yarmuk (Hieromax).
On the other side of the valley Um Keis, Old Gadara, rests on
an eminence. Turning west along the southern boundary of
the lake down the valley the road from Gadara is found lead
ing to Tarichae.
The vivid contrast between the present and past conditions
of the lake shore is unknown to the sparse inhabitants of this
desolate region. Content with their poverty and wretchedness,
in careless freedom they pursue their fitful toil. But to those
whose memories are stored with the historic splendours of an
cient days the landscape may assume in the working of their
minds a very different aspect. The lonely shores of the silent
sea filled with people engaged in business or pleasure. The
girdle of ruins round the lake awakens into life; the bazaars,
streets, and lanes of the dead cities resound with the hum of
voices. On the lake-shore road, gay with bright Oriental
costumes, appear once more rich and poor, men of high and
low degree, soldiers and civilians, Jews and Gentiles. The
mansions of the rich, the homes of the poor, synagogues,
wharves, and factories for native industry, the building of
boats, tanning of skins, making of pots, and an extensive trade
in fish, encircled by the open-air life in the fields and on the
water, present a feature altogether unknown in the Palestine
of today. Merchants from east and west thronged the bazaars
with their tempting wares of art and manufacture, burnished
and beaten metal goods and costly fabrics. Greek architecture
in cities within sight of the hills above the sea shed its glory
on the simple ways of the agricultural people of the surround-

THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY 95
ing area. Its culture penetrated the homes of the industrial
inhabitants of the towns ; its temples and theatres spread their
temptations over the people; its joy of life came into violent
yet seductive contact with the stern discipline of the law of
God. Herod's castle in Tiberias, Roman garrisons in the city
by the sea, furnished the military trappings of state rule.
While the produce of the lake found its way to regions remote
from the confines of Israel, traders passed along the roads
converging on the lake from all quarters, and helped to in
crease the prosperity of the Galileans; and their intercourse
with the Gentiles freed them from the prejudice of their
brethren in Judea.
Few people are aware of the prominence of the part this
industrial centre of Galilee played in the past. If it had not
been for Jesus no one would have cared. Without Him even
the name of the lake would have been forgotten. He fills the
pages of its history, and illustrates them with His life, and
it is because of Him that men are interested in the Galilean
Sea. The memories of His wondrous love that cluster in places
there have consecrated those spots for ever.
The populous district by the lake, with its immense oppor
tunities, became the centre of His Mission. From that centre
the radiant light of the Kingdom of God spread its beams
over the congested region. The rich in their villas away from
the sea, and the poor in their quarters by the water, beheld the
dawn of a brighter hope; and strangers from afar carried to
their distant homes impressions of that glorious dawn. It
appeared graduaUy, dispersing the darkness of a long night
in a way never anticipated. The Galileans did not expect the
new day to rise in the comparative obscurity of loving service.
Their turbulent spirits looked for a Messiah who would stir
into flame the embers of their national greatness.
When the fishermen who had acknowledged Jesus as the
Messiah returned with Him to their city, after witnessing His
miracle at Cana, they doubtless told the story of their discov
ery of the new hope of Israel. Little time was left for them

96 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
to make it known. Preparations were already in progress for
the caravan of pilgrims to start for the Passover in Jerusalem.
Insufficient accommodation in the Holy City for the immense
number of pilgrims resorting thither for the great feast made
it necessary for those who lived in the country districts to
carry with them many things for the satisfaction of their mod
est needs. Besides provisions, dried fruit, olives, cheese, and
bread, reeds and laths to form booths for temporary dwellings,
beds for the more luxurious people, and various cooking uten
sils were borne either on baggage animals or on the backs of
the travellers.
The chief obstacle on the journey, the only serious diffi
culty that had to be encountered, was the uncertain temper
of the people of Samaria. If reports showed that serious
opposition might be expected from them, another route was
chosen. Even when the disposition of the inhabitants of the
country appeared to be pacific, their suspicious eyes watched
the Galilean throng as it passed through their hostile land.
The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans.2 From this
statement it would appear that the road through Samaria was
generally avoided by the Passover caravan. The only place
in the Gospels where the route is definitely mentioned indicates
quite clearly that the pilgrims went by another road.3 Refer
ence is found in the record of the Evangelist St. Luke 4 of an
attempt to pass through the enemy's country on the way to
Jerusalem, an attempt that was frustrated by the refusal of
the inhabitants of the border town of the permission required.
On another occasion 5 it is said that Jesus " must needs go
through Samaria " as if it were not the usual route. That
the temper of the Samaritans was variable and their attitude
hostile is shown also by Josephus, where he states that " it
was the custom of the Galileans, when they came to the Holy
City at the festivals, to take their journeys through the coun
try of the Samaritans." He directs attention to the route on
2 St. John iv. 9. * St. Luke ix. 53.
3 St. Luke xviii. 35; St. Matt. xx. 17, 20. s St. John iv. 4.

THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY 97
a particular journey. " At this time," he writes (when " the
people fought with the Galileans and killed a great number
of them"), "there lay, in the road they took, a village that
was called Ginea, which was situated in the limits of Samaria
and the great plain." 6
Ginea, now called Jenin, occupies a central position on the
main road from north to south. While the Galileans followed
other paths, they doubtless also went at times by this thorough
fare to impress their neighbours with the importance of their
race and religion, willing to incur the risk of opposition for the
sake of their vanity, when a sense of security arose from con
fidence in the strength of their company. For mutual pro
tection the pilgrims from the towns on the lake shore joined
the bands from the uplands of Galilee, and passed with the
dwellers on the plain of Esdraelon in a long and formidable
procession to the frontier town of Samaria.
Travelling in the first warmth of spring was exceedingly
pleasant, and the prospect of the journey to Jerusalem suffi
ciently alluring to compensate a religious pilgrim for all the
toil of the way. Sleeping at night would be no trouble to the
travellers. Eastern men and women lie down in their clothes
either on the bare ground in the open air, or on a padded quilt
called a bed, the girdle that binds their garments together be
ing unloosed for ease in a recumbent position. The bed is
rolled up in the morning and placed with the rest of the bag
gage. Slowly, even leisurely, the people tramped the dusty road
without any feeling of discomfort arising from the load that
had to be carried. A festival spirit stirred within them. Ram's
horns were frequently blown with great skill and fervour to
call them into remembrance of the object of their journey and
their place of worship. The more devout members of the
company sang the pilgrim psalms, " the songs of the goings
up," sang them with throbbing hearts, and the swelling words
passed with resounding chords down the long line of the pro-
o Josephus, Ant. Book xx. vi. 1.

98 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
cession. " I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go up
to the House of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy
gates, O Jerusalem," 7 With passionate longing the sincere
Galileans uttered the words of the Psalmist of Israel on their
annual pilgrimage. The hills around re-echoed the song of hope.
One among the crowd joined in that psalm with feelings
instinctively superior to the rest of the throng. Annually for
eighteen years Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem as an ordinary
pilgrim. On this journey He went as the Messiah to open His
public ministry in the sacred capital before the rulers of the
people. With simple dignity He walked along the broad high
way. When the pilgrim song died down to the beat of the
pilgrim feet, He was as conscious of His mission in the com
parative silence that followed as the people, in the most sub
lime moment of their exaltation, felt the glowing words they
sang. The men who had been with Him at Cana noticed His
serene composure, but they could neither fathom the depth
of His heart nor comprehend the height of His purpose. Spec
ulations about the future probably formed the subject of their
conversation; expectations of further disclosures of His pow
ers arose in their minds.
From Ginea, where the people from various parts of the
northern province met together, the long line of pilgrims
moved up the hill to the plain of Dothan by the numerous
parallel paths that formed the road. After another ascent a
broad and weU-cultivated valley lay below them. Down the
gradual slope, by fruitful gardens, olive groves, and orchards,
guarded by the Samaritan owners from the covetous fingers of
the baser elements of the pilgrim caravan, the city of Samaria
was seen in the distance on an eminence above the fertile land.
Along the road below the hill the Galileans went on their way
to Shechem, through its narrow streets, amid the covert
glances of the inhabitants, to the camping ground near Jacob's
Well. One more stage of the journey would bring them into
Judea. 7 Psalm cxxii,

THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY 99
From Jacob's Well the road on the hillside overlooked the
rich plain of Samaria and the bounds of its eastern habitations.
From the rising ground at the end of the track the pilgrims
gazed on the distant hills of Judah; behind them mighty Her
mon, with its snowy crest glistening in the sun against the deep
blue sky, could be seen on the northern border of the promised
land. The road continued down a rugged steep to more level
ground, with fig orchards and groves of olive trees stretching
towards the wooded heights on both sides of the way, to the
cornfields on the little plain of Lebonah which terminated at
the foot of a giant hill with a rocky face. On the left a road
went to Shiloh, the scene of Eli's shame and the place of Sam
uel's duty; round the base of the hill another road turned
towards Judea.
A stiff climb up the mountain in front and by an easy path
down its western side, the more energetic pilgrims entered an
open glade at the entrance to a beautiful valley, one of the
most picturesque spots in the country. In this wild ravine
a copious fountain burst from the foot of a precipitous crag,
tempting the heated travellers to rest in the secluded dells and
shady retreats near the flowing water.
From the recesses of the woods the procession passed into
an enchanting glen leading to an open space where three val
leys met. By narrow paths on the side of the bed of a winter
torrent the Galileans emerged from the valley known to mod
ern travellers as the valley of the Robbers (Wady Haramyeh)
to a wider landscape in Judea. Sterner looking seemed the
hills in the distance than the well-clothed heights of Samaria,
but a more joyous feeling stirred the multitude — the ecstasy
at the thought of their destination quickened their laggard
footsteps. A great panorama, beginning with the eastern
view of terraced hills in the foreground receding into bare
heights beyond flushed with distant blue and dark deep valleys
between, unfolded a richer prospect towards the south and west
of woods and groves and valleys thick with corn. The sight

100 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
of the uplands of Judah, instinct with the glory of heroic deeds,
thrilled the Galileans, and from their lips the songs burst forth
again. Grey stone boulders on the side of the road to Bethel
impeded the progress of many feet, but no obstacle on the way
could stifle the singing of the pilgrims. From Bethel down
the sloping paths to Nob, though rocks made travelling diffi
cult, the rapture of beholding the Holy City grew more in
tense. Turning from the Jerusalem road towards Mount Scopus
and the Mount of Olives, where Galileans camped at the Pass
over, soon the villas in the gardens of the northern suburbs
came into sight. Gradually the glorious spectacle of the city
of the Great King appeared with the Temple in its stately
grandeur. The horned trumpets' blasts were heard again;
the pilgrim songs were sung with ever-increasing enthusiasm.
Floating on the evening breeze the sound passed down the
long procession to the groups of citizens waiting to welcome
their friends from the north. " They that trust in the Lord
shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth
for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so
the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even for
ever." 8 With full hearts they sang, as before their minds rose
noble visions. For one brief moment the best that was in them
triumphed. A sensation had already been created amongst the inhab
itants of the Holy City by John the Baptist's mission. Crowds
of people from other lands, having heard of the movement from
the dwellers in the Jewish capital, shared their anticipation in
the prospect of a development of the agitation. The air was
charged with rumour, and the ferment grew as the pilgrim
bands from Galilee reached Jerusalem and with them the Man
of Nazareth. But nothing ever seems to happen according to
expectation. The people looked for outward display ; their
gaze being fixed in that direction, they missed the vision of
an inward experience. John had declared the need of cleansed
b Psalm cxxv. 1-2.

THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY 101
hearts ; Jesus came to show the need of a cleansed Temple for
more spiritual worship in which the pure in heart alone could
participate, and see God.
The religious rulers of the nation had no reason to com
plain that the people were unconcerned about the centre of
the nation's life. If large congregations and good collections
denote success, the rulers no doubt derived great satisfaction
from their efforts to secure the attendance of the people.
Crowds assembled in the Temple courts, and their money
poured into the Temple coffers. Such liberty was devised that
every one seemed free to act as it pleased his fancy in matters
subservient to those in authority so long as no one encroached
on their vested interests. The priests jealously guarded their
cherished prerogatives. They alone entered the holy place,
and so numerous were they that only by casting lots 9 could the
turn to minister be secured.
Outside their particular domain, on the lines they had laid
down, free discussion of religious topics and free education
in religious affairs became a prominent feature. In the halls
adjoining the Court of the Gentiles the Rabbis taught their
disciples and disputed with one another over matters of
" worthless subtlety." The freedom allowed to all who wished
to teach enabled the Prophet of Nazareth to gather the people
round Him when He subsequently visited the Holy City. The
same freedom furnished the opportunity for the attacks of the
rulers. Once the way was open to satisfy the Eastern mind in its
insatiable desire for argument, the world gained an entry into
the Temple area. The licence allowed soon developed the in
stinct for business. For the convenience of the people the
tables of the money-changers had been moved from the streets
outside, then followed the cattle dealers with victims for sac
rifice, and the sellers of doves for offerings. A throng of idle
onlookers increased the crowd of interested spectators, all
disposed to join in the noisy chaffering. Sounds of Oriental
» St. Luke i. 9.

102 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
discord filled the outer courts. The clatter of salesmen, the
jarring tones of the purchasers, and the general hubbub of
an Eastern bazaar, with its jostling mob and jeering boys,
mocked the solemn aspect of God's Holy House. Pious Jews
long exiled from their native land, returning pilgrims to the
shrine of the Divine presence, found a noisy rabble and a
scene of disorder, yet no one interfered; it was under the
patronage of the priests doubtless satisfied with their toler
ance. The world was let loose in the Temple courts.
Moved with indignation, into the midst of the multitude the
Man of Nazareth stepped. Seizing a number of small cords
that formed part of the litter on the marble pavement, He
twisted them into a scourge and hastily drove the cattle out
of the court. He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those who sold doves, solemnly commanded
them to take these things hence, and said, " Make not My Fa
ther's House a house of merchandise." His air of authority
and His lofty courage carried all before Him ; all antagonism
was subdued; no one refused to obey. Great must have been
the consternation of the officers, and the surprise of the peo
ple. " The Lord had suddenly come to His Holy Temple." 10
Some of the rulers may have remembered the Boy from
Nazareth Who eighteen years before had impressed them with
His remarkable knowledge and His distinguished claim that
God was His Father. With this claim before them the signifi
cance of His act ought to have been apparent from the pro
ceedings of the people. He cleansed the courts of His Fa
ther's House as they cleansed their homes in the preparation
for the Passover, according to God's commandment (Exod.
xii. 5. " Ye shall put away leaven out of your houses ").
That no attempt was made to arrest Him is evidence of His
power. This was perhaps the most surprising feature of the
attitude of the rulers ; that they should let Him alone. Noth
ing more amazing can be conceived than their abstention from
violence towards Jesus. Something in Him checked them.
10 Malachi iii, 1.

THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY 103
For a moment, as He stood before them, they hesitated, not
knowing what to do. Awakening wonder at the assumption
of such authority no doubt stirred new thoughts within them.
Who could this Man be Who dared to interfere with the cus
toms of the people sanctioned by the priests, that treated with
contempt the rulers of the Temple? So eagerly had they
looked for the Messiah, they may have thought that perhaps
He Who had appeared in so strange and startling a manner
might be their long-expected King. No one had a definite
idea of what the Messiah would be like, nor exactly what He
would do. The rulers certainly never imagined that their
ways would meet with His disapproval. They expected Him
to do what they were unable to achieve, not undo what they
had accomplished. They hoped for great things, a great king
dom, a great nation, something that would give great joy
without great effort. Life was hard as well as joyless in
Jerusalem ; uncertainty made it so — not merely uncertainty
about the Messiah, but a misconception of God, of His na
ture and His purpose, and disappointment in the delay of
Jewish emancipation.
The rulers could not conceive God independently of their
forms and ceremonies; they could not see Him because of
them. They could not see the forest for the trees. The spirit
of discernment had gone, and with it the joy of living had
departed. All that was left for them, the cold satisfaction
of the rigid observance of their laws, and the distinction gained
by the exercise of their power, scarcely eased the bitterness
arising from the pressure of Roman dominion.
Fearing that the people might regard the Prophet of Naz
areth as a man sent from God, and see in His action a rebuke
for them, the rulers consulted together in order to prevent any
movement that might imperil their cause and destroy their
power. Unwilling to accept the Galilean on the evidence be
fore them, which hurt their consciences, they were not alto
gether disposed to ignore His deed; they could not ignore the
Man, and they were apparently afraid to arrest Him. Ex-

*w w

104 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
treme caution seemed necessary to deal with a Person of such
wonderful power; they decided to ask for a sign that war
ranted His action. It was more than a way of excusing them
selves, this infirm venture of a protest, more than a slight
assumption of complaint against His proceedings. Beneath
the evidence of perplexity an uncomfortable feeling suggested
that something more than they could understand moved the
sublime Figure before them. Their feeble request exhibited
their powerless condition. They said, " What sign showest
Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things ? " xl The
character of His action was an answer to their question; no'
other sign could be given that would satisfy them. If their
hearts had been fixed on God the rulers could not have failed
to receive Him; if they had been faithfully engaged in the
study of God's Word they would have seen the prophecy of
Malachi fulfilled.12 He answered their question by saying,
" Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 13
When He uttered these words He would doubtless have moved
His hand towards His body, action would have accompanied
His speech in the customary manner of Eastern men. The
rulers thought only of the Temple and its courts, the repre
sentation on earth of the dwelling-place of God, and not the
shrine of the Divine presence, the body of the Man before
them. Having no reverence for the one in which they pro
fessed to worship, they had lost all spiritual perception in
their failure to recognize the Divine presence in the other.
His words appeared to their disordered minds like an idle
boast; and such an answer to their question a contemptuous
method of treating a serious subject; and later, when the
opposition of the rulers became intense, and they hated Him,
His words were used against Him. They replied, " Forty and
six years was this Temple in building, and wilt Thou rear it
up in three days? " 14
At the outset of His Mission Jesus was misunderstood, His
11 St. John ii. 18. 13 St. John ii. 19.
12 Mai. iii. 1-3. i* St. John ii. 20.

THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY 105
action misinterpreted. The fact that He was so misunder
stood is a tribute to His greatness. All greatness is myste
rious, even provoking and baffling. The condemnation which
Jesus has laid upon the men of the world who will not believe
on Him is to force them to explain Him. Men do not mis
interpret the speech and actions of their fellow-men when they
move on the same levels. It is when one is immeasurably above
them that they cannot comprehend his words and ways ; then
men are perplexed, either because of their imperfect knowl
edge of him, or by the strange contradiction of his character.
Jesus is perfectly transparent and perfectly consistent ;
His life is open for men to gain a free entry into His mind and
heart. It is the moral and spiritual elevation of His charac
ter that rests in the awful loneliness of its sublime height.
Men cannot reach its lofty summit to search out the secret of
His greatness. Yet simple men have seen there a beauty sur
passing all human thought, beyond all human imagination;
something altogether lovely ; and great men of the earth have
bowed in humble reverence before the supreme grandeur of the
character of Jesus.

CHAPTER IX

THE NEW BIRTH

The first public act of Jesus in Jerusalem was the cleansing
of the Temple courts; His first public statement related to
the destruction of the Temple of His body by the defilers of the
Temple of God.
When He was risen from the dead His disciples remembered
His saying and believed on His word.1 Their eyes were opened
to the wondrous beauty of His sacrifice and the marvellous
power of their risen Lord. The selfish interest in the rulers
of the Temple shut out the light of truth; in their prejudice
they refused to consider the wonder of His work, His work
of unveiling the Kingdom into which no man could enter with
heart uncleansed.
Other works were accomplished while He was in Jerusalem,
and many of the people at the Passover believed in Him when
they saw the miracles that He did,2 believed in Him as a Man
from God; others were startled by the profound impression
His works had made, but they hesitated to accept Him as the
Messiah. They admitted there was something more in Him
than they had seen before, and it touched them. One of their
rulers, a member of the Sanhedrin, a teacher of Israel, had
been so moved by the Young Reformer, Cautious on account
of his position, timid in his method of approach, with a dim
foreshadowing of a greatness he could not comprehend, he
came to Jesus by night. From his stately mansion in the city,
by the light of the Passover moon, the ruler threaded his way
through the dense crowd of transitory dwelling-places on the
slopes of Olivet to the temporary abode of Jesus. In the
courtesy of Oriental language he addressed Him in the hope
of receiving some assurance that he was right in assuming
i St. John ii. 22. 2 St. John ii. 23.
106

THE NEW BIRTH 107
His works were the signs that He had come from God.3 He
accosted Him as if he had been the deputy of a party repre
senting the current opinion of the people; and the collective
form of his opening remarks has led some men to believe he
was sent by the Sanhedrin to prepare conditions of an agree
ment on which they might appeal to the nation.
Our Lord answered him in the plural number,4 because it was
the most suitable reply for the occasion. Nicodemus had
identified himself with his associates; Jesus followed his lead
and answered in the corporate capacity of Himself and His
followers. He invariably dealt with men who were sincere
in their desire for knowledge by taking His stand with them
on their platform, on the basis of a mutual understanding
from whence, if they were willing, He might lift them into the
higher plane of His own life. Even when they hesitated their
reluctance was not due to His teaching, but to their lack of
appreciation. Having met Nicodemus on the ground of his
appeal as a member of a community, He proceeded to reveal
to him the fact of individual responsibility.5 The personal life
of a Jew was absorbed in the race ; the man was a part of the
people ; his religion was national ; he believed all the promises of
God were for the commonwealth, and every member of it was,
by the nature of his position, a recipient. Christ came to
teach the value of the individual soul, to proclaim a tremendous
change as the necessary condition for recognizing it ; that with
out this new movement, which He termed being born again, no
one could participate in the true privileges of God's children.
Man must be separated from his people, and in his own per
son realize the fundamental moral principles of the new hfe,
and become convinced by his own vision of its reality, before
he could enter into it.
From the inference which Nicodemus drew concerning
Christ's miracles,6 he was silently brought back to the com
mon truth about earthly things which men may observe with-
3 St. John iii. 2. 5 St. John iii. 3.
*St. John iii. 11. 6 St. John iii. 2.

108 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
out revelation, before he could see the heavenly things un
veiled by the Holy Spirit ; to the baptism by water' in which
Gentiles were admitted as new-born babes into the Jewish faith,
familiar to Nicodemus as representing the cleansing of the
life from the defilement of heathenism and its dedication to the
service of God. He must have known, as a member of the San
hedrin, John the Baptist's declaration, " I indeed baptize you
with water. . . . He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost " ; 7
that this new baptism was meant for all, both Jews and Gen
tiles ; that it portrayed something more than the old Jewish
ordinance, and stood for something new, a new life in a new
Kingdom. Nicodemus, hard pressed by the condition of ad
mission, indicated its impossibility by a further question, " How
can a man be born when he is old? "8 He could not see how
the spiritual life was to be renewed without the natural life,
when both grow together from the beginning; and, as the
bodily form cannot be altered when it is old, neither can the
spirit return and develop into a new and holier life. The
ruler still spoke as a son of the favoured nation, with thoughts
of Israel's heritage clouding his mind and veiling his spirit.
He was unwilling to admit the necessity for a Jew to be on
the same level as a Gentile. If being born again was the con
dition of entering the Kingdom, then no one, he thought, would
ever enter it. The young spirit might see it, but the old man
with his life behind him, an irrevocable past which cannot
change, had no hope.
The difficulty was removed by a clearer exposition of the
principle of the new birth, as the work of a power unseen, like
the wind, the operating force of the Holy Spirit, His spir
ituality rather than his personality, imparting to the life by
which the Spirit moves a new vigour and a new vision. As
the body immersed in water partakes of that element and a
change is made by washing, it is the symbol of the transition
into the new life, it is the outward form of the inward action
of the Holy Spirit cleansing the old life into the new birth.
7 St. Luke iii. 16. s St. John iii. 4.

THE NEW BIRTH 109
However mysterious this may be, it is not impossible; when
the Holy Spirit enters into the life of a man a consciousness of
Divine fellowship follows, he knows that a new relationship has
been discovered by some mysterious process which he has expe
rienced, his spiritual sight beholds something new, and this is
termed the new birth. He sees a new life unfolded before him,
and it grows as he receives the current of Divine energy pro
ceeding from the source of his being, the Infinite and Eternal
God, Whose Kingdom has been established within him.
Nicodemus wonderingly asked, " How can these things be? "
And Jesus answered, " Art thou a teacher of Israel, and know-
est not these things ? " 9 — the outward form of the new birth,
the sphere of action of which is on the earth; how shaU ye
believe if I tell you of heavenly things, where the spiritual life
is more fully developed? No man has ascended up into heaven
to bring the truth down but the Son of Man to Whom it was
given, and by Whom it is declared.
Further conversation followed relating to the love of God
for man, its universal appeal, and the solemn responsibility
on all who hear it. Other truths were enunciated pertaining
to the Passion of Jesus, and the prospect of life eternal, be
fore the company retired to rest ; and Nicodemus went forth
into the night, as silently and secretly as he entered Christ's
presence, with the Spirit's breath about him, enveloping his
own timid spirit ; but not until Jesus was lifted up, as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, was the old man fully
conscious of the new birth. He had learned that the individ
ual soul, depending on its natural existence, could be lifted into
a new Kingdom independent of the nation, a separate entity
conscious of another life, and he showed the dawn of his better
understanding when he subsequently stood before the Sanhedrin,
a solitary figure, differing from his associates in his desire for
justice for Jesus.10 He came again to Jesus, when the fickle
multitude had despised and rejected Him and He was nailed
to the cross, bringing the spices for His. burial that belong
o St. John iii. 9-13. "> St. John vii. 50, 51.

110 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
to the truly great,11 so that he might honour Him as King
when His kingly state was the mockery of the people. And
there he entered into the new Kingdom, roused into a new life,
which involved the severance of old ties, a stepping out of the
old paths. Out of weakness he was made strong, out of dark
ness he came into light, into the knowledge of the truth which
had made him free.
After the Feast Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem and
went into Judea, and there He tarried with them. We have
no guide to His movements beyond the statement that His
disciples baptized.12 It is, however, sufficient to direct us to
the place, as the only one available for the purpose in Judea
was in the wild region beyond Anathoth and near to Mich
mash, on the border of the barren wilderness of hills which
overlook the Jordan Plain. There in the bottom of the valley,
about ten miles from Jerusalem to the north-east, flows a
copious spring in a natural basin, now known as Ain Farah.13
In the announcement that John was baptizing at iEnon,
near to Salim, because of " much water," there is an indication
of the time of the year. Before the hot summer there is
" much water " in many places. Perennial streams flow into
the Jordan from both sides, and many springs and pools are
seen in various parts of the country. The streams are grad
ually reduced in size, the springs emit a feeble flow, and the
pools dry up when the hot weather approaches. " Much wa
ter " in a place is thus a very distinguished feature, and its
reference to iEnon denotes a scanty supply elsewhere, and in
both places identified by the name iEnon — i.e. Springs —
there is much water in summer, more at the iEnon 14 in the
uSt. John xix. 39; 2 Chron. xvi. 14. 12 St. John iii. 22, 23; iv. 1, 2.
i3 The boys in the school in Jerusalem where I was Head Master were
taught to swim in the pool formed by the spring, and they used it through
out the summer as their bathing-place. It is the source of the Kelt, tra
ditionally known as the brook Cherith, and though the spring is called Ain
Farah it is distinct from the wady of the same name north of Nablous
(Shechem). 14 The only reason for refusing to accept this site is its locale in Sa
maria. This is certainly an argument against it, but not strong enough to

THE NEW BIRTH 111
Samaritan hills near the Jordan Valley than its rival site
nearer Scythopolis.
This indirect allusion to the season of the year in the
absence of any definite statement regarding the length of time
Jesus spent in Judea, is very serviceable, and the proximity of
iEnon in Samaria to the springs in the hill country of Judea
enables us to understand more easily how the common rumours
passed between the people and the priests 15 and the followers
of the two Preachers. It would not be very difficult for
Jews from Judea to visit John and dispute with his dis
ciples about purifying,18 and they would be more eager for
the enterprise, if he had entered their enemy's territory,
in order to uphold their own views against the Baptist's new
methods. Meanwhile, crowds listened to the teaching of Jesus, and His
disciples were busily engaged in their new vocation ; even the
priests in Jerusalem heard they baptized more disciples than
John. Elements of discord were prepared in the usual manner
of reporting success, by way of comparison, through candid
friends or sympathizing followers. But they failed to kindle
in John the flame of professional jealousy. He heard their
statements that, like iron, would have entered other men's
souls, heard them unmoved, save by the lofty thoughts he ut
tered in noble words. No complaint escaped his lips when the
usual disturbers of peace, remembering his great following,
reported the increasing popularity of Jesus. Again he de
clared,17 " Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not
the Christ, but I am sent before Him. He must increase, and
I must decrease." These words mark the true hero in human
life. Facing his destiny with indomitable courage, he calmly
and resolutely acknowledged the greater claim of Jesus, and
discard it altogether, because the springs are in the hills bordering the Jor
dan Valley and remote from the populous region of the country. John,
as a preacher antagonistic to the hierarchy in Jerusalem, would not there
fore be unwelcome. The great heat of the Jordan Valley in the summer
where the other springs are situated is » much stronger reason for a re
treat to the Samaritan hills than any argument against it.
is St. John iv. 1. 10 St. John iii. 25. n St. John iii. 28, 29, 30.

112 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
wilHngly effaced himself that all honour might be offered to
Him. Soon afterwards he was seized by Herod Antipas and cast
into prison. The tyrant was smarting under the denunciation
of the Prophet, and, being unable to stifle his words, he dis
posed of his body. Herod was not altogether vile; though
cruel, crafty and immoral, he had heard John gladly. Be
neath the pile of evil that almost buried the good within him
was something that could be touched; but an evil genius pre
sided over him. His brother's wife, with whom he lived, con
trolled his spirit, and though he may have tried to free himself
when stirred by John's stern voice and his biting words, his
feeble attempts were transitory and vain. As one of the three
sons of Herod the Great, he had little good to expect from his
heritage. He received part of his father's kingdom as Te-
trarch of Galilee and Perea, and many of his vices. His
brother Philip became Tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis,
another half-brother of the same name resided as a private
gentleman in Rome. Herod, the Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea,
whose country bordered on Arabia, married the daughter of
Aretas, its king, a political union that secured peace on his
border but brought no peace to his home. After a period of
wretchedness due chiefly to his profligate life, he saw and was
enamoured of his brother Philip's wife when he visited Rome.
She encouraged his advances, and succeeded in inducing him to
divorce his wife and marry her. This infamous union John
denounced; his righteous indignation turned Herod's heart
against him, and the woman Herodias, whom the Tetrarch
had married, became his bitter enemy.
Meanwhile, Jesus in Judea was constrained to leave for
Galilee, and " He must needs go through Samaria." 18 He
probably travelled by the path along the valley to the west
of Michmash, and starting, according to Eastern custom, early
in the morning, He would reach Jacob's well at noon. The
ordinary route from Judea to GaHlee was the way to avoid
is St. John iv. 4.

THE NEW BIRTH 113
Samaria. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans,10
their hostility made a journey through their country unpleas
ant and uncomfortable, so the easy road was chosen by the
wayfarer to escape from these disagreeable people. But there
were times and occasions, though few in number, when it be
came necessary to take the more direct and the shorter road,
and pass through their inhospitable country.20 They were
usually those relating to the feasts in Jerusalem, when the
presence of the Galileans was required in the Temple for their
observance; then the people from the north travelled in com
panies for mutual comfort and protection. The need for Jesus
to go through Samaria was not His own, nor His own con
venience. It was for the need of the people, and the oppor
tunity awaiting Him there, that He undertook the journey
which forced Him to leave the common way and venture along
the harder road, with its threatening storm of hostile feeling.
The influence of John the Baptist's mission had penetrated
the land, his work on the banks of the river was close to its
border, and vEnon within ; and John had been arrested, was
now a prisoner in the hands of Herod ; his followers, no doubt
dismayed, were probably scattered. They needed support and
consolation, and thus the presence of Jesus was necessary for
them also.
On His arrival at Jacob's well, He sat on the stone at the
side, hungry, and thirsty, and weary, while His disciples went
into the city to purchase food. As He rested there a woman
of Samaria, with an unworthy past and dubious present, came
from Sychar to draw water. Something unusual had caused
her to leave her house at noon to fetch it from a distance, as
there were springs in Sychar 21 and plenty of flowing water
nearer home. In the East some of the wells 22 have a reputa-
19 St. John iv. 9.
20 Josephus, Ant. Book XX. chap. vi. 1.
21 Modern Eskar.
22 In Palestine water is of such importance and value — in many places
equal almost to life itself to its inhabitants — that qualities are attributed
to it which cannot be recognized by people unacquainted with their view
of life. The customary courteous remark pf a native traveller on receiy-

114 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
tion from their association with a person or event which exag
gerates their importance. The water in Jacob's well was not
so good as the water in Sychar, but its reputation was better,
and that was an attraction. There is no site in the Holy Land
more certain than Jacob's well.23 Jacob's independent spirit
urged him to buy a parcel of ground and dig a well to provide
water for his family, so that none would be required from
the surrounding people. The Samaritan woman sought ex
ternal aid because of the unsatisfying conditions of her own
place. Her solitary appearance at the unusual hour for draw
ing water was not due to her mode of life and sense of shame,
the fear of meeting other women who might cause her to realize
her condition. She afterwards went amongst them with the
joyful news of her salvation, and a message for them to taste
and see. It was the restless desire for something outside her
self, beyond her own sphere, her superstitious idea of the value
of water in Jacob's well ; and her frame of mind furnished the
opportunity for the Giver of life eternal. He asked her for a
drink of water to quench His own natural thirst, and she, hav
ing recognized Him as a Jew by His dress, expressed her sur
prise at His request ; thus the conversation began that was
fraught with so much blessing. He knew her need and led her
to her own discovery. Before He could present His wondrous
gift the ground of her heart had to be prepared to receive it,
the well had to be dug in her soul.
Jacob dug his well 24 for an independent supply of water ;
so other men who can afford it dig below the foundation of the
house they intend to build for a well within, and when the
structure is complete the flat roof collects the rain, pipes and
channels carry it down to the well beneath, and the owner is
ing a drink of water is, "This water is better than the water in my coun
try or in my village," in his heart believing the reverse.
2 Sam. xxiii. 15. David says, " O that one would give me drink of the
water of the well of Bethlehem ! " and his men broke through the lines of
the Philistine army to fetch it.
23 St. John iv. 5.
H(pp£ap in St. John iv. 11 is "well"; in St. Luke <f>peap is "pit"; Rev.
ix. 1, "pit"

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
; Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw
John IV: is

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc- D- Mastroianni
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor
Luke IV: 18

THE NEW BIRTH 115
no longer dependent on his external circumstances. Rain may
fall at the same time on a dwelling unprepared to receive it,
and it runs off the roof and is lost in the earth. The occupier
is forced to rely on others outside his home for supplying the
need of his household. The gracious rain from heaven falls
alike on the just and the unjust; the attitude of the former is
that of a recipient, his upward look and internal preparation
express his desire for reception, and his satisfaction arises
from within, through the water of life God has supplied in his
well. Before the water can be given the well must be dug, and
the attitude formed. This preparatory process was followed
by our Lord in His treatment of the woman before Him. She
knew the value of the well in the home ; she was aware of the
attraction of Jacob's well, of her attempts to quench desire by
earthly means that never satisfy, only postpone. Her idea
of situation was further shown in her reference to the place for
worship, one spot more holy than another for reverent men,
the mountain above her with its steep ascent and toilsome way,
which had long been worn by the weary feet of those who
climbed to its summit for intercourse with God. It is still the
only place for the Samaritan Passover. In Jerusalem, she ad
mitted, was the place where the Jews said men ought to wor
ship.25 Again our Lord turned- her thoughts from the out
ward to the inward, from the place without to the spirit
within, and declared that in spirit alone could true worship
be offered. He said " God is a Spirit : and they that worship
Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." 28 He thus
fixed for ever the essential principle of worship. The human
spirit being the link between human nature and Divine, it must
be sanctified by the presence of the Holy Spirit before the
union is complete for true worship. Then only can the spirit
blend in true harmony with the Divine nature, and true service
be rendered to God. In response to her awakening soul and
desire for knowledge Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah.
At first she thought He was a Prophet with the prophetic in-
25 St. John iv. 20, 26 St. John iv. 24.

116 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
sight ; her mind then conceived the thought of the Christ. She
spake of His coming, and said, " When He is come, He will
tell us all things." 27 She is now certain, and in her the
eternal fountain is opened and the living power supplied.
Born again of the Spirit, she left her water-pot, eager to make
known her discovery to the people amongst whom she lived.
Meanwhile, the disciples had returned with food, and marvelled
that their Master talked with a woman,28 yet they made no
remark, content with their belief that He did all things well.
They pressed Him to eat, and received in reply a sublime but
perplexing answer, " I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
. . . My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me." 29 Here,
as in His temptation, He recognizes the Giver of food as His
support and not the food itself. He directs their thoughts
towards a fuller disclosure of His work in the spiritual har
vest of the world already begun in the woman who had gone to
call her friends and neighbours, and, as she returned with them,
the sowing and the reaping appeared together. " Say ye
not," He said, " there are yet four months and then cometh
harvest? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look
on the fields, for they are already white to harvest." 30 In
that harvest was His joy, the hidden source of Divine food
27 St. John iv. 25. 28 St. John iv. 27. 29 St. John iv. 32, 34.
30 St. John iv. 35 : ovx i/ieis \eyere Sri = " Are ye not accustomed to
say" ("say ye not") points to some unrecorded saying of the people in
the district from whence the disciples came. Four months is the time be
tween the seed-time and the harvest in the fruitful soil of the lowlands
on the west side of the Sea of Galilee: in the highlands of the country it
is nearer six.
There are many local proverbs in Palestine found only in particular dis
tricts that do not apply elsewhere.
A real difficulty consists in furnishing an exact chronological date to our
Lord's visits to Jacob's well. His reference to sowing and reaping ap
pears to indicate the season, but which of them is not easy to determine.
Whether it was seed-time or harvest depends on the length of his stay in
Judea, and that cannot be ascertained. In all probability it was the saying
that formed the basis of His remarks, in which is found both the sowing
and the reaping, and it is even more probable when the rest of His state
ment respecting the future is duly considered. His visit to Samaria was
therefore neither seed-time nor harvest, but in the summer, and this season
is the more likely from the reference to water at -<Enon.

THE NEW BIRTH 117
which all men will receive as the wages of spiritual industry.
" Herein is that saying true, One soweth and another reap
eth." 31 He is the Sower, and all others are in some way reap
ers, having received in themselves the living seed, the power of
the Spirit, and with Him become, like Him, sowers as well as
reapers. For two days Jesus remained with the Samaritans, many of
whom believed on His word, first on the evidence of the woman
in whom the new life was manifest, then by the deeper and
stronger proof of personal conviction. The sowing and the
reaping of the two days in Samaria, this revival in Sychar, and
the hospitality given to Jesus by people who accepted His
message and received His gift for their future welfare, is a
welcome contrast to His rejection by the people of His own
home. si St. John iv. 37.

CHAPTER X

THE RETURN TO GALILEE

The sequence of events is now somewhat obscure. Whether
Jesus went direct to Nazareth or first to Cana cannot be ac
curately determined. His movements formed the preliminary
part of His Mission, and were all antecedent to the final call of
His disciples to join Him in carrying out the great purpose
of His life.
There are two roads into Galilee from Jacob's well: the
one traversed by tourists through Nablous, ancient Shechem,
enclosed in a narrow valley by two lofty mountains, Ebal on
the north and Gerizim on the south, is the central highway of
the country ; the other is a less important road, with little in
terest for modern travellers. If Jesus had intended to go by
the main road through the most populous parts of the land,
which is very improbable, His journey would have led Him
into the city of Shechem; but He sent His disciples to buy
food while He rested at Jacob's well some distance from the
city, and then remained by invitation two days with the Sa
maritans of Sychar. After His declaration of His Messiah-
ship, and the revival in Sychar, He would have an additional
reason for avoiding the principal road in the country. His
progress through the cities might have invited a public demon
stration, and His future work in Jewry have been prejudiced
by Samaritan favour.
The more direct road from Sychar to Galilee, and the one
by which Jesus was less likely to attract the attention of the
mass of people in the more thickly populated part of the
country, leaves Mount Ebal on the left, at right angles through
the road to Shechem ; it winds along Wady Seilun, gradually
rising to the hills by the rugged path to Tubas (ancient The-
bez). This picturesque route, now a stony track with signs
118

THE RETURN TO GALILEE 119
of an old road appearing in patches, leads to the head of
Wady Farah and the pool of Ainun (i.e. the springs, iEnon).
As I stood by the glittering water formed by copious springs
in the sunlight of a hot summer day, it was easy to set forth
in the mind the crowds that resorted to John's baptism, to
picture an assembly in this natural amphitheatre, on one side
of the pool a level space and shadowed hills on the other.
The highway from Shechem, by Sychar to the ford near
Bethabara and to Scythopolis, the Decapolitan city in the
plain by the river, afterwards paved by the Romans, whose
work is stiU to be seen, passed near the pleasant waters.
Mountain paths led from this ancient road to the rich and
uncultivated lands of the Jordan Valley, to unimportant Jor
dan fords at present known only to the few poor tent-dwellers
below the hills. No traces are found of Samaritan towns on
the receding heights east of the righ-road ; the ancient strong
holds of Bezek, Tirzah, and Thebez guarded the passes.
In this sparsely populated region no barrier either of Sa
maritan strife or Samaritan prejudice would keep the great
preacher of repentance from the waters of iEnon. His mes
sage, so different from the expression of the Jewish thought
of the time, would be more likely to impress the Samaritans
who heard him than provoke their displeasure because he was a
Jew. Not many years later Philip the Evangelist found will
ing ears among the Samaritan people.1
The last recorded scene of John the Baptist's labours was
laid in this district. After he was taken by Herod to the dun
geon of his desert fortress, John's disciples may have lingered
in those summer days near the place where their master bap
tized, in the vain hope of his return. Jesus passed that way.
Some of His followers had been the disciples of the Baptist ;
He had an interest in all the disciples, and also in John, and
this probably accounted partly for His journey through Sa
maria. No incident is related on the road from Samaria to
Galilee, beyond a slight reference to His reception by the Gali-
1 Acts viii. 5,

120 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
leans,2 who had seen the things that He did at the Passover.
When He reached the valley of Jezreel His disciples sep
arated from Him to go to their own homes, with thoughts in
their minds of developments in the uncertain future. Jesus
walked on alone to His destination over the little hiU of Her
mon; He was now within reach of His old home and amongst
the people with whom He was acquainted. Every one that met
Him, by the fleeting glance of surprise in their greeting, be
trayed awakening interest, and the people of Nain would
scarcely let Him pass without some form of recognition of the
change discovered in the Carpenter of Nazareth.
He walked again up the dusty hiUside road to His native
village, but everything was different. Familiar objects re
called the past; but it was not with the past He had to deal,
it was the future. Thoughts about the future surged within
Him. His arrival in Nazareth must have been a great event
in the village history. Some discerning souls see more clearly,
with a greater sense of proportion, and they may have noticed
beneath the habitual reserve of Jesus when He dwelt amongst
them the sign of a greater future: some with whom He had
conversed, whose powers of observation were more acute, had
doubtless perceived the promise. They would offer Him a
welcome without perhaps realizing what was meant by His
power, and with no thought of the stupendous claim He was
about to make before them.
Every town had a synagogue, and every village that could
muster ten Jews of full age to form the congregation. A lofty
site was usually selected, and if possible near flowing water
for the ablutions ordered by the authorities. The features
which influenced the choice of a site enable us to locate with
tolerable accuracy the position of the synagogue of Nazareth.
As only one fountain springs from the earth, the high ground
above it naturally suggests the most desirable situation. Be
ing in the direction of " the brow of the hill whereon the city
was built," 3 the proximity of a steep descent offered the means
2 St. John iv. 45, s St. Luke iv. 29.

THE RETURN TO GALILEE 121
the people required to put into execution their will to destroy
Him on Whom their anger afterwards burst in a fury; its
situation also represents the possibility of passing through
the people on His way to Cana without again entering Naz
areth. Remains of the ancient synagogues of Galilee show how
limited must have been the architectural designs of their build
ers. Nothing better than a rectangular structure could be
erected, with a profusion of ornamentation on the portico of
vine-leaves and grapes, and sometimes a pot of manna.
The internal arrangements followed the pattern of the Tem
ple in Jerusalem. At the end of the synagogue a chest, repre
senting the ark contained the Holy Scriptures, the scrolls of
the law and the prophets. Before the ark hung a rich veil.
Near it was a chair on a raised platform for the Chazzan, the
reader; special places for the rulers; and in the body of the
synagogue were seats for the congregation, consisting solely
of men. The Shammah (sacristan) had charge of the sacred
writings ; elders formed a council with a president, the chief
ruler of the synagogue, at the head of affairs; and deputies
for conducting the correspondence. The rulers possessed
great power over the community, of which the synagogue was
the centre ; their resolutions had the force of law ; they or
dained punishments, excommunication being the most severe,
and the Chazzan was the executive officer. Such an institution
kept alive the national spirit, and the liberty allowed in the
assembly stimulated the activity of mind which has been always
characteristic of the Jews.
As there were no priests outside Jerusalem a recognized
Reader, the Chazzan, ministered in the assembly; but any one
might be invited to occupy his place, read the lessons from the
law and the prophets, and add a personal commentary express
ing his own opinions. A man of good repute was welcomed,
and his address appreciated, particularly when it agreed with
the ideas of the congregation. That Jesus was so often per
mitted to speak was a sign of His great reputation, and the

122 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
synagogue offered him a great opportunity.4 Until He be
came recognized as a Reformer the people gladly listened to
His words: it was after He had healed the paralytic man to
show that He had the power to forgive sins that the rulers of
the synagogues opposed Him.
The congregation in the synagogue had a right to question
the speaker, raise objections to His remarks, and discuss them
freely. Animated debates often followed the statements of
the preachers ; passion spent itself in verbal warfare. The
liberty accorded to every one to become a reader and a speaker
provided the opening that most men covet for propagating
their own ideas. This marvellous facility of free speech of
fered an opportunity for Jesus to proclaim the good news of
the Kingdom of God, and to instruct the people in His new
doctrines. On the Sabbath Day He went into the synagogue at Naz
areth, the full tide of the Holy Spirit flowed over Him, and,
though the dull and monotonous service of the village fathers
was no longer congenial, He did not set up a new place of
His own to preach the glad tidings He came to proclaim.5
Under its shadow He had been taught to read the Scriptures.
Within its walls were many sacred associations, and memories
of earlier days flitted across His mind. His heart was moved
with very tender feelings, for He was human too. When the
Divine Man stood before the assembly in the place He had
often occupied before, He unrolled the scroll of sacred writ
ings, slowly and deliberately read the first and second verses of
the sixty-first chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah, then
rolled up the parchment, handed it to the servant of the syna
gogue, and sat down to deliver His sermon. Every eye was
fixed on Him ; in eager expectation the congregation were pre
pared to listen. As He unfolded the meaning of the passage
of Scripture in its relation to Himself, murmurs of dissatis
faction followed the first feeling of astonishment in the people,
and audible references to His origin displayed their annoyance.
* St. Luke iv. 14, 15. s St. Luke iv. 16.

THE RETURN TO GALILEE 123
That He Whom they had known as the Carpenter should pro
claim Himself Messiah, and assert His claim to the prophecy
of Isaiah being fulfilled in Him was more than they could bear
with reason. He had not even the training of a Rabbi, and
yet He ventured to assume the dignity and position of the
One they expected to restore the land and nation. He ignored
their outburst of rebellious feeling and calmly went on with
His address, noticing in its course what appeared to be the
desire of their hearts, that He should in some way vindicate
His claim. He knew they had in their minds the proverb,
"Physician, heal thyself," used in another form as a taunt
when He was hanging on the cross.0 He reminded them of the
depreciation of the message and work of the prophets of old
on account of the unbelief of the people : that " many widows
were in the land of Israel in the days of Elijah, but unto none
of them was he sent save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto
a woman that was a widow " ; 7 that " many lepers were in
Israel in the time of Elisha, and none of them was cleansed
saving Naaman the Syrian." 8
At this humiliating comparison their jealousy turned to
hatred; their dissent and dissatisfaction, hitherto expressed
in subdued tones, rose to a pitch of fury ; they turned on Him
in their wrath and thrust Him out of their village. The crowd
pressed hard on Him until they reached the top of the hill,
where they determined to compass His destruction by push
ing Him over one of the precipitous rocks, but the calm assur
ance in His presence, and the majesty of His Person, checked
their infamous purpose. " He passed through the midst of
them and went His way." 9
Driven from the home of His childhood by the people who
had seen Him grow in their midst to man's estate, He walked
towards Cana, where He had converted water into wine. For
ward into the development of His purpose, He lifted His face
heroically through trial and disappointment. Not a murmur
e St. Luke xxiii. 35. s St. Luke iv. 27.
7 St. Luke iv. 25, 26. 9 St Luke iv. 30.

124 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
escaped His lips; He thought only of the stern fact, common
to all endeavour, that " a prophet is not without honour save
in his own country " ; He thought more of the naturalness of
their proceedings than their spirit of hostility towards Him,
of the world's treatment of goodness and its own wayward
ness. The rumour of His visit to Cana reached the court of Herod
Antipas. During His stay with friends in this little Galilean
town, a man of distinguished position, a nobleman 10 in the
Tetrarch's service, arrived in haste to see Him, with an urgent
request for Him to come to Capernaum and heal his son, who
was at the point of death. The answer Jesus gave him was
strange and perplexing. " Except ye see signs 1J and won
ders," n He said, " ye will not believe." 12
The courtier's appeal seemed to harmonize with the prevail
ing desire of the people who had seen and heard of His works,
and Jesus tested him ; He endeavoured to make him understand
the real basis of his own faith, and see whether it was in Jesus
Himself, or only in the signs and wonders that He wrought;
and something was revealed to the nobleman of Capernaum
besides the craving for his son's restoration to health. It was
evident when the rebuff he had received passed without notice.
His request, " Sir, come down ere my child die," was repeated
with such confidence in Jesus that there was no doubt about
the nobleman's faith. No sign was given him; he was simply
told to go, and Jesus said, " Thy son liveth."
The man believed His word and went home satisfied. In the
morning, as he was returning to Capernaum, his servants met
him on the road with the joyful news. He asked them when
his son began to recover, and they replied, " Yesterday, at the
seventh hour, the fever left him." The faith of the father,
i°St. John iv. 46: nobleman = /3a<n\i/c<5s. Josephus uses this term to dis
tinguish the soldiers or courtiers or officers of other kings from those of
Rome. 11 ari/ieia = signs, the ordinary word for miracles, ripara = wonders,
rarely used in the Gospels, derived from a sense of astonishment the
miracles caused. 12 St. John iv. 48.

THE RETURN TO GALILEE 125
begotten in his need, was strengthened by this assurance, and
it spread through his whole house.
Although we may not be sure of the name of the courtier,
we know from this narrative that the rich as well as the poor
believed on Jesus. The wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, min
istered unto Him of her substance,13 and Manaen,14 " who had
been brought up with Herod," was a believer; but whether
the courtier was Chuza, or Manaen, or some other officer, we
cannot tell.
From Cana Jesus went down to Capernaum, in the future
known as His own city, which He had already selected as the
most suitable centre for His work. His sisters were prob
ably married and remained in Nazareth. His mother and
His brethren had moved to Capernaum after the first miracle
at Cana, perhaps only for a change, but their abode was not
for Him. He had no home. Earthly ties of kinship, though
unsevered, became less noticeable, and, as His life's purpose
forbade a permanent settlement, a temporary shelter was
found in the homes of His friends and the guest-chambers of
the people. There was not yet the close attachment which
drew His first disciples from their occupation: no definite call
had been given them to leave their work. Jesus moved about
the country apparently alone, in a quiet, unostentatious way
attracting attention by His demeanour as well as by His deeds
of kindness. The charm of His manner, and His method of
teaching, fascinated the inhabitants. He took their simple
language and set it before them illumined by His Spirit. He
presented to them living pictures as He taught them living
truths ; He gave them seed-thoughts to lie in their hearts and
germinate for a future harvest. The objects of the country
side, the flowers of the field, the birds of the air, the apparently
insignificant things of every-day life, assumed an importance
beyond all previous knowledge. Jesus touched old things and
they became for ever new.
The common people heard Him gladly. From village to
13 St. Luke viii. 3. "Acts xiii. 1.

126 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
village the news of this amazing Teacher swiftly spread. At
His approach men and women left their work for days to
gether, heedless of any discomfort, if they might but listen to
Him. He introduced with His teaching the grace of compas
sion into the world. A new joy came with His message; its
discovery thrilled the people; it roused in the populace an
enthusiasm which eventually displeased the rulers. The people
saw they were never treated without consideration for their
feelings, a proof of His love for them. They were not mere
tools in His hands for use, nor parts of an organization to
be managed. He had an instinctive care for them; He had a
personal interest in them. Beneath the surface of their life
Jesus saw what no one else had discovered: the possibility of
freedom, of a liberty greater than any one in the nation had
ever dreamed. The people suffered from the worst kind of
slavery: that which puts fetters on the mind of man and con
fines the noblest powers within him by the bonds of rule which
compel men to think and believe, and do, not what is right,
but what is in accord with set forms and fixed laws.
The rulers, having no personal interest in individuals, for
sook the masses in despair at their inability to deal with them.
They had given them laws, and, when laws failed to satisfy
the people, the rulers had nothing further to offer them than
more laws.
There was the germ of freedom in the way that Jesus be
haved to all who approached Him. All distinctions vanished
in His presence, and men were treated with respect because
they were men. He showed them, by His method of dealing
with them, that He believed they were capable of realizing a
sense of freedom, of becoming conscious of a personality of
their own. Jesus meant men to be free as He was free. He
moved about the country as an Original Person in the life of
the nation. He stood apart from every established organiza
tion, not by neglecting what was due to them, but rather to
emphasize the principle of the voluntary recognition and per
formance of duty. He refused to aUy Himself with the spirit

THE RETURN TO GALILEE 127
of the age, with the wealth and influence of the world, all the
forces which men call to their aid for success.
We must marvel at their absence, as the people marvelled,
and search for the forces He employed if we fail to recognize
His Divine power. With what was He equipped, this village
Carpenter, this Teacher from Nazareth, if He was not Divine
as well as human? Something mysterious in Him suggested
the Divine Spirit to some of the people who followed Him, but
they were so bewildered they could not, or dare not, say what
they really thought, their admiration burst forth in expres
sions of wonder and amazement.
Jews in those days never thought of deifying a man ; Greeks
and Romans did it, but their beliefs and practices served rather
to fortify the Jews in their firm grip of monotheistic princi
ples. But the idea grew as the personality of Jesus became
unveiled, until at last no doubt was left in the minds of those
who entered into fellowship with Him that He was the Christ,
the Son of God. His Divine nature remained in the back
ground of His life, appearing as occasion warranted, never
without a definite aim, and not when customary methods of
procedure were sufficient for His purpose. He acted always
for the benefit of others, not to force men's minds in the di
rection of His will nor their ways in accordance with His life.
All the essential features of liberty Jesus reflected by His own
experience, to show men how to think and act for themselves.
The common life of the multitude touched the Great Teacher,
numbers stirred Him, but His work, as wide as the universe
— He sent His disciples into all the world — concerned every
individual soul. With infinite patience He taught the people
one by one. He recognized that every life is a real thing.
Every man presented a new problem to Him, and, though we
have only a few instances of personal treatment recorded, they
serve to emphasize the fact that the numbers of people with
whom He came in contact were composed of individuals, and to
each of them He made His appeal, and not to the mass. Even
when He spoke to a multitude His invitation or exhortation

128 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
was direct and personal, and men now who read His words
feel their singular application.
Although the people generally who foUowed Him listened
gladly, owing to the nature of His direct appeal, individual
response to His teaching was feeble; they were almost over
whelmed with His astounding revelation of the value and re
sponsibility of the individual soul. Hitherto an ordinary man
had occupied an insignificant place in the world; his personal
life was swallowed up in the race to which he belonged, where
his individuality shrunk beyond recognition. So strong were
the ties that bound him to the national life, he had not suffi
cient strength to take advantage of the liberty of the life
abundant Christ came to give in the fellowship of His Spirit.
The people would have been more willing to accept the message
of Jesus if it had been accompanied by the form of power
which they understood, something external, or if it would have
saved them from any effort of their own. The power came
not by observation in the idea of an exhibition, not by means
which deprived men of the will to contribute their share to
wards the attainment of the Hfe of freedom. It was a greater
achievement to inspire mankind by the gift of a new Spirit,
for them to desire a new life and respond voluntarily to the
will of God in loving service, than by the establishment of a
new system create a set of mechanical subjects. God wanted
new men with new hearts, not another system with more laws.
When the impulse of a man is compulsory, he is enslaved;
when it is voluntary, he is exalted.
The attitude of the people towards religious affairs intro
duced another factor into the situation. A distinction formed
in the popular mind by the judgment of the rulers placed the
people generally in two classes, the " righteous " and the
" sinners." Jesus never lost sight of the prevalent idea ; He
never missed a suitable opening for dealing with current opin
ion. It determined in a large measure His methods of work.
Willing ears waited for a fresh presentation of the truth
relating to their great expectation, but the message Jesus

THE RETURN TO GALILEE 129
delivered in the synagogues before an assembly of the " right
eous," where He came into conflict with the rulers, often dis
turbed them. Those who clung most tenaciously to the ordi
nances of their faith as a proof of their " righteous " conduct,
resented most His treatment of their traditional rules of life.
Satisfied with their observance of law, they looked for the ful
filment of their hopes, not the transformation of their lives.
The " sinners " had no illusions about their position. How
ever evil their lives might be, at any rate they did not add
to their iniquity the pretence of being good. They were more
real, and that is the reason why Jesus was more tender in
dealing with them. His attitude towards sinful women became
particularly noticeable, even surprising: the Pharisees could
not understand it. In their eyes it savoured of ignorance,
though never of sin, an unconscious tribute to His stainless
character ; they hated Him so they would gladly have adver
tised a fault if one could have been found in Him. They said
the worst they could say of Him : that He was the " Friend of
sinners." Jesus never said " Beware of women," as He said " Beware
of the Pharisees " ; He never warned men against women.
And one of the most striking results of His work and teaching
is the change it has made in the position of women. They
were separated from men in both Temple and synagogue, and
if the requisite number of men to form a community for wor
ship failed by one, all the women in the settlement could not
furnish the deficiency; but, so soon as a boy became a son of
the law at twelve years of age, his admission into full mem
bership remedied the defect. No wonder boys learned to pray :
" Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, King of the Universe, Who
hast not made me a woman."
To all women Jesus was respectful; many became His dis
ciples, entered into His fellowship, and ministered unto Him.
They discovered in His fellowship an equality which can only
be found in the life of the Spirit of the Divine Father mani
fested in His Son.

CHAPTER XI
the larger hospitality
It is often reported, and as generally believed, that the Mis
sion of Jesus was conducted in the open air. In the spring
and summer crowds followed Him. He taught them by the
sea, on the high ground above the cities of the lake, and in
deserted places ; but we must not neglect the unrivalled oppor
tunities furnished by the social life of the time. No adequate
idea of His work is possible without an estimate of social con
ditions, and especially of the importance of hospitality, the
predominant feature of Oriental life. Conceived by the West
ern mind in the hazy atmosphere of romance, its significance
and extent have never been appreciated. The force of cir
cumstances in the exigencies of life compelled men to adopt
the generous practice of hospitality; it became the means of
social intercourse, and behind it lies a great truth, the reality
of God's provision for the bodies and souls of men.
Wherever man is found an appropriate supply of food is
necessary for his maintenance. In his efforts to obtain the
food he usually remembers himself, ignores others for whom
the provision is also made, and forgets the Provider: the gift
is more to him than the Giver. This attitude depends gen
erally on the amount available.1 Where there is a scanty
supply there is not so much to think about, and more thought
may be given to others. Anxiety produces new feelings that
deal with the deepest things in human nature. The sense of
need creeping into the heart brings a man face to face with
the realities of life ; he sees the needs of others besides himself,
and by an irrepressible harmony of thought fellowship is
formed.2 It is an essential condition of life that whoever
i E.g. St. Luke xii. 17-19.
2 Cf. Elijah at the brook Cherith during the famine, and after the brook
dried up (1 Kings xvii.). 130

THE LARGER HOSPITALITY 131
would be a helper of men must have fellowship with men, he
must identify himself with them. This is particularly no
ticeable in the country of the Bible; it is the philosophy of
the Incarnation, and there is a remarkable correspondence be
tween the idea of fellowship in the life of the people of the
land and the teaching of fellowship in the Book of the land.
Nothing like this association of ideas has ever appeared else
where in the annals of mankind.
Events in human history become more definite and intelligible
to a man as he breathes the atmosphere and looks on the scen
ery amid which the events occurred. In considering the re
lationship of the Land and the Book, a greater truth will
dawn upon his mind if he desires to penetrate the mystery at
the heart of things which forms the basis of the fellowship of
men, and of the fellowship of men with God.
Where Hfe is most simple man lives close to reality, no
trappings of the artificial guise of civilization obscure facts,
and a delightful air of abandonment pervades his home, the
home that is but a shelter from the prevailing conditions of
the climate of his dwelling-place. Two features of his life
appear as the fundamental basis of existence : the need of sup
port, and the need of defence. In every place where life is
stripped of all complications these two facts are plain: no
where are they so plain as in the desert. Life as seen there is
known by the sparsity of its needs and the limited measure of
their supply. Nature is not prodigal in the wilderness of the
East except in the silence and monotony of the long stretch
of arid waste broken in few places by coarse scrub and flinty
hills. Life in the desert is transitory, passing in continual
change from one place to another. The peril of the sword
and the pain of hunger make it so. It is as restless as the
sand in the sirocco's breath, ceaseless in its longing for rest
and peace as the parched ground for water. " Need " is a
word that might be written large over the face of the country
of the nomad tribes on the Palestine border; it is met by the
offering of what a man possesses, however small, to all who

132 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
apply for succour; his hospitality extends equally to the
wanderer in need of food and the fugitive in need of a refuge.
He is called Thaif Allah, i.e. " The guest of God," and the
food that is offered him is the gift of God. There is a signifi
cance in the name of the guest and his treatment which passes
unrecognized from continual use, the idea of God being lost
in the need of man. Yet it is in the need of man that the
idea of God is realized. God so constituted man a creature
of need that fellowship might be established through which
the need is supplied, and for the sense of fellowship to develop
into such an intimacy that unity of purpose might follow.
The desert homes of the Bedawin exhibit the most appro
priate form of a dwelling for transitory people. A piece of
cloth woven by the women and thrown over stout poles and
fastened by cords to pegs driven into the ground as a shelter
from the burning sun is the conception of the crudest savage.
Everything they possess is constructed on the same simple
plan. Articles which look formidable in a list are packed
away in an incredibly small compass; all being of a portable
nature, the tent and its accessories can be moved with as little
labour as possible.
The " houses of hair " are pitched round a central tent, not
always in a regular form, but in a way to show its conspicuous
position as the abode of the chief ; and all who camp with him
are said to be in what they term his " fellowship," and subject
to his patriarchal control. He is their chief, they are his
people. He calls the men " Awlad " — i.e. children, lads ; the
two are identical as one large family and remain in close
relationship until disobedience to his rule severs the connection.
The disobedient member of the community departs ; he leaves
the camp and pitches his tent elsewhere under the rule of an
other chief. Between the tents of the tribesmen and the abode
of their chief there is a large space which might be termed the
outer court. The tent of the chief, the centre of government,
has before it a spear, the sign of his authority. It has two
apartments; the first, in which the guests are received into

THE LARGER HOSPITALITY 133
his fellowship while they remain under his roof, whether
strangers or friends, where also the elders of the tribe gather,
and where the nomad court of justice is held under the presi
dency of their chief, whose word is law; the second, the inner
most part of his dwelling, separated by a veil of cloth from the
former, is private, and among other things it contains a box,
the repository of the valuables in his possession.
There are, therefore — using terms with which we are fa
miliar, though unknown as a description of the desert camp
amongst the people — three courts : the outer court between
the tents of the tribesmen and their chief; the inner court
where he entertains ; and the innermost court, the shrine of his
private life represented by himself in the exercise of his influ
ence. The customs of the wilderness were naturaUy adopted by
the Children of Israel in the wilderness, and on this plan God
revealed His presence by the fellowship expressed in the na
ture of their abode ; 3 His dwelling-place, a tent, a tabernacle,
being set in the midst of His people,4 who were brought into
feUowship by the situation of their homes and the exercise of
their faith. They never saw Him, but the place of His abid
ing, the tent, was always before them. Having entered into
His fellowship by faith, their conduct followed the direction
of His will. The more intimate the fellowship the more direct
became His control, and a stricter sense of right conduct be
came the rule of life. This revelation was made through the
ordinary channels of the life of the people of the desert, when
the Children of Israel lived and moved in the wilderness amongst
the tent-dwellers of the shifting sand.
The fellowship with God came through the avenue of their
faith, something like the faith of the people in other camps,
extended and elevated by the presence of the Deity. This is
more apparent when we remember that God reveals Himself
to man in order to raise him to a higher and better state of life
than the one in which he is naturally disposed to live. We
3 Exod, xxix. 45, 46; xxv, 8; Leviticus, xxvi, 11, 12. *Num. ii. 2.

134 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
may therefore assume, with reason, that the successive steps of
his elevation begin with something which he can understand,
and probably has partially recognized independently, as the
commencement of the upward path.
The tents of the Israelites were arranged on the principle
of all the larger encampments of the desert, but on a more
concise plan: the tent in the centre — the Tabernacle of God
— was more elaborately furnished, everything about it was
on a grander scale, altogether superior to the home of a desert
chief. The knowledge of art and manufacture obtained by the
Israelites during their sojourn in Egypt was used to make the
dwelling-place of God more appropriate for His presence.
This central tent had two apartments,5 and the innermost,
behind the veil, contained a box, the ark of the covenant of
God, the symbol of His Deity.
The camp of the Israelites differed from that of the people
of the desert in its relation to the outside world. The central
tent was reserved for a particular people subject to the law
that issued from it,6 both in their conduct at home and their
intercourse with their neighbours. Strangers were denied ac
cess, even to the enclosure round the Tabernacle, on pain of
death ; 7 the fellowship of the Children of Israel meant a great
deal more than the nature of the fellowship of wilderness
people. Baser elements underlying the idea of fellowship in
the nomad tribes was often obscured by the higher character
of their common life. In their camp, where the life of a man
lay open from his infancy, a moral standard prevailed that
lost its value away from home. Beyond the camp the influ
ence of the chief had no restraining power ; there the instincts
of the untutored savage developed into cupidity and crime,
making his life a great hazard : " his hand was against every
man, and every man's hand against him." 8 His life served
to enhance by contrast the glory of a people which, from such
depths of ignorance and cruelty, could rise to the heights of
s Exod. xxvi. 33. i Num. i. 51.
6 Exod. xxv. 16. 8 Gen, xvi. 12.

THE LARGER HOSPITALITY 135
wisdom and virtue that the Children of Israel attained through
their fellowship with God.
The distinction between the old order, the wild fierce spirits
of the wilderness, and the new standard of life of the people
of God could not fail to be recognized as being due to an ad
vance in their conception of a higher authority than the sheikh
of a desert tribe. The establishment of Israel was on also a
larger scale, and more suitable for an organized society.
When they settled in the land of Canaan the plan of their
desert camp was retained throughout their history, modified
according to the circumstances of their life in town and village.
It has been preserved by the inhabitants of their country even
to the present day.
In the Temple of Jerusalem it appeared by a similar ar
rangement, but on a more magnificent scale, indicating a fur
ther advance in the understanding of the people of the majesty
of their Divine Lord. Although the first Temple was built by
foreign architects, who introduced many foreign ideas into the
structure, the three-fold division, corresponding to the three
fold division of the camp of the Israelites in the wilderness,
formed the plan on which the glorious edifice was raised ; and
in the heart of the shrine, in the thick darkness of the Holy of
Holies, stood the symbol of the Deity, the Ark of God.
The Temple built by Herod followed the same plan. Its
exclusive character remained as the cherished privilege of the
people of God, who still kept the Gentiles at a distance. The
outer court, with pillared cloisters of great beauty, " caused
an amazement to spectators by reason of the grandeur of the
whole " ; " its fineness was incredible." 9 Strangers were ad
mitted into this enclosure. Here the various teachers in
structed the people ; conferences were held : crowds gathered on
any pretext ; and eventually this court became a busy market
place. It had three gates, one on the east toward the sun-
rising, through which the Israelites entered. A stone wall for
a partition encompassed the next enclosure. Attached to the
o Josephus, Ant. Book XV. xi. 5.

136 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
stone partition was an inscription 10 forbidding strangers to
pass within on pain of death. Still more inward was a third
enclosure into which it was not lawful for any but the priests
to enter. In this court stood the Holy of Holies, where God
dwelt within the veil enshrouding the mystery which concealed
Him from human sight.
The outer form of the dwelling-place of God, His Temple,
remained in all its glory, but the sense of God's presence de
parted from the people as their faith declined, and the spirit
of fellowship with Him passed away. When the glory had
gone from Israel, and the sense of fellowship had been lost,
Jesus came for God to set up His abode in the hearts of men.
The form of His appearing was a tent of the flesh, the uni
versal habitation of the soul. In this tabernacle, the form
of man, the old revelation, and the new revelation more appro
priate for the circumstances of the time, were combined in one
Person. Emmanuel, " God with us," tabernacled with men
for the manifestation of God to the world, and for men to enter
into fellowship with God in Him. The writer of the Epistle to
the Hebrews speaks of " a new and living way, which He
hath consecrated for us through the Veil, that is to say, His
flesh." 1X Behind this Veil was God, more real to the people,
if their spiritual sight had not been dim, than when His pres
ence was hidden in a tent of cloth in the desert, or within the
Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem, where they saw
only the dumb structure of His abiding-place.
In the fulness of time the old order passed into the new
way. The progressive revelation of God showed that, as the
establishment of the Children of Israel in the wilderness ex
hibited a higher stage of the moral law, through fellowship
with the Divine Being, than the life of the nomads of the
desert, a more elevated sphere might be attained when the moral
faculty became capable of receiving a higher revelation through
10 This inscription has been found by the officers of the Palestine Ex
ploration Fund, and photographs of it have been published. Cf. Num. i, 51,
n Heb, x, 20.

THE LARGER HOSPITALITY 137
fellowship with Christ. In the Old Testament we see the
way of approach for man to God; in the New Testament we
see the coming of God to man.
The idea of the three courts still prevails. We are there
fore able to observe how Jesus lived amongst the people. We
may also recognize the way of His approach to them in the
character of their hospitality and the symbolical arrangement
of their homes. He sought access to them that God might
dwell in them, that the Divine Spirit might enter into the larger
hospitality of the soul, " and as many as received Him to them
gave He power to become the sons of God." 12 His great
commendation at the last assize will be, as He Himself has
declared, " I was a Stranger, and ye took Me in." 13
Slight alteration may have been made in the passing of
years, but in the main, both in principle and purpose, the
original plan is seen, modified according to the settlement of
the people and their station in life. In the desert and the
village and the city, the idea of fellowship has been preserved
by the people indigenous to the soil of the Holy Land ; hospi
tality retains its ancient attributes ; and the room for guests
forms the centre of the common life.
The house of an opulent resident of an Eastern city is
arranged on the same plan as the Temple, and the design of
the desert camp, for the performance of his social duties as
well as the necessary requirements of his family. He sustains
two relationships : one in the privacy of his home life, the other
in the exercise of his influence. So strict is his conception of
family life that it is lost to the world in him, the representative
and head.14
Outside his dwelling there is no sign of the means at his
disposal, no element of display is seen in its external appear
ance. Behind the door set in the spare blank wall that flanks
the street there is the courtyard, the Jchoosh; at the end of it,
facing the door, a raised reception-room furnished for guests,
12 St. John i. 12. 13 St. Matt. xxv. 35. See also p. 460.
w Cf. Col. iii. 4: "Your hfe is hid with Christ in God."

138 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the lewan; and, above all and beyond all, the aleyieh, the
upper room for the intimate friends of the " goodman " of the
house. The khoosh, the lewan, and the aleyieh correspond in
a general way with the three courts.
The door opens from the street into a vestibule or porch,
the porter's lodge ; sometimes direct into the courtyard. When
a feast is in progress in the lewan the door is left open, and
any one passing by may walk inside. The open door is their
invitation.15 Thus the woman who was a sinner entered Simon
the Pharisee's house 16 when Jesus was invited to supper, and
the Pharisees passed into the courtyard of Matthew's home
when he entertained his Lord.17
On leaving the courtyard to step into the next room, the
lewan, the shoes are removed and left below as a mark of re
spect ; the headdress is kept in its place. Although this re
ception-room is open to the courtyard, where every one may be
seen, it is a distinct advance towards the fellowship of the
householder, and, while any one may walk in the outer court
at supper-time, none may approach the next apartment without
an invitation. The outer court is for general use, and often
occupied by the admirers and followers of the rich man, and
many gather there without the notice of the host. When
Jesus was examined in the lewan by Annas the High Priest
a motley company assembled in the courtyard, some of whom
warmed their hands at the charcoal fire that was burning
there.18 Beggars stand outside the door morning and evening after
breakfast and supper to receive the broken meat distributed
at the end of every meal. Nobody would be more surprised
than a beggar to receive an invitation to a feast. He is afraid
even to walk inside the court. The Pharisees discouraged the
aspirations of the poor. Guest-chambers in a city are not in
stitutions for the indigent, but the places where the dignity
of the goodman of the house is raised by receiving a guest of
15 Cf. Rev. iii. 8; 1 Cor. xvi. 9. "St. Luke v. 30.
io St. Luke vii. 37. is St Mark xiv. 67; St. Luke xxii. 56.

THE LARGER HOSPITALITY 139
distinction, and his influence generally corresponds with the
extent of his favour toward his fellow-men. Its display in
creases their respect, enlarges his circle of friends and ac
quaintances, and brings them into contact with all sorts and
conditions of men, who mingle freely in the courtyard without
the restraint associated with a private house. There is no
other place of meeting except the street and the bazaar, and
these are uncomfortably narrow and frequently congested with
traffic. Another apartment in the goodman's house is reserved for
those who belong to the inner circle of his friends, where they
meet in the calm and quiet of his home, away from the strife
and the turmoil of the city's streets. It is the upper room,
the aleyieh, the innermost court: it may even represent the
centre of the mysterious life of the man who admits another
into his fellowship. His attitude is threefold, according to the
arrangement of his house: the outer court for strangers, or
mere acquaintances and followers ; the inner court for friends ;
the innermost court for those whose hearts beat in sympathy
with his own.
When there is no public reception the door is shut. If a
stranger, or even a friend, arrives at a house he must stand
at the door and knock, then wait until enquiries have been
made from within about the person outside.19 If they are
answered in a satisfactory manner the door is opened and the
visitor is ushered in with profuse apologies for the delay.
Jesus said : " Ask, and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall
find, knock and it shall be opened unto you," 20 and his words
fell into men's minds familiar with their order and meaning.
Men ask for things, seek for persons, and knock to gain ad
mission. He has another message by which He desires to
obtain access to an interior : " Behold, I stand at the door
and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I
wiU come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." 21
is Cf. Acts xii. 13, 14.
20 St. Matt. vii. 7. 21 Rev. iii. 20; cf. Acts xii. 13, 14.

140 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Jesus often appeared in many courtyards where He taught
the people: He reclined as an invited Guest at many tables:
once only do we find Him in an upper room, and there He ate
the most notable feast of His life on earth, His last supper.
During His last days in Jerusalem He sent two of His dis
ciples to prepare for the Passover; they were told to ask the
question, " Where is the guest-chamber ? " 22 and the upper
room, the aleyieh, the room reserved for guests in sympathy
with his own life, was opened by a hospitable man for Jesus,
where the last supper was instituted. Its significance is en
hanced by the combination of time and place and purpose.
The richest fellowship that it is possible to conceive, a fellow
ship Divine, was established in the mystery of a love so pro
found that it has never ceased to exercise an influence on the
heart of man for good greater than anything else in the world.
That room was sanctified by the presence of Jesus, and multi
tudes which no man can number have confessed their belief
in the efficacy of His presence for realizing the effect of His
fellowship.23 There is no absolute proof, but a reasonable probability by
the force of association, that it was where the disciples met
after the crucifixion. Once a room is reserved for Jesus there
He will be found in the time of need. He entered unexpectedly
when His disconsolate followers were utterly cast down, en
tered with His peace for their troubled hearts. It was no
doubt the same room where they waited for the fulfilment of
His promise, and on the Day of Pentecost His power came
to the Apostles for them to go forth to the world as the wit
nesses of His life.
If we interpret the room in the goodman's house by a good
man's heart, we shall see what happens when Christ is hos
pitably entertained. What is symbolical may become real in
the larger hospitality of the life of man. This is the order of
the benefits of His reception, possession,24 peace,26 and power.28
22 St. Mark xiv. 14. 23 cf. St. John vi. 48-^51, 53-58.
2* St. Mark xiv. 17. 25 St. John xx. 19. 26 Acts ii. 2.

THE LARGER HOSPITALITY 141
Provision for the wayfaring man in a village is not so
elaborate as that of a town. While every householder is will
ing to welcome the stranger, all are not able to entertain him..
In the city the door of a house is only open during a feast;
in a village the door of every house is open all the day like
the tents in the desert. And, like the camp in the wilderness,
one place is specially prepared for guests, the medafe, the
village guest-chamber, furnished and maintained either by the
sheikh himself, or the community, according to the law of
God in the Old Testament,27 unknown to the peasants as a
Biblical command but kept by them as a part of their
heritage. The law for the care of the stranger as declared by statute
to be the will of God exists today. When the harvest is be
ing removed from the fields a portion is purposely left until the
rest of the corn has been taken to the threshing-floor. This is
called by the Fellaheen lalcet, and if the owner was asked why
it remained until the harvest was nearly over, the reply would
be, " Meshan Allah " (For God). It is the corner of the field
for the poor and the stranger, and is collected, with the produce
of others corners, and placed in one great heap for division
into three parts: (1) for the poor; (2) for the stranger, to
maintain the guest-chamber; (3) for the Khateeb, the village
priest and teacher. This custom is strictly binding on every
man, and represents his contribution for the welfare of the
community in which he lives, and the wayfaring man at his
gate. The indignation displayed by the two Apostles at the in
hospitable conduct of the Samaritans in refusing to receive
their Master and His followers into their village when pass
ing through the country indicates their feeling towards those
who failed to observe the common law, and the measure of the
failure may be estimated by the nature of the punishment the
Apostles wished their Lord to inflict upon the village elders,
and those who supported their extraordinary treatment of
27 Lev. xxiii. 22.

142 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
wayfaring men ; 28 incidentaUy it offers substantial evidence
of their belief in His power.
The exercise of hospitahty developed into forms of enter
tainment with elements of a social and domestic character,
and all important events were celebrated in this way. When
other means were devised for pubHc recreation, outside the
guest-chamber, the disintegration of family Hfe and social
fellowship began, the taste for simple and homely joys grew
less, and the desire for pleasures which could not be admitted
into the circle of the home altered the character of social Hfe.
Amongst the Jews in the time of our Lord the better class of
the nation kept themselves aloof from the amusements of the
Gentiles.29 Oriental hospitality, besides nourishment for the body and
opportunities for the amenities of social life, provided for a
social university, catholic rather than academic, where close
union with different classes of men produced an inteUectual
movement that furnished them with knowledge which bears no
relation to what we caU education with the limitations placed
upon it by scholastic attainment. Even illiterate men, through
their association with men of superior mind, attained an acute-
ness of intellect and a refinement of manners that enabled them
to discuss matters relating to affairs outside their own expe
rience. Most of the men I met in the guest-tents of the desert,
and the guest-chambers of small towns and villages, were un
able either to read or write, but many of them were remarkably
efficient in understanding. In the East men are not con
demned to inferior rank through ignorance of letters. No
newspapers exist in the country, and, as this was the state of
affairs when Jesus lived in the land, a similar method had to
be adopted in His day for circulating information. It had
to be transmitted in the perpetual intercourse of man and man.
Rumour kept men's tongues busy, but something more than
rumour occupied their minds.
There was always an audience ready for Jesus and provi-
28 St. Luke ix. 54. 29 Josephus, Ant. Book XV. viii. 2.

THE LARGER HOSPITALITY 143
sion for His maintenance. Naturally those who were attracted
by His teaching became His hosts. Few instances 30 are re
corded of the invitation of the rulers, and these apparently
serve to show the attitude of the Scribes and Pharisees to
wards Him. Whenever He became their invited guest He was
treated with a certain amount of condescension, and even dis
courtesy, sufficient for us to see the character of the men who
rejected Him.
Into this vortex of social life, varied according to the place
in which the people dwelt, and their station, Jesus passed with
His message where He found suitable means of intercourse with
all classes of people. When He sent the " Twelve " and the
" Seventy " on their respective missions, they were told to rely
on the customs of the time.31 The leisure of the Orient, and
the insatiable desire for the discussion of religious problems,
were the circumstances of the age. When these matters are
duly considered a better understanding may be obtained of the
work of Jesus. Without an appreciation of these conditions,
differing as they do from any experience of the West, it is im
possible to realize with any degree of accuracy how the Gospel
was preached and how it spread. Only by a right estimate
of the value of Oriental hospitahty will the growth of Chris
tianity be properly understood.
Men with a mission, and " holy men " on different errands,
often dress in conspicuous attire 32 (e.g. John the Baptist).
Many appear ragged, and to those who have no sympathy with
them even ridiculous. Nothing unusual in the costume of
Jesus attracted attention, nor were there any marks of worldly
distinction to recommend Him. His seamless robe represented
a peculiarity of His village ; He appeared in the ordinary gar
ments of a highly respectable member of the community.
Jesus relied on His conduct and His message, and the means
He possessed as the Divine Son, to manifest the wisdom and the
power and the love of God for the welfare of man.
30 St. Luke vii. 36; xi. 37; xiv. 1.
si St. Matt. x. 9-12; St. Luke x. 4-8. 32 St. Matt. iii. 4.

144 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Until the Apostolic band was ordained He moved about
with a few followers, and His modest needs were supplied by
the hospitable customs of the people. The establishment of
His little school of disciples, and their wandering life, neces
sarily introduced the common purse, and their treasury was
kept by Judas. How it was filled and the way in which it
was replenished we cannot easily surmise. Probably each
member contributed the means at his disposal, and nameless
disciples, some of whom must have been in affluent circum
stances, rendered assistance when it was required.

CHAPTER XII
A VISIT TO JERUSALEM
After some time spent in Capernaum and the neighbouring
cities of Galilee, Jesus went to Jerusalem to a feast of the
Jews. Considerable difficulty is experienced in locating the
season of the year for naming the feast. So many authorities
on the life of our Lord are in disagreement respecting the time
that it is well-nigh impossible to decide with any degree of
accuracy whether it was the Feast of the Passover or a less
important festival of the people. Reference is made to it by
the Evangelist to account for the fact of Jesus being again
in Jerusalem, and, as this is the essential feature of the narra
tive, the name of the feast is not required for his story. It
is only useful as a guide for ascertaining the duration of our
Lord's ministry.
A certain period of time was necessary for the process of
development of the faith of the Apostles, and for the growth
of the hostility of the rulers and their influence on the people.
Allowance must also be made for unrecorded movements, and
for journeys to which allusion is made without reference to
time, though all may well be included within the limits pre
scribed by the three x Passovers definitely mentioned. If this
unnamed feast was another Passover, one more year must be
added to the life's labour of our Lord. Leading commentators
are in the main opposed to the suggestion that it was the Feast
of the Passover, and the consensus of opinion of the harmonists
of the Gospels appears to be in favour of its being the Feast
of Purim,2 a festival instituted to commemorate the relief of
iSt. John ii. 13; vi. 4; St. Mark xiv. 14.
2 The origin of the Feast of Purim is without Divine authority. The
name is derived from the Persian, and means "lots." It is kept to com
memorate the discomfiture of Haman and aggrandisement of Mordecai
(Esther viii.), and the book of Esther is read in the synagogue to asso-
145

146 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the Jews, and the overthrow of Haman, their tormentor, in the
Kingdom of Persia.
John the Evangelist, in whose record the feast is mentioned,
was probably the only disciple who was with Jesus in the Holy
City. He alone gives an account of the visit. As most of
the Judean ministry is related by St. John with the fidelity of
an eye-witness, and there are indications in the Gospel story
of his special knowledge of the people of Jerusalem, an inter
esting conjecture arises regarding the Apostle. It may be
assumed, and with reason, that business affairs required his
frequent presence in the Jewish capital. His father having
hired servants, the fishing industry in which they were engaged
was extensive, and, as a better market was found in Jerusalem
for the sale of fish, he acted as agent for his brethren. In this
capacity he would also come into contact with the Greek in
habitants of the Decapolis, and through his intercourse with
them increase his knowledge of their language. We need not,
therefore, be surprised that it is seen in the Gospel which bears
his name. It has even been asserted that he was a native of
Jerusalem,3 and visited Galilee for the purpose of carrying
on a trade in fish. However eager we are to know his position,
we must rest content with the fact that he was more familiar
with the South than the other Evangelists.
In Jerusalem there was by the sheep-market a pool, called
Bethesda, having five porches, occupied at certain seasons —
probably the Jewish festivals in the early winter — by a large
ciate the day with Jewish history. This does not check the exuberance of
feeling the people display. When the name of Haman is mentioned they
cry, "Let his name be blotted out," stamp with their feet, and shake
rattles to show their loathing. Outside in the streets and houses there is
a feast of merriment, wine is drunk copiously, and all kinds of sweetmeats
are given to the children. In Jerusalem these are made in the shape of
shoes, slippers, hats, etc.
3 Professor Burkitt, in The Gospel History, p. 237, says: "I still think
that many of the old arguments which tended to prove that the Evangelist
had been a Jew of Jerusalem have never been satisfactorily disposed of."
Professor Knowling, in his work, Literary Criticism and the New Testa
ment, quotes the above statement in a long discussion on the authorship of
the Fourth Gospel (p. 30) where he furnishes strong proof of St John's
position as it is generally accepted.

A VISIT TO JERUSALEM 147
number of impotent folk, blind, lame, and palsied. They be
lieved that whoever was the first to enter the pool after the
troubling of the water was immediately cured. The exact
position 4 of the pool with the comforting name, Bethesda, i.e.
House of Compassion, is unknown: the healing virtue of its
water is lost. Probably an intermittent spring at the bottom
of the pool, and its appearance at the time of a feast, gave rise
to the belief in its medicinal value. If it were possible to
accept this theory, the time of the year would not be difficult
to fix. Unfortunately, this indirect evidence is not sufficient
for proof. We may certainly assume, from the knowledge we
possess of the climatic conditions of the country, and the use
of pools and cisterns, that the amount of water in a pool
denotes the season of the year. Both at Purim and the Feast
of the Passover the pools are well filled by the winter's rains,
and, although a spring might be stronger at that time than
at any other, its appearance would be less noticeable owing
to the depth of the water in the pool, and at this season it
would be impossible to put a paralytic man into a pool with
out endangering his life on account of the high walls by which
the water is enclosed. When the winter rains begin a spring is
likely to become active, and, the water being shallow, its activ
ity would be noticed by those who believed in its virtue. And
the Feast of Dedication,5 in the winter, soon after the first
rains have fallen, is therefore the more probable time of the
* The traditional Pool of Bethesda is Birket Israel, now partially filled
with rubbish. A more modern identification has been made by those who
were engaged in the work of the Palestine Exploration Fund. All the evi
dence they bring has not fixed the site, but it has shown that the pools
they discovered were deep. The idea of an intermittent spring in the
pool is probable and reasonable. There is one in the so-called Virgin's
Fountain. 5 The Feast of Dedication was appointed to commemorate the restora
tion of the Temple for worship after its defilement by the Syrian Kings,
and the deliverance of the nation from Syrian bondage, by the Maccabees.
A right understanding of the principle involved in the motive for the Feast
and a recognition of the claim of Jesus might have secured for Him »
welcome as the Deliverer from the bondage of sin and the Restorer of the
Temple for spiritual worship.

148 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
year for our Lord's visit: it was certainly an appropriate
occasion. The Evangelist tells us no more than accounts for the poor
cripple who had been regularly brought to the pool for thirty-
eight years. He sat there friendless and alone. His wonder
ful hope must have almost vanished with his continuous failure
to enter the water. It was revived when his miserable condi
tion attracted the attention of Jesus, Who had apparently
heard of his woeful plight. The singular proposition He put
before him, " Wilt thou be made whole? " 6 seems a superfluous
question. But it is sometimes more profitable for a man to
be lame; he excites the pity of the compassionate, who rarely
pass the needy without offering assistance, and his helpless
ness becomes a means of gaining a living. Our Lord's question
is a notable contribution to our knowledge of His methods of
dealing with the people. Knowing what was in man, He wished
to test the cripple before He treated his case. The poor
creature had so long been associated with the indigent, he
might have been more satisfied to receive help than health.
A change from a long course of idleness in wretchedness to a
better state would demand from him a corresponding measure
of activity. It was well to test his sincerity.
Some of the miracles of Jesus partake of the nature of
parables, and the cure of the impotent man represents the
restoration of those whom sin has incapacitated for spiritual
exercise. Every one lying in moral sickness has not the wish
to be healed. He is afraid the change involved would be less
agreeable ; what he might gain in one direction he would lose
in another. The new situation arising from the alteration of
his circumstances alarms him; he thinks the old is better, and
elects to remain with his friends in the old way.
The wretched man in Bethesda's porches was anxious to be
cured, but there was no one to help him into the pool. That
was exactly the position for a man to be healed by Jesus.
When he was in real need and none to aid him Jesus came to
e St. John v. 6,

Edit. A. Noyer, Pafis
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
man was made whole
John V: 8-9

Sc. D. Mastroianni
And immediately the

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris

Sc. D. Mastroianni

Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net
Luke V: 5

A VISIT TO JERUSALEM 149
his assistance. He said to the impotent man, " Rise, take up
thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole
and took up his bed and walked : and on the same day was the
Sabbath." 7 Having confidence in the words that were uttered,
he obeyed with alacrity, rolled his padded quilt, and walked
away. He was soon stopped by the Jews, who informed him
that it was the Sabbath Day and unlawful for him to carry
his bed. When he answered them, " He that made me whole,
the same said unto me, Take up thy bed and walk," they asked
him, " What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy
bed and walk?" "And he that was healed wist not who it
was." 8
Jesus afterwards saw him in the Temple and warned him to
lead a better life. Whether he was displeased with further
attention recalling his past, or afraid of what might happen
to him for carrying his bed on the Sabbath, we do not know,
but, having ascertained the name of his Benefactor, he went
and told the Jews. He must have known their feelings to
wards any one who violated the restrictions placed on the day,
and out of pure selfishness thought it advisable to turn their
anger away from himself to another. " Therefore did the
Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He
had done these things on the Sabbath Day." 9
It seems almost impossible to understand the cause of the
persecution of Jesus. Carrying a quilt does not appear to
be a great offence, especially when it was borne by the man who
had been laid upon it in his weakness, and simply conveyed it
home after his recovery. The miracle of healing is ignored,
even the man restored is overlooked, the Jews were in such
haste to deal with the Healer Who flagrantly violated their
law. What He had transgressed was not the law of God,
but the formalism they had created by traditional usage, the
miserable substitution of the letter for the spirit. As the inner
power and true meaning of the law disappeared from the life
of the nation, the outer form assumed an exaggerated and even
7 St. John v. 8, 9. s St John v. 11, 12, 13. s St. John v. 16,

150 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
a ridiculous importance. The spirit died, and was buried un
der a load of censorious absurdities.
The modern Pharisee in Jerusalem is not less careful of the
letter, magnified to please his opinion. It is carried to such
an excess that he cannot see the grotesque and frivolous char
acter of his Sabbath observance. If he has not tied a pocket
handkerchief to his clothing before the Sabbath begins he will
not use one; nor will he cut his nails on a Friday lest they
begin to grow on the Saturday. Nothing must be carried
even from one house to another ; his scruples, however, are
overcome by fastening a rope to the doors for attaching several
houses together to form one dwelling.
The rest on the Sabbath was God's protection of the la
bourer, to save him from the oppressor. In directing their
attention to Jesus, Who had told the man to carry his bed,
the rulers were following their instinct for good, but God
was forgotten in their excessive zeal for the defence of the
letter of their law; their elaborate traditionalism obscured the
spiritual aspect of the Divine ordinance. ' Christ's answer to
their charge of Sabbath-breaking contains the fundamental
truth of all things relating to God's care for man. He ex
posed their mean mechanical contrivances for rules and regu
lations to hide their ignorance of God's love, Whose beneficent
activity continues throughout all time, Whose judgment will
be passed on motives within the heart, and not only on the
means employed to put them into action.
The solemn majesty of Jesus as He delivered the address
recorded by St. John 10 was as great a contrast to the pom
pous manner of the rulers as His sublime words were to their
ridiculous rules. The contention about the Sabbath became
the occasion of the greater controversy respecting His claim
to be the Christ implied in the alleged breach of the Sabbath.11
His relation to the Father being raised in the dispute, Jesus
claimed perfect oneness with Him, perfect love between Himself
and God, and perfect submission of His will to God. Aris-
19 §t, John v, 17-31, H St. John v. 18,

A VISIT TO JERUSALEM 151
ing out of His claim to this personal relationship with the Fa
ther 12 came the claim to a new personal relationship with
man.13 The whole discussion concerned the great subject of the
inner life, the life eternal, and this life is to be found in fellow
ship with Christ, the Son 14 of God, from Whom it may be
received by the believer.15 Definite and unmistakable testi
mony to Christ as the Son of God, Jesus declared, was found
in the witness of John,16 the witness of His own miraculous
works,17 the witness of the Father,18 and the witness of the
Scriptures.19 We have now reached the crisis in the work of Jesus in
Judea. His claim to be the Son of God had been rejected.
The rejection was not regarded as final, but it indicated the
necessity for another way of dealing with the people. If the
priests and the people in the more exclusive part of the nation
would not respond to His claim, and by its reception become
the means of establishing the Kingdom of God on earth, He
must gather round Him a new priesthood of a different kind,
new Fathers in Israel, corresponding in number with the pa
triarchs of old, a body of select men of the people to become
His witnesses, and lay a new foundation for the universal do
minion of the Kingdom of God. The opportunity of the rul
ers of the Jews passed from them ; henceforth Galilee, the least
esteemed part of the nation's home, because of its proximity to
the Gentiles and the foreign element which had entered into
that part of the country, became the sphere of His labour.
Galilee formed a better background for the Gospel than
the more austere elements of Judea. The severity of the char
acter of the inhabitants of the southern province corresponded
with its physical features. Jerusalem, its capital, the centre
of Jewish life, comparatively inaccessible by its situation in
12 St. John v. 19-23. is St. John v. 23-29. " St. John v. 26.
ib St. John v. 24. io St. John v. 36. it St. John v. 36,
is St. John v. 37, i» St John v, 39,

152 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the dry mountainous region, encouraged the people to resist
all efforts to bring them under a more benign influence.
A softer climate, more fertile soil, fields in spring dressed in
living green and decked with innumerable flowers of incom
parable beauty, created a charm in the northern district which
tended to produce a less rough and rigid conception of life.
A natural happiness arising from prosperity, and a tender
ness in the smiling landscape of the country, contributed their
share in the formation of the character of the people. A more
tolerant attitude towards religious affairs followed; even the
Tetrarch Herod was not disposed to interfere with religious
methods when peacefully employed.
An essential difference is apparent between the character of
the Ministry of Christ in Judea and in Galilee, and another
element of distinction is found in the treatment of their re
spective narratives by the Synoptists and the author of the
Fourth Gospel. The silence of the former regarding our Lord's
work in Judea, compared with John the Evangelist's treatment
of the Judean ministry, is not wholly accounted for by his
superior knowledge of the country, nor is his reticence respect
ing the greater part of the work of Jesus in Galilee due to any
distinction he wishes to draw between the nature of the work
in the two provinces. His aim is to interpret the life, to
exhibit the exalted character of Jesus, to show that He is the
Christ, the Son of God, and he selects from His actions such
as will best answer his purpose. The events he records seem
to be chiefly reported in order that he may give the discourses
in connection with them. In some of these discourses ideas
are contained in mystical language differing from the utter
ances reported by the Synoptists. Their dissimilarity may be
as easily reconciled as the diversity in the people and the places
with which they are associated. We recognize the part of
the country where Jesus laboured whenever He appealed to
nature in His parables, and the people whom He taught by
the allusions He made to their occupation and particular in
terests. His most profound thoughts were reserved for His

A VISIT TO JERUSALEM 153
disciples; His most terrible utterances agreed with the cir
cumstances in which they were spoken and the people to whom
they were addressed. St. John informs us of the enmity of
the hierarchy in Jerusalem. We know more of the matters
relating to them from him than from the other Evangelists.
They began their narratives with the work of our Lord in
Galilee after His season in Judea, when His disciples baptized
and the nation was called to repentance. That work included
the training of the disciples for the great enterprise which
might have been undertaken by the rulers at the head of the
nation if they had not been obdurate, hardening their hearts
to resist the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God.

CHAPTER XIII
THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES
Having foreseen the result of the declaration of His claim
to the rulers of the Jews in Jerusalem, our Lord proceeded,
on His arrival at Capernaum from the Holy City, with His
preparation for the accomplishment of His great task to save
the world. His first disciples who had been with Him in Judea
for several months, and had accompanied Him through Sa
maria, left Him for their own homes when He went to Nazareth
and Cana. He followed them soon afterwards, and the re
mainder of the summer was spent in wandering quietly through
the country preaching the good news of the Kingdom, return
ing at short intervals to Capernaum. John probably accom
panied Him on His brief visit to Jerusalem, before the final
call was given to the disciples to leave their occupation on the
water for their vocation in the world. Meanwhile, they were
engaged in their usual labour, occasionally meeting with their
Master, without being identified by anything more distinctive
than their association. This grew into closer fellowship as
the summer waned, and they patiently toiled with their nets
in the waters of Gennesareth. Their fishing in the sea was a
great contrast to the exaltation of their souls in the presence
of the Master, but the vision of the better prospect they had
gained with Him, and the hope they had conceived of a more
perfect life, strengthened their hold on their sense of duty.
Such men were made for leadership. Something in their idea
of the supremacy of duty qualified them for a place in the
widening outlook of a great purpose ; something in their self-
restraint and in their faithfulness kept them employed during
the time they waited for the sign of its appearing. It came
to them when they were performing their ordinary daily work.
Soon after Jesus returned from Jerusalem, as He walked
154

THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES 155
on the strip of shore with its tangle of boats and nets and
people, the rough and rude elements of the fishing port, He
saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting their net, and
James and John in a ship with Zebedee their father. He said
to them, " Follow Me." Simple words of mighty meaning :
and nets and ships were left for Jesus.
The disciples came to the Master as simple children of na
ture, with open minds which expanded with the perception of
truth for the reception of more truth, and the more they ad
vanced in believing the truth the stronger were the grounds of
assurance that were granted to them. " For whosoever hath,
to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance " (St.
Matt. xiii. 12). And the truth was Himself. He selected
them that He might teach them about Himself. They were not
the best nor the wisest men of their day when they were first
chosen, but in them was found an essential worth which ren
dered them capable of instruction, for the truth of the Gospel
to shine among men through their minds as the channels for
an appeal to mankind. This was the Master's design, and
for the achievement of His purpose they eventually became
His Messengers, His Apostles.
Before finaUy ordaining them for this great work He must
test them, and the situation now adopted was preliminary,
their call a preparation. They walked along the shore to
gether until a dense crowd gathered to hear the Master speak.
Unable to proceed, He entered into Simon's boat, sat there
apart from the people, and taught them His wondrous lessons
beside the sea. From the assembly on the beach He turned
His attention to the men in the boat, and told Simon to launch
out into the deep and let down his net. A long night's fruit
less toil was fresh in the disciple's mind, his impulsive nature,
prompted by his sense of disappointment, asserted itself, and
he told Jesus their efforts had already been unsuccessful; yet,
without further hesitation, he said at His word they would
let down the net. His word, spoken in opposition to their
knowledge and experience, had a will behind it which prevailed

156 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
on Simon. Yielding to this will, they cast the net and the
result amazed the fishermen. An unexpected haul, more than
they could handle, was the reward of their obedience, and their
partners in another boat were summoned to help them in land
ing a miraculous draught of fishes. This evidence of the power
of Jesus was an instructive lesson to Simon. A tumult of emo
tion stirred his heart as a flash of Divine light illumined his
soul. He saw the greatness of the Master, and his own weak
and unworthy self. Alarmed at his thrilling experience, a
sense of separation surged uppermost within him, and he cried :
" Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Encour
agement was offered by a definite call for service, " Fear not,"
said Jesus ; " henceforth thou shalt catch men."
It meant the abandonment of his occupation for the new
direction of his life, towards a labour he could not apprehend ;
but it was plain enough to him a clear call had come, and he
must obey. We think, perhaps, of his loss, the loss of friend
ships formed on the water in the swelling storm, and on the
shore of the sea, of the things that had been most to him in
life, and now had ceased to interest him ; let us not ignore his
immeasurable gain. His Lord had awakened in him the con
sciousness of a superior will, the perception of a greater truth,
the desire for a fuller knowledge of what had changed his out
look on life. New thoughts were born, thoughts lying dor
mant in his nature waiting for a call to set them free.
His brother and his partners were also called to become
" fishers of men," and the miracle they had witnessed was a
promise of the success which might be obtained through the
same power they had seen at work. They were not unaware
of the decision required for the severance of old ties and the
resumption of new tasks, and they were unafraid ; but the
possibilities latent within them for the higher work they never
suspected ; the Master revealed their existence in His in
imitable method of instruction.
They were the first members of the new Society He estab
lished, the inner circle round Himself as the centre, for the

THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES 157
truth about God, His Gospel for mankind, to radiate through
them to the world. Their part in this great and glorious
enterprise was to bear witness of Him, to show that the truth
was a power in their lives, and evidence is found to prove its
nature in the testimony of the people after they were left to
carry on His work ; 1 its extent is visible in His influence on
mankind, an influence far more profound than the will of man.
It is the force of His Spirit in the domain of the will.
We shall notice, before we reach the end of the life of Christ
on earth, that this Society was destined to continue: His
work included the preparation of the men who responded to
His call for its continuance. And for the admission of other
people into it He ordained two solemn observances, one 2 (Bap
tism) which expressed the distinction of the Society from the
world; the other3 (the Supper of the Lord) the unity of the
members of the Society with its Founder and with one an
other. Of these ordinances, as necessary for their future
work, the early disciples at first knew nothing. They were
called to personal loyalty by One Who offered Himself as the
supreme object of their devotion.
After His departure they arrived at certain conclusions
which are now regarded as Christian theology. He never
baptized, never instituted ceremonies, nor settled services. It
was left for man to put them into shape ; the outer form belongs
to man. And these outward forms, whether they are theo
logical terms or ritual observances, change with the circum
stances of time and place ; but the truth as it is in Jesus is
unalterable and eternal.
The call of the Apostles is one of the most significant fea
tures of the ministry of Christ ; it is not less remarkable for
the difference of the characters of the men He selected for
special instruction than the light it throws on the Messiah
Himself. Great men are generally men of one quality of mind or
thought which they possess in a superlative degree. It is for
i Acts iv. 13. 2 St. Matt, xxviii. 19. 3 St. Luke xxii. 19.

158 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
this side of them they are reckoned great, and all men of like
taste and sympathy, who have in some measure the same qual
ity, admire and follow them. Jesus was not a Man of one
side, possessed of one attribute in perfection, but of all sides ;
He combined in His Manhood all attributes in perfection. No
picture drawn by human hands has ever shown all His attri
butes. Most of the drawings portray His tenderness, gener
ally in a form of weakness. Few artists have attempted to
exhibit His strength of mind, and fewer still His courageous
heart. Yet every attribute will be found in the different situa
tions He occupied. But there was something else in Him
which we see that was not so fully revealed to the disciples
when first they shared His company, although it was evident
to them in a degree that distinguished Him above the religious
teachers of His time. The universal nature of His mind and
heart established points of contact for men to associate with
Him ; but this link of human sympathy, however strong, is not
in itself sufficient to withstand the pressure of the world and
its alluring devices. Multitudes followed Him, as they do to
day, as far as their faith is supported by their experience of
human duty and obligation, and they take certain principles
of right revealed by Him because they offer an ideal which
suits their nature ; but when He would have their life subject
to the Divine ideal, and regulated from a Divine centre, that
will turn all the forces of life, in work and rest, into submis
sion to the Divine will, the spiritual seems to the natural man
to lie outside human interest, and they exclude themselves from
His Society. When this is done definitely and determinedly,
it is by an expenditure of energy which discloses, in its re
fusal to obey, a resistance to a power that is not contained
in a human ideal.4 It is an unwilling witness that Jesus still
lives, that He still draws by His Spirit as He called the fisher
men of the Galilean Sea. It was His Divine nature shining
through His personality that attracted them. And this com
bination of greatness, the greatness of the Perfect Man and
* The Fact of Christ, by P. Carnegie Simpson, pp. 78, 79.

THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES 159
the might of the Divine Power within Him, formed the most sub
lime personality that men have ever known. It still passes
man's understanding, but it never fails to attract those who
seek with a sincere 5 and intense desire a knowledge of the life
He came to impart. The variety of the characters of the men
who have responded to His call is an acknowledgment of His
greatness and a proof of His saying, " And I, if I be lifted
up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." 6
Spiritual truth demands an acceptance which reason cannot
always create; its illuminating power and its attractive force
are its own evidence, and it appeals to men of every kind and
disposition with a directness which overcomes all barriers of
thought in every race. When a response is made to this
appeal it means a change in all the prospects of life. A new
object is found on which the heart is fixed by a personal
attachment that draws men from themselves into a new fellow
ship to submit to another will. In the fellowship of Jesus in
union with Him, a man becomes more susceptible to His in
fluence, and more adaptable to His ways. He will have before
his eyes an ideal of what he may himself become. And when,
by the willing submission of every part of his life to the abso
lute control of Jesus, his heart is stirred by new feelings, a
new self will make its presence known, and his true life, lib
erated from all the hindrances to its expression, will receive
more readily His Spirit to conform to His will.
Man has the capacity for being filled with another Spirit,
an endowment for his personality which he is free to accept
or refuse. Jesus recognized the freedom of the personality
of the individual; He treated it as a sacred thing; and though
men were neither pressed nor persuaded to follow Him, yet
some gave up everything at His call. The singular personal
force in Him drew men out of themselves, and some who ex
pressed their desire to follow Him were told to count the
cost ; others were tested that they might see themselves and
their position, and then decide. Every one who is attracted
s St. John xviii. 37. a St John xii. 32; iii. 14; viii. 28.

160 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
by Jesus will find himself treated in accordance with the par
ticular nature of his case, and left to make his own choice.
In this respect Jesus differs from all the great leaders of men,
who sought followers either to further a cause or found a
kingdom. He stands alone, isolated in His greatness above all
men in that He has no personal ambition, and no prospects ;
He looked for no pleasure, and no personal happiness ; and
those who followed Him felt the freedom from selfishness which
they gained in His company. He taught them to be free, and
set them an example in His life and work that they might
be free indeed.
In the process of His teaching He made demands upon
them greater than any man had made on his fellow-men to test
their sincerity, and from those who felt His power He re
ceived all He asked. Their attachment to Him did not alter
their cast of mind; it always remained the same, but their
natural disposition was sanctified by His Spirit entering into
them and helping them to discern His increasing influence as
He was being revealed, and the progress of the revelation de
pended on the measure of their response. He not only re
vealed to them His personality but His purpose, the salvation
of the world ; and He mobilized them for the continuation of
His work, so that it might not be for their day only, but for all
time. And they declared they had received something which
had transformed their lives, and they lived as new free men in
the world of men ; and this freedom they transmitted to others
as man's heritage from God. Other discoveries were made by
some of His followers which caused them to leave Him. Their
expectations were based either on a false estimate of gain in
the new Kingdom, or a perverse notion of its nature, and when
they saw their prospects of the future slipping away from them
they departed. From some of those who loved Him and served
Him we have a record of their Master's life that could not
have been invented by the simple fisherfolk of the Galilean
Sea. No human intellect could produce from the resources
of fiction or philosophy the account they give of the words

THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES 161
and deeds of the Son of Man. Bare incidents are related with
a fidelity due to the indelible impression made upon their
hearts, and the Spirit of truth, by Whom they were moved.
When they are apprehended by the sincere seeker after truth
they are applied by the Spirit of Jesus to his soul, and he
receives the call to follow. Jesus said, " Every one that is of
the truth heareth My voice." 7
A Sabbath in Capernaum
The active ministry of Jesus is well described by three
Evangelists in their account of the Sabbath in Capernaum
following the call of the disciples. His attendance at the
synagogue strengthens our belief in His care for the observ
ance of the duties of godly people, the necessity for meeting
together in common prayer and praise, for a right under
standing of the will of God.
A few marble fragments of a synagogue lie among the ruins
in the cities of the lake, and though we may not be satisfied
with their part in the famous building erected at the expense
of the centurion who loved the Jews, we are justified in form
ing in our minds a conception of the place to which Jesus went
on that memorable day. They help us to build again and see
in imagination the lost city, and we may behold the vivid bright
ness of the morning when the sparkling waters of the lake,
reflecting the rays of the sun, made all nature look joyous,
and a solemn stillness reigned in the market by the sea.
The synagogue had little room to spare when Jesus began
to speak. A full report of His sermon has not been pre
served, but a few notes may be found in St. Matthew's Gospel.
They do not convey to the ordinary reader the effect they
produced on the people. Accustomed to a dull and listless
repetition of well-known phrases, they were startled by the
spontaneous outburst of living speech with a Divine power
that moved the hearts of the congregation. They listened in
silent admiration, when suddenly a wild cry was heard from
i St. John xviii. 37.

162 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
their midst. An unhappy wretch, afflicted with an evil spirit,
had crept into the place unobserved. The poor demoniac felt
the resistless power of the sermon; the evil spirit within him,
disturbed by the voice of the Holy One, cried out, " Let us
alone: what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazar
eth? Art Thou come to destroy us ? I know Thee Who Thou
art, the Holy One of God."
The excitement naturally grew with the ravings of the poor
maniac, until Jesus calmly rebuked the evil spirit, saying,
" Hold thy peace, and come out of him." 8 In a paroxysm of
fear and convulsion the sufferer fell to the ground, his frenzy
ceased, and he was restored to his right mind. Methods were
adopted by the exorcists of the time for the treatment of men
possessed with unclean spirits so utterly unlike the quiet and
dignified manner of Jesus that the members of the congrega
tion were amazed. A new power had appeared before them;
and, as they left the synagogue, their admiration was ex
pressed in exclamations of wonder. They said, " What a
word is this? for with authority and power He commandeth
the unclean spirits, and they come out." 9
From the synagogue Jesus went with Simon to his house,
where his wife's mother lay sick of a fever.10 St. Luke the
EvangeHst, as a physician, uses a more technical phrase in
describing her state ; he says, " And Simon's wife's mother was
holden with a great fever " — a distinction which those ac
quainted with Eastern fevers understand, and he informs us
how she was healed.11
When evening fell and the Sabbath was ended, relieved of
their religious obligations the people from variouc parts of
» St Luke iv. 35. » St. Luke iv. 36.
io St Mark i. 30; St. Luke iv. 38.
n He alone tells us how our Lord healed the stricken woman, and he
alone introduces the word irapaxfivpa, "immediately she arose," a word
which, from its frequent recurrence in St. Luke has impressed critical
writers with the accuracy of the Evangelist's knowledge, and their frank
confession " that tradition is correct in ascribing to St. Luke the authorship
of the third Gospel." — Literary Criticism and the New Testament, R. J.
JJnowling, DJD., pp. 12, 13.

THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES 163
the city came to Simon's house. Soon an eager multitude
thronged the streets bearing their sick to Jesus. The ravings
of the demoniacs, mingled with the hum of many voices, an
nounced their presence, and Jesus laid His hands on them and
healed them all.
Weary with the long day's toil, He retired to rest, but be
fore the morning broke He stole through the silent streets to
a lonely place on the hills above the town.12 The retreat He
sought, a retired spot where He refreshed His soul in com
munion with the Father, was evidently known to the disciples.
In their intervals of leisure they had doubtless been with Him
there listening to His words and learning to become accus
tomed to His ways. There they found Him and said, " All men
seek for Thee." He replied, " Let us go into the next towns,
that I may preach there also : for therefore came I forth." 13
12 St. Mark i. 35. is St. Mark i. 37, 38.

CHAPTER XIV
A MISSION THROUGH GALILEE
From an ordinary human estimate of the opportunity in Ca
pernaum the departure of Jesus seems inexplicable. His mir
acles of healing had roused the populace to a high pitch of
excitement and made Him famous, and just as they were ready
to honour His work He left them. He had no desire for fame,
and no wish to be known as a wonder-worker. The people
were seeking Him for what He had done ; they were anxious to
retain His services for more of His deeds of kindness and gifts
of healing, and not for the message of salvation. He read the
secrets of their hearts, He saw the drift of their minds, and
passed from their midst to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom
elsewhere. The restraint He showed in the exercise of His power was
as wonderful as its display, and the wisdom disclosed by the
methods He adopted in dealing with the people was derived
from the source of His power. This quality of wisdom is not
frequently associated with the work of Jesus, yet His sagacity
is as extraordinary as His sympathy. A mere wonder-worker
would have paraded his ability, and used it to increase the
number of adherents to his cause. Jesus had a better way.
He went about doing good, but the good was for the improve
ment of the soul, and for this purpose He healed the broken
in health to restore the stricken spirit. By His miracles He
showed His compassion for human need, and He secured from
those whom He healed a certain faith, a kind of miracle faith,
not always the faith He wished to inspire by His teaching.
It often produced no moral change either in the recipients
of His favour or in the witnesses of His cures ; it might even
have been entertained by those who without religious aspira
tion continued to live in sin. He accepted their faith for what
164

A MISSION THROUGH GALILEE 165
it was worth; He was neither deceived by its nature nor its
extent. He saw that it sprang from a desire for temporal
benefits, and they were not withheld until He perceived that
the element of selfishness in their appeal for a further exhibi
tion of His power might, if encouraged, hinder the growth of
real faith. He then withdrew Himself from their midst.
It must have cost Him an effort to suspend the gifts He
longed to bestow on the people, when He felt for their unfor
tunate condition and had the power to relieve them.1 His ap
parent unconcern was only the maturing of His purpose, the
ripening of opportunity. He was always ready to help and
to heal, but He would not accede to the wishes of the crowd
and respond to the popular desire to become a Healer when
His purpose was to teach them to know God's will, and be
lieve on Him Whom He had sent. He appealed to their un
derstanding with His word, to their conscience with its truth;
He would not condescend to resort to a lower claim for the
acceptance of His message by the use of His miraculous power
to coerce the spirit of the people. No permanent gain fol
lows a compelling cause ; the one departs when the other ceases.
Something more substantial than the wonder created by a
miracle is required to convince a man of his need of a new
way of life.
Our Lord refused to work miracles as a proof of His Mis
sion. When He appealed to certain Jews in Jerusalem to
believe His works,2 if they would not believe on Him, it was
not to the miraculous character of the works that He drew
their attention, but to the Divine origin of His power. Nico
demus 3 acknowledged its source because of His works. The
miracles, then, become the proof of His union with God; not
the evidence of a supernatural endowment, but of a filial union
so perfect that He could command the resources of omnipo
tence for the fulfilment of His vocation.4
On leaving Capernaum He visited the neighbouring towns
i Cf. first temptation. 2 St. John x. 38. 3 St. John iii. 2.
* Studies in the Inner Life of Jesus," by A, E. Garvie, D.D., p. 282,

166 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
and villages ; " and there came a leper unto Him." B The only
specific incident of His mission through GaHlee mentioned by
the Evangelists is the brief story of this leper.
Leprosy is one of the scourges of the East. A pathetic
group of people may be seen today outside the walls of Jeru
salem, from whom the cry, " Lepros, lepros," comes in a piti
ful wail. Prohibited by the authorities from entering the city
on account of their disease, they excite the compassion of the
stranger and the pilgrim on the road, and one glance at the
wretched objects causes even the merciful to shrink from them
with horror. But none feel the loathing of the ancient inhab
itants of the land, who were taught by their Scriptures to look
upon the fell disease as a type of sin ; and the lepers were shut
outside the gate. As soon as the taint is visible the afflicted
one must join the colony without the city wall. He seems
to have no pain, though the limbs are first blotched and swollen,
and the face marred by scars and serried wounds. Little by
little a limb decays, a hand is lost, and only the stump of the
arm is left.
The sanitary caution mentioned in Numbers v. 2 was not the
only motive for ceremonial enactments which forced the leper
to Hve apart; a far deeper reason accounted for his exclu
sion from the community. The dread disorder was specially
selected, as being the most loathsome and incurable of all,
to represent the defilement of sin upon the once pure and holy
body of man. His life became a plague and a disgust to the
nation. He was beyond the reach 'of human aid, and consid
ered as dead.6 In God alone was there a hope of recovery.
One of these poor creatures, in spite of all the precautions
to keep him from the community, ventured into the place where
Jesus taught. The name of Jesus drew him. His pity for the
helpless and His power to aid them urged the man onward. A
great hope had been born within him by the tidings he had
heard as the story of the love of Jesus passed through the
district. It was borne upon the lips of the people along the
s St, Mark i. 40. « Josephus, Ant. Book III. chap. xi. 3.

A MISSION THROUGH GALILEE 167
road. Men and women, when they met, discussed the startling
events they related to one another, and the wretched man
standing near them listened to the wondrous account of the
works of Jesus. In the recesses of his soul the gloom had
set, the shadow of the tomb ; the awful separation his disease
had caused was a living death, and the mental agony he en
dured when he was forced to leave all the world held dear to
him shut the door of hope for ever. All happiness had van
ished and life had lost its value. Now his outlook on the
world was changed, the name of Jesus removed his fear, cour
age entered where despair had settled, and the leper sought
His face. Kneeling before Him, he said, " If Thou wilt, Thou
canst make me clean." He touched the leper and said, " I
will ; be thou clean." 7 His gentle hand carried with it the
cleansing power, His simple words the assurance of the cure.
The voice of Jesus sounded, as no human voice before or since
has sounded, in the sweetest accents of love Divine. His pure
and holy hand rested on the polluted man and made him clean.
The leper was told to show himself to the priest and per
form the ceremonial acts demanded by the law. He was
charged to refrain from talking about the extraordinary way
in which he was healed; but the change was so wholesome and
complete he could not resist the desire to make it known.
Such a thing was never heard of before; no one had ever
touched a leper, and none had pitied him. Disgust too often
showed itself on the face of the man compelled to gaze on his
repulsive appearance. And now all was different. Jesus had
touched him; His compassion moved towards its object with a
gentleness and a tenderness that transformed a loathsome
being into a living man.
For the sake of the legal spirit of the people, Jesus kept
away from the towns. The leper's report of his miraculous
cure would be sufficient cause. We can understand our Lord's
consideration for the man in sending him, in conformity with
the law, to obtain a certificate to show that he was clean, and
7 St. Mark i. 41.

168 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the reserve enjoined might cause the man to think more calmly
on what he had experienced; but his joy was so great he could
not refrain from publishing the news. By His injunction of
secrecy Jesus desired to place a check on the circulation of
mere report concerning His miracles. The repetition of the
report of His works from one person to another might carry
a confused meaning of them amongst the people. Their real
meaning might thus become obscured; the deeper lessons they
contained might disappear.
While Jesus respected the legal aspect of the leper's case,
the people who really needed His help paid no attention to
the circumstances of the cure; they sought Him where He
could be found.8
We can form an idea of the circuit of this missionary tour
from incidental allusions 9 in the narrative, and in this par
ticular instance it was confined to the towns on the shore of
the lake and the deserted places on the hills above them, where
in retirement further instruction might be giyen to the dis
ciples. The conspicuous place in the account of the journey
occupied by this miracle is probably due to its significance,
and it no doubt engaged the attention of the disciples in the
training they received to become Messengers of the Kingdom
of God.
From His retreat in the desert places Jesus went to Caper
naum.10 s St. Mark i. 45. » St. Mark i. 38, 45. io St. Mark ii. 1.

CHAPTER XV
THE RETURN TO CAPERNAUM
The news that Jesus had returned spread quickly through the
city. He was followed to the house,1 in which He was received
by an anxious crowd that gathered to hear Him speak. He
probably sat in the shade of the verandah at the side of the
courtyard, and the people on the pavement before Him, even
to the door. In their dismay the friends of a paralytic man
saw there was no more room, but, having brought him to Jesus,
they were determined to attract His attention. If they could
not enter the courtyard they would climb the steps that led to
the roof. Apparently baffled by the tiling on the top of the
verandah, which formed the shelter from the sun for the rooms
on that side of the house, they removed the obstruction and
lowered their pitiful burden. The sick man suddenly appear
ing before the Preacher interrupted His discourse; His com
passion was aroused. Looking upward to the men whose bold
venture had summoned His aid, and seeing their faith, He
turned to the palsied man before Him and said, " Son, thy
sins be forgiven thee." 2 The perseverance of the four men
who carried the sick man to Jesus, and their resolute will to
overcome all difficulties, showed a faith so strong it brought
forth the power that healed their friend. Something more
i St Mark ii. 2.
The house in which our Lord preached does not appear to have been
Simon's. A synagogue has been suggested on account of the number of
people present. This is unnecessary and improbable. The courtyard of
a house would accommodate a large number of people, and Oriental hos
pitality furnished the opportunity. It is this factor in Eastern life which
enabled our Lord to meet so many people. Wherever He went others
would be able to follow Him.
The uncovering of the roof does not refer to the fixture over the rooms,
but a less substantial cover for a side of the courtyard.
2 St. Mark ii. 5. 169

170 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
than the power to heal came from the Preacher. He saw within
the man, whose palsied limbs refused their office, a secret need,
and, though His unexpected words fell on the ears of the
astonished people around Him, since they seemed to bear no
meaning to his case as it appeared to them, the sick man
knew, as he looked in the face of Jesus, that the sin haunting
the chambers of his soul was discovered, the secret story of
his life was revealed. His aching conscience, stricken with
the restless memory of the past, stirred within him, and the
inward cry of his penitent soul was heard and answered.
Certain scribes sitting there heard also the words of Jesus,
heard them with their outward ears when the forgiven man
received them with his inward spirit; the same words, but
without the significance of the radiant hope they conveyed to
him. Their hearts were moved with indignation, they were
roused by what seemed an arrogant assumption of authority
which belonged to God alone, and for a man to usurp the Di
vine prerogative was blasphemy, and His statement a licence
for the sinful man to continue his offences.3 Jesus, perceiv
ing their thoughts, asked : " Why reason ye these things in
your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the
palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, take up
thy bed and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of
Man hath power on earth to forgive sins (He saith to the sick
of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and
go thy way unto thine house."
He was aware of the critical inspection under which He la
boured, that the leaders of the people, having been alarmed
by His increasing popularity, were ready to denounce Him
on any pretext, and He met their contention without hesita
tion and without fear. Instead of disavowing the interpre
tation these hostile Scribes attached to His declaration, or
repudiating the construction placed on the meaning of His
words, He distinctly asserted His right to the Divine pre
rogative, He insisted on His claim to forgive sins, and it was
s St. Mark ii. 7, 9, .11.

THE RETURN TO CAPERNAUM 171
justified by the assurance of pardon the palsied man received
with confidence and certainty. Evidence of the power was
seen when the sufferer rose from his bed and walked; he had
found both forgiveness of sins and the strength to move his
palsied limbs.
This incident marked the commencement of the active oppo
sition of the Jewish rulers; it was the turning-point in their
attitude towards Jesus. No one doubted the genuineness of
His miracles ; they had not even been questioned. His right
to heal on the Sabbath Day was disputed, and displeasure
freely expressed on His new way of treating their holy day;
but the element of antagonism it caused was nothing compared
with the storm created by His tremendous claim to forgive sins.
The Jews had never expected their Messiah to assume a pre
rogative which they attributed to God. Neither prophet nor
priest had assigned such a power to the One they expected to
restore their Kingdom. Isaiah had foretold that the Holy
One of God would atone for the sin of the world and make in
tercession for transgressors; but it was one thing to expiate
the guilt of man and quite another thing to pardon it. The
former might be accomplished by a human agent: the latter
was a superhuman act of the Eternal God.
This assertion of Divine authority to cancel the moral
debt of man indicated to the rulers of the people in Galilee a
vast change in the mission of Jesus; it was a claim for their
recognition of His Divine origin, and the Hebrew conception
of God, which correlated Divine power with Divine mercy,
should have enabled them to see the Divine nature in Christ,
when it unveiled before them a heart to love as well as a
power to heal. But they had lost what we call spiritual per
ception, the power to penetrate truth contrary to common
experience, the truth about God in which power and love were
blended, the thought of God to which the prophets and psalm
ists of old gave utterance in sublime accents of exaltation.
From this time the idea becomes more intelligible that Jesus
came to introduce a new factor into society. The true in-

172 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
wardness and meaning of it were not realized until His re
demptive work was complete; but the germ became visible in
His unique personal claim of relationship and power. He not
only claimed Divine power to forgive sins ; He taught the
Divine meaning of forgiveness. He practised forgiveness, and
it is this distinctive feature of His character which has im
pressed the world; it is so far removed from what may be
expected of human nature that no other interpretation of it
can be given than Divine ; and those who have appreciated His
love and experienced His power have shown by their own lives
the meaning of forgiveness. It is the fundamental part of the
moral system Christ established, and when the Christian spirit
is mentioned, the main element in it is usually understood to be
a forgiving spirit.
A bitter antagonism now arose in the Jewish rulers towards
Jesus. They hated Him more for His claim because the evil
in them resisted the good He made manifest, and no effort was
spared by them, nor an opportunity lost, to detect a flaw in
His life and conduct. The contest between them grew, on
their side with an intense desire to destroy Him and His work ;
in Him it was simply the determination to pursue His course.
His pure and holy life was lived before them with a matchless
courage that kept Him in the way that He had marked out for
Himself amidst the envy and malice of His persecutors. His
movements were watched, His words criticized, and His works
deprecated; but the multitudes still followed and His disciples
increased, and it was admitted at His trial that no fault was
found in Him.
There were no means of conciliating the rulers; their preju
dice having grown into hostility, another cause of offence was
found in the attention Jesus paid to the outcasts of society.
Some of them were His associates, and the more respectable
people, those who considered themselves the better class of the
nation, resented His treatment of the lower orders. It was
not due to selection. He offered His gifts to all; no one was
excluded by His will; the rich and poor, high and low, were

THE RETURN TO CAPERNAUM 173
free to receive or reject His ministry, and all who responded
to His teaching became His followers irrespective of rank.
One class of men was more obnoxious to Jewish sentiment
than any other : they were the men, called Publicans, employed
to collect taxes. The oflice of tax-gatherer was vile and de
graded. Any Jew holding it was deemed unfit for the society
of decent men, and he became the object of public scorn. On
patriotic grounds his work was resented because he exacted
the payment of tribute to Rome. He was tempted to over
charge, and his extortion became so notorious that every Pub
lican was reckoned unmoral and excluded from religious fellow
ship. He was a detestable person, and returned with interest
the feeling shown towards him by using his opportunities to
oppress the people.
The Imperial Government demanded a certain revenue from
tributary provinces, and its collection was placed in the hands
of the men who offered the highest sum for each district. Only
rich men could undertake the financial risk, but they never
thought of personally gathering the taxes levied on the land
and the people. This thankless office was relegated to men of
unscrupulous character, owing to its unpleasant nature.
Ever since the Roman dominion of the land of Palestine the
collection of taxes has been made by a similar method. At the
present day one-tenth of the produce of the communal land 4
is due to the Government. This tax is publicly sold to the
highest bidder, a speculator who expects to profit by the trans
action, and, after paying the sum he offered, proceeds to re
coup himself for the outlay from the peasants. Subordinates
are employed for the more distasteful work. They are now
called " Ashar," the word for tenth, a term of opprobrium,
that is used on account of their extortionate practices, to des
ignate greedy and merciless men.
There has always been a bitter cry against the tax-collec
tors; their harsh treatment of the poor, the insolence of their
office, the tyrannical extortion on behalf of an alien Govern-
* See Village Life in Palestine, p. 137.

174 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
ment, and their own pecuniary advantage, placed them in a
class apart. They were branded with public shame, and many
of them sunk to the lowest depths of infamy. Having no
character to lose, there seemed nothing left to prevent their
fall. One of these men had heard of Jesus. He had seen Him m
the haunts of the Publicans and sinners of Capernaum, watched
Him pass the custom-house of the city, and doubtless mingled
with the crowd that followed Him. Jesus had noticed Levi,
the son of Alphsus, as he sat at the receipt of custom, and
one day, as He passed his place of business, said, " Follow
Me." Levi immediately obeyed, and joined the little band
that surrounded Jesus. He received a new name in his new
vocation, and we know how great was the change within him
from the Gospel that bears the name of Matthew the Apostle
and Evangelist, once Levi the Publican, an outcast from the
synagogue. No protest from the disciples marred his recep^
tion, although the necessity for associating with a Publican
must naturally have been repugnant to their feelings ; they
had been changed, too, having become accustomed to their
Master's ways and agreeable to His benevolent purpose.
Levi signalized his departure from the old life and his
entrance into the fellowship of Jesus by a feast. Every im
portant transaction of human life has its appropriate cere
mony ; even the sentiments of friendship require to be kept
alive by tokens of regard, and the most suitable and regular
form of commemoration in the East is a feast. Whenever a
man wishes to proclaim his joy his feelings are associated with
his fellow-men. His reason for rejoicing must become known,
and his gladness shared. The birth of a child, the return of
a relative from a journey, the restoration- of anything lost,
the marriage of a son, are all occasions for cementing friend
ships and celebrating events. Man is at his happiest and best
when he is sitting at a common meal and engaged in congenial
social intercourse.
Levi's feast signified his joy. His fellow tax-gatherers and

Sc. D. Mastroianni

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris
They that be whole need not a physician . . . go ye and learn what that
meaneth
Matthew IX: 12-13

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni '
And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send
them forth to preach
Mark III: 14

THE RETURN TO CAPERNAUM 175
his associates were invited to witness it with Jesus and His
disciples. The open door during the progress of the supper
afforded an opportunity for the admission of the public; it
attracted the attention of the Pharisees, eagerly waiting to
discredit our Lord in the estimation of the people. Tax-
gatherers' feasts, in their eyes, were disreputable orgies of
eating and drinking. They pretended to be shocked at the
appearance of Jesus, and were probably pleased to find Him
in a situation that enabled them to advertise His misconduct.
Their supreme solemnity of manner masked the frivolous char
acter of their hearts, the mean disposition of their minds. In
stead of appealing to Him direct, they questioned His disciples,
saying : " How is it that He eateth and drinketh with Publi
cans and sinners ? " 5 Jesus heard them, and with piercing
irony vindicated His attitude towards the company in which
He was found. With scathing rebuke He said : " They that
are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick ;
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." 6
Discomfited by His reply, they sought an alliance with the
disciples of John the Baptist, who observed the practice of
fasting in common with other advocates of abstinence, and
were esteemed in the highest religious circles for their manner
of life. John's disciples had a better reception than the
Scribes and Pharisees, although they had been inveigled into
a union with the adversaries of Jesus. He received them gra
ciously, reminded them of their own master's words,7 and the
declaration of his position in relation to Christ as the friend
of the Bridegroom, and asked them : " Can the children of
the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? " 8
the presence of the bridegroom being the time for rejoicing;
then He added, " But the days will come when the bridegroom
shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast." 9
He knew what lay before Him and His disciples. The shadow
of the cross and His departure loomed in the distance, when
6 St. Mark ii. 16. 6 St. Mark ii. 17. i St. John iii. 29.
s St. Mark ii. 19. 9 St. Mark ii. 20.

176 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
their joy would be turned into mourning. He further told
them, in two homely metaphors, that His Gospel contained a
new idea of religion which could not be attached to old worn-
out tradition, like a new piece of cloth to an old garment,
lest both should suffer; that it was like new wine which must
have new wine-skins : the old, unable to expand, would burst
and the new wine be lost.
As the Bridegroom, the Eternal God was visiting His peo
ple to begin among them a new and more joyous life, which
must supersede the cold and austere application of old nega
tive tradition. His new way of life was being made known
as the Kingdom of God, and it signified His rule as a new
union between Himself and them.

CHAPTER XVI
THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES AND THE SERMON ON THE
MOUNT
In spite of the opposition of the Scribes and Pharisees, the
tide of public favour was flowing high. Multitudes of people
from Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond Jordan gathered to
hear the words and see the works of Jesus.1 More favourable
opportunities for teaching them were found outside the towns
on the appearance of settled weather. Sick folk, probably
many of them from the baths of Tiberias, were laid on the
wayside to be within His reach when He passed along the lake
shore road. There was no room in the cities for them to
assemble in the numbers that appealed at various times for
help; the streets were too narrow and too much occupied with
the daily traffic, and the courtyards of the houses were not al
ways available for dealing with such large crowds. Between
Tiberias and Magdala the road was less congested, and from
it the ground rises in many parts with a gradual slope towards
the mountain. Suitable places for addressing the people were
more easily found in this neighbourhood.
The time was fast approaching for a clearer definition of
the purpose of Jesus. His disciples found it pleasant and easy
to gaze on His works of compassion, and the people followed
gladly the progress of His healing power.2 They saw no
marks of the conflict which He bore in the struggle between
His love for their souls and His care for their bodies. A
higher standard of life than bodily health had to be set ; a less
popular movement inaugurated than that which arose in the
excitement and novelty of His marvellous works. He had to
count the cost for Himself of that perfect rule of life for man
i St. Matt. iv. 25. 2 St. Matt. iv. 23, 34,
177

178 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
which He came to establish. His insistence on quality and
not quantity in His following would mean the gradual defec
tion of the multitude. The will of God must be declared. Out
of the depths of self in the disciples unsuspected powers must
emerge to be quickened into a sense of duty — duty towards
God and towards mankind.
He recognized the slumbering greatness of the men, the value
and power of the immense possibilities for good in their nature
which they had never seen. He came to call them into noble
exercise, that the measure of their development might deepen
and expand by the force of truth — truth as an essential
reality, the great central truth that the will of God is the
rule of a wise and loving Father which He exhibited in Him
self. His disciples saw one way in which it was maintained,
and one notable incident is mentioned.
We are informed that He spent the night in prayer before
He ordained the apostolic band and delivered His great Ser
mon on the Mount. Very little is recorded of His habits and
methods of prayer, and we are never told except on two occa
sions for what He prayed ; but we may glean from the few in
stances committed to writing sufficient knowledge to indicate
the character of His access to God. Two words occur in the
Gospels which are used in definite allusion to prayer, one 3 that
has a general reference to the soul's communion ; and another 4
applied to direct supplication and intercession. The former
is found in the text relating to our Lord's prayer in the dark
ness and loneliness of the night which preceded the momentous
epoch of the world's history.
The crowds had dispersed; Jesus saw them retracing their
steps towards the towns. His disciples had also left Him to
climb the mountain path alone. Lights feebly shone from the
dwellings of the people in the cities on the shore of the sea
below; stars glittered in the deep blue vault above; around
Him the darkness gathered, and the silence of His resting-
place was only broken by the whispering night wind as it
» irpoaev^rj, St, Luke vi. 12, 4 dinais, St. Luke i. 13,

THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES 179
freshened on the hiUs. In the darkness He knelt in prayer to
God. The sense of God the Father, wise and great beyond
understanding, is deepened in the darkness, and a great shadow,
even on a starlit night, rests in the glen below the summit of
the mountain. Darkness is not all darkness; within it there
is light, and as the eyes become accustomed to their surround
ings the darkness retreats. So it is in man's search for God
in Christ Jesus, especially when the darkness has been thrown
around Him by the commotion and confusion of the human
mind, and when earthly things prevent the absolute com
posure of the human spirit.
Absorbed in His fiHal union with the Father, Jesus prepared
for the coming day. Thoughts for His Apostles' guidance,
and the world's destiny, assumed their shape within Him. And
as the purple light heralds the first streaks of the dawn of an
Eastern morning, and gradually the varied colours shed a
brilliant radiance in the sky, and the mountain-top is tipped
with roseate hues, and the shadows are chased away from the
lowlands, so Christ came forth with the laws of a new King
dom for mankind. They were not peculiarly moral as the
commandments delivered by Moses from the mount of God for
the region of natural and human experience; they belonged to
the realm where God abides, where the aspirations of those
who have Him for their end and aim of life are satisfied; they
represent its form for their guidance, and they contain its
spirit for their support.
When Moses brought from the darkness of Sinai the first
commandments, history made a new beginning, and the founda
tion was laid for the stage of moral principles. When Christ
came forth from the presence of God history entered into a
new sphere, and on the foundation of the moral code there was
raised a moral ideal, which men acknowledge to be supreme,
and many on that account excuse themselves from attempting
to climb the steep ascent of the soul's great adventure. Jesus
saw its peril, pain, and loss as He scanned the broad horizon
of life, and He gave to men an instinct for power to walk on

180 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the imperishable way, and a Guide to see them through.
Life on earth, with its brief existence and unsatisfied longing,
embraces within its scope a higher and a better life. By con
fining its nature within the social structure of civilization men
fail to see that it is a fraction of immortality, and therefore
a part of the whole design of the Eternal Mind; that the con
stitution of society as a fellowship, a human brotherhood, can
only be realized in the idea of a Divine Fatherhood. Some
thing must connect the real life on earth with the real Hfe of
heaven, and reconcile the difference between them. We know
there is a difference, and the only way in which it can be recon
ciled must be revealed in a form which men can see and acquire
for their own use, and by means which they can employ for the
benefit of their fellow-men. This is the revelation of Jesus
Christ, God in Man, a transcendant Personality revealed in
the conditions of earthly life. Through Jesus Christ, the
incarnation of the Eternal in the temporal, we are able to
recognize the design of the Eternal Mind, that the Kingdom
of Heaven is life in the world of men organized by the will of
God, life not only hereafter, but here and now; life as it flows
into men willing to know and to do the will of God.5 Since
Christ revealed the will of God in Himself, the two worlds are
reconciled. The visible and the invisible are no longer two
separate and unrelated worlds. The higher sphere, for which
men yearn, and into which they pass when the outward and
visible fades away, is that state where no insurgent force
exists. When we conform to the Eternal Will in this life we
inhabit the eternal world, of which the visible is the outward
part, and space and locality form our physical environment.
By overestimating the value of the outward factors we lose
sight of the vital principle that the primary condition of true
life is personal and inward, the state, capacity, and outlook
of the soul. Character, that is the kind of spirit in man,
creates the mind which either limits or increases the faculty
for realizing life, and the supreme revelation is through Jesus
5 St. John vii, 17,

THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES 181
Christ. He showed that personality is real, and is not lost
when it partakes of the fulness of the life He revealed.
For the purpose of making known the character of true
life to all mankind, He called His disciples together in the
morning. Their relationship to Him, hitherto somewhat in
definite, was made more clear by His choice of Twelve to be in
attendance upon Him for a closer union of fellowship, and to
receive from Him a fuller knowledge of the will of God.
He ordained them and appointed them to be Apostles. The
title e He gave them expressed their vocation as Messengers
with a direct commission to bear witness for Him, and carry
His message with His authority. Simon and Andrew, James
and John, Philip and Nathaniel, and Levi the Publican we
already know. The last two in the future were recognized
by other names, Nathaniel as Bartholomew,7 and Levi as
Matthew. In addition to these were Thomas, James the son
of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon Zelotes, Jude, and Judas Isca-
riot, the only one who was not a Galilean. Very little is
known of James the son of Alphaeus, of Jude the brother of
James, and Simon the Zealot, and but slight mention is made
of Bartholomew and Matthew. Peter, James, and John
formed the inner circle of the little company, and were admitted
into the closest fellowship of their Lord.
One name on the list has been handed down to posterity
with a stain upon it that excites the critics of the mind and
heart of Jesus. They cannot understand why Judas the trai
tor was chosen by our Lord. Many theories have been con
jectured to vindicate his election, some to justify his deed,
and others account in various unsatisfactory methods for all
its mystery. Judas was chosen because in him was the possi
bility of higher things, but he allowed the baser part of
himself to rule. Every step he took in the tragedy of his life
was watched, and — this, at least, We must remember — our
Lord, in spite of all things, loved him even unto the end. As
« AirooToXav (St. Matt. x. 2) means Delegates as well as Messengers.
t Bartholomew is a patronymic, Bar Talmai, the son of Talmaj — a, fur
row,

182 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
far as we may reckon on knowledge, we may also assume that
the problem of his life, and ours too, in our view of the choice
our Lord made of Judas, lies in the relation between Divine
foreknowledge and human freedom. Our moral freedom de
mands energy ; His sustaining powers keeps it going. Jesus
foreknew the part that Judas would play in the world's great
tragedy, and we may suppose He recognized him as God's in
strument for the fulfilment of His eternal purpose ; he was
not chosen because he would be bad, but that he might be
good. While the Apostles were being ordained the multitude in
creased. Probably the greatest number of people ever ad
dressed by Jesus at one time and in one place had assembled
together. No better situation could have been selected for a
large audience in the vicinity of the cities by the lake than the
mountain known as Kurn Hattin, the traditional site of this
great event in the world's history. The utterances, on this
great day of His life, of Jesus Christ, Who is both the revela
tion of God and the revelation of man, have been called the
Sermon on the Mount. It was more than the sermon of the
Greatest Preacher; it was more than the manifesto of the
Greatest King; it was the unveiling of human life in the light
of Perfect Humanity, and its translation into language suit
able for the understanding of men who desire to behold the
standard of the perfect life.
Those who see only a collection of ethical precepts in the
Sermon on the Mount miss its essential feature, the real life
it represents as the Kingdom of God, the rule of God in the
life of man.8 By attaching the Twelve, whom He had or
dained, to His person to carry on His work, Jesus enabled them
to see the principles of the perfect life in operation as a force
flowing from the heart of God and lodged in a Human Life
to blend with the forces that make human history. Out of the
recognition of the Perfect Life exemplified in Jesus there grad
ually proceeded in the course of its development in His dis-
s St. Luke xvii. 21 : " The Kingdom of God is within you."

THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES 183
ciples the consciousness of an Ideal to be followed, then the
conviction in them that the Object was worthy of devotion.
The quality of the Ideal stole into them, its elements were
wrought into their being. They began to see the Life from the
author's point of view, and to think His thoughts. They be
gan not merely to desire to be like Him; they began to be
like Him. There grew a new life within them, from the foun
tain and source of a higher life, His life, a Power incarnate
subordinating everything to His influence through His will.
By the progressive sanctification of the individual character,
the will of man working in harmony with the will of God, His
Kingdom, though spiritual and interior, becomes visible in the
outward organization of a man's life. The nature of His
Kingdom, the new and true life within, He declared was the
character of its loyal subjects, and their character was to
influence the world of men by weaving it into the fabric of
their social life, and form a human brotherhood animated by
the life Divine. He called it " blessed." With this word He
commenced to reveal it, and, as He proceeded, each manifesta
tion of the blessed life exhibited the marvellous change the
Kingdom of God meant to them.
Its significance He showed by two metaphors, salt and light,
for His disciples to know what they were expected to become
as His subjects. He said: "Ye are the salt of the earth."
They were familiar with the use of salt as a powerful preserva
tive; they recognized the valuable properties contained in the
common object they found so necessary to prevent the corrup
tion of their fish in the hot climate in which they laboured.
They were aware, also, how soon it lost its savour, and then,
being worthless, was thrown away.
Perhaps they did not know, at the time He spoke to them,
that the possession of such a character as the salt implied was
to exercise a beneficent influence on society, that it was to
enter, through them, in to a civilization fast hastening to
decay; that they were to unite for their combined strength
to arrest the decline and downfall of mankind. But their

184 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Master knew, and He had chosen them to carry on His work
in association with one another in His name, identified as a
society, a fellowship, afterwards termed His Church; and their
inward and spiritual life was the salt for them to become the
preservers of social life and the savourers of mankind. He
knew that the social achievement of the grandest kind would
follow as a consequence of this life in them if they kept the
single purpose of diffusing such a life throughout the world
as the witnesses of His fellowship.
The outward and visible form of His Kingdom, as the wit
ness to the world of the existence of its character and power,
He illustrated by His reference to light. " Ye are the light
of the world," He said, " a city set on a hill cannot be hid,"
and before them, on the hill to the north, was a city, with its
buildings gleaming in the sunlight, set in the frame of the green
foliage of its terraced gardens and groves, and surrounded
by the wild and barren slopes of uncultivated land. This was
the attestation of the fact of their existence as the fellow
ship, of a corporate body, the conscious testimony of its mem
bers in their union with one another, and their separation from
the world. The evidence of their individual life, the uncon
scious witness of the life within them, was to be shown as it
might appear in the darkness of the world's night. He said,
" Ye are the light of the world." " Let your light so shine
before men that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven."
They knew the meaning and use of light, of the little earthen
lamp in a cottage home, the only illuminant of their dwellings.
Lamp, light, and life have always been synonymous terms in
the land of the Bible. The Apostles were familiar with the
Scripture use of language imparting to the simple domestic
article a vivid picture of life itself.9 When the peasant of a
country village closes his door at night, he lights his lamp,
puts it on a stand, and retires to rest. Its feeble gleam of
light is not for his own use ; he goes to sleep ; it shines through
»Cf. Exod. x. 23; Job xviii. 6; xxi. 17; Ps. xviii. 28; Prov. xx. 27,

THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES 185
the chinks of his door and his little window to show the trav
eller in the darkness without there is life within his home.
Though he sleeps, unconscious of the world around his dwell
ing, he has a sure and silent witness that men may see he lives.
It is a sign of extreme poverty for a man to have no light
burning after nightfall, and peasants referring to a poor man
will say " He sleeps without a light " ; they think he must be
poor indeed if he cannot show he is alive. Early Christians,
when they buried their dead, placed in the tomb with the body
a similar little lamp, sometimes with an inscription on it in
elementary Greek, such as " Light of life," as a token of their
belief in life everlasting.
The whole of this part of the Sermon, although primarily
addressed to the Apostles, was delivered to all the followers of
Jesus, and it applies to all who bear His name. He is their
great Example, His life is the salt of the earth and the light
of the world, and His people, who enter into His fellowship
and partake of His life, are the instruments of His purpose.
The light shows the life, and the glory of it is not in the light
itself but in the Provider, thus the shining that men see will
be the means of directing their attention to the Master of the
house ; and the city set on a hill, which represents His fellow
ship, His Church, will call for their consideration of the Mas
ter Builder, and the glory of it all will be given to Him Who
is the Source of the life they reveal.
The light of the life of God 10 presented a magnificent con
trast to the stern legalism and worldly formalism of the day.
Jesus exhibited it in these various forms of law to enhance
its purity, and show how the true inward spirit is seen in out
ward acts. We have not, therefore, merely laws telling us
what we must do, but principles for the direction of the citi
zen of the Kingdom to do when he submits to the will of God.
Our Lord enunciated these laws with a brief preface on the
importance of law, He disclosed His relation to it as its fulfil
ment, the crown and completion of all that had gone before,
i»St John i. 4, 5, 9; iii. 19; viii. 12; ix. 5; xii. 35, 36, 46.

186 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
and Himself as the supreme Authority proceeding from God
to make His will known to mankind. He exposed the inade
quacy of the letter without the spirit, and showed the defect
of all life that was not rooted in God. He declared that " ex
cept your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the
Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the King
dom of Heaven." -11
Mere external observance is an unconscious instrument, ly
ing outside the current of life, insensible of any connection,
and incapable of expressing its movements. Christ's message
came to the actual life of the time. He approached life from
within, for the regeneration of its spirit to establish the moral
correspondence, which He exhibited in Himself, between the
inward spirit of man and his outward acts, and to show that
the visible and invisible part of man form one Kingdom. This
message is the truth in the sense of reality, not the truth con
veyed only by information, or even by reason. A man may
have a cartload of facts shot into his mind, he may become
a storehouse or library, and be full of knowledge, and yet not
be really true because these facts are not living truths to him ;
they furnish his intellect, but they do not inspire his soul and
dominate his life. Religious beliefs may be lying about a
man's mind as books on a shelf, or provisions in a larder; but
if they do not grow into his life, and his life into them, they
cannot be really a part of him.
The Scribes were the traditional expounders of the law, and
the Pharisees the scrupulous observers. Law has not the
power of acting on the will; it may keep a man from wrong
doing, but not from wrong-thinking; prevent wrong acts, but
it will not create right feelings ; it has a restraining influence,
but not a regenerating force. Another factor is needed ca
pable of exerting an attractive influence on the whole of man's
moral being; to control. the thoughts, and the feelings, and
the will, one which can call them into activity for the desire
of a better life, and furnish an incentive to holiness.
uSt. Matt. v. 20.

THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES 187
This factor was missing from the Jewish rulers' conception
of the law of God ; they had lost the sense of God's authority
as its source, accepting only its literal interpretation, to which
they added laws of their own, and looked upon them as equally
binding with the laws of God. And when Christ set before
them in His Person the true life in action, according to God's
will and law, they refused to acknowledge it, and resented
His revelation because it was a constant rebuke, and hurt
tlieir conscience.
In the first illustration Jesus gave of the law of murder
the springs of action were touched. He declared that an
account will be taken of the state of the heart, the invisible
Kingdom of the soul, and due punishment inflicted for sins
of thought and word. And it will not be less severe because
they arise from an unseen source and do not appear in action,
but it will be similar in its spiritual aspect, in its relation to the
Divine government, as the natural form in use at that time.
Among the Jews were weU-known degrees of guilt recog
nized by the courts,12 and the most severe penalty included
the destruction of the body of a malefactor in the valley of
Hinnom, where the fires had been burnt to Moloch,13 and
where the corpses of criminals were consumed with the refuse
of the city ; 14 and, as these fires never went out, the term
" everlasting punishment " was associated with the name of
the place.15 There was no distinction of kind, only of degree;
in each case the punishment was death ; but, to intensify the
horror of the last degree, the awful disgrace was added of
throwing the body into the fire of the accursed vaUey, where
the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.
The law of adultery referred also to the inward state pre
ceding the outward act, and Jesus declared that the man who
looked upon a woman to feed his unlawful desire had already
passed the barrier of intention, and was guilty in the sight
12 St. Matt. v. 22. isi Kings xi. 7; 2 Kings xxiii. 13, 14.
i^Lange, Life of Christ, vol. ii. p. 405 (note).
is Hinnom, Gehinnom: ^ Ttevva tov irvpds.

188 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
of God of a criminal offence. Matters relating to divorce
naturally followed.
The law regarding oaths applied primarily to the Jews,
who held no oath binding unless the name of God was intro
duced.16 Such means of strengthening a man's word was re
quired by the distrust provoked through the evil in human
nature that made the oath necessary.
The abolition of the law of retaliation struck at the same
root of mischief as that which necessitated the oath. In spite
of God's commandment " Thou shalt not kill," the rule of life
most convenient for desire remained as a governing principle
in the national life. A notable development may be observed
in the Old Testament of the recognition of God from the de
sire expressed in Judges vi. 15 : " As they did it unto Me,
so I have done it unto them " ; to the prayer for His active
interference on their behalf, " O Lord God, to Whom venge
ance belongeth, O God, to Whom vengeance belongeth, show
Thyself " (Ps. xciv. 1). The wish for retaliation still existed,
but its achievement passed into other hands.
As reason developed in conformity with the will of God,
though not always acknowledged, society took the law out of
the hand of the avenger, and for the sake of the community
administered the law itself and fixed an appropriate penalty.
Where law operates justly a high standard of security pre
vails, but without positive truth law cannot change the heart
of man: an incipient cause of strife is left in the individual
members of the State, even when lawlessness has been subdued.
It is the certainty of the penalty, and not its extent, which
curbs the inclination of man. The disposition of the heart
is for retaliation. On account of this fact of life, not only
speculative infidels, but men of the world who generally re
gard with favour the tone of the Gospel of Christ, deem its
morality romantic and impracticable, as being so transcend-
antly above the power of nature that it is altogether hopeless
of realizing it in practice. It represents that peculiarity
ie Deut. xxiii. 23.

THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES 189
in the ethics of Christ which conflicts most perhaps with the
natural tendencies of the human heart, and by which it is
most distinguished from all those moral systems which are of
merely human origin. For the first time God became real.
He was manifested in His Son, and His Spirit changes the heart
of the man that enters into fellowship with Him.
The native of Palestine has only two methods of treating
the serious nature of physical disease in order to get rid of it,
either by branding the afflicted man with a red-hot iron or by
letting out his blood with a sharp instrument.
Such a process often so weakens the patient that he dies.
The progress and development of medical science have found
a better way, that of strengthening the healthy part of man
for the evil to be overcome by something better than itself.
Jesus showed by His miracles that a different plan might
be adopted in the treatment of physical disorders. His touch
enabled the good to predominate. He prescribed a similar
method in dealing with moral and spiritual matters. He de
clared that men were not only to refrain from thoughts of
violence, they were to entertain thoughts of love, " the expul
sive power of a new affection." He advocated something more
than the law which restrains ; He exhibited the good which
regenerates, and offered it to all who came into the fellowship
of His Spirit. He desired His followers to possess something
more than a resolute abstinence from deeds of hostility; the
hostile feeling must be overcome,17 anger must be subdued.
It is not enough that man worketh no ill; he must have the
love that worketh no ill, not merely no ill to his neighbour,
but no ill to his enemy.
Jesus put love into the centre of His teaching because love
is in the centre of His heart. It makes all the difference what
is first and foremost in the heart of man. " As a man think-
eth in his heart so is he." In the heart of every man, how
ever vile, there is something of his great Creator, something
that can be quickened into-His likeness if it be allowed to grow.
it Cf. Rom. xii. 21.

190 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
And this universal quality is love. It is not easy to realize
that there is this quality in its universal sense, it is difficult
to recognize it in the name of love; yet it exists in the fellow
feeling towards a human being. A man will save another man
from drowning whether he be good or bad. He will not even
stop to inquire. He would save him if he were a criminal,
simply because he was a man. " By examples like this we
may discover that the love for humanity as such is a natural
passion." Jesus wished to touch it so that it might be the
mainspring of life, and link together everything in their rela
tive importance. By " treating it as the law-making power or
root of morality in human nature," He " trained and developed
it into that Christian spirit which received the new name of
aya-irq (love)." 18 Love alone sees clearly. Without love the
true interpretation of life is lost, and all things are out of pro
portion. Petty faults are magnified by a distorted vision,
and the great issues of life obscured by mean devices.
When Jesus said " Resist not evil," He illustrated His mean
ing by His actions. The love He bore to mankind was the
love He wished men to bear towards one another. The pa
tience He exhibited under all provocations was formed by
love. By resisting evil He did not mean condoning evil or for
giving evil. An injury can be forgiven by men, but the evil
which prompted it none can forgive but God. Jesus forgave
all injuries ; He forgave sin also ; but no one denounced more
forcibly than He the evil in men's hearts. He showed that the
judge and the officer and the prison were necessary for the
dispensation of justice.19
The laws of a State are the expression of God's law, and
must be upheld. The gift on the altar does not release a man
from his debt to his neighbour; it has no value while the pay
ment of an overdue account is deferred; hence the injunction,
" Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there re-
memberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave
is Ecce Homo, by Sir J. R. Seeley, p. 174. See also page 353.
i» St. Matt. v. 26, 26.

THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES 191
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be recon
ciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." 20
The new law of non-resistance was a further advance for
the removal of vindictive feeling. Occasions may arise when
public considerations demand resistance. A man may then
be justified in defending himself in a court of law. But when
the matter is private he is enjoined to overcome evil with good,
by offering even more than is demanded.21
Jesus pursued still further the line of non-resistance by
offering cheerful submission to the imposition of public bur
dens.22 Following tlie same direction in the development of
the inner life, there arises, from the willingness to endure, the
disposition to bear, and this produces the spirit of service,
the loving and giving temper that considers the request of the
needy and treats all men as brethren. With this sense of
brotherhood a man lends without interest, as an act of love
and not of profit. An act of love becomes a habit of love, and
constitutes a rule of life. Enemies derive the benefits con
ferred on mankind by the highest and best expression of this
law of love, and man becomes a partaker of the Divine nature
when the Divine Spirit issues from a life that is manifest in its
likeness to the Divine Father. The motive on which these
exalted laws rested was always the same : " That ye may be
the children of your Father which is in heaven, for He maketh
His sun to shine on the evil and on the good." 2S
Having shown His disciples what they ought to be in order
to do, Jesus now proceeds to tell them that this life for good
which abstains from evil must not be ostentatious in its exhi
bition of good, but simply the life as it is lived before God.
He forbade the manifestation of good deeds for the purpose of
their display,24 and told His disciples that the light of the
Christian should shine without the expectation of personal
recognition, that it is the motive which spoils his purpose in
the publicity of his works. They must be performed with
20 St. Matt. v. 23, 24. 21 St. Matt. v. 39, 40. 22 St. Matt. v. 41.
2s St. Matt. v. 45. 24 St. Matt. vi. 1, 2.

192 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
perfect indifference to the opinions of men. A heart fixed on
God is true to His service, and the nature of the service de
pends on its direction. Jesus illustrated it by the object to
wards which desire turns, whether the treasures upon earth,
the form of Eastern wealth, the costly raiment with its silver
and gold embroidery corrupted by the moth and the wear and
tear of time,25 or the incorruptible character formed by true
service with the single eye for God's glory. He said, " The
lamp 26 of the body is the eye," and if the shining be clear,27
presenting a well-defined object to the mind for the spiritual
discernment of right and wrong, and for act to be the same
as desire, the whole life will be true and the heart will not be
divided; but if the spiritual faculty be overshadowed by secret
deceit, the lower desires and grosser passions will appear with
out restraint, and the life that might have been light will be
shrouded in gloom. No man, Jesus said, can serve 28 two
masters ; he will drift in one direction or another, either en
lightened and sanctified by the Spirit of God in His service,
or the slave of his own baser nature.
A direct inference follows this declaration of true service:
that those who belong to God and live in obedience to His
will need not be anxious about their maintenance. Jesus bade
them consider the birds of the air and the flowers of the field,
and, as He spoke, the life in the air above and the gorgeous
array of life around reminded them of the providence of the
Eternal Father Who knew their pressing needs and supplied
them. He closed this part of His discourse with the exhortation
to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
promised that all other things would be added unto them. The
seeking was not so much in the activity of work as the asking
25^p(5o-(s = rust; not the rust of metals, but decay from wear and tear.
28 \ixvos, translated light, is lamp. For' its synonymous use see also
Prov. xx. 27.
27 &ir\ovs, translated single, means clear.
28 SovXeieiv — not merely to serve, but to be the slave of the one he
serves, belonging to him and obeying him entirely.

THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES 193
in prayer, and the pattern prayer He gave them was on
these lines: first the concerns of God, and then the needs of
man. Further guidance followed relating to the cultivation of the
sensitiveness of their own consciences instead of the considera
tion of the consciences of others, and for this work He told
them to seek the necessary help by prayer. He showed them
that God's giving is through His loving, that gifts are the
overflow of love. Indiscriminate giving 29 is not inculcated
by the measure of the gift ; it is the law of hospitality which is
brought under observation in all its purity to direct men to
the source of all good things. The good measure He pre
scribed is the overflow, the outward form of the inward spirit
expressed in the care for others' welfare.
When a man buys corn the full measure he expects is the
legal amount that satisfies ; but a generous man shakes the
tabbeh containing it, presses drown the grain, and pours more
on the top of it until the corn runs over the side.30 It is this
overflow that represents the better life, something more than
mere justice; it is the love in life's dimensions. All God's gifts
for man in the natural world come from the bosom of the earth ;
they spring up and overflow, and men gather their abundance.
In the ordinary life of the East the hospitable man keeps open
house, a guest-chamber is prepared for all who seek his dwell
ing, and it is no strain on friendship for a friend or neighbour
to ask in time of need, and receive in large measure, a generous
response.31 The true man recognizes that all he owns, he
owes ; he is simply the trustee, a means of transmission. He
20 St. Luke vi. 38. " Give into your bosom." The only receptacle a
man possesses is the bosom, the expansive folds of his inner garment above
the belt, in which he carries the articles he has purchased.
so St. Luke vi. 38, 45.
31 St. Matt. vii. 7. When I first went to Jerusalem I saw with surprise
a stranger carrying from my house a tray containing cups, saucers, food
and all the accessories for a party. On enquiry I found a neighbour had
unexpectedly received some friends, and, having nothing to set before
them, asked for a supply, and my housekeeper responded according to the
custom (Author).

194 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
could not give unless he had received, and as he receives he
gives. The Sermon on the Mount closed with the parable of the
Two Houses, intended to enforce the necessity of doing as the
natural consequence of hearing. The position of a city set on
a hill shows that the inhabitants are capable of estimating a
right choice of a site for their dwellings. Their desirable
situation is further enhanced by their security. A good foun
dation follows the wise choice of the site, and the building at
the top or side of a hill is raised on the solid rock and built
of stone to withstand the wind and weather on its exposed
position. In the lowlands and the plains where stone is scarce,
and the climate less severe, a house is often raised on sand and
built of mud. It is ill fitted to resist the tempests of rain
which in winter sometimes deluge the land, and houses without
a sure foundation and a firm structure are swept away. A
wise choice and the right foundation are the essential features
of a good dwelling.32
32 St. Matthew added to the Sermon on the Mount various utterances of
Jesus at other times which form part of His revelation of God's will to
man.

CHAPTER XVII
THE LORD'S PRAYER
A difference had evidently been perceived by the disciples
between the well-known prayers of the Jews, the prayers of
John the Baptist, and the manner of their Lord's praying.
And they asked Him to teach them how to pray. In response
to their request, He gave them the pattern prayer inserted by
St. Matthew in his record of the Sermon on the Mount to show
there is some connection between the power of prayer and the
principles of the perfect life.
God created man as a creature of need to institute the con
nection, and whenever a real attempt is made to seek Him it
issues from the inmost springs of life to the Unseen Power
from which life outflows. Men have prayed through the cen
turies, not always at the command of the word of God in the
Bible, but instinctively and inevitably as the child cries to the
parent for attention and support.
Prayer is not merely the admission of man's need: it is the
recognition of a Being outside himself Who is more able to
supply it, and through prayer he enters into correspondence
and companionship with such a Being.
The great Lord Bacon taught the world that the secret
of power in nature is correspondence with its laws, and men
have by experience proved his statements to be true. It was
necessary first to discover the laws, and when found apply
them, and their application set great forces in operation.
Thus it is a part of God's purpose in the Kingdom of the earth
to include man in His scheme for making His will in nature
known. Something is expected from man, and within certain
limits the way the world goes on depends on his acting in cor
respondence with the laws which reveal God's will for him in
the processes of nature. 195

196 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
It is equaUy necessary for men to know God's will in the
Kingdom of Heaven for carrying out the Divine purpose in the
conduct of human life, and the object of prayer is to establish
a correspondence with the laws of the Kingdom of Heaven by
intercourse with God.
Jesus disclosed the true relationship between man and God
which justifies prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, when He
said : " Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteous
ness, and all these things shall be added unto you," 1 and de
clared that " Except your righteousness shall exceed the right
eousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter
into the Kingdom of Heaven." 2 He summoned those whom
He called into fellowship with Himself for instruction in the
higher Hfe of righteousness, and showed them in His prayer
how a knowledge of God's will might be obtained to maintain
it. Prayer is not, therefore, a mere incident of life; it con
stitutes for man the mysterious force that moves towards the
Unseen and Eternal Will for its support and direction.
Our Lord's Prayer, like the Decalogue, consists of two parts,
and it is somewhat similar in arrangement. The first table
of the law concerns man's duty towards God ; the first part of
the Lord's prayer belongs to His glory. The second table of
the law deals with man's duty to his neighbour; and the second
part of the Lord's Prayer treats of his needs.
Jesus taught His disciples first to enter into the presence-
chamber of the King, and there become educated into the Name,
the Kingdom, and the will of the King, before they could offer
their petition. They were to postpone the prayer for their
needs until the rule of Heaven had been ascertained for its
observance in the law of human conduct. Without a pro
found sense of the presence of God man can never enter into
any form of relationship with Him. It is only through the
intimacy of fellowship that His character is exhibited, and
it is in this intimacy that secrets are disclosed. There must
be a mutual regard, and sure confidence between One and an-
1 St. Matt. vi. 33. 2 St. Matt. v. 20.

Edit. A. Xoyer, Parts

Sc. D. Mastroianni

God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are
Luke XVIII: n

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Our Father which art in heaven
Matthew VI: 9

Sc. D. Mastroianni

THE LORD'S PRAYER 197
other, before the innermost thought is transmitted, and the
wiU made known.
They were to begin by solemnly invoking God in His char
acter of Father. This is the distinctive privilege of those
who believe on His Son, " for God hath sent forth the Spirit
of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba Father." 3 What
they asked, and the expectation with which they made their pe
tition, depended on what they thought of God. If they real
ized the fact of the Fatherhood of God, then, as His children,
they would have confidence in His care and His responsibility
for their welfare.
They were to qualify the Fatherhood of God by the addi
tion of the words " Which art in heaven." Heaven was not
meant in the local sense of place, but the sphere of moral and
spiritual excellence, and referred to character, and of such
they were to speak in terms of altitude. As it is the state in
which God abides, they were to approach Him by an uplift of
the soul for their aspiration to enter into the family charac
teristics of the Eternal. Heaven means harmony, and the hu
man spirit can only be in tune with the Divine when it partakes
of the Divine character. Affinity with the Divine Father im
plies a likeness to the Divine character, and when a man has
God for Father, and heaven for character, he will have man
for brother. This relationship disposes altogether of the self
ishness of the individual, and men are united into a common
brotherhood with mutual interests. Man's conduct depends
on what he thinks of God; it is idle to suppose that any idea
of God will do, that a man may believe what he likes ; what
a man believes he becomes. The disciples saw Him revealed in
His Son, His character was impressed upon them by His life,
and it gradually reproduced itself in them by correspondence
with His will, and they were taught to believe what was true
about the character of God, and to express it in their rever
ence for His name in the words " Hallowed be Thy Name."
In the next petition, " Thy Kingdom come," it is well to
3 Gal. iv. 6.

198 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
observe there are two features in a Kingdom for the benefit
of its subjects: order and harmony; that lawlessness destroys
order and wilfulness ruins harmony. The idea of a Kingdom
is thus often obscured but not overthrown. What the dis
ciples were to desire in this petition was the coming of the
Kingdom in the hearts of men, and its extension throughout the
world, so that order and harmony might prevail in the society
of men. The organized society established when Jesus ordained
the twelve Apostles represented the visible Kingdom of God
on earth, into which every believer is admitted as a citizen; it
is the Kingdom of Heaven when its members are subject to the
rule of the Divine King. On earth it is in process, and will
finally be complete. For this great achievement, the comple
tion of God's rule among men, they were to pray that the
supremacy of the will of God, as it is in heaven, may become
an open and acknowledged fact in the Hfe of man on earth.
This would mean entering into correspondence with the Di
vine will, and there naturally would follow a humble submis
sion to it, and the disposition to be directed by it, and the
knowledge that by the will of the Father the needs of His chil
dren are supplied.
" Give us this day our daily bread " ; that is, bread for the
approaching day, follows as the natural request of the child
who has confidence in the Father's care and the certainty of
His providence. Every morning a fresh supply is baked suffi
cient for the day and that day only. No bread is ever kept
in the country districts of Palestine beyond the night, and
generally new bread is made for every meal. In the towns,
where life is more complex and business affairs interfere with
domestic interests, the supply of bread is obtained from shops,
and sold in the streets to men away from home.
The petition, " Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors," recognizes that no man can suppose he can live in
Divine favour while he remains selfish and ungenerous towards
his fellow-men. It is evident that Jesus wished His disciples
to pray for forgiveness in the sense of having in their hearts

THE LORD'S PRAYER 199
the consciousness that God had nothing against them, that
from a cleansed heart there would flow a willing service of
gratitude and love as the free bounty of the Divine Father.
" Lead us not into temptation, but deHver us from eviL"
The petition in the Lord's Prayer is for power to be kept
from spiritual sloth and thoughtlessness, that disaster might
be averted which otherwise would overtake them. Temptation
is here dealt with as suffering inflicted on the careless for their
neglect to watch. It is best interpreted by the words our
Lord used in the garden of Gethsemane to His disciples,
" Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." 4
Some temptations are necessary for wholesome discipline,
others overwhelm the unwary with serious trouble. Evil exists
in so many forms, behind the visible there are invisible forces
which the disciples might not expect, and prayer for dehver-
ance is necessary for help.
In the course of our Lord's lessons in prayer He treats of
the need of earnestness in a striking parable of a man who
went to his friend at midnight, and, knocking at his door,
asked for bread to give to guests who had arrived late. A
voice from within was raised in excuse that he was in bed,
but the persistence of the suppHant succeeded when friend
ship failed.5
It is not the character of the selfish neighbour that is here
exhibited for instruction, but the character of the prayer of
the man who sought his assistance. Perseverance is enjoined,
and God's answer to prayer is given by a further iUustration
of the quaHty of His gifts, nothing He bestows being useless
Hke a stone, or injurious Hke a serpent.6
Jesus also showed God's disposition towards man by His
appeal to the heart of man at his highest and best, saying,
" If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shaU your Father which is in heaven
give good things to them that ask Him ? " 7
* St Matt xxvi 41. « St. Matt vii 9, 10.
5 St Luke xL 78. i St, Matt. vii. 11.

CHAPTER XVIII
THE RETURN FROM THE MOUNTAIN
Slowly the crowds dispersed, some of the people following
Jesus and the twelve Apostles as they walked down the moun
tain towards Capernaum. One man, at least, eagerly looked
for His return to the city, and he was a Gentile, a soldier in
the army of Herod Antipas, who bore a singularly attractive
reputation. The Jews said, " he loveth our nation, and he
hath built us a synagogue " ; J he loved also his slave.
The healing of the nobleman's son, whom he probably knew,
as both of them were in the same service, doubtless suggested
the means he sought for the recovery of his sick servant.
When the elders of the synagogue heard of his desire to send
to Jesus they volunteered to intercede for him, presumably
as a mark of esteem for their benefactor, and a natural eager
ness to sustain the idea of their own importance by the exer
cise of their influence. His own message to Jesus was in strik
ing contrast to the method adopted by the rulers. They went
to Jesus and spoke of the centurion's worth ; 2 he abandoned
all thought of himself; his humility was as profound as the
strength of his faith. He said : "lam not worthy that Thou
shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and
my servant shall be healed. . . . When Jesus heard it He
marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto
you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." 3 His
servant was healed in the self-same hour.
The centurion's faith did not necessarily imply the recogni
tion of the Divinity of our Lord as we understand it; such
faith generally follows experience of His Person and work;
but there is evidence enough for us to assume that it was differ
ent from the usual faith of the people in His miraculous power.
1 St. Luke vii. 5. 2 St Luke vii. 4, 5, a St. Matt. viii. 8-10.
200

THE RETURN FROM THE MOUNTAIN 201
His reason for his willingness to accept the word of Jesus is
the clue, and the statement of his position indicates the com
mencement of a process which culminated in his belief in an
ability derived from a Divine source. As a man under the
authority of Roman dominion the centurion admitted the exist
ence of a power by which his word became law to the men
under his command ; he believed in the authority of might. A
simple illustration of this kind of power and a similar faith in
it may be seen today in the way a London policeman regulates
the traffic of the streets. Watch him at a crossing, and there
is a man under authority; his uplifted hand has a power be
hind it which stops all progress in a particular direction.
That is the authority of might, of the power of the law of
England, which compels a man against his will to stand and
wait. The same man with the same hand may be without
authority at home, but in the discharge of his duty he has
above him and behind him an authority which all men respect
and obey, by the exercise of their faith in an unseen power.
This form of authority was familiar to the centurion; he
saw it in the obedience of his men. Associated with this idea
of the representation of force was the pagan conception of a
god. In a heathen mind " gods " were simply deified forces.
From this low standard the centurion had advanced to a higher
plane of faith through his contact with the Jews ; he recog
nized in the authority of their Scriptures the power of a Su
preme Being governing their actions on moral principles, and
the Scribes as the expounders of the written word spoke by
authority — they believed in the letter if not in the spirit.
He also believed in the Divine law, and he now advances fur
ther and mounts higher to a belief in a Divine Person with a
power to heal by His word. The progressive stages of the
centurion's faith are seen in his idea of the practice of power:
he spoke under authority, the Scribes spoke by authority, Jesus
spoke with authority.
The admission of the centurion gladdened the heart of Jesus ;
it was the most complete acknowledgment He had received,

202 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
and served Him for an illustration to widen the view of the
Kingdom of Heaven for His disciples to learn more of the
universal application of the Gospel. Admission into the King
dom of Heaven by faith is here emphasized, and the ultimate
exclusion of those whq might naturally have expected to be
come partakers of its benefits is declared as a consequence of
their inability to appreciate their spiritual importance. It
is in the fellowship of the spirit that a man joins the festive
gathering, and not as the natural heir of the patriarchs. He
said : " I say unto you, that many shall come from the east
and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven. But the children of the
Kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness : there shaU be
weeping and gnashing of teeth." 4
No sooner was it known that Jesus had arrived in the city
than, even before He had time to eat, He was assailed by cer
tain Scribes from Jerusalem, who had evidently been sent by
the rulers to co-operate with the authorities of the towns by
the lake in seeking for a case against Him. It was soon found
in a miracle that He wrought. A blind and dumb lunatic
was brought to Jesus, and He healed him. Immediately the
people, in their amazement, said, " It was never so seen in
Israel." B And their admiration so enraged the Pharisees
that they accused Jesus of being in league with the devil. In
the midst of the controversy the mother of Jesus arrived with
His brethren, and a message was sent to Him of their desire
to see Him. The stir He had created in the country, and the
conflicts in which He was engaged with the rulers of the Jews,
no doubt disturbed them. It was becoming clear to those who
were not absorbed in their attention to Jesus that there was
danger ahead. His increasing favour with the multitude em
bittered the Scribes and Pharisees, their opposition grew in
the same ratio as the esteem of the people. Every attempt
that was made to destroy His influence rebounded on His
assailants, and their feelings became more inflamed towards
* St. Matt. viii. 11, 12. est. Matt. ix. 33.

THE RETURN FROM THE MOUNTAIN 203
Him. Some people, no doubt, looked upon Him as a Person
whose enthusiasm was likely to develop into formidable dimen
sions, overthrow existing institutions, and involve Himself and
His friends in ruin. Various accounts of His movements would
be circulated, attempts made to attribute motives altogether
out of keeping with His disposition, and His relatives in the
flesh, anxious for His safety, may have desired to remove Him
from danger and persuade Him to abandon His enterprise.
But all the ideas relating to the reason for their request to
see Him arise from mere conjecture, and have no more founda
tion than the usual source of Eastern rumour. There is no
reason whatever to suppose that His mother, who alone knew
the nature of His birth, should fear disaster. His response
to the message He received is further proof of the character
of the Kingdom, and His true relations, He stated, were those
who were united to Him by the fellowship of the Spirit.
A Visit to Nain and John the Baptist's Message.
Jesus never allowed controversy to interfere with His work.
Whenever opposition appeared He met it with candour and
courage, then He withdrew to continue His labour in a more
acceptable quarter. A change of place meant another oppor
tunity. His day of life was passing quickly, and He knew
the night was coming. Progress had to be made with the
enterprise to which He was committed, and the Twelve men
attached to His Person instructed in their part of it.
Events followed each other in rapid succession ; sometimes
we have them preserved in the order of their occurrence, at
other times no sequence is given, only isolated incidents are
recorded, and these apparently bear no relation to those which
precede or follow them in the Gospel story. A serious diffi
culty is occasionally encountered when the Evangelists vary
the circumstances without assigning a cause, and we are left
to our own consideration for fixing their place in the narra
tive. This may often be ascertained by the course of teach
ing our Lord adopted and the methods He employed. His

^ T

204 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
visit to Nain, for instance, appears to have no connection with
other places in the neighbourhood, as if He went there for a
particular purpose ; but it no doubt comprised only the chief
part, and not all the incidents in His itinerary. The antag
onism of the rulers in Capernaum and the anxiety of His rela
tives, were the primary reasons for His journey. Nain is
nearly twenty miles from Capernaum, and the easier road is
by the sea past Tiberias. As Jesus seems to have avoided
this city of Herod Antipas, another route would have been
selected over Kurn Hattin, and several villages lay between
the mountain above the lake and the little town of Nain. Turn
ing south from the main road to Cana a village was passed,
now called Lubieh, by the way leading to the broad caravan
track from Damascus to Samaria and the western sea. This
highway, round the foot of Tabor, an isolated mountain like
a huge mole-hill, skirted pleasant woodland scenery, with
shady recesses and secluded dells, where nestled under the steep
mountain-side the village of Deborah, the great Hebrew
prophetess. The same road led to Endor (Ain Dur), on the
slope of the ridge of little Hermon, which Saul crossed on his
fateful journey from Gilboa on the eve of his fall, when in
his despair he consulted the witch. On the edge of the hill
stood the city of Nain.
Many disciples and much people were with Jesus, and such
a following must have attracted considerable attention. The
inhabitants of the country-side and the travellers along the
road, accustomed to the sight of pilgrim caravans, might have
seen in this procession a development of the popular movement
established by the great Preacher Whose utterances had been
eagerly discussed and disseminated. There had been Hebrew
prophets whose authority and influence had left their mark
on the national history, but none of them had ever dared to
utter words so authoritative and with such self-confidence as
the Man of Nazareth. And His appearance with a retinue
soon after His discourse on the perfect life, was evidence of the

THE RETURN FROM THE MOUNTAIN 205
desire of His followers to learn more of its character and see
more of the power of Jesus.
Crowds move slowly in the East ; the people take no account
of time, and it is not likely that Jesus reached Nain on the
day He started from the lake-shore. The incident related by
the Evangelist, St. Luke, is an indication of the hour of the
day. Burials take place either in the early morning or the
evening. A corpse is never kept more than a few hours after
death. If it occurs towards nightfall the body is buried on
the following morning, and if in the earlier part of a day the
event happens, the remains are committed to the grave in the
evening. As Jesus and His followers approached the city a
sorrowful procession met them outside the gate. At the head
of the mournful company He noticed a grief-stricken widow.
Behind her, wrapped in a winding-sheet on a bier, lay the
body of her only son, conveyed for interment in the last rest
ing-place of the village fathers. With infinite pity for the
bereaved mother Jesus told her not to weep, ordered those who
bore the body of her son to stop, and, stretching out His hand,
He touched the bier and said unto the dead youth, " Young
man, I say unto thee, arise. And he that was dead sat up,
and began to speak. And Jesus delivered him to his mother." °
The people that saw the miracle were moved with super
stitious fear. Slowly recovering from their surprise at the
momentous spectacle, they became wild with enthusiasm, and
cried, " A great prophet is risen up among us ; and, that God
hath visited His people." Vain sentimental hopes filled their
hearts, but the old spirit remained unmoved. Jesus saw that
no real apprehension of the truth He came to teach them had
been received, it was their national pride which gained a fresh
vision to substantiate their false Messianic dreams. Some
thing more was in store for them. While Jesus was engaged
in dealing with the critical situation, messengers came from
John the Baptist, confined in the gloomy fortress of Machaerus,7
fi St. Luke vii. 14, 15. t Josephus, Ant. Book XVIII. chap. v. 2.

206 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
on the borders of the desert to the north of the Dead Sea.
The great prophet, perplexed by the ordeal through which
he was passing, brooded in his prison cell. His cherished hopes
of the Messiah were now overshadowed by the stronghold that
kept his body within its narrow walls. His expectations had
not been realized, and doubts seem to have taken possession of
his soul. Surely the man who had prepared for the Kingdom,
proclaimed the advent of its King, who had heard the voice
of God announce the appearing of His Son, could not have
been mistaken and his life and work a failure. It is a strange
fact of life that many a servant of God looks on his service
with an agitated mind, when events do not happen in the way
anticipated, when his position has changed and its sun is set
ting in the shadow of abandonment. The triumph of good
for which John had laboured, the victory of right for which
he had fought, no longer inspired him. He had prepared for
the glory of the Kingdom to become manifest, and now he
lies with his life in peril and his soul in gloom, and there is no
Kingdom at all. Wrong still reigns, and the One he thought
would overthrow its dominion allows it to take its course. It
seemed to John as if his life and work had been a mistake, and
what he had thought was the Spirit of God inspiring his ef
forts was, after all, the emotion of an enthusiastic reformer.
Amidst his doubts there was still his noble soul; he doubted,
but he never despaired. Man is a failure only when he is
content to doubt. John was not content, and there lay the
spirit of victory temporarily overshadowed by circumstances,
which test the brave and true but never vanquish them. He
appealed to Christ. He was determined to know the truth,
and he sent a message to the only One Who could satisfy
him. No honest doubter ever prayed to Christ in vain.
Doubts are various, and arise from curious sources. Many
cherished hopes have been formed on insecure foundations,
hasty judgments based on shifting prospects, and even prayers
are not always answered in the way desired. John was per
plexed because he was impatient. In his impetuous zeal he

THE RETURN FROM THE MOUNTAIN 207
had hoped for immediate results. The answer Christ gave His
two disciples best fitted the situation in which the Baptist was
placed, and furnished him with evidence to form his own judg
ment. It was not exactly the message John expected; the
declaration of a simple affirmative might have been more plain,
but it would have been less convincing. Jesus knew that John
believed on Him as the Messiah; what he needed was a right
understanding of His. Mission. Like all the Jews, the ideal
for which he looked was what he wanted; it differed from the
one they hoped to see, and also from what had been revealed
to him. But the distinction was more in process than in
essence in its relation to the Messiah. His work had com
menced, but it was too slow for the passionate eagerness of
the prophet, who wished to see the Kingdom of righteousness
and truth established, as the Jews longed for a King who
would overthrow the power of Rome and make their nation
great and free. John could doubt no longer that Jesus was
the Christ when his messengers returned with the answer to
his appeal. Jesus said to them : " Go your way, and tell
John what things ye have seen and heard ; how that the blind
see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the
dead are raised, to the poor the Gospel is preached." He
was the Helper of the helpless and the Champion of the op
pressed. And, with a tender personal note, He added:
" Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me." 8
When they had gone He spoke to the people in great com
mendation of John. He knew that they must have thought
the prophet had wavered in his faith, that his strong spirit
was broken by his confinement, and for John's sake and their
own perverse and hasty judgment, He reminded them of the
days when the stem voice of the brave preacher thriUed the
multitudes in the wilderness. He said, " What went ye out
into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken with the wind? "
There had been no sign of an irresolute will, no faltering of
purpose in the strong and courageous prophet. He contin-
s St. Luke vii. 22, 23.

208 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
ued : " But what went ye out for to see ? A man clothed in
soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled
and live delicately are in King's courts." 9 John was in prison
because he dared to rebuke a King.
It was a noble vindication of the character of John. Jesus
concluded His eulogy with the further description: "This
is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger be
fore Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. For
I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is
not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is
least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he." 10
This judgment was not pronounced so much on the man as
his circumstances. In his capacity for apprehending the law
and keeping it he was greater than the men before him, but
less than those who had perceived the larger hope of the King
dom of Heaven and had entered into the higher life of love.
He belonged to the old and inferior dispensation of law. The
new era was superior in its elevation and outlook, and its mem
bers, therefore, greater from the circumstances of their time
rather than the nature of their character.
Those who had been John's disciples were pleased with the
approbation of Jesus ; the Pharisees and lawyers disliked it.
As the accredited teachers of the law, they resented John's
assumption of a position which belonged to them. Their un
reasonable minds and peevish dispositions Jesus detected, and
denounced by two familiar illustrations. He compared them
with the children in the market-place, the little mimics of their
elders, whose playground was the bazaar, where they acted
first the solemn and sombre funeral procession for their play
mates, and, this being unsatisfactory, the game was changed
to suit them, and a wedding procession acted, with its gay
music and great hilarity. Still they were displeased, and
they would neither join in one game nor the other.
First John the Baptist came, with his ascetic mien and
solemn voice calling the people to repentance ; but there was
9 St. Luke vii. 25. i° St. Luke vii. 27, 28.

THE RETURN FROM THE MOUNTAIN 209
no moral depth in their feelings, and no vital strength in their
purpose to change their ways. They turned from the melan
choly aspect of his message to the more social element of Jesus,
expecting His teaching to be more pleasant ; but they found it
harder than John's. They accused the Baptist of having a
devil,11 and Jesus as a gluttonous man and a winebibber, and,
like sullen children, resented all efforts to interest them. They
could not see that truth appears in various forms, is presented
in different ways, that it might appeal to different people.
Although truth may wear a dissimilar dress the seeker after
it will recognize it and acknowledge it; thus wisdom is justified
of her children. But they were not the children of wisdom;
they were foolish and inconsistent.
Simon the Pharisee's Supper
On His return from the brief missionary tour in the district
of Nain Jesus was invited to supper by Simon the Pharisee,
who, apparently unlike so many of his class, was a man of
wide sympathies and tolerant views. Having heard of the
fame of Jesus, he thought it would be well for him to show an
interest in the great Teacher.. We are enabled to see in this
incident and what else occurred at the feast the position Jesus
seemed to occupy before the men of His time, and also His
own attitude towards the people. The dignity of His bear
ing, the urbanity of His speech, and the confidence in Himself,
offered a favourable contrast to the conduct of His host, one
of the leaders of the social circle of the cities on the lake-shore.
Although he had invited Jesus, he did not receive Him with
the marks of courtesy observed in the treatment of an hon
oured guest. There was a sense of superiority in his manner
which spoilt the good feeling his invitation appeared to exhibit.
It became more noticeable in the difference of esteem shown
by a woman who had followed Jesus. Her service attracted
the Pharisee's attention and touched his sense of propriety.
Simon's feast and Simon's Guest drew the people from the
HSt Luke vii. 33,

210 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
street, and amongst them came a woman of unenviable no
toriety. She passed into the courtyard, with great courage
forced her way through the respectable people assembled there
to reach the lewan where Jesus reclined at supper. Such a
venture is almost inconceivable. It would have been entirely
so if he had been an ordinary man. She dare not then have
made the attempt. But He was so different from ordinary
men, and she evidently knew. She knew that he was the
Friend of Sinners, and knowing this she made her great ad
venture. She had followed Him and, before all the people,
the friends of the Pharisee in the guest chamber, and his fol
lowers in the courtyard, she fell at the feet of Jesus, washed
them with her penitential tears and wiped them with the long
tresses of her hair. Even more, she loved Him so, she was
neither afraid nor ashamed to display her affection ; she kissed
His feet and with a precious balm annointed them. The
Pharisee gazed in profound astonishment at the woman's act;
he reviewed his knowledge of Jesus with a critical mind, and
concluded that He could not be so great a Teacher as might
be expected from His reputation when unable to discern the
character of the woman at His feet, or He would have turned
from her with disgust. His thoughts were visible in his face,
and Jesus saw them assuming a definite shape, and said : " Si
mon, I have somewhat to say to thee. And he saith: Mas
ter, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two
debtors: the one owed him five hundred pence and the other
fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave
them both. Tell Me therefore, which of them will love him
most? Simon answered and said: I suppose that he to whom
he forgave most. And He said unto him: Thou hast rightly
judged. And He turned to the woman and said unto Simon,
Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gav-
est Me no water for My feet : but she hath washed My feet
with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Thou gavest Me no kiss : but this woman since the time I came
in hath not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil thou

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils
Luke VIII: 2

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
Jesus ... sat by the seaside. And great multitudes were gathered unto him
Matthew XIII: 1,2

THE RETURN FROM THE MOUNTAIN 211
didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed My feet with
ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are
many, are forgiven: for she loved much: but to whom little is
forgiven, the same loveth little. And He said unto her, Thy
sins are forgiven." 12
Christ's gentle rebuke for the Pharisee's behaviour, although
His argument was accepted as true, does not at first appear
to have affected his indifference. The self-righteous Simon
could see no relation in it to himself until the distinction was
made more apparent by direct reference. Even then he was
impervious to any feeling of necessity for forgiveness. Satis
fied with his uprightness, he could see a difference between his
own conduct and the open shame of flagrant sin in the woman,
and it served to keep the allusion to his own state from him.
His censure of the sinner at the feet of Jesus hardened his
impenitent heart, and kept it closed from the love that is
kindled by forgiveness. The sense of sin in the woman un
locked the floodgates of her tears, and the tenderness of Jesus
to penitents was shown in His final blessing : " Thy faith hath
saved thee ; go in peace." 18
Surprise at the words of Jesus stirred the other guests. In
silent amazement they said within themselves, " Who is this
Who f orgiveth sins also ? " The revelation Jesus had con
veyed to them by His manner and His words of a power within
Him which He calmly claimed for His own use was a shock
they could not explain.
Ancient church tradition has always identified Mary Mag
dalene with the sinner who washed her Saviour's feet. When
first she is introduced to us in the Gospel story 14 she is de
scribed as " Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven
devils." Harlotry was usually associated with demoniacal
possession, and, seven being a complete number, it is a sign
of the utter abandonment of a woman to this form of sin.
There is no valid reason for the belief in the identity, beyond
the name of the place of her abode.
12 St Luke vii, 36-48, is St. Luke vii. 50, i* St, Luke viii. 2,

212 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
A squalid village, known as El Megdel, on the western shore
of the Sea of GaHlee, with a solitary palm-tree standing by it
to improve its appearance, is all that remains of ancient Mag
dala to recall the scene of Simon's supper.
A similar incident recorded by St. John of Mary of Bethany
has led some people to believe the two Marys are really one
person. But this is an assumption that disregards the use of
proper names for establishing the identity of different people.
It is a common practice in Palestine to speak of a person with
the name of his or her native place, e.g. Ruth the Moabitess,
Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, and our Lord as Jesus of
Nazareth.

CHAPTER XIX
teaching by parables
Teaching by parables is peculiarly Oriental and eminently
suitable to the mind glowing with a luxuriant imagination. An
Eastern man is not capable of perceiving without illustration ;
his language is figurative, his ideas are represented by symbols,
he always wishes to see in order to understand. The natural
imagery used in ordinary conversation appeals more directly
to him than a simple statement, and the parable is another
vehicle for conveying abstract truth in concrete form. It
would have been strange if Jesus had declined to utilize in
His teaching forms of expression in common use amongst the
people. By adopting this means of imparting knowledge of
the Kingdom He recognized the customary manner of thinking
and speaking, and presented His great truths in the familiar
objects which naturally appealed to the sympsithy of His hear
ers. The surprise exhibited by His disciples at His method was
due to its use before the multitude. Teachers generally spoke
in parables to pupils who were under a course of instruction,
as the parable was a more serious contribution to the mind
than the symbol. It was chiefly for the sake of the Apostles
our Lord spoke in parables ; He told them that the deeper
things, the mysteries of the Kingdom, were for the initiated,
and to them they would be revealed. As for the multitude,
those who were indisposed towards the truth,1 who did not
want to know lest they should turn from their ways and be
healed, they would fail to understand ; others, anxious to learn,
might perceive and know. The parables were not meant to
put truth out of sight altogether, but to hide it for men to
search for it, and prize it when found. There is always evi-
i gt- Matt. xiii. 15, Revised Version. 313

214 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
dence in our Lord's teaching of His desire for all people to
discover His meaning, and when His use of words is compared
with the extravagant language usually employed in the East,
nothing seems more conspicuous in His treatment of. the sub
jects He set before the people than His simple yet sublime
manner of dealing with their ordinary speech. His language,
even when compared with the language of the Psalms, the
Song of Solomon, and the book of Job, is remarkably superior
in its simplicity and beauty. A more surprising feature still
is seen in His treatment of the parable. He made use of the
Oriental method, and in it exhibited the universal mind. He
presented His truths in Eastern dress, but with such concise
an exact expression that the exuberant imagery of the East
was changed into the precise language of the West. This
alone is the manifestation of a power which a genius from an
Eastern village would never have possessed. However great
his mind, it would have been incapable of producing thoughts
for universal application in a simple form ; its excellence would
have been shown in the magnificence of their apparel. The
originality and force of the methods of Jesus appeal with an
authority exceeding human effort. His truth applies to what
is elemental in the nature of man, it touches an experience
which belongs to all people for all time, and such an experience
has in it an element of immortality, and His truth declares to
a man new truth about Himself as a germ, a seed, in which
there is a force suitable for the regeneration of humanity.
His parables are so simple that a child may understand them,
and yet they are so profound in their meaning that they never
fail to captivate the greatest thinker and furnish him with an
inexhaustible store of wisdom.
Parable literally means a comparison. It is a form of speech
which embraces facts natural and real in themselves, and pre
sents them in a shape easy to remember, and to transmit to
future generations. The form of the parables of Jesus was
particularly attractive. All who heard them would instantly
recognize their outward appearance, because it was taken from

TEACHING BY PARABLES 215
the circumstances of the place or time in which they were
spoken; but only the thoughtful could perceive what they
meant. They were not intended to teach the people what to
do, but to think and act for themselves. Their picturesque
structure was more enduring than mere words, and carried
with it a suggestion and association as likely to remain as the
objects from whence they were taken.
Parables were chiefly employed by Jesus for instruction in
the great principles of the Kingdom of God as a Divine opera
tion, so that men might become agents and not merely spec
tators. The Kingdom of God was to come without observa
tion, that is without ostentatious display, to be a growth in
men and not a creation apart from them. It is necessary to
remember the idea which the Teacher of Nazareth had regard
ing Himself and His Mission when He spake in parables, and
to realize the circumstances in which He stood. He began
with Himself as a new power introduced to the world of men,
and the parables are the means by which He conveyed His
message. A year had passed since He commenced His Mission ; crowds
of people had seen His work and heard His words. They
must have been aware of the general characteristics of the
Gospel -He came to preach, and were now to be tested. If
they had missed the significance of His life in His words and
works they might also fail to perceive the meaning of His
parables ; but those who had gained by His teaching would be
further instructed in the sublime truth of the Kingdom of
God. This new departure was a notable change in His meth
ods, and followed the declaration of the principles of His King
dom, which they might have noticed as the rules of His own
life. It was another opportunity for all people; it was also
a process of sifting whereby those who were earnestly seeking
to participate in the way of life He had put before them might
find a more intimate approach to Him; the indifferent, failing
to perceive, would fall away.
His first parable was spoken by the sea in the glory of the

216 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Galilean spring-time, when all nature enjoyed its new life. A
multitude of people had collected round Him on the beach ; so
close were some of them that it was impossible for all to hear
His words. He stepped into a boat, pushed off from the shore,
and commenced to speak. Beyond the people were the fields
of waving corn, and grass sprinkled with the bright hues of
many flowers. Warm, bright weather afforded comfort for
the multitude, and their coloured garments enhanced the beauty
of the scene before Him.
" Behold," He said, " a sower went forth to sow. And when
he sowed some seeds fell by the wayside ; and the fowls came
and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, where
they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprung up, be
cause they had no deepness of earth; and when the sun was
up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they
withered away. And some fell among thorns ; and the thorns
sprung up, and choked them: but other fell into good ground,
and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold,
some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." 2
Happily the old code of agricultural laws survives in the
Holy Land ; old customs relating to the cultivation of the
soil exist today ; we can observe carefully the difference be
tween East and West,3 and we may see that every detail in
the parable is correct. It is well to be able to confirm the
statements in the Gospels when critics, ignorant of the condi
tion of affairs in the East, say, " There is a want of truthful
correspondence to reality, because sowers do not thus waste
their seed by scattering it where it is not likely to grow." 4
In various parts of the country, which have not been in
vaded by European influence, are small towns and villages, and
attached to every one of them are two kinds of land (exclud
ing wakf, mosque property), the freehold in gardens, vine
yards, and olive-groves; and the rest for the common use of
2 St. Matt. xiii. 3-9.
3 This statement refers to the time before the Great War.
* Stier, Beden Jesu, vol. ii. p. 76, 2nd edition. Quoted by Dean Alford.

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris

Behold, a sower went forth to sow
Matthew XIII: 3

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea
Matthew VIII: 26

TEACHING BY PARABLES 217
the people. All freehold land may be recognized by a wall
or a cactus hedge around the property, but nothing is seen
to indicate the border of a field as the untutored eye gazes over
the sweeping landscape.
Every year the agricultural land is allotted to those who
desire to till the soil, and, as the number of men participating
in the allotment varies annually, there are neither walls nor
hedges dividing one field from another. A neighbour's land
mark is a temporary provision, and consists of a little heap
of stones which can be moved when the next allotment requires
a change in the boundary. Each ostensible owner of the com
mon land, holding his field for a year, has little regard for
what will in all probability pass from him; his chief desire is
to get as much out of it as possible with as little work. The
old, well-worn paths, the by-ways of the people's heritage, are
scarcely touched by the light plough, and the thorns remain.
After the ploughing the sowing begins; there is no cleansing
of the field ; what the plough cannot perform is left undone,
and the sower, with the seed held often in his inner garment,
scatters it with his hand over the whole field irrespective of
path or thorny scrub. Here and there the rock crust appears
with scanty soil upon it, but the sower takes no heed; he sows
his seed and waits for the harvest.
Every word that Jesus spoke in His first parable made it
plain to the people. They were familiar with every incident
in it. Beneath the natural imagery lay concealed the truth
they failed to perceive. Even the disciples asked for an ex
planation ; in simple language Jesus made His meaning clear,
and left it as seed to grow in their hearts.
It seems probable that all the parables of the Kingdom re
corded by St. Matthew in one chapter were not spoken on this
occasion ; but, as St. Mark declares,5 " as they were able to
hear it." This implies a gradual course of teaching in cir
cumstances suitable for our Lord's purpose. We cannot recog
nize all the opportunities He seized at the different times, and
5 St. Mark iv. 33.

218 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
this is perhaps why the parables are grouped together in the
written word where they may be studied at leisure. One par
able might have been sufficient for the central theme of His
address at one time, unless the similarity of meaning in one
or two more ministered to our Lord's aim. He warned the
people to be careful about their hearing ; the measure of atten
tion is often the measure of understanding, and the possibility
of understanding is lost by inattention.6 There is a power
within waiting to be developed by active co-operation with
what is heard. The second parable in St. Mark's Gospel ap
pears to have been used to impress upon the people the result
of application, and also the encouragement of patience, lest
they should expect a rapid growth of the Kingdom of God in
their lives, and in the world; and the reference to the candle,7
the little lamp in common use, was for them to act on what
they had received, and for the light to illuminate their minds
and reveal to others the life in them.8
He said the Kingdom of God is " as if a man should cast
seed into the ground." Our Lord is here the Sower. He
brings into nature something different from itself, a fruitful
germ which calls certain forces into operation for combined
action. When the Husbandman has done this, His work is
finished. He leaves the seed for the laws of nature to do their
part with it. The powers they possess become active without
His interference : He waits for the result. " The earth bring
eth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after
that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought
forth immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest
is come." 9
Between the sowing and the reaping 10 the sower is absent
from the field, he has nothing more to do with it after the seed
is sown until the corn is ripe ; he turns his attention to some
thing else. He may watch the progress of his corn, but he
e St. Mark iv. 24. t St. Mark iv. 21 ; St. Luke viii. 16-18.
s St. Mark iv. 21, 22.
s St. Mark iv. 26-29.
io No work is performed in the field after the sowing until the harvest

TEACHING BY PARABLES 219
does not interfere with it ; having sown the seed, he can do no
more. His thoughts will often naturally turn towards his
field, and he will watch the weather. Day by day he will con
sider the prospects of his harvest, even on the Sabbath his
mind will be occupied with future results. So it is with the
Great Sower; His work in the field may be finished, but His
anxieties never cease. It is the earth, with the use of its pow
ers, that turns the seed into the harvest, but tlie earth is sub
ject to influences from above, the sunshine and the rain of
heaven nourish it for the powers within it to enable the seed
to grow. Without assistance the earth would lose its fer
tility; if no rain fell the rich nature of the ground would de
teriorate, and eventually become a waste; and if there were no
sun to shed its welcome rays upon the soil its capacity for pro
duction would be destroyed.
The significance of the departure of the Husbandman until
the harvest is important to tlie minds of thoughtful men. Just
as the sower of earthly seed is free from active interference
with the land after the seed-time, an agent independent of the
laws which govern the seed and the soil, the Heavenly Husband
man is a Being outside the realm of human life. His coming
threw something new into it which set forward new movements
towards a new destiny. It could no more have been reached
without His appearing than a harvest can be produced without
the sower and his seed. However rich the land, a harvest
from it depends on a man with the germ of life in his hand to
be committed into the keeping of the soil, and he who sows
the seed is above its laws and apart from its nature. So in
the world of men and the soil of the human mind, it can only
bring to maturity what is sown within it, and the Sower of
Divine seed is the Lord from heaven, Who comes with it from
above. The parable illustrates the manifestation of the Hfe of
Christ on earth, the Seed in the seed-time of mankind, ripen
ing very graduaUy in the ages of its history for the great
harvest.

220 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
The parables, more than anything else in His teaching, re
veal the nature and the purpose of the Kingdom of God. Va
rious subjects were selected to explain the meaning of the
Kingdom, its effect on those who were enrolled as citizens, and
in what they were to occupy themselves. Jesus revealed the
great doctrine of the Kingdom of God in His Incarnation ; the
glorious enterprise began with the presence of God in the form
of man. When He appeared in the frail tabernacle of flesh,
He expressed the will of God as it might be exhibited in the
life of men in perfect obedience to His will, as the rule of God
in the heart. When His disciples became His Messengers they
were appointed to set up the Kingdom of Heaven on earth;
a new fellowship, a society of the best men, working for the
best end with the highest motive, was formed on the best prin
ciple, the principle which Jesus established in His own life by
the operation of His will, the will of God.
He likened the Kingdom of God to leaven,11 not in its es
sence but in its action. By a natural and spontaneous process,
similar to the contact of the leaven with the dough, a new
spirit uplifts and enlarges the life of man. And so the King
dom of Heaven, the rule of God in the heart of man, reacts on
other men, and the new fellowship, giving life for life, transmits
through intercourse with men the means for the elevation of
mankind. The parable of the Mustard-seed 12 shows the extent
of the growth of the Kingdom. In the prolific nature of the
soil in the tropical heat of the Jordan Valley, the mustard-
plant attains a height so considerable that it reaches the
shoulders of a man on horseback.
It was evident from the parable of fhe Tares 13 that in this
new society there would be some that were not of it, not in
real fellowship with it, that the enemy of mankind would take
advantage of the weakness of human nature, deceive even the
elect, and amongst tlie wheat scatter tares, something that
looks like wheat until the ears begin to swell, until the blade
" St. Matt xiii. 33. 12 St. Mark iv. 31. 13 St. Matt. xiii. 36.

TEACHING BY PARABLES 221
brings forth fruit.14 Then the wheat may be recognized by
one single head on the top of the stalk, while the tares, a species
of darnel, betray themselves in separate small heads on either
side of the stalk, ranged alternately at an equal distance from
one another. Their roots being so closely entwined with those
of the wheat, the evil cannot be undone until the harvest, when
the wheat is separated from the tares.
The most striking feature of the Kingdom of God is the
fruit of the Spirit, not the outward form of a society. The
Kingdom is within, and when the actions of men accord with
the will of God on earth as it is in heaven, the Kingdom has
come, and the invisible becomes visible in the life of man.
i* Cf. St. Matt. vii. 16, 20.

CHAPTER XX

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS

The strenuous nature of Christ's labours cannot be estimated
by the number of incidents which marked His eventful career.
Only when it is possible to follow them in succession are we
able to notice the extent of His work, and His willingness to
devote His energies, without regard for Himself, to the wel
fare of the people. However tired He might have been —
and the weariness following incessant toil was His lot as Man
— He never showed a sign of impatience. Nothing is more
wonderful than the serenity of Jesus in the prosecution of His
great Mission. His desire to see the establishment of His
Kingdom of righteousness and peace was intense. Yet He
was never betrayed into agitation. Whilst He kindled a sub
lime and mighty enthusiasm in others, He proceeded to fulfil
His purpose without haste and without pause. His kindness
flowed as a stream which ripples in the sunshine over the ob
stacles in its course. Adverse circumstances seemed only to
extend His beneficent work. The source of His love never
failed in its -supply ; it gave fresh evidence every day of the
abundant life He came to bestow. One day's work, from sun
set to sunset, is plainly marked for us to examine.
After His discourse on the parables of the Sower and the
Seed, when the day was drawing to its close, Jesus, anxious
to be alone with His disciples, invited them to accompany Him
across the lake. He longed for the rest and quietude of the
eastern shore, the sparsely populated region between the Deca-
politan towns above the low range of hills that stand like a
wall by the side of the sea.
As soon as the disciples were ready the sails were set and
the boat moved along the face of the water. Tired with the
222

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS 223
fatigue of the day, Jesus laid His weary head on a pillow in
the stern of the little vessel. Signs of a gathering storm did
not keep Him from repose; He slept even when it struck the
boat and it was threatened with disaster. A sudden squall
peculiar to the Sea of Galilee lashed its waves into a fury,
and the tempest, which they knew often brought disaster,
frightened the fishermen in charge of the ship. They were
familiar with the sea, they knew their peril, and still the Mas
ter calmly slept. The billows rolled, the storm grew more
furious, and as the waves dashed into the boat it began to fill
with water. The disciples in their fear awoke their Lord, cry
ing, " Master, Master, we perish ! "
And these, were the men whose knowledge of the elements
and the laws of nature had taught them to sail on the water.
By their own understanding and will they had been many
times able to overcome the secret power of nature in the sea.
Since their day men have advanced further in their mastery
of the deep, and ships in their charge have lived in greater
storms than ever ruffled the surface of the lake of Gennesareth.
This power has been gained by scientific attainment, which is
but a better understanding of natural forces. And the prog
ress of human triumph over the natural elements by this in
crease in the knowledge of their laws is an indication that more
power may be derived from greater knowledge. It has not
only dispersed the superstitious ideas regarding these forces of
the sea which men ignorantly worshipped as gods, by showing
an ability to deal with them, it has also strengthened the faith
of those who cross the sea in ships. Such faith was in its
infancy when the Galilean fishermen handled their frail vessel
in the storm. In their terror of the hurricane that had burst
upon them they had forgotten for a moment their sleeping
Passenger Who had already exhibited greater power than
mortals had ever seen. Realizing their peril, they appealed to
Him for help, and their prayer was answered. Slowly He
rose from the stern-sheets and rebuked the wind and the waves,
saying, " Peace, be still," and " there was a great calm."

224 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Jesus not only knew what was in man, He knew what was m
nature, and He displayed His knowledge by His power. He
is Lord both of men and of nature. He said unto them,
" Where is your faith ? " x and the men in the boat with Him
marvelled, saying, " What manner of Man is this ? " He had
rebuked them for their " little faith," and their eyes were fixed
in wonder on Him. They recognized His ability to save them,
but they had no perception of the mystery of Divine power
surrounding the angry waters. It was this absence of recog
nition of God's presence to which Jesus alluded in His rebuke,
His disciples' failure to look beyond the things seen by the
mortal eye.
On reaching the country of the Gergesenes 2 on the other
side of the lake there was no time for rest. No sooner had
Jesus and His disciples stepped ashore and climbed the hill
above the water than a maniac, wild, and fierce, and naked,
rushed toward them, and another hovered near.3 The weird
grandeur of the barren hills harmonized with the wild figure of
the man as he stood in the desolate region lit by the myriad
stars of the Syrian sky. Even a brave heart might have
shrunk from contact with him and turned again to the safety
of the boat, and another landing sought for peace and quiet.
Sleep was out of the question for Jesus until His work was
done and the poor wretch relieved of his terrible affliction.
Unsuccessful efforts to bind him showed its severity, and the
people attributed his madness to demoniacal possession. Sim
ilar ideas prevail in the land today,4 though not to the same
i St. Luke viii. 25. 2 St. Matt. viii. 28.
s St. Luke viii. 26. Gadara and Gergesa, the different names given by
the Evangelists for the places across the lake, are only confusing to those
who are unacquainted with the country. The districts comprised by the
names are contiguous, and as the miracle took place in the country be
tween the towns, though nearest to Gergesa, it is not difficult to see how
both names were used. When the name Gersa, or Khersa, is said to repre
sent Gerasa instead of Gergesa there is a difficulty, because Gerasa is sev
eral days' journey farther south, and quite unlikely to be the correct
designation. Gadara, modern Um Keis, was one of the cities of the De-
capolis. St. Matt. viii. 25-34; St. Mark v. 1-19; St. Luke viii. 26-39.
* The natives of Palestine believe in evil spirits the "jan," the subjects

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS 225
extent, probably because there are few men so furious that they
cannot be restrained. Fear is inspired by the appearance of
a maniac, and when it is possible to secure him he is chained.
Occasionally one of them escapes to the hills, and wanders in
the desert places of the country, until exposure and hunger
subdue his tortured spirit and he is taken to a place of refuge.
One of these places is a Greek church in the South to which
maniacs are chained in the hope that contact with a Christian
church will drive out the evil spirit.
Denial of demoniacal possession on the ground that we have
advanced in our ideas from the crude notions of the ancients
does no dispose of the belief they entertained. And the sug
gestion that our Lord accommodated Himself to the erro
neous fancies of the time is not justified by the narrative.
There was no reason why He should have declared His own
view of the matter ; He evidently took no notice of it, but con
cerned Himself with the case before Him. This was certainly
better for the patient, and all that Jesus considered necessary,
of a sultan whose domain is underground. They admit he is not the devil,
" ebliss " or Satan, " Shaitan," but a demon of less importance though not
less notorious. Night is the time for the nefarious practices of the " j an "
and for all whose deeds are evil. Bad temper is a sure sign of demoniacal
possession, and if a woman by her wilfulness causes her husband consid
erable anxiety he fears " an evil spirit " has entered into her ; and excess
of passion will remove all doubt. One husband declared he had discovered
a way of casting out the demon by firing a pistol over his wife's head;
he said the "jan" disliked the smell of the powder; more likely his wife
was afraid of the uncertainty of his aim, and that corrected her behaviour.
Mischief is another sign, and when ill-temper is followed by a mischievous
disposition a man is assured of the presence of the "Jan." The difference
both of the kind of demon and the extent of his power is only a matter
of progress to the Eastern man, and the fury of a madman leaves no doubt
in his mind about an evil spirit of Satanic might controlling his move
ments. A harmless lunatic, on the other hand, is a person whose mind is
in heaven; he is not, therefore, responsible for what he may do on earth,
and is treated with kindness because he is "holy," and he subsists on the
charity of the benevolent. A man has only to do a foolish thing, some
thing that will show he cannot be accountable for his actions, to prove
acceptable to the people. Although it may not appear to a Western man
that this is a lucrative profession, it has been adopted by those who have
a natural disinclination to work and a desire for attention. They need
only cut themselves with knives to make the people believe in them.

226 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
and it is all that was required. There is nothing in the life of
our Lord to show His agreement with the follies of mankind,
or what to us in this age, with our education, seems foolish.
We have enough evidence in our own experience to prove the
existence and power of evil. Gadara was notorious for its
licentiousness, and below the hill on which the city stood are
remains of the haunts of pleasure of its inhabitants, not far
from the place on the opposite hill where Jesus healed the
lunatic man. Happily, the worst forms of vice known in mod
ern times do not approach the grossness of the evil when
Gadara flourished. Objects of interest discovered in the cities
of old have had to be instantly destroyed as unfit to be seen.
Where vice is rampant man becomes a veritable beast, even
worse, for its instinct furnishes the animal with certain Hmi
tations; but, once a man loses cpntrol of his disposition to
evil by over-indulgence, he becomes possessed with its spirit,
and it is not a trespass on credulity to realize the presence of
a demon. The Gadarene demoniac was dangerous, and had
to be bound, and his passion broke his fetters. We have known
evil men whom nothing could bind, neither law nor custom,
nor entreaties of friends, nor even the walls of a prison, men
who have become the pests of society, whose touch was con
tamination, and from whom we have shrunk with horror. And
wherever we find them we discover their hatred of anything and
any one connected with God. They would cry out, " What
have I to do with Thee?" And truly they have nothing;
evil is so strong in them they hate the good. The maniac an
swered thus when he appeared before Jesus.5 Our Lord's
object was to cure him, and the method He adopted, I am
told by a specialist of repute, is copied now by those who
deal with the mentally afflicted. By asking his name, after
fixing his attention, our Lord used the most powerful means
of recalling his mind to its individuality. Acting in the be
lief of the origin of his disease, and that he was possessed by
devils, he answered, " Legion," e and this answer marked an-
pSt Matt. viii. 29. «St Luke viii. 30.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS 227
other stage in the process of his cure; he was beginning to
think. And, speaking as the agent of the demons within him,
he makes a request,7 and another step is taken. This evi
dence of gradual change is important as indicating the real
nature of the disease, and the nature of the request for the
demons to enter into a herd of swine is further testimony —
the swine being prohibited by Jewish law, they were abhorrent
to the lunatic, and it is not uncommon for lunatics to view
things which they consider wrong as objects for destruction.
A greater benefit was produced on the diseased mind of the
man by granting his request, and it completed the miracle.
The sight of the swine rushing in violent terror down a steep
place into the sea would confirm and strengthen his belief in
his own cure. The treatment of the animals was therefore a
factor in the healing of the lunatic.
The keepers of the swine were startled and fled. They
spread the news amongst the people in the country of the Ger-
gesenes and the Gadarenes, who quickly gathered in the morn
ing to see the strange Visitor, and before their eyes was the
wild maniac clothed 8 and in his right mind sitting at the feet
of Jesus. But they thought more of their property lost in
the sea than the cure of the wretched man, and, fearing fur
ther trouble, entreated Jesus to go away, preferring their pigs
and their passions to the Restorer of the soul. While they
begged Him to depart, the new man asked to go with Him;
but He bade the saved demoniac remain, saying, " Go home to
thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done
for thee and hath had compassion on thee." He was saved
to serve, to become Christ's witness in the country of the Ger-
gesenes and the Gadarenes.
Jesus and His disciples returned to their vessel and sailed
across the lake to the shores of Gennesareth. Recognizing the
boat, numbers of people waited on the beach to welcome Him;
amongst them was Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, more
7 St. Luke viii. 32.
s The outer garment, the abyah, of one of the disciples would answer the
purpose.

228 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
anxious than the rest,9 " for he had a little daughter about
twelve years of age, and she lay a dying." His earnest appeal
to Jesus found a ready response. Nothing that the rulers had
done, neither their violent opposition nor their virulent abuse,
interfered with the course of His love for the suffering; and,
what is perhaps more surprising, the rulers, who as a body
were His foes, seemed to know that Jesus bore no ill-will, that
He loved His enemies. He followed the ruler along the shore,
but His progress was impeded by the multitude. They were
so glad to see Him walk along the road again, to see His face,
observe His tender gaze, and perchance a smile in their direc
tion. Something in that stately presence attracted them
which they had never found in a man before. When the truth
fell from His lips, that from another teacher might have
sounded hard in its stern reality, His grace tempered its ex
pression without lessening its power. His great kindness won
their hearts. In the dense throng was a woman groaning un
der a bodily infirmity which all the medical skill of that day
had been unable to alleviate. Hope deferred for twelve years
had made her heart as sick as her body; first one physician,
then another, had tried to cure her, and all had failed. She
struggled hard to reach the leading Figure in the crowd,10
saying within herself, " If I may but touch His garment I
shall be whole." Her efforts were at last successful; she
gained a place behind His flowing robe on which the better
Jews wore the fringes that distinguished their nation, and,
stretching out her trembling hand, she touched one of the four
tassels of, blue that hung from the edge of His outer garment
(abyah), and immediately she was healed. The fact upon
which the Evangelists direct attention is that the woman
touched only the hem of the garment. All the writers agree
on the nature of her malady, that it was an issue of blood.
The slight differences appearing in their account of the inci
dent bear the indelible stamp of truth, and show the profound
s St. Luke viii. 42.
io St. Matt. ix. 20, 21; St. Mark v. 25; St. Luke viii. 43.

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
He went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose
Matthew IX: 25

$ fry

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
And looking up to heaven, he blessed them
Luke IX: 16

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS 229
impression it made on the minds of the Apostles. St. Mark
alludes to the failure of the doctors in unflattering terms, that
she " had suffered many things of many physicians, and had
spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather
grew worse." St. Luke the physician admits that the mem
bers of his profession were baffled. " Jesus said, Who touched
Me? n And Peter and they that were with Him said, Master,
the multitude throng Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched
Me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched Me, for I per
ceive that virtue hath gone out of Me."
And the woman, hearing what was said, confessed what she
had done, and what had happened to her, before all the peo
ple, and Jesus said unto her, " Daughter, be of good comfort ;
thy faith hath made thee whole ; go in peace." 12
A slight delay, and what seemed a fatal delay, had been
caused by this incident; a messenger arrived from the ruler's
house to inform Jairus that his daughter was dead, and he
need not trouble the Master any further.13 Now Jairus had
seen a miracle, and, what is more, he had heard that the way to
reach God was by faith, and that actual contact with God is
through faith, the touch of the woman represented her faith,
and the ruler became more capable of blessing by the lesson
he had received on the way home. When he heard the sad
news of the messenger, followed by the words of Jesus, " Fear
not, only believe," hope would grow strong again within him.
When Jesus reached the house all the Oriental signs of
mourning were visible. He found minstrels and wailing women
making the usual noise; not content with natural grief, artifi
cial means were employed to deepen the feelings by moaning
for the lost, and to soothe those who were left behind. Men
and women are hired to demonstrate grief by customary sym
bols, beating their breasts, tearing their hair, throwing ashes
on their heads, and shrieking in tones of sorrow. Jesus went
in with Peter, James, and John, and turned the people out of
11 St. Luke viii. 48. 12 St. Luke viii. 48.
13 St. Mark v. 41.

230 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the house, saying, " Weep not ; she is not dead, but sleepeth " ;
and they laughed Him to scorn. Then, in the presence of His
disciples and the child's parents, He took her by the hands
and said with great tenderness, " Talitha cumi " " My little
lamb" (which has been translated "Damsel"), "I say unto
thee, arise." 14 And straightway the damsel arose and walked.
He added the usual warning that His work should not be men
tioned, and told the father and mother to give their daughter
something to eat.
The work of the day was not yet done. On leaving the
ruler's house two blind men followed Him,15 crying, " Thou
Son of David, have mercy on us " ; and when He entered an
other dwelling, probably Peter's, they waited at the entrance
until Jesus called them to Him. He asked them if they be
lieved in His ability to restore their sight, and, receiving a
satisfactory answer, " He touched their eyes, saying, Accord
ing to your faith be it unto you," and charged them to see
that no man knew it; but they forgot His injunction in the
joy of their recovery, and spread His fame abroad in all that
country. i* St. Mark v. 41. « St. Matt. ix. 27-31.

CHAPTER XXI
THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES
After the healing of the daughter of Jairus, Jesus left Caper
naum for His old home, and paid a second visit to Nazareth.
His arrival was unwelcome and His reception was cold; a
strong feeling of opposition showed plainly that the inhab
itants of His native village were incapable of receiving ac
curate impressions of His vocation and work.
On His first appearance the people were amazed at His
claim to be the Messiah, and angry because their refusal to
accept it involved them in the comparison He drew between
their attitude towards His message and the absence of faith
in the time of the prophets. They were compelled to acknowl
edge, when He preached a second time, that in Him was a great
ness beyond their comprehension; but prejudice is hard to
remove. When men are forced to admit the manifestation of
conspicuous merit, envy corrupts their judgment. If it be
something alien to their being, and something of a higher
order, as the Divine life in Jesus, it disturbs and vexes their
passions and appetites. And, though men admit there is some
thing better and profess to admire the achievement of success,
they uneasily exhibit their natural disposition to detract from
its value, and its attainment, by setting against it something
lower in themselves. An honest effort might lift them into the
sphere of appreciation, where they become partakers of a
richer and greater conception of life; but the awakening in
them of a recognition of superior heights of wisdom and good
ness is overcome by a mean disposition. Petty family pride,
its miserable self-conceit, in the people of Nazareth, stifled
the growth of honourable regard for one more worthy.
Whatever Jesus may have done, or become, He was still
in their eyes the Carpenter, and His natural relations Hving
231

232 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
in their midst confirmed their opinion.1 His supernatural
birth had not been revealed to them ; they thought of Him and
spoke of Him as they had known Him, and the esteem which
He provoked in them they regarded as an offence, because they
could not rise to the measure of it. They said, " What wis
dom is this which is given unto Him, that even such mighty
works are wrought by His hands? " But their prejudice and
their own self-esteem closed their hearts against Him : " He
could do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands on a
few sick folk and healed them. And He marvelled because of
their unbelief." 2
Their attitude after this admission is surprising in its un
reasonableness. It seems almost unaccountable, and were it
not for similar illustrations of it in our own time we should
be more than usually perplexed; but the perversity of the
human mind exhibits continually this strange disposition, that
men acknowledge the greatness of the Son of Man, and then
refuse to act on what they believe. What is true of the Divine
image before the soul is true of the Divine law in the organiza
tion of life. The world resists, and tries to ignore the applica
tion of God's laws to its industrial and civic life.
In the physical universe where God exhibits His wisdom and
His goodness, men apply them for their material benefit as
soon as they have been discovered; yet the same men refuse to
make application of their knowledge of God in the realm of
the spirit, and venture to question His wisdom and His good
ness because they do not see similar progress in the moral
sphere of daily life. Something is radically wrong in human
nature, and a change is obviously necessary. A change of
mind cannot be decisive without a corresponding movement
of the heart ; it would be only a temporary disturbance of the
surface of human life ; the depths must be reached to make it
real and complete; and this result can only be accomplished
when the issue is life or death. We can now see the wonder
ful mind of God in the unveiling of the personality of His Son
i St. Mark vi. 3. 2 St. Mark vi. 6.

THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES 233
before revealing His Divine origin. He came in human form
that a real man should live a real life, and, through His gra
cious influences entering and working in mankind, form an
unexpected foundation for His permanent abode. His vast
design was being worked out unerringly and unceasingly, first
to reveal and then to redeem, for men to grow into their need
of a change in themselves, and then receive the power to make
it. Thus, it behoved Christ to die for men to realize the tre
mendous meaning of regeneration, before application can be
satisfactorily made in the life of man of the life Divine.
From Nazareth Jesus passed through the adjoining villages,
preaching the great truths of the Kingdom of God, and at the
end of this brief missionary tour He called His disciples to
gether. Another stage had been reached in their training,
and it was time for them to put into practice what they had
learnt. Events were fast shaping themselves for the begin
ning of the end of the human life of Jesus. He saw in the
gathering clouds of opposition to the higher life in Him the
developments that would culminate in the great tragedy, that
only through sacrifice there comes the uprising of new powers
which are unconquerable. Rulers in Jerusalem had rejected
Him, their representatives in Galilee resented His teaching,
and although the people esteemed Him He knew how feeble
was their faith. His work must now be extended to cover all
the land, for all to know of His coming before He departed.
His immediate followers, whom He had ordained to form the
nucleus of His Society, He determined to send before Him to
proclaim the approach of His Kingdom. Their mission was
twofold: first to prepare for His final tour amongst the Chil
dren of Israel; and, second, to train them to carry on His
work. They had been called from their ordinary occupations
to be taught by Him, He had delivered to them the principles
of His Kingdom, He had shown them how to pray in order to
enter into the secret of His power, He had commenced to un
fold the mysteries of the Kingdom in His parables, and they
had seen His works. Now they were to go forth in His name,

234 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
with His authority, to preach that men should repent, for the
Kingdom was at hand, and for their credentials they were to
work miracles.
There is an indication, from the nature of their mission and
the instructions given them, that Jesus intended to provide for
an ordained ministry, and an efficient organization for uni
versal service. The movements of the Apostles were restricted
first to the Jews throughout Galilee. Their Master sent them
before Him by two and two for mutual encouragement, with
precise directions for their equipment and conduct. These in
structions naturally referred primarily to the conditions of the
land in which they lived, but they contained the principle of
future work.
Jesus said, " Take neither gold nor silver, nor brass in your
purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither
shoes nor yet staves." There was no special intervention of
Providence demanded for their maintenance. They were to
depend entirely on the customs of their time, and the nature
of their circumstances. A preacher who went about doing good
would require none of these things. If he appeared with bare
feet it would be a sign of humility and a sacred calling, the
absence of any defensive weapons (such as staves3) would
commend his mission, and no one would molest a man known
to be on an errand of mercy. Afterwards, when they were to
work farther a-field, every precaution was to be taken ; 4 a min
ister of God cannot expect miracles to be wrought to indemnify
him for loss of life or goods through negligence or carelessness
of the use of the natural means employed by those who brave
the perils of the road.
The Messenger's appearance with one coat signified the seri
ous nature of his work. One coat is still a sign that a coun
tryman is in pursuit of some occupation, and a workman is
worthy of his meat. A second coat, worn between the outer
and inner garments, invariably denotes his holiday attire or
3 St. Matt. x. 10. The staff in common use as a weapon is the nabooty.
*St Luke xxii. 35-39.

THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES 235
dress for a feast. The second coat bears a significance that is
not in accord with the position of a man engaged in work; it
is the sign of a position differing from the ordinary workman.
It is worn by the heir, the man of high estate, and it is the
festal garment.
The injunction to carry neither purse nor scrip was de
signed for their journey to be undertaken in the towns and
villages where guest-chambers offered free hospitality and op
portunities for intercourse with men.6
When the Messengers arrived at a town or village they were
to seek the abode of the worthy, the most willing to hear their
message, and there remain until their departure from the place.
This implied that their sojourn must be short; one house in
one town indicated haste, and if their message was resented
their departure was to be quickened.
The next part of the charge to the Apostles recorded by
St. Matthew referred to the future and formed the subject of
subsequent conversations. References to divisions in families,
conflicts with civil powers, and persecutions belong to a later
date. St. Matthew doubtless collected the various directions
given at different times into one discourse. Those contained
in verses 16 to 39 in the tenth chapter of his Gospel were pre
sumably spoken in Holy Week before his Lord's death. The
charge was concluded in the two verses of the same chapter
with the promise of a reward for worthy reception.
5 St Mark xii. 38.

CHAPTER XXII
A CRISIS IN THE WORK OF JESUS
While the Apostles conducted their mission with the enthusi
asm of new and zealous workers, the course of events in Gali
lee was rapidly approaching a crisis. John the Baptist re
mained in prison. There is no doubt that Herod was favour
ably disposed towards him, having heard John gladly; but
the influence of the woman whom he had unrighteously married
gained ascendancy, and her anger against the Baptist on ac
count of his denunciation of their scandalous union made it
difficult for the Tetrarch to protect him. Her vengeance grew
more terrible the longer it was delayed ; and at last a chance
came to work her will on the captive.
The barbaric splendour of Oriental luxury in the days of
the Herodian princes was exhibited in their magnificent ban
quets, and on the king's birthday he gave a generous feast to
his courtiers. They revelled in the castle halls of Machasrus;
and John lay in the dungeon beneath. Flushed with wine in
the sumptuous orgies, Herod's excitement at the appearance
of Salome, the daughter of Herodias, in an Eastern dance,
grew beyond the bounds of reason. A favour so great re
quired an adequate response, and in a fit of generosity he
offered her a rich reward of her own choosing, and, in the
despot's way of expressing his desire to be liberal, vowed he
would give even to the extent of half his kingdom. Straight
to her waiting mother the princess went with her tidings, and
the guilty woman, taking advantage of the result of her crafty
design, told her daughter to ask for the head of John the Bap
tist. Her extraordinary demand touched even the base heart
of the voluptuous prince. He had expected a request for
jewels and rich apparel instead of the horrible appeal for a
good man's life. The momentary impulse to refuse was checked
by fear of the evil men around him, accustomed to the code
236

A CRISIS IN THE WORK OF JESUS 237
of honour of their time that held a reckless oath binding,
and he reluctantly gave the order for the Baptist's execu
tion.1 The gruesome reward was brought on the dish which
usually carried rich food to the royal table, and the dancing
maiden bore her hideous trophy to her infamous mother.
John's disciples soon heard the dreadful news of their lead
er's death. They were allowed to remove his martyred body
for burial, and in their sorrow they went and told Jesus,
About the same time the Apostles returned from their mission
with variable reports of the work they endeavoured to accom
plish. Shocked by the awful calamity, and wearied with their
journey, they were utterly overcome. With infinite tact and
tenderness, Jesus called them apart for rest.
No place could be found in the city. The people, startled
by the recital of the tragedy, excitedly discussed it in the
profuse manner of Eastern men until the public mind was in
a commotion. A despot's deed always impresses a populace
with their need of a deliverer, and some of the followers of
Jesus saw in their disordered state a suitable occasion to pro
claim their leader King. He marked the crisis with His all-
seeing eye, He knew their feelings, the hopes they entertained
for the Man of Nazareth to emerge from His lowly sphere
and consummate their wishes.
Herod's dark hour, occupied with bitter regret for his weak
ness, was the time for sowing the seed of suspicion. He knew
what sort of sensation his shameless act would make on his
people, and servile adherents, anxious to court his favour,
were ready to seek their own gain at the expense of others
by reporting any design against his throne. Associated in
their minds with John the Baptist was the enterprise of Jesus ;
its activities were assuming larger dimensions, and the knowl
edge of its growth might well have made Herod uneasy about
the movement. His sore and aching conscience would not let
him rest. Humbled by his crime, his guilty soul awoke in su
perstitious dread, and when conflicting messages reached him
i Josephus, Ant. Book XVIII. chap. v. 2.

238 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
about the work of Jesus, he believed that John the Baptist had
risen again. He enquired for Him in order to ascertain the
truth and calm his fear.
Capernaum was not a suitable place for the Apostles at a
time when the vague apprehension in the minds of the people
might at any moment assume a definite shape and direction, so
Jesus called them to go with Him across the lake. They
stepped into a boat and steered for the north-eastern shore
beyond the little plain where the upper. Jordan enters the sea.
And on the slopes of the hills, amidst the grass and flowers,
they sought a retreat from the stress of the situation of the
day. But they were not allowed to escape so easily ; their
departure had been noticed, and a great multitude followed
them on foot round the northern side of the water. From
the higher ground above the little plain Jesus saw them bring
ing in their midst their suffering friends. On the other side of
Him sheep would be peacefully cropping the fresh green grass
under the watchful eyes of their keepers, and His great heart
filled with pity for the weary people coming towards Him as
sheep without a shepherd. They were looking for the Messiah,
and, if they did not exactly believe, they had a large idea that
Jesus might be the long-expected King, and they were in sore
distress. Their notions were more or less confused, and even
comfort was forgotten in their enthusiasm for Jesus and con
fidence in His work.
He healed their sick, and, as He taught the people, He
looked with a great compassion on the hungry multitude, and,
turning to Philip, said, " Whence shall we buy bread that these
may eat ? " He said this to test him, for " He knew what He
would do." There was something like embarrassment in Phil
ip's answer to the question ; their limited resources were un
equal to the demand for feeding so vast a number, and he sug
gested that even two hundred pennyworth of bread would
barely supply the people's need. Meanwhile, a shepherd lad 2
2 The idea that the lad was a pedlar selling cakes is an impossible one.
The amount of food a boy could carry would soon have been purchased

A CRISIS IN THE WORK OF JESUS 239
had come to see the sight, and, hearing the discussion, promptly
offered his daily faring of five loaves and two small fishes.
Simon Peter's brother, Andrew, brought him to Jesus, Who
took the loaves and fishes, apparently so utterly inadequate
for His purpose, and commanded His disciples to arrange the
people in companies on the grass.
The great throng presented a beautiful picture with their
gaily coloured garments framed by nature's tinted carpet on
which they sat. Expectant faces turned towards the little
group in the centre preparing for their need, as another mar
vellous scene was about to be enacted before them.
Never since the days of Moses had there been such a dis
play of Divine bounty. In that far-off time manna had si
lently appeared by an invisible hand from heaven to feed
the hungry. Now the multitude can see with their own eyes
the manual acts which give the increase. Hushed by the
strange and solemn sight, they watched and waited. Jesus
took the bread, blessed it, brake it, and handed it to the dis
ciples for distribution. His bounty multiplied as it passed
from Him until all were fed. Even then pieces were left of
no apparent use ; but Jesus saw them, and said to His dis
ciples, " Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing
be lost " ; and there was enough to fill twelve baskets.3
This miracle of the feeding of five thousand men recorded
by all the four Evangelists has a significant bearing on the
purpose of Christ. John the Baptist's death had caused Him
to reflect with redoubled force on the events through which
He must pass. The cross, with its pain and shame, became
more clear, and He was ready to give His life; but that the
disciples were not prepared to understand His sacrifice was
evident in their mistaken idea of His Kingdom. They could
not see what He meant to be to them, and they were slow
by a. multitude of five thousand. The few cakes (Eastern loaves) and
two fishes represented a shepherd's food, and shepherds would be on the
hills with their sheep. Our Lord's reference to sheep naturally arose from
comparison. 3 Ko<pivos — baskets used by the Jews for carrying their food.

240 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
to learn. Their hope for Him was a throne, and an earthly
crown ; they little thought the throne would be a cross, and on
His brow would rest a crown of thorns. As they looked in
one direction, His gaze turned to another.
It would not have been difficult for the people to obtain
food ; towns were near, their homes were not very far away,
and shops lay between them and their destination. When
Jesus decided to feed them His disciples were surprised. It
was not His custom to provide for natural needs when there
were means for their supply. But he had to deal with the
crisis that had arisen in the minds of the people by the con
vergence of many dissimilar views; His Kingdom was being
revealed, yet His disciples failed to realize its character and
purpose, although they had been set apart for carrying it
into execution. Prevailing hopes in common with the expecta
tions of the Jews were held as it were in solution, and the de
sire to precipitate them into events according to their wishes
was feebly held in check. The people wished to take their Mas
ter by force and make Him King. Disappointed with His
refusal, the Twelve reluctantly but obediently foUowed His
directions to cross the sea and leave Him to deal with the
situation. He was in a better position on the eastern shore
in the Tetrarchy of Philip than the populous towns under the
jurisdiction of Herod, and the Apostles were safer in a boat
on the sea away from the people. The nature of the crisis was
such that it required very delicate treatment. It was not only
necessary to extricate His followers from the difficulty created
by their desire to make Him King; Jesus had to turn their
attention more directly to the truth about Himself, to raise
their thoughts to a higher level than earthly prospects, and
remove from their minds all political considerations. He knew
He could retain the favour of the people by declaring Himself
their King, and, if He rejected the part they had assigned
to Him, the popularity which protected Him against the de
signs of the rulers would be destroyed, and the foUowers who
had supported Him estranged. But there was no hesitation

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
Be of good cheer : it is I ; be not afraid
Mark Vf: so

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. £>¦ Mastroianni
And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him
Matthew XVII: 3

A CRISIS IN THE WORK OF JESUS 241
in His manner, and no lack of courage. He left the people
not because He was afraid, but in order to prevent an exten
sion of the movement, and provide for a new direction. Those
who looked for the disciples to join them in their futile attempt
to acclaim a King, watched them depart; they saw Him dis
appear, yet they lingered in the place, waiting for His return.
As evening fell and the dusk deepened, the tenseness of the
strain of the circumstances communicated itself to Jesus,
and He turned in prayer to God. Hour after hour passed
in secret communion, oblivious of the gathering clouds and
rolling billows on the lake. As the early morning light awak
ened sleeping nature round Him, He rose from His knees, and,
looking over the seething water in the hazy atmosphere of the
dawn, He saw His disciples toiling in, rowing with wind and
wave against them. Through the long hours of darkness they
had striven, brooding over their frustrated hopes and the bit
terness of failure. After all their toil they were only a little
more than half-way 4 across when Jesus saw them. Imme
diately, as if in their thoughts was a cry of need, He went
towards them, walking on the sea, and seemed as if He would
have passed their boat.
When they saw Him they thought it was a ghost, an ap
parition, and cried out for fear. He came in the fourth
watch of the night, just as the dawn had begun to break, and
in the imperfect light enveloped in the driving mists of the
storm His form seemed unnatural to the agitated disciples.
Their first view of Him was distorted by their unstrung minds.
He had to speak before He was recognized. Nearer and nearer
He came and interpreted Himself with the reassuring message,
" It is I ; be not afraid." Peter instantly replied, " Lord, if
it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water." There
arose in his mind an irresistible impulse to enter into the fel
lowship of Christ, and to rise up into His life, and with it a
feeling of power was born to carry out his purpose. He went
down from the boat and walked some distance on the water,
4 St John vi, 19.

242 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
but, seeing the boisterous waves, he was afraid and began to
sink. As soon as he became aware of his natural position and
of his natural power, he sank back into his own natural self.
His faith had failed. He looked around him and away from
Jesus. Having momentarily lost the realization of Christ's
presence, he began to sink. His call for help restored the
vivid sense of Christ's power, his hand grasped the hand of
Jesus, and he was raised to His side. It was not the direc
tion of his faith that went astray, but its weakness. Jesus
said unto him, " O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou
doubt ? " He was grieved that the disciple had failed.
The wind ceased and Jesus was received into the boat.
Amazed beyond measure, the disciples wondered, because they
considered not the miracle of the loaves. It should have pre
pared them for a further demonstration of the power of their
Lord ; but their minds had been bent on the popular move
ment to make Him King, and, disappointed because He had
not consented, they were bewildered. When He multiplied
bread for thousands He desired to fix their attention on Him
self as the One appointed to be the spiritual sustenance of the
human race; and, as it foreshadowed His death, His body
broken, His walking on the sea was the sign of His resurrection
power, the power that gives encouragement to the drooping
spirit, the strength and stay for the frail vessel of human na
ture in its peril on the sea of life, and courage for greater effort
for battling with the waves of trouble by which it might be
overwhelmed. With Jesus in the boat the disciples soon reached the Land
of Gennesareth, the plain on the south-west of Capernaum.
Meanwhile, the people who had remained on the eastern side
of the sea in the vain hope of His reappearance, were brought
home by some fishing-boats belonging to Tiberias,6 driven by
the gale in the night to the place of shelter by the shore under
the hills on which the people had been miraculously fed.
More significant lessons were necessary both for the disciples
b gt. John vi, 22,

A CRISIS IN THE WORK OF JESUS 243
and the people, to disperse their thoughts of an earthly King
dom. The Passover was nigh, and many people were already
preparing for their journey to Jerusalem to keep the feast.
An opportunity was found in the significance of the time.
Events had occurred which impressed the mind of Jesus with
the necessity for turning the thoughts of His disciples and
the people into a more spiritual channel. They had brought
nearer to Him the end He had in view for Himself. With this
before Him, and the carnal nature of the minds of the vast
number of His followers, even at the Passover season, He was
constrained to act for the future, and make a more determined
effort to identify Himself with the eternal purpose of God the
Father. Each Evangelist has described in the same words His
treatment of the bread for the people. They say, " He blessed
and brake and gave to the disciples." This is precisely what
He did at the Passover, when He instituted the Lord's Supper.
We cannot dismiss His expressive sign without considering the
circumstances in which He acted, and its relation to the dis
course in the synagogue on the Bread of Life which followed,
when He interpreted the miracles that had just been performed,
the breaking of the bread and the walking on the sea, in the
mystical language of His death and resurrection.
As He proceeded to the synagogue His presence became
known, and the astonished people who had crossed the water
said, "Rabbi, whence comest Thou hither?" Their remark
might have been intended to please Him, but He told them
frankly He was not deceived by their attention ; He knew why
they sought Him ; He said, " Ye seek Me not because ye saw
the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were
filled." Turning from reproof to exhortation, He commenced to
preach the next great sermon of His life on earth. The Ser
mon on the Mount translated into language His perfect life;
the discourse in the synagogue of Capernaum transferred His
life to man. His language was not so strange to the people
whom He addressed as it seems to us. Sacred instruction was

244 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
called bread; 6 to believe was to receive, and to receive was to
absorb, and thus to eat. The people were familiar with the
use of these symbolical expressions ; there was a mysterious
harmony, which thoughtful men could feel and understand,
in the connection of the outward form with the inward mean
ing. Between the natural and the spiritual it is established
by faith, that movement of man's being, impelled by his will,
to accept and believe the words of Jesus, fresh and luminous
with eternal truth. What the mortal eye sees on one side the
immortal vision recognizes on the other. Earthly bread, which
nourishes the body by a process that can only be observed by
experience, is a symbol of the heavenly food which sustains the
higher life, of which a man is conscious by another experience,
apprehended by the spirit in union with the life of Jesus. Ef
fort is required, of thought, and desire, and will, to rise from
the consideration of things natural to apply their spiritual
content to the life of man.
Words more sublime were never uttered than the words of
Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum, but, so gross and ma
terialized were the multitude, they mistook their meaning.
When He said, " Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but
for that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son
of Man shall give you; for Him hath God the Father sealed,"
they asked Him, " What shall we do that we might work the
works of God? " He answered, " This is the work of God,
that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent." And they in
quired what sign Jesus would give them that they might be
lieve on Him. Moses had given them bread from heaven; He
had offered them only the loaves of earth. Their idea of in
ward bread was outward bread coming down from heaven.
Jesus told them it was not the descent from heaven, but the
nature of the descending object, that made the difference. The
bread which Moses gave, like other gifts, came from God, but
they were not all equally durable; some were for time, others
for eternity. Manna fed the fathers of Israel in the days of
6 Jer, xv, 16; Prov, ix. 5,

A CRISIS IN THE WORK OF JESUS 245
old ; it kept them alive for a time in the desert ; but they died.
The Bread of God, He said, is He which cometh down from
heaven and giveth life unto the world. " I am the Bread of
Life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that
believeth on Me shall never thirst. . . . And this is the will
of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and
believeth on Him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise
him up at the last daj'."
The difference in kind and not its source, astonished and
disappointed them. It conferred no material benefits, and they
murmured as their forefathers had done in the wilderness. He
might have given them a full disclosure of His Divine nature
and sternly demanded their allegiance ; but He knew that men
with their limitations, their narrow view of life, their igno
rance and folly, and their indifference towards a complete
change of mind, could not be forced to believe. No spiritual
end could be achieved against their will. In figures yet more
startling and more emphatic, He said : " Except ye eat the
flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life
in you. Whosoever eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood
hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. My
flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that
eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me and I
in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the
Father, so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me."
To eat His flesh and to drink His blood meant to become
changed into Him, so that He Himself lived in them, for His
life to be their life ; but the disappointment to the carnal mind
in the people who followed Jesus for earthly gain rendered
them incapable of apprehending the significance of the life He
came to bestow. They were offended because something else
was offered instead of what they expected. An uneasy feeling
had often disturbed their comfortable visions of the future,
but they protected themselves against the new and larger truth,
the abundant life conveyed in the teaching of Jesus, by holding
fast the hope that aU would be well for the chosen people of

246 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
God. He knew that many of them would fail to stand the
test. He said, "Doth this offend you?" Then, apparently
speaking to those nearest to Him, He appealed to an event
which they would see as bound up with what He had said, His
ascension into heaven. It was not so much in the form of a
question, as the Authorized Version gives the words, but a
parenthetical statement.
His sermon was frequently interrupted; then, slowly but
surely, one by one, the congregation melted away. Some of
them were His old followers, who " walked no more with Him."
He turned to His Apostles and said, " Will ye also go away? "
Mingled with their vanishing hopes of a Messianic reign was
a warm personal affection for their Master, and Peter, ever
ready to respond, answered falteringly, " Lord, to whom shall
we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." If Peter hesi
tated, what must have been the state of his companions ? Jesus
saw there were differences in their minds, and a wavering spirit
in their hearts, and said : " Have I not chosen you Twelve,
and one of you is a devil? " One of them, altogether dis
satisfied with the turn of events, remained with them, but he
had made up his mind to follow a way of his own.
The first decisive step had been taken to sever the tie that
bound Him to earth ; the first clear vision appeared of the
unreadiness of the world, even of His Apostles, to receive the
Kingdom. They could not see the life He saw, the glory of
the life eternal. There was no shrinking in Him from the
sacrifice demanded for its great revelation, but there was sor
row that men had failed to behold the Kingdom His life estab
lished.

CHAPTER XXIII
THE OPPOSITION OF THE RULERS
Although the Evangelist St. John, in his record of the feed
ing of the five thousand men, refers to the approach of the
Passover, nothing is said about our Lord's movements. We
may therefore assume that He was absent from the Great
Feast. Such neglect of the national obligation can only be
accounted for by the hostility of the rulers in Jerusalem. His
time had not yet come for the last conflict, His work was not
yet finished. He decided to abandon the service imposed on
every devout Jew in order that He might accomplish the pur
pose in His mind. This would not affect His disciples in the
same way, and in all probability He sent them to the Holy
City to observe the memorial of the redemption of Israel.
There is some reason for this assumption, for immediately after
the Passover we find a number of rulers from Jerusalem appear
ing before our Lord in Capernaum with a complaint that His
disciples had neglected the customary ablutions of their ritual
observances. Attention had been directed towards them by
their indifference to the various ordinances of the Jews. As
the disciples of Jesus they would naturaUy be watched, and
every little change from the usual routine noticed.
Immediately after their return to Galilee emissaries of the
rulers followed them from Jerusalem, indignant at their treat
ment of cherished rules, and probably disappointed and angry
because Jesus had not been with His disciples to enable them
to prosecute Him. An opportunity was seized by the rulers
to make their complaints when they saw the disciples eating
with unwashed hands.
St. Mark adds a few notes 1 on the customs of the Pharisees
i St Mark vii. 3, 4. 247

248 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
relating to the traditions of the elders about washing. These
customs seem to us most unreasonable and absurd, and what
is still more surprising is the captious criticisms of the Phari
sees. Why they should take the trouble to find fault with so
small a matter as the neglect of washing of hands before meat
is not easy to understand without a knowledge of the signifi
cance of the act. Their feelings can be better understood by
comparison with those of the Moslem regarding his washing
before prayer. He believes that if he does not follow correctly
the ceremonial ablutions his prayer will be of no avail.2
It is this attachment to outward observance, and the abso
lute neglect of the necessary inward cleansing, which Jesus
forcibly denounced. " Full well," He said, " ye reject the
commandment of God that ye may keep your own traditions." 3
A still more terrible indictment He brought against them for
their neglect to keep the fifth commandment by a mean subter
fuge of their own designing. " Moses said, Honour thy fa
ther and mother: and whoso curseth his father and mother,
let him die the death : 4 but ye say, if a man shall say to his
father and mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by
whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free.
And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father and
mother, making the word of God of none effect through your
tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such things do
ye."5 Corban,6 meaning originally an oblation to God, was used
as a mere word of vowing without any intention of actually
offering the gift. If a son said to his parents, when they
were in need of his support, that the money and property
which he might use for their sustenance is " Corban," he es-
2 I once saw a Moslem soldier make his preparations, and, just as he was
ready to pray, his mother, whom he had not seen for a long time, ap
proached him. Before shaking her hand he covered his own with his
tunic, lest he should touch a woman, even his mother, and he should be
defiled. s St. Mark vii. 9. i Lev. xx. 9.
5 St. Mark vii, 10-13, a Josephus, Ant. Book IV. chap. iv. 4,

THE OPPOSITION OF THE RULERS 249
caped from his filial responsibility, and his evasion became
more odious through its being effected in the name of God.
Turning to the people round Him, He said, " Hearken unto
Me, every one of you, and understand. There is nothing from
without a man that, entering into him, can defile him; but the
things which come out of him, these are they that defile a
man." 7 Altogether baffled, the Pharisees departed, and Jesus
entered into a house. His disciples, following, asked if He
had noticed that the Pharisees were offended at His saying,
as if they were anxious that the malicious feelings of these un
scrupulous men should not be overtaxed lest they might resort
to more violent persecution. In His reply Jesus showed He
had no fear of them. " Let them alone," He said ; " they be
blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch." 8
Accustomed to the familiarity of daily intercourse the dis
ciples asked Him the meaning of His parable about defilement,
and He proceeded to explain in detail the difference between
that which enters into a man and the terrible evil generated
in the heart which cometh out in act and deed.
Offences on the Sabbath Day
It was quite evident to the Scribes and Pharisees that Jesus
was a dangerous Reformer Who should be carefully watched
lest the people became altogether disaffected by His influence.
Whether He was in the city or out of it, the vigilant eyes of
those who were ill-disposed towards His teaching followed
Him. He could not walk through the corn-fields near the
town unobserved; the actions of His disciples were also no
ticed, for they were now under His guidance.
Soon after the Passover, before the barley harvest had com
menced, as they passed through the standing corn on a Sab
bath Day,9 being hungry, they plucked the ripening ears,
1 St. Mark vii. 14, 15. s St. Matt. xv. 14.
8 St. Luke vi. 1. This Sabbath, ev <ra.fifia.TO} SevTepoTrtirui, i.e. the first of
the second Sabbath, is called by St. Luke by the peculiar name of the
" second first sabbath," which has perplexed all scholars. It cannot be in-

250 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
rubbed them in their hands, and ate the grain, and thus another
opportunity was found for complaint.10 Their offence was not
in the theft of corn — the law expressly sanctioned their ac
tion ; 1X it was the manual labour involved that violated the
Pharisaical interpretation of the Mosaic law. Human inven
tion had substituted the letter for the spirit, because the
Pharisees believed that the Power which had inspired their
forefathers had been withdrawn, and their actions certainly
confirmed their belief; the inner meaning of their religion was
dead. For the guidance of the people in the absence of this
inspiring Power, the rulers had elaborated a system of rules
and regulations from the original law, and produced a cata
logue of negations which they were convinced had similar force,
and must be accepted with the same obligation that the law
of God demanded. This new factor, the opinion of Jewish
Rabbis, was their remedy for the defect in the national life
caused by the loss of the inspiration which had instructed
their ancestors ; it established the rules for which custom se
cured the same respect as the original commandment.
Differences of Rabbinical opinion, instead of lessening the
force of the rules, increased their number, and the people were
expected to keep all of them since every one was a part of
thir system.
Every provision of the Mosaic law had by custom been de
graded through the introduction of these frivolous and sense
less restrictions and the serious penalties imposed for trans
gression. The words of the fourth commandment, " In it thou shalt
not do any work," 12 were extended, and then defined by a
tended to denote the time of the year, as the corn was nearly ripe. Dean
Farrar says in a footnote, vol. i. page 435 of his Life of Christ, the only
opinions which seem sufficiently probable and sufficiently supported to make
it worth while to mention them are (1) "The first Sabbath of the second
month" (Wetstein) ; (3) The first Sabbath in the second year of the Sab
batical Cycle (Wieseler) ; (3) The first Sabbath after the second day of
unleavened bread (Scaleger, Ewald, Keim, etc.).
ioSt. Luke vi. 2, 3. "Deut. xxiii. 25.
12 Exod. xx. 10.

THE OPPOSITION OF THE RULERS 251
schedule of " forty works save one," 13 which were forbidden;
though all of them no man could remember, yet if one was in
advertently infringed the offender was liable to be punished.
One of these was reaping, and this included plucking an ear of
corn; threshing was another, and rubbing the corn between
the palms of the hands was threshing. The disciples had thus
broken two of their commandments.
The Jews were proud of these Sabbatical laws, and their
anxiety to maintain their obligation was more from the desire
of setting a barrier between themselves and other nations, and
exalting their self-esteem, than their recognition of a Divine
institution. By thus excluding themselves a means was found
for defending their nationality from the dangerous influence
of their Gentile neighbours. This isolation amounted to a
confession of an inherent weakness which might naturally be
expected from the use of external means for preserving their
national existence, instead of possessing a sense of the pres
ence of God in the details of life, that vital union with Him
which the history of their nation should have inspired.
Jesus came with the Divine Spirit to the nation, to make
known the presence of the Power which had originally given
them the Commandments ; to restore their intrinsic value by
casting aside all that had become burdensome from Rabbinical
legislation, and by issuing new commandments as authorita
tive as those of the Mosaic law. In these He exhibited the
true spirit of the old order in its complete form, which He
termed fulfilling the law. " The Sabbath," He said, " was
made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." 14 His view of
the law was Divine, and He unfolded its principle as God's care
for man. The Sabbath was intended to secure for him a rest
from the incessant toil, to protect him from an over-measure
of labour exacted by selfish people affected with the desire for
their own interest, to provide him with an opportunity for the
is It was forbidden to catch a flea, because this was a kind of hunting
— one of the 39 precepts (Jennings, Jewish Antiquities, page 442).
n St. Mark ii. 27.

252 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
enjoyment of uninterrupted communion with the' Eternal Fa
ther, and prepare him for his final home. It was God's gift,
a sign of His good-will towards man, a symbol of His provi
dential care. Rest for the soul was as necessary as rest for
the body, and the tranquil repose of the spirit is found only in
God; it is His peace for the weary heart. The deepest weari
ness is in self, and self having been actively employed needs
rest — rest in God away from self. It was this rest that was
specially needed for which man was called from earthly toil to
that state of communion which enables him to appreciate the
benefit of the Sabbath on earth, and realize how mUch more will
be the enjoyment of the heavenly Sabbath where everything
is Divine, where every one with whom he holds converse loves
and serves his Lord, where there is no exposure to temptation,
and where nothing that defileth can enter in.
Conscious of the Divine will, Jesus could give freedom of
conduct for man to grow into a fuller knowledge of this life
in God. He respected the law of the Sabbath when it could
be shown to minister to the welfare of man; when it interfered
with it, as in the case the Pharisees brought before Him, He
set it aside, and declared that the Son of Man was Lord also
of the Sabbath. He claimed to decide also, as the representa
tive man, what was best for him, without any direction from
the customs of men for His guidance. As the Lord of the
Sabbath He was the Son of God, and showed the will of the
Father towards mankind. He gave an illustration from Scrip
ture which His adversaries were bound to accept, what David
did 15 when he was hungry, to justify the action of His dis
ciples by an established precedent that there were occasions
when the law may be discarded, and a similar need had arisen
in the hunger of His disciples. " If," He said, " ye had known
what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would
not have condemned the guiltless."
On another Sabbath Day,16 when Jesus was teaching in
the synagogue, He saw a man with a withered hand, according
is St. Mark ii. 25; 1 Sam. xxi. 6. is St Luke vi. 6.

THE OPPOSITION OF THE RULERS 253
to tradition 17 a stonemason unable to earn his Hving and com
pelled to beg, who appealed to Jesus for its restoration. The
reason for his appearing was known to the Pharisees sitting
in their seats of honour, their watchful eyes fixed more on the
man than their ears on hearing the sublime teaching of the
Master. They expected a miracle of Divine compassion, and
their hearts were stirred with jealous wrath. Jesus perceived
their thoughts, and said to the man, " Rise up and stand forth
in the midst " ; then, looking on His enemies, He skilfully put
the question,18 " Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good
or to do evil ? to save life, or to destroy it ? " There could
be only one answer, but they were intent on finding fault, look
ing for a charge against Him. He would not let them escape
in silent anger, and pressed His advantage with another ques
tion, " What man shall there be among you that shall have
one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day wiU he
not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much more then is
a man better than a sheep? " According to their better judg
ment His argument was unanswerable. " And looking round
upon them all, He said to the man, Stretch forth thy hand.
And he did so, and his hand was restored whole as the other." 19
The word of Jesus was enough to heal.
Nothing could be said; the spoken word was not a breach
of Sabbath observance. Something, therefore, must be done
by the hostile critics of Jesus. They had been put to shame
and confusion, and were determined in their rage to resort to
any method for His destruction. Their animosity towards
the Herodians, a northern sect of renegade Jews subservient
to the Tetrarch, Herod Antipas, was cast aside to make com
mon cause against the Teacher Who seemed beyond their own
power alone to destroy.
it This tradition was preserved in the Gospel of the Hebrews, quoted by
Jerome on St. Matt. xii. 13. is St Luke vi. 9.
ifl St. Luke vi. 10. St. Luke alone tells us (chap. vi. 6) that it was the
right hand. Medical men regard this as "just such a fact as a medical
writer could not fail to remark" (Dr. Belcher, Our Lord's Miracles of
Healing, p. 123).

CHAPTER XXIV
A MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE
The development of the opposition of the Scribes and Phari
sees alarmed the Apostles. Constant friction caused them to
fear more serious persecution, and their anxiety retarded the
progress of their training. Signs of impending trouble made
it necessary to leave Capernaum for a time, and seek a retreat
from the manifold distractions of daily intercourse with con
tending parties.
Jesus moved towards the north with the Twelve through
the beautifully wooded region of Upper Galilee, into the more
secluded districts of the northern province ; but even there they
were not altogether free from observation. News of their
movements was circulated, and when Jesus reached the borders
of Phoenicia the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon discussed the
wonders of His works. Some of the people had seen Him in
His own country, and were interested in Him, and He must
have had a regard for them, although they were Gentiles, for
they were human, and He was concerned with all that was
human. It was His deep feeling and strong passion for the
salvation of the world, and the Apostles' share in it, that led
Him into the aliens' land for a brief period of foreign service.
Phcenicia was a foreign land to the Jews, and when one of the
people, a woman of Canaan, a heathen and an aboriginal in
habitant of the country, followed Jesus and His disciples, the
racial and religious feelings of His companions would be roused
by their encounter with a member of the despised nation. No
distinction of race has ever been so sharp as that between a
Jew and a Canaanite; the prejudices and antagonisms of cen
turies divided them. On the side of the Jew the pride of race
established a sense of superiority which can only be estimated
254

A MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE 255
by compassion with the feelings of the white man for his black
brother in the Southern States of America. In the Canaanite
a servile fear had been bred by long ages of oppression until
humiliation had reached its lowest level. It may to a certain
extent be gauged by the contentment of their descendants,1
the FeUaheen of Southern Palestine, to remain in the abject
position the nature of their state has accorded them. A Fellah
is never perturbed by the contemptuous remarks of his su
periors ; if he be found guilty of neglect to perform some office,
or do some work, he excuses himself by saying, " I am only a
poor FeUah," and expects his fault to be overlooked. Such a
person followed Jesus with a piteous appeal for the healing
of her daughter. His manner of deaHng with her at first ap
pears as if He accommodated His mind to the disposition of
the Jew; His disciples urged Him to send her away, because
her presence and importunity annoyed them; but He listened
to her request and at first made no reply. For the purpose
of testing her faith and establishing in her a better apprecia
tion of her position as a suitable object for sympathy and
assistance, and at the same time teaching His disciples, His
generous impulse was held in check. In response to her con
tinuous and tender pleading He informed her that He was " not
sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 2 Still she
persisted, and when He said, " It is not meet to take the chil
dren's bread and cast it to dogs," there was the first sign of
encouragement.3 Dogs are the outcasts of the East ; the use of
such a term in addressing a man or a woman is the expression
of supreme contempt, and she knew it was only what might be
expected from a Jew to a Canaanite. No one feeds the dogs ;
they are the unclean scavengers of the streets, and are left to
look after themselves. She would not have resented the appli-
i The Fellaheen are descended from the mixed marriages of the ancient
Israelites with the aboriginal inhabitants of the country, and, as their name
implies, are the tillers of the soil. Fellah is derived from fallah, to dig,
and the plural Fellaheen simply means the cultivators of the land. They
were the poor, that were always associated with servitude.
2 St. Matt xv. 24. s Kvvaplois = little dogs, puppies. St. Matt. xv. 26.

256 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
cation. But the expression " little dogs," although this de
scription shares in the larger distinction, bears a different
meaning, and the diminutive is the word in the original text.
Little dogs enter the houses, play with the children, and share
the children's food. We may now see the marvellous combina
tion of skill and kindness exercised by Jesus in dealing with a
difficult case when the contending forces of Canaanitish servil
ity and Jewish arrogance appeared before Him in the nature
of the woman and of His disciples. Eagerly noticing the dif
ference, the woman saw a gleam of light shining through the
darkness of our Lord's refusal ; she took Him at His word and
said, " True, Lord," it would not be right to take the chil
dren's bread, that is, the whole loaf, and cast it to the little
dogs, to us who are aliens ; but the little dogs receive the crumbs
" which fall from their master's table." On His own definition
of the dependence of the little dog on the family she pleaded.
He had given the opening through which she might pass into
His power to aid. She entered and gained all she asked. The
greatness of her faith was acknowledged, and her daughter
healed. Another lesson appeared in the miracle for the Apostles.
Their national prejudices could not be cast aside suddenly
and without training, but they had to be removed for their
future work; so their Master took His disciples step by step
into His confidence, and gave them a further proof of His
universal love. At Jacob's well they marvelled that He even
talked with a woman of Samaria, and then saw the result of
His conversation. When the Roman centurion exhibited a
greater faith than He had seen in Israel, Jesus pointed out to
His disciples the universal application of His Gospel. They
were able to see in the Syro-Phoenician woman the growth of
a heathen's faith in spite of all discouragement and under the
most adverse circumstances. Their own feelings would prove
to them the need of response to such a faith, and their opin
ion of the Master's benevolent deed furnished them with a guide
for their treatment of the heathen.

A MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE 257
A door had now been opened for foreign service, and Jesus
with the Twelve went through Phoenicia from Tyre to Sidon.
Turning from the coast, they crossed the country to the south
of Hermon, and gradually retraced their steps to the Sea of
Galilee. From thence they travelled down the eastern side of
the lake through Gergesa and Gamala to the cities of the
Decapohs. Gadara was the most important town in the Greek
confederation, and Gadara's domain extended beyond the south
ern extremity of the Galilean Sea, adjoining that of Hippos
on the east and Scythopolis 4 on the west. This region formed
the Decapohs proper, and included both banks of the Hiero-
max, the great valley through which flows the principal tribu
tary of the Jordan, a larger stream than the more important
river before their confluence. In the narrow part of the val
ley it rushes over miniature rapids, then expands into wide
gleaming pools over which the dark-green oleander sheds its
crimson blossoms. Lofty palm-trees rising above the basin
of the valley make the picturesque river a scene of Oriental
beauty. Farther up the gorge on one side are the beetling
crags which reach the plateau on the edge of the lake ; on the
other there is a small plain where seventeen different kinds of
tropical plants have been counted in a wilderness of verdure.
Hundreds of palm-trees in this delectable spot rear their giant
heads; streams of hot water flow beneath the rank vegetation,
and fall in bright cascades through a myriad fronds of maiden
hair fern to the river. Lower down the stream, nearer the
road to Tiberias, remains of baths and a theatre indicate the
use the Gadarenes made of this region. Other cities of the
Decapolis were situated in various parts east of the Jordan,
some of them on the south of Gadara in Perea. Ancient
geographers differ to a certain extent in regard to their
names; we are also left in doubt about the nature of their
mutual connection. They formed little groups and were scat
tered throughout an extensive area, as far from each other as
Damascus, Kanatha (Kunnawat in Jebel Druze, the Hill of
4 Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book III, chap. ix. 7.

258 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Bashan) and Philadelphia (Amman) ; we therefore naturally
conclude that the part of the Decapohs mentioned by St. Mark
is the country lying immediately south and east of the Sea of
Galilee. Incidentally we may observe that a knowledge of
Greek was essential for the work that Jesus undertook, and it
is not unreasonable to assume that there is sufficient evidence
of His knowledge of the language in the record of His journey.
Into these haunts of pleasure, where idolatrous practices
also abounded, Jesus passed with His message, His good news
of the Kingdom of God, not by denouncing the way of life
of the inhabitants, as many people today censure the acts they
do not commit themselves, but by the manifestation of a better
way, a new and holier life. We miss a reference to the Gada-
rene whom He had saved from a terrible affliction, but some
thing better is found in the important testimony that a large
crowd followed Jesus on His return from the south by the
eastern side of the lake. Embarrassed by their attention yet
full of compassion, His efforts were unceasing in His desire to
help and to heal. Few are recorded, one here and there as it
appeared more significant than the rest.
Special notice is given of a deaf stammerer brought by his
friends to Jesus. Taking him on one side, He thrust His
fingers into his ears, moistened his stammering tongue with
saliva, not to confirm the crude notions of the people in the
efficacy of its use, but to kindle faith by these symbols in the
poor creature before Him, apparently unable to do anything
for himself. His miserable condition is suggested by his hav
ing been brought by friends. It appealed to Jesus, and the
little details introduced into the process of healing were all
to gain the poor man's confidence. With an upward look to
heaven, and a sigh for earthly sorrow, He said to him, " Be
opened," and the man's ears were unstopped and his stammer
ing tongue was unloosed.5
The miracles in the desert on the eastern side of the sea drew
more and more people to Jesus. Some had followed Him from
s St. Mark vii. 35.

A MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE 259
a considerable distance, and though He wished to be alone with
His disciples, His compassion for the multitude and their need
were again displayed in supplying them with food. He could
not send them away. Accustomed to long periods of absti
nence,6 they had forgotten their need of bodily sustenance
in their attention to His works. He knew that when the strain
was relaxed, and they were left to seek food for themselves,
they would faint on the road. And the thought of suffering
people found a quick response in the heart of Jesus. His dis
ciples had not yet reached that state of feeling for a promiscu
ous crowd, and most of them were heathens 7 who had fol
lowed their Master on His missionary journey. His refer
ence to their need met with little sympathy from the Twelve,
who acknowledged with a plaintive remark the impossibility of
their being able to find sufficient food for so many people.
Jesus asked them how many loaves they had, and when they
answered, " Seven, and a few little fishes," He commanded the
multitude to sit down on the ground, and He took the small
provision, gave thanks, brake the bread, and gave it to His
disciples for distribution amongst the people. All ate and
were filled, " and they took up of the broken meat that was
left seven baskets full."
Of the number fed there were four thousand men, besides
women and children. Jesus sent the multitude away, and with
His disciples crossed the sea in a ship, and according to St.
Mark came into the parts of Dalmanutha,8 and St. Matthew
the coasts of Magadan.9 They evidently refer to the same
district, and most probably on the south of the lake in the
Decapolitan domain of Scythopolis. Early Palestine explor
ers found considerable ruins bearing the name of Madshideh in
this district, a name which seems to resemble Magadan. On
s St Mark viii. 1, etc.
t In the feeding of the 4,000 the word for basket, o<pvpis, is a. Gentile
term, showing that the multitude fed were mostly Gentiles.
s St. Mark viii. 10.
9 St. Matt. xv. 39. Magadan, and not Magdala, has been proved to be
the true reading.

260 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the eastern bank of the Jordan, in the same neighbourhood,
lies the village of Delhemiyeh. No other probable sites have
been discovered. These places afforded a refuge for a time
from the enemies of Jesus, but even there they sought for Him
and renewed their importunities for a sign 10 from heaven.
He was more sorrowful than angry at their persistence. Their
demands had been answered before, and it seemed as if noth
ing would subdue their querulous spirit and enlighten their
understanding. The co-operation of the members of the two
rival sects of Pharisees and Sadducees in their attack on Jesus
signified the increasing strength of their antagonism, and not
a willingness to learn. He met their demand with an abso
lute and scornful refusal. He said, "Why doth this genera
tion seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall
be no sign given to this generation."
His attempt to find another retreat for His disciples to
continue their instruction was frustrated. They had left the
eastern plateau because there was no place of rest in the cities
or the desert region round them. Now only one way of escape
was left from the multitudes that sought Jesus for what they
could gain, and from His adversaries who longed for His de
feat. Again He departed with His disciples to the other side,
but to the northern shore, from whence they might pass into
the upper reaches of the river above the lake. On their way,
while the last encounter was fresh in His mind, Jesus warned
the Twelve against the corruptible influence of the Pharisees
and the worldly aspirations of the Sadducees. Immediately
the disciples thought of their forgetfulness to provide food.11
In their haste to cross the sea they had no idea of their need
of bread until they were settled in the boat, when they dis
covered only one loaf on board. They took the warning of
their Lord to mean they were to be careful how they renewed
their stock of provisions. Their dull minds had regard for
things seen and temporal, the unseen and eternal they could
not so easily apprehend, Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, and
J?St Matt, xvi, 1-4, uSt Mark viii. 14; St. Matt. xvi. 6-12.

A MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE 261
the little profit in them from His teaching, mildly rebuked their
lack of understanding, reminding them of what they had seen
and heard and should have known. " How is it," said He,
" that ye do not understand? " — that His reference to leaven
had nothing to do with loaves, nor any outward form, but the
spirit working within.
The short voyage was soon over; they moored their boat
near where the Jordan enters the lake, and went to Bethsaida
Julias, to purchase food for continuing their journey. Jesus
and His Apostles were so well known that, in spite of their
efforts to evade observation and proceed on their way, they
were again delayed. On passing through the town His atten
tion was arrested by the friends of a blind man.12 In order
that His progress might not be interrupted, He took the blind
man with Him beyond the dwellings of the people, and there
began to restore his sight. Following the customary methods
of the physicians of the day, He spat on the man's eyes and
then touched them to give him confidence. The man had shown
no desire of his own for healing, and his faith had to be kindled,
hence the progressive character of the miracle. At first he
could see but dimly, men as trees walking. Again Jesus put
His hand on the man's eyes ; his sight was restored, and he saw
quite clearly. He was evidently a countryman, and this ac
counted for Jesus taking him out of the town, an additional
reason being to avoid further publicity and to continue His
journey northwards. He therefore sent the man home and
told Him not to go into the town.
12 St, Mark viii. 22-26.

CHAPTER XXV
THE GREAT CONFESSION
After healing the blind man on the outskirts of Bethsaida
Julias, Jesus and His disciples pursued the course of their
journey towards Csesarea Philippi 1 on the northern border
of their country. They passed (Lake Hiileh) the Waters of
Merom, the first of the Jordan lakes, with its marshy tracts
and beds of rushes, and entered the picturesque neighbourhood
of the old city of Dan. Through the woods and meadows the
disciples walked in the enjoyment of the company of their
Master and the glory of the brilliant summer sun shining
through the trees and sparkling on the water beside their path.
Before them the giant mass of Hermon lifted its snow-capped
head, and by the swiftly flowing streams that rush from a
cavern at its base they entered the recesses of this mountain
ous region where calm and quiet could be found from the world
of men.
Speculation had been rife amongst them, and Jesus was
anxious to hear from their own lips what He knew had passed
in their minds concerning Him. Before He could impart more
lessons it was necessary for them to be sure of their estimate
of their knowledge. There must be a consciousness of truth
before any progress can be made with it. As they sat and
talked together His companions could see that something
weighed heavily on His mind. At length He spoke, and asked
the most momentous question of His life on earth. The first
was a preparation for the second: "Whom do men say that
I, the Son of Man, am?"2 He knew better than the disciples
what men said about Him, but He wished them to declare
i St. Mark viii. 27. Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book III. chapter ix.
Huleh 7. 2 St. Matt. xvi. 13.
262

THE GREAT CONFESSION 263
frankly what they believed to be the opinions of the people.
Some, they answered, thought He was John the Baptist, and
pthers one of the Prophets. Popular feeling had not declared
that He was the Messiah. Then said Jesus, " But Whom say
ye that I am? " Promptly came the reply from Peter, " Thou
art Christ, the Son of the living God." 3 The claim of Jesus
was acknowledged, the seed of the Kingdom had borne fruit.
Deep in the heart of Peter it had taken root, and the blessed
life within him appeared in the Great Confession. In solemn
yet joyous words the Master uttered His great commendation :
" Blessed art thou, Simon, Barjona, for flesh and blood hath
not revealed it unto thee, but My Father Which is in heaven." 4
Not by all the will of the flesh, nor the wiU of man ; neither
as the son of a Hebrew, nor by his own unaided efforts had he
reached his state of heart. Divine power acting on the devel
opment of his understanding had revealed to him the Son of
God. " No one," Jesus has said, " knoweth the Son but the
Father, neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." 5
Further evidence of approval was given by Jesus in His
promise to Simon. " Thou art Peter," He said, " and upon
this rock I will build My church ; and the gates of heU shall not
prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the king
dom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shaU be loosed in heaven." 6
Something in the nature of their surroundings contributed
to the significance of the great confession, and of the great
commendation, and the promise of the future. The incom
parably fine situation in which they stood, combining in an un
usual degree the elements of grandeur and beauty, was further
enhanced by the majestic mountain towering above them. At
its foot a great red limestone cliff, the solid buttress of the
mountain's flank, shone in the sunlight amidst the fohage of the
3 St Matt xvi. 16. 5 St. Matt. xi. 27.
* St Matt. xvi. 17. « St Matt. xvi. 18, 19.

264 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
groves of trees. Underneath the rock springs of living wa
ter 7 burst into a large basin and rushed together through the
rich soil of the valley on their way to the Dead Sea. In the
face of the rock a large natural grotto had become the sanc
tuary of the heathen; above it they had reared great temples
for the worship of false gods. Panium 8 (also Paneas), the
original name of the city, dedicated to the god Pan, indicates
the nature of the religion of its inhabitants. Remains are
still visible of their idolatrous practices, and the old name is
recognized in the modern appellation of Banias.
The living truth 9 which burst from the lips of Peter, the
rock on which the Church was built, had an extraordinary ap
plication when Christ ascended the mountain, placed His feet
on the symbols of false worship, and was there transfigured
before three of His Apostles. From the mountain He turned
in the direction of the river flowing onward to the Sea of
Death, from whence its water is carried by evaporation to the
clouds of heaven, and steadfastly set His face towards Jeru
salem, to His Death, and Resurrection, and Ascension.
The living water, the solid rock, the transfigured Lord,
help us to realize the importance of the words of Jesus. They
also assist us in unraveUing the mystery which has perplexed
His followers ever since the words were uttered.10 Of all His
i The source of the river Jordan. » Josephus, Ant. Book XV. 10. 3.
»C/. St. John iv. 10; vii. 38.
io In Great Truths, by Dr. St. Clair Tisdale, p. 54, are the opinions of
many leading early Christian writers.
" Augustine, for instance, says, ' On this Rock which thou hast confessed
will I build My Church' (Tract 124 on John), explaining that the faith
which Peter had professed was the Rock. (See also De Trinitate, Book
II. chapter xxviii., and Cyril of Alexandria's Com. on Isa. xliv. 21-23).
Elsewhere he says, ' The Rock is Christ, Whom Simon having confessed,
as the whole Church confesses Him, was named Peter' (Retractations,
i. 21).
" Ambrose writes: ' The Rock is Christ.' (On Luke's Gospel, Book VI.)
"Hilary says: 'On this rock of the confession is the building of the
Church' (On the Trinity, Book VI.).
" Chrysostom writes, ' Upon this Rock, that is, upon the faith of con
fession.' (Horn. 65 on Matt, xvi.)."
In all, forty-four Fathers teach that Peter's faith is the Rock; sixteen

THE GREAT CONFESSION 265
sayings, none have been so grievously misused. Scholars in
all ages have explained their meaning and disagreed with one
another over their interpretation. Papal claims have laid
hold on them for their special benefit, and their arrogance
would deprive the rest of Christendom from participating in
the truth. Without Christ there would be no Church, and
without the living truth no life in its members. In Him is
the Church, and from Him is the Church, and from Him flows
its limpid faith, the witness of His life. Down the glades of
life it rushes, through the spreading waters of its lakes, nar
rowed by the limitations of its banks, into the sea that has
no outlet but heaven above. Life and death and glory are its
significant features unveiled in the Life and Death and Ascen
sion of the Christ.
One part of the work of Jesus had now been successfully
accomplished. His Apostles recognized His Divine Sonship,
their place in the Kingdom was assigned and their work de
termined. They were given the assurance of the power to
teach, and to declare the relative value of the precepts they
taught, essential or non-essential, what were binding and what
were not binding, and for this work they were promised the
direction of the Holy Spirit.
They were told not to publish their knowledge of the mys
tery of the Messiahship to those who could not discern the
Spirit of Jesus. Their own knowledge, still immature, needed
strengthening before they were ready to divulge the secret of
His life. Although He was their King, His Kingdom was not
yet clear to them, their minds were still clouded with earthly
hopes. These vain imaginings of the things of sense were to
be removed for ever in order that they might know the true
nature of the Kingdom of God.
He began to teach them that He must go to Jerusalem,
and there He must die ; that a violent death awaited Him at the
hands of His enemies. Hints of distant suffering had been
that Christ Himself is the Rock; seventeen that Peter is the Rock; eight
that the whole body of the Apostles, with Peter as its chief, is the Rock.
See Littledale, Plain Reasons, p. 25 note.

266 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
given to them before; now He stated deliberately, but calmly,
that His death was approaching, and that He would rise again
the third day. He withheld details of His last days because
the disciples were unable to bear them; even these statements
were misunderstood, their minds being often confused by His
language; they put them aside as mysterious, with feelings
of awe, afraid to ask for an explanation. Peter thought he
had penetrated their meaning, and interrupted the current of
His Lord's speech in the exaltation of his mind, but the Spirit
he had received to perceive the truth of Christ was overcome
by the natural feeling of pride in the eulogy passed upon him.
Stepping up to Jesus and taking ll Him by the hand, or dress,
he said confidently, as if he knew better, " God forbid ; this
shall not happen." 12 This intrusion and interference was
prompted by affection; Peter was unconscious of wrong, but
Jesus saw in it the hand of the Tempter. He saw through
the disguise, and, casting the temptation away, said, " Get
thee behind Me, Satan, for thou savourest not the things that
be of God, but the things that be of men." 13
By their surprise, Jesus saw they misunderstood His say
ings. The announcement of His death seemed to destroy all
their hopes ; there still lingered in them selfish aims and selfish
motives. He said, " Whosoever will come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." 14 Some
people had discovered their retreat and gathered round the
disciples, and His words were addressed to all who could hear
Him. He wished to teach them the unworldliness of His King
dom, that the self-denial required in following Him is not of
some pleasure or profit, but the denial of the whole of self,
all its natural motives and impulses that come before the claim
of Christ. The disciples had heard something about taking
up the cross before ; 1B now the Lord tells them it is a mark
of discipleship. Bearing the cross must not be confused with
11 TrpooXa^ofievos a' tov. St. Matt. xvi. 21.
12 1'Xedis o-oi ; supply eiij i 6e6s. See Alford (St. Matt. xvi. 22). An
authoritative declaration. St. Matt. xvi. 22.
is St. Mark viii. 33. i* St. Mark viii. 34. ib St. Matt. x. 38.

THE GREAT CONFESSION 267
the burden of the ordinary experience of life. No man can
escape from his burden — it is universal ; but the taking up of
the cross is a man's deliberate choice. He may refuse it ; and
many do refuse. The self-denial required is of the highest
type, analogous to Christ's emptying Himself of His glory
to become man,16 and the cross is borne with a new meaning
in its being associated with the reference Jesus made to His
death. The call of the cross is the call for life's great adven
ture; deep calling unto deep, the call from the depth of the
great heart of God in Christ Jesus to the hidden depths of the
human soul. Each of the disciples in his own way responded.
It was into an experience of the unknown they resolved to pass
with their Master. All that men will know or need to know
about the call of the cross they will learn from Him. They
will learn that there is something better in life than having
what they want. It is giving what they have.
A change had come over the disciples. From the depth of
their souls a living fountain had burst.17 The desire to give
had been born within them, and in the giving of themselves they
had gained fresh power.
The secret of their new experience lay in the revelation of
God within them through their recognition of His Divine Son.
It was a great thing for them to know how to begin the new
adventure, and do it with a prospect of success. Men do not
always fail through lack of effort. Failure is more often the
result of a defective view of the relative value of effort. It is
when men deal with material forces as if they made up the
whole of life that a wrong estimate is formed. They forget to
take into account the soul, something which is superior to mat
ter, the most essential factor in man's destiny. Unsuspected
powers lie hidden in a slumbering soul — powers mysterious
and profound, which, when awakened by the call of the Divine
Spirit, are mightier than material force.
Without a thought for the soul the world beckons men along
an easy path, for what they may gain and the glory of it.
is Phil. ii. 5-8. 17 Cf. St. John iv. 14; vii. 38.

268 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
And the world has many things in store for men which they
may naturally and legitimately desire to possess; but the
world has no voice to correspond with the mystic harmonies
of the soul.
Along the same road there is the cross of Christ, invisible
to the eye of sense, but from the Christ Who bore it comes the
call to a higher life than the world can offer, the Hfe He lived ;
for a nobler service than selfish interest, the life laid down.
Men sometimes speak of different roads, and the parting of
the ways, as if there were two; but the strait gate and the
broad way lie along the same track. It is not so much the
road men take as what there is within them that makes the
difference. " The strait gate," so seldom sought, and " the
broad way " so easily found, rest side by side. Eager people
seek the little gate,18 the thoughtless pass with the multitude.
Neither the lure of the world nor the call of the cross will de
termine the issue of a man's choice, but something within him.19
When the choice is made the trial is not yet over; life is con
tinually passing into new circumstances demanding fresh ef
forts, and Jesus said man must take up his cross daily.20
Since Jesus died the cross is no longer a symbol of disgrace.
A marvellous change has been brought by it into the affairs of
men. Christ's death so illumined the cross that it is now the
model of the holiest life. Faith in Him meant a great deal
more for the first followers than for those who bear His name
today. When He called them He had emerged from the ob
scurity of a Galilean village to be the Messiah, and such was
His claim it contradicted the warmest hopes of Israel, and
many on that account refused to have anything to do with
Him. Some that became His disciples were afterwards
ashamed, and some were afraid.
Jesus anticipated future events in the words which followed
His call to bear the cross : " For whosoever shall be ashamed
of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of Man be
is See page 339.
is Cf. St. John iii. 5-7; iv. 13, 14.
so St. Luke ix. 23.

THE GREAT CONFESSION 269
ashamed when He shall come in His own glory, and in His
Father's, and of the holy angels." 21
The men who were ashamed of Jesus were not those who
did not believe on Him, but they who did not hold their faith
so firmly that it inspired the soul.
Fear lurking within the heart brought the shame ; it was the
fear of the world, that because the man was in the world and
not of it he would suffer loss. Jesus saw this also when He
put the cross before His followers, and all it meant to those
who were ready to bear it, and said: "Whosoever will save
his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My
sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall
it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his
own soul? " 22
His final argument stands in logical relationship to the bar
tering of the higher life for apparent gain. The awful cer
tainty of His judgment was proclaimed, and the sentence of
final banishment from His presence was pronounced on those
whose life had been forfeited, not by individual acts, but the
collective character of the life itself.23 He closed His address
with the glorious promise of ultimate victory, by the assur
ance that some of those present should not taste of death until
they had seen a visible manifestation of the Kingdom of God.
This prediction has often been entirely associated with His
Transfiguration, but that event cannot be accepted as its com
plete fulfilment. The unveiled glory of the Son of Man in
the state that belonged to Him which met the gaze of the three
Apostles on the mountain bears witness of His greatness, but
He meant something more by the words " coming in His King
dom " : He meant the coming of that greatness into the world
of men. And some of those present with Him when the words
were uttered saw them fulfilled. In a single generation there
appeared a marvellous development of the Kingdom of God,
and their eyes beheld in it the glory and the greatness of the
power of their Lord.
21 St. Luke ix. 26. 22 St. Mark viii. 35, 36. 23 St. Matt. xvi. 27, 28.

CHAPTER XXVI
THE TRANSFIGURATION
For a week thoughts of the shadowy future simmered in the
minds of the Apostles while they remained with their Lord in
the neighbourhood of Ca?sarea Philippi. Then He selected
three, the special three in whom He most confided, to accom
pany Him up the mountain, through the rocky wilderness of
its lower slopes, to a secluded spot near one of the southern
crests,1 where He might stand on the uttermost border of their
national home, above all the places of false worship, and there
He was transfigured. St. Luke describes the wonderful scene
in these words : " As He prayed, the fashion of His counte
nance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering.
And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses
and Elias : who appeared in glory, and spake of His decease
which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and
they that were with Him were heavy with sleep : and when they
were awake, they saw His glory, and the two men that stood
with Him. And it came to pass, as they departed from Him,
Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here:
and let us make three tabernacles ; one for Thee, and one for
Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. While
he thus spake there came a cloud and overshadowed them : and
they feared as they entered the cloud." 2 When it enfolded
them they seemed as though they were wrapped in God's own
mantle, and they received a higher consecration. They were
stronger, braver, and better men afterwards ; their vision was
clearer and their faith grew bolder, but when its mighty folds
enveloped them in their dense obscurity they did not know the
i There is nothing gained by supposing that Jesus went to the actual
summit of Mount Hermon, where there are three peaks. When I ascended
the mountain the journey took a day and a half from Baneas.
2 St. Luke ix. 29-34. 270

THE TRANSFIGURATION 271
fortunate result. The solemn hush which they felt on the
mountain-top, when all the sounds of the lower world were muf
fled, enabled them to concentrate their thoughts on the Di
vine mystery by which they were surrounded; and in the soli
tude and silence — that eternal silence — they heard the Eter
nal Voice, the still small voice that could not have been heard
in the din of the plain and the clash of worldly interests. It
came out of the cloud, saying, " This is My beloved Son ; hear
Him. And when the voice was passed, Jesus was found
alone." 3
It was while He prayed, as He continued in prayer, that the
fashion of His countenance altered; the intensity of the na
ture of His communion changed Him ; and His Transfiguration
exhibits His closest and most intimate fellowship with the Fa
ther. Earnest believers, in their happiest moments, when the
things of earth are forgotten, and the presence of God alone
is apparent, realize a refining and an illuminating power within
them ; and when they return among men there is a glory around
them. Although they are not aware of it, others see it, like
Moses when he left God's presence : " he wist not that the skin
of his face shone." 4
It is not impossible to believe that if there had been no sin
in man, no stain on the garment of human nature, a Trans
figuration might have been the means of his passing from earth
to his eternal home. Now we see here only a transformation
of his spirit. The transfiguration reveals the entire change
of human nature, what will follow after life on earth is done.
In the transfiguration of Christ we see the likeness of God in
the perfection of human nature, and Moses and Elias, men of
God, in the nature of their perfection.
The splendour that lit up the face and form of Jesus was
not a subjective psychological phenomenon due to the state of
mind of weary men in a strange place. It has been recorded
as a historical fact 5 by three writers, who obtained their in-
s St. Luke ix. 35, 36. * Exodus xxxiv. 29.
5 St. Matt. xvii. 1; St. Mark ix. 2; St. Luke ix. 28.

272 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
formation from eye-witnesses, one of whom, St. Peter, in his
second epistle a generation later, referred to his experience on
the holy mountain.6 Nor had Jesus a desire to overwhelm
them with an awe-inspiring sight. He wished to reveal to His
earthly companions, who were being trained by Him for the
triumphant enterprise of the future, to whom He was making
Himself known by the strongest link of affection, the glory of
the life in the Kingdom of God. While they slept He prayed,
and when they were awake they saw His glory, and with Him
stood Moses and Elias in the glory of the inheritance of the
saints. The light that shone on the mountain, the glory of
the Son, came from within Him, the form of God in the beauty
of His soul. We need not be surprised that Peter said, " It
is good for us to be here," that he wished to abide in the su
pernal radiance of Eternal Life. He evidently thought that
he was in heaven, and wished to remain, and said : " Let us
make three tabernacles, one for Thee, one for Moses, and one
for Elias." 7 Although we may not be able to enter into the
transport of his delight, we can see something which he could
not perhaps at the moment discern in the Transfiguration of
His Lord, something of the meaning and extent of His great
renunciation. None but Christ could fulfil the redemptive purpose of God.
For its accomplishment He had to leave the state which be
longed to Him and take upon Himself the sin of man and die
on the cross to put it away. He might have avoided the cross,
but His joy was to do the Father's will, and He saw in man's
redemption a greater glory than the unsullied brightness of
His own life. Willingly He renounced His glory, and looked
forward to His great achievement, setting His face towards
Jerusalem, for to Jerusalem He must go. Out of a cloud His
disciples heard the Voice of God commending to them His be
loved Son. As the shadows of the cross loomed in the distance
the resurrection glory was close beside it. Moses and Elias
stood talking with Him of His decease,8 His exodus, which
6 2 Peter i. 18. t St. Luke ix. 33. s 2{0«ox — decease ; cf. 2 Peter i. 15.

THE TRANSFIGURATION 273
He must accomplish at Jerusalem. In speaking of His exodus
they were looking beyond the cross. Their departure had been
different from that of other men; both of them were removed
from the world in a mysterious manner, one without death, the
other by death, but such that his body followed not the lot of
the bodies of men. Both had been on a holy mountain and
had seen visions of God and had heard His voice.
But for Jesus there was a cross ; certainly it was not the
end; His exodus meant a passing beyond it, but it had to be
borne. And He, Whose instinct for fact and reality knew
exactly the amount of suffering it entailed, knew also its neces
sity. His death stood for something infinitely greater than an
example, something far more important than a martyr's fate.
He identified Himself with the world's sin and sorrow, and by
His obedience. He so identified Himself with the will of God
that, in submitting to death, He approved of it in accepting
it as the judgment of God on sin.
We have to think like God to see the great renunciation, the
awful death His Son had set before Him. Then shall we see
the magnitude of His sacrifice and the glory of man's salvation.
The Transfiguration is a sublime event in the history of
mankind. It seems, perhaps, an isolated episode in the life of
Christ ; to St. Peter it was a token of eternal happiness, heaven
itself, where he wished to abide. It served to reconcile the
three Apostles to the sufferings of the Messiah by revealing
His glory, and to their own trials by the revelation of the glory
of the saints of God.
All the processes of the old world were preparatory, and
belonged to the one great scheme, one Divine event towards
which all creation moved. So Moses and Elias represented
former efforts in the process of redemption, and stood before
Christ, Who is the fulfilment of the law and the embodiment
of prophecy, the Son of Man, in Whom the process of redemp
tion was about to be consummated.
And when the silence which the three Apostles were com
manded to keep might be broken, the unveiled glory of Christ

274 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
would be their strength, and the word of God their inspiration ;
they would realize a fuller meaning in the great event of the
Transfiguration, the gathering of the past efforts of the law
and the prophets of Judaism into Christ, from Whom in a
wider stream of universal love there would flow through them,
His witnesses on the mountain, the greater glory of the power
of their crucified and ascended Lord.
All that had passed before His Transfiguration was the
sublime preface of our Lord's work, the opening of the portals
of the Kingdom of Heaven. The deepest truths of His teach
ing, followed this event, and gradually led to the closing scenes
which completed His redemptive work. From the mountain
where the state which belonged to Him was revealed He stead
fastly set His face towards Jerusalem.
Opposition had appeared in many quarters ; the fickle multi
tude, disappointed and baffled by His manner of life and teach
ing, allowed their affection for Him to cool. Unless He con
sented to become their King, set their country free, and exalt
their nation, there seemed to be no more reason to follow Him.
All His love for them, and the beneficent employment of His
wonderful power, had failed to arouse in them a more favour
able disposition towards a higher life. His sacred claim for
their allegiance transcended their desires, and as it rose in ele
vation the greater were the demands it made upon them, until
they saw the fulfilment of their hopes slip away, and they no
longer cared for His teaching. It became more and more
difficult to understand, and was restricted chiefly to the dis
ciples on whom He relied for the future.

CHAPTER XXVII

TOWARDS JERUSALEM

From the grandeur of the mountain scene Jesus and His three
Apostles descended into the valley of tears, of suffering, and
unbelief. While He and His chosen three were on the height
the remainder of the Apostles were engaged with an increas
ing number of people below. In the midst of the crowd was a
poor tortured child, and the disciples, unable to help him, were
confused by their failure. Through the pressure of their la
bour they had become exhausted, their faith and energy had
sunk low, and, sorely beset by exulting scribes, they were
alarmed. At this juncture, when apparently defeated, Jesus
came and asked, " What question ye amongst yourselves ? " 1
but neither the assailants of the disciples, nor the disciples,
who were conscious of their failure, replied. The father of
the afflicted boy came forth from the crowd and declared that
he had brought his lunatic child to be healed, and the dis
ciples could not cast out the spirit that distressed him. Jesus
was very much troubled, and exclaimed, " 0 faithless genera
tion, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer
you? Bring him to Me." No sooner was he before Jesus
than he was seized with another fit, and " he fell to the ground
and wallowed foaming." Jesus asked the father how long
he had been afflicted. He answered, from a child; then de
scribed the painful malady which had so long tormented him,
and said, " If Thou canst do anything, have compassion on
us and help us." Using the same words in reply, our Lord
said, " If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him
that believeth." And the father, with tears in his eyes, in
stantly cried, " Lord, I believe ; help Thou mine unbelief."
Seeing the multitude increase, and the people anxious to gaze
i St. Mark ix. 16. 275

276 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
on the scene before Him, Jesus turned to the child, rebuked
the " deaf and dumb spirit," and said, " I charge thee, come
out of him, and no more enter into him." 2 One great strug
gle followed, and the boy, after the convulsion, appeared to be
dead; but Jesus took him by the hand and restored him to his
father. The impression made by the miracle was felt by all the peo
ple, but not in the same way ; the disciples wondered why they
had failed, and when they reached their resting-place they
asked their Lord. He answered, " Because of your unbelief " ;
then, with a dramatic gesture towards the mountain, and in
true Eastern hyperbole, He illustrated the operation of true
faith, saying : " If ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed,
ye shall say to this mountain, remove hence into yonder place:
and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." 3
They had evidently, in His absence, forgotten to seek the
necessary help, and relied on their unequal and unaided
strength. It was not possible to remain any longer in the country of
the northern border ; the people had discovered the retreat of
Jesus, His seclusion was invaded, so He moved with His
Apostles southwards, and, in order to avoid the public, they
left the main road and followed the by-paths of the hills lead
ing towards Capernaum.
Soon after leaving Cffisarea Philippi, His death having be
gun to occupy a large place in His mind, He repeated once
more His statement that He would be delivered into the hands
of men, and be killed, and rise again the third day. " But
they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask
Him." 4 The old familiar intimacy changed as He seemed to
move in a more exalted sphere. They realized the difference,
which they showed by a greater reverence, and a constraint
that occasionally came between their feelings towards their
immortal Lord and their bewildering ideas respecting His fu-
s St, Mark ix, 25, 3 st Matt, xvii, 20, 21, * St Mark ix, 32,

TOWARDS JERUSALEM 277
ture position; but there still remained in their minds the ex
pectation of His triumphant declaration of a Messianic reign
on earth. Between this hope and the exaltation of the spirit
in His fellowship they hovered in doubtful experience, yet they
clung with splendid loyalty to His Person, and a glorious faith
in His guidance, in defiance of all the reasoning of their con
fused minds.
As they proceeded on their journey they were prevented
from walking aU together in one body by the rugged nature
of the country with its narrow and uneven footpaths. Their
Master at the head of the procession was followed by His first
disciples, and the rest farther behind. With their dull minds
bent on the development of their Master's Kingdom, and re
membering doubtless the preference shown to Peter, James,
and John, the disciples " disputed among themselves who should
be the greatest." While conscious of their strife, Jesus said
nothing until they arrived in Capernaum. When they were
settled together, probably in Peter's house, He asked them,
" What was it that we disputed among yourselves by the
way? " 5 Conscience-stricken by His question, they were si
lent with shame. He sat down and renewed His teaching on
the denial of selfish interest and the dignity of service, and
told them that the road to honour lay along the path of hu
mility.6 He took a child and set him in the midst to press
home the needful lesson that worldly ambition and selfishness
have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God, that the entrance
to that state of life is gained by a childlike spirit, and that
he is the greatest who possesses the exquisite beauty of its
vision of unworldliness, its simple faith and infinite trust.
They were to be as children in the world, and he who received
one of such a childlike spirit in His name received Him, and
not only Him but the Father Who had sent Him. John in
terrupted Him with a question relating to His name. He
enquired if they had acted rightly when they found a man
casting out devils in His name,7 and had forbidden him be-
6 St Mark ix. 33. 6 St. Mark ix. 36. f St. Mark ix, 38.

278 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
cause he was not one of them. Jesus said they were not to
forbid a man acting in His name for the welfare of men. He
who was not against them in the work was for them.8
Continuing His discourse with the child before them, He
warned them against putting stumbling-blocks in the way of
those who were seeking to do His work, and the awful peril
awaiting the men who turned any one from the path of inno
cence and truth. He told them to resist the temptation with
the greatest sacrifice, that any form of offence had better be
removed than risk a total loss.9
He further instructed them in the duty of mutual peace for
the removal of offences and disagreements between brethren,
first by private dealing then public appeal.10 Peter, anxious
to know the extent of forgiveness, asked how many times one
man should forgive another, and was informed that forgiveness
is unlimited. It is a state, like sympathy and love, not some
thing that can be withheld or given at pleasure. When God
forgives He gives forgiveness, and the man that really appre
ciates forgiveness acts on it. An illustration was shown in
a simple parable of a servant, who, having been forgiven by a
king a debt of 10,000 talents (£2,000,000), went and seized
a fellow-servant by the throat and would not forgive him the
smaller debt of a hundred pence (£3 2s. 6d.).lx
While He was engaged in teaching the disciples a collector
of the Temple tax summoned Peter, and enquired if his Master
paid it. A half-shekel was demanded from every adult Jew
over twenty years of age for the maintenance of the Temple.
It was due on the fifteenth day of the month of Adar (March),
but Jesus had been absent from Capernaum, and it had appar
ently been overlooked. The questioning of Peter, instead of a
direct appeal to Jesus, showed a reverence for his Master that
had been created in the minds of the officials. Peter answered
in the affirmative, and went and informed Jesus. If he had
s On another occasion (St. Matt. xii. 30) Jesus said, " He that is not
with Me is against Me," but this is not contradictory, but complementary.
9 St. Mark ix. 43-48. io St. Matt xviii. 15-81. " St. Matt, xviii. 24.

TOWARDS JERUSALEM 279
thought more of his Master's position, even of his own confes
sion, he might have been less hasty in his reply to the collector.
Without waiting for Peter's explanation of his impulsive an
swer, Jesus, in a happy way, accosted His disciple, saying,
"What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the
earth take custom or tribute? Of their own children, or of
strangers? Peter saith unto Him, Of strangers. Jesus saith
unto him, Then are the children free." 12 He might have
claimed exemption from payment as the Son of God. He
need not therefore pay the tax. His gentle and loving man
ner towards the Apostle removed his embarrassment, but the
obligation remained; he had told the collector the half-shekel
might be expected. Rather than assert His right as He had
shown it to His disciple, and increase his difficulty, and for the
sake of peace and good-will, He would pay. He submitted to
the law although He was above the law, and told Peter to go
to the sea and catch a fish, and, on opening its mouth, a stater
would be found ; " that take," He said, " and give unto them
for Me and thee," 13 the stater being the equivalent of two
half-shekels, the amount claimed by the collectors of the tribute
for two persons.
12 St. Matt. xvii. 26. 13 St. Matt. xvii. 27.

CHAPTER XXVIII
FAREWELL TO GALILEE
Jesus had no intention of remaining in Capernaum; His Gali
lean ministry was finished, and, according to the world's esti
mate of results, it has almost been accounted a failure. Even
so, the calculation is based on imperfect knowledge. The
world has no vision of the future; it depends on things seen,
having no capacity for computing relative values between the
visible and the invisible, the most important part is unreck-
oned. The greatest test of success is found in the subsequent
history of what has been taught; not in the number of ad
herents to a particular doctrine, but in the progress and de
velopment of the truth embodied in the lesson. When we con
sider the sayings of Jesus without reference to His life, His
statement that they would never pass away in the sense of be
coming obsolete has been proved to be literally true. When
His life is reviewed with His words the contrast between them
and those of the greatest human thinkers and speakers is so
great that no comparison can be instituted which does not
increase the admiration of men for the work of Jesus, and show
how vast is the difference between the highest level of human
reason and the mind of Christ. But there is something more:
His work is an operation that never ceases.
The work of Jesus of Nazareth was no failure. He had
placed the feet of men and women on new levels and opened
their eyes to new summits. Uncertain gleams of Divine light
have ever since been breaking through larger rifts, and il
luminating broader areas of human life. In the light of His
life and work we see more clearly the frontiers and features of
His Kingdom, the development of God's image in man's na
ture, and the rule of God's law in the organization of man's
life. Through the men He taught it has been transmitted,
280

FAREWELL TO GALILEE 281
and down the Christian ages it has been coming with a clearer
vision and stricter verdict. Before two centuries had passed
His Kingdom shook the imperial throne of Rome, and every
Empire which has opposed His Kingdom has perished. If
the millions, whose personal devotion as His subjects was the
means of increasing His sway, were to rise from the dead, the
whole earth would ring with their glad acclaim, " Thou art
the King of Glory, O Christ."
Yet while He lived on earth none really understood Him.
His life was too complex for ordinary observers, the boundless
reach of His Spirit soared beyond the finite mind ; all classes
of people saw in Him what they thought were inconsistencies.
They judged after the manner of men, and their perplexity
increased with their disappointed expectations. They could
not understand His refusal to accept their homage when they
desired to make Him King. Such a Leader Who had faltered,
as they believed, at the last step lacked the boldness for the
venture they hoped would succeed. They could not realize that
there was something more lofty than an earthly throne which
prevented Him from accepting the acclamation of the multi
tude. Even His disciples wondered why His conduct had not
been more in accord with their hope of the Messiah; and the
Pharisees were unable to appreciate His attitude as a religious
teacher towards the Publicans and sinners. Outside the circle
of His disciples, though many people regarded Him as a
prophet, there was not a general belief in His Messianic claim.
The nature of His teaching had repelled many who were first
counted among His followers, His enemies became more active,
and the Pharisees, particularly virulent, represented Him as a
teacher of blasphemy. Galilee had rejected Him.
He had, however, struck a chord in the hearts of many men
and women which brought them into His fellowship, and some
of them submitted to His guidance with unswerving loyalty.
He had also created in them a desire to know Him better, and
they caught from His life an enthusiasm for righteousness and
an heroic sacrifice and toil to make righteousness thrive on

282 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
the earth. Twelve men had gone forth in His name, with His
authority, to proclaim its power. Seventy more were ready
at His word to follow in their steps. And five hundred dis
ciples met Him after His resurrection.1
Before Jesus departed from the cities on the side of the lake
He surveyed the scene of His labours. He would not have
been human as we know humanity if His last thoughts had been
without sorrow; nor would He have been Divine, if the Judge
of all the earth, as He so often represented Himself,2 had over
looked the sin of man.
Mingled with many happy memories of the people were re
grets for their wilful neglect of great opportunities. Over
the pleasant fields of Galilee, through the crowded thorough
fares of its towns, and in the guest-chambers of the inhabitants,
His radiant and majestic personality had exhibited the love
and power of God in works of grace and mercy. And on the
shores of the sea His ceaseless toil for the people's welfare had
day by day been marked with a variable response. Most of
the people clung to their old ways in selfish satisfaction, and
neglected their great salvation. They were insensible of the
presence of God, and desired to be independent of Him, a fault,
in large and flourishing communities, where men shrink indi
vidually, which Jesus charged against the cities of the lake.
The personal insignificance of each individual in his _ relation
to the multitude was the snare ; dreading to be solitary, one
supported another to keep God in Christ at a distance. The
flood of worldliness and unconcern rolled over them, and the
idea of a solemn union with God became indistinct, and faded
away. The pity of it all, and the tragedy, moved the Son of
Man, and in those memorable words of woe which are recalled
by the solitude and desolation of the shore of the Galilean Sea,
He uttered His sad and awful farewell: "Woe unto thee,
Chorazin, woe unto thee, Bethsaida, . . . and thou, Caper
naum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down
unto hell." 3
1 1 Cor. xv. 6. 2 St. John. v. 22; ix. 39. 3 St. Matt xi. 21-23.

FAREWELL TO GALILEE 283
The tangled garden wilderness of lovely Gennesareth re
mains; its silver strand is chafed by the incessant ripple of
its little waves. Wild oleanders fringe the beach and drop
their crimson blossoms in the water. Flowers still bloom, birds
of brilliant plumage flit across the waste; but devastation
reigns, the handiwork of man has perished ; of the cities there
is nothing but scattered stones and giant weeds.
Even in His sorrow there rose within the heart of Jesus a
great compassion, the love of God for man flowed over Him,
and a tenderness surpassing human thought was expressed in
His appeal : " Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon
you, and learn of Me : for I am meek and lowly in heart : and
ye shall find rest unto your souls." 4 In the busy streets and
market-place of Capernaum, the porters with their heavy loads
suggested the sin-laden objects of their Saviour's pity.
Many porters in Eastern towns are peasants whose evil
lives have become obnoxious to the residents of their village,
from whence they were turned to drift into the lowest depths
of degradation, and consort with the dogs of the city streets.
Something must be done by them for a living, and the most
accessible calling is that of the porter. Those who are not
outcasts from a village have been drawn from the lowest classes
of the people, and the porters share with the beasts the bur
dens of the rich. For greater convenience in bearing a heavy
load, a yoke is fixed across the shoulders ; a greater weight and
larger burden can then be carried. A fellow-feeling of com
passion is found amongst the porters ; when rest is needed, one
beckons to another, and the two stand back to back, locking
their loads together while they stand upright for a brief respite
from their toil. Thus one man bears his own burden and
helps the other at the same time 5 but neither of them is free ;
his temporary relief comes from the aid he receives from the
other. Jesus offered permanent support for the burden of
the soul, an eternal benefit for mankind in His strength.
4 St. Matt. xi. 28, 29. s Gal. vi. 2^5.

284 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
He understood and sympathized with human need, and He
knew He had the power to alleviate the misery and the poverty
of the overborne, not by a system or an organization of ma
chine-made efficiency, but the means of helping in His own life.
His call for men to come to Him is for them to get into touch
with His Spirit for their inspiration. This is the way in
which He served the world. Others seek the improvement of
the conditions of human life by external devices, schemes, sys
tems, official measures, which supplant individual initiative and
incapacitate the sense of personal responsibility. Jesus spoke
of a rest which He gave to those who turned to Him, a peace
of mind surpassing all the world can offer, a composure of
spirit beyond all human understanding. For the weary and
the broken-hearted, the blind and the bruised, it meant the
power of a new hope. Thus Jesus approached all social ques
tions from within; He dealt with the individual; His aim was
to awaken in man a sense of his manhood and lift him into a
higher plane than the miserable condition of existence in which
he dwelt.
Whatever may be the disadvantages of life, however diffi
cult its social or economic circumstances, the spirit of man
may be fortified to overcome them. The teaching of Jesus
furnishes every man with the means for improvement by in
spiring him with the knowledge that he need never be alone,
but may have One with him permanently to support him in
every situation of his life.
Jesus tarried a little while in Galilee, but He taught no
more in public. His natural relations came to Him in a
querulous spirit,6 dissatisfied with the change they had noticed
in His methods ; they asked why He did not go to the Feast in
Jerusalem and manifest Himself to the world. He answered
their presumptuous interference with calm and quiet forbear
ance. He told them to go to the Feast, that His time had not
yet been fulfilled, thus indicating the fact that His time would
come, but not when they expected nor in the way they desired.
e St. John vii. 3.

FAREWELL TO GALILEE 285
It was enough for them to know that He would not accom
pany them to the Feast, so that they could give no answer
to enquiries respecting His appearing. Although they had
not believed on Him, there was a certain pride in His fame,
and a hope of future greatness, and they wished to hasten its
approach. Irritated by the delay, and the timidity which
seemed to them to have become a feature of His conduct, they
expressed their feelings with undisguised contempt. They
mistook His composure and His sublime confidence amidst many
disappointments for cowardice. They could not understand
Him, and it was useless for Him to disclose His plans to those
who were unable to realize the tremendous issue involved in
His purpose. They might go to the Feast; they had nothing
to fear; nothing depended on their journey. For Him it was
a different matter. He would go to the Feast, but not with
the caravan, in the noisy company of Galilean pilgrims.
When His brethren left Him He set out on His journey,
not openly but in secret ; that is, not according to the usual
method of travelling to Jerusalem for a Feast, attached to a
large procession.
Escorted by His disciples, He walked from place to place,
" teaching and journeying towards Jerusalem." T As He
slowly departed from the neighbourhood of the lake a surpris
ing incident occurred.8 Some apparently friendly Pharisees,
probably equally anxious to get rid of Jesus, intimated to Him
that Herod wished to kill Him, and bade Him hasten across the
border out of the tyrant's way. Jesus answered their entrea
ties with a message of contempt, and said, " Go ye and tell that
fox, Behold I cast out devils, and I do cures today and to
morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected," 9 using the
ordinary method of speech, meaning a little longer. He must
indeed go away for the accomplishment of His work, but not
through fear of Herod. His dauntless spirit knew no danger,
His courage never failed.
He went over the plain west of the heights of Hattin, down
t St. Luke xiii. 22. s St. Luke xiii. 31, 32. a St. Luke xiii. 32.

286 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the slope where the Crusaders afterwards rushed in feverish
panic to their final overthrow. Near where the Gospel of the
Kingdom of Christ was first proclaimed a false Christian king
dom perished. Jesus walked down the shadowless way to the
great caravan road round the base of Tabor, preaching to the
people in the towns and villages on His way to the south, to
whom He made His last appeal and delivered His last message,
the message of salvation. As He pressed it home to the hearts
of His hearers, one of them asked, " Are there few that be
saved? " The man's heart had been moved by the words of
Jesus, but he was unwilling to decide, and adopted the usual
course of escaping from embarrassment by asking a contro
versial question in the hope of satisfying his conscience without
the surrender of his will. Jesus showed him that the answer
was not in the number being saved, but whether he was one of
them, and significantly pointed to the necessity of entering the
strait gate.10 The figure was suggested by a familiar picture,
and the meaning lies on the surface. The strait gate is the
small opening for pedestrians in the side of the city gate.
Within living memory the gates of modern Jerusalem were
closed at night, and by the dawn of the next morning a large
concourse of people had assembled with the produce of their
gardens and fields for the market of the day, and patiently
waited for the watchman to open the little gate. The most
eager and anxious persons in the crowd moved strenuously
towards it, striving for admission one by one before the wider
doors were opened for the bulk of the people. Few entered
the narrow way, the majority were careless and thoughtless,
and well content to walk along the broader and easier road.
From the metaphor of the " strait gate " Jesus turned His
hearers' attention to a picture of the great Feast of the King
dom,11 the usual representation of the greatest happiness in
which all men desire to participate. He reminded them that
privileges once enjoyed and opportunities offered may be for
feited by neglect ; that " once the Master of the house is risen
10 St. Luke xiii. 24. n St. Luke xiii. 25.

FAREWELL TO GALILEE 287
up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without
and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us ; and
He shall answer and say unto you : I know not whence ye are.
Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in Thy
presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets. But He shall
say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are: depart from me,
all ye workers of iniquity." The doom of Israel was then
pronounced, and the salvation of the Gentiles predicted.
Jesus, having crossed the Plain of Esdraelon, evidently in
tended to go through Samaria by the central route and there
deliver a final message, and He sent two of His Apostles in
advance to announce His arrival; but His design was frus
trated by the extraordinary refusal of common hospitality.
This astounding offence excited the just indignation of James
and John, who asked their Master for a signal judgment on
the guilty people. But Jesus answered their fiery outburst of
wrath in admonition by saying they knew not what spirit was
to be in His messengers. He came not to destroy men's lives,
but to save them.
The rejection of the Samaritans made it necessary to seek
another place of rest. In all probability the opposition came
from the people of Ginea,12 En-gannim (modern Jenin), the
frontier village on the border of the plain of Esdraelon. Turn
ing east, Jesus and His company went along the boundary to
a Jewish village on the edge of the Jordan Valley, and, as
they proceeded, the refusal of hospitality having apparently
touched three of our Lord's followers who had not yet de
clared their willingness to become His disciples, they announced
their decision.13 The first was a Scribe.14 He came and said,
" Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest," think
ing doubtless that his office entitled him to favourable notice
and a better position in the new Kingdom. Jesus promptly
answered, " The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have
12 Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book III. chap. iii. 4.
is St. Luke ix. 57-62.
i* St. Matt. viii. 19 ; mentioned in a difFerent connection.

288 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head."
The impetuous Scribe was not rejected; the place of the dis
ciple was shown to him in the lot of the Master, and he was
left to make his own choice. There was no earthly gain in
the service of Jesus; not even comfort might be expected by
His followers ; nothing but a share in His life of privation.
Next came a hesitating disciple, anxious to follow, but held
back by family claims. He said, " Suffer me first to bury my
father." " Follow Me," was the stern reply ; " let the dead
bury their dead." His father was yet alive, and he asked for
permission to remain at home as long as he lived, until the
claims of earth were satisfied and he was free.15 Jesus shook
his irresolute will for an immediate decision to leave the world
and the affairs of the world to settle themselves. He was
called to a separate kind of existence, for a change in his life
to one altogether different from the world's life; not for an
alteration of its outward form, but for the introduction of a
new spirit.
The third said, " Lord, I wiU follow Thee, but let me first
bid them farewell which are at home at my house." To this
half-hearted follower He answered, " No man, having put his
hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom
of God." The ploughman commences his work as soon as
the summer is passed and the first rains fall. He leaves his
snug cottage to face the blustering rain and the biting wind
that blows across the hills. From the comfort in the house to
the cold without the change is great, and a determination to
endure is necessary for the work before him. A glance be
hind at what he has left discourages the weak spirit struggling
for existence, the thought sets before desire the object on which
it fixes its attention, an irresolute will inevitably causes a man
to postpone his labour and the lost opportunity is followed
by a greater loss. " A sluggard will not plough by reason of
is A corpse cannot be kept in the East for more than a day. If the
father had been dead the son would have been at home, and the interment
would have taken place in the evening.

FAREWELL TO GALILEE 289
the cold, and therefore shall he beg in harvest." 16 The un
known future is for the strong in hand and heart, and they
never falter; the goal towards which they are slowly but pro
gressively moving is the glowing East; the past is for the
weak, where the sun goes down.
16 Proverbs xx. 4,

CHAPTER XXIX
ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM
Having been forbidden to pass through Samaria, the only
route to Jerusalem for Jesus lay down the Jordan Valley, and
to reach it a public highway went due -east from En-gannim
(Ginea, modern Jenin) "through the midst of Samaria and
Galilee 1 — that is, between the two provinces — to Scythopolis
(modern Beisan). From this flourishing Decapolitan city of
palm-groves and gardens the road led direct to Pella, the
first city in Perea, ten miles distant across the Jordan; and
another road on the western bank of the river connected
Scythopolis with the cities in the valley, Archelais, Thasaelis,
and Jericho.
As Jesus and His disciples passed along the border road
from the inhospitable inhabitants of En-gannim they were
met at the entrance to a certain village on the Galilean side
of the boundary by ten lepers, nine Jews and one Samaritan.
Jews and Samaritans often exhibited their racial animosities
in their hostile treatment of one another, but in the mystery
of sorrow at the unchanging heart of things an irrepressible
sense of harmony brought them together. Conscious of their
miserable condition, the lepers stood apart from the traffic on
the road, scanning the faces of pedestrians for a sign of com
passion. Recognizing Jesus as the Leader of the band of trav
ellers, they appealed to Him for help. His reputation for good
deeds had reached them ; they may even have seen His face when
He wandered from village to village on an unrecorded journey.
In response to their appeal, He told them to go for inspec
tion to the priests, the Jews to Jerusalem and the Samaritan
to Mount Gerizim. His direction tested their faith. It must
i St. Luke xvii. 11: Sick /lioov 2a/iapclas koX TakChala.s = " between Samaria
and Galilee," i.e. on the frontiers of both.
290

ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM 291
have been an ordeal to accept His word and act upon it when
nothing was done for them at the moment He addressed them.
He bade them go as if they were already cleansed, and they
had to trust Him by making the venture with apparently no
reasonable prospect of success. Such confidence had they in
Him that they took Him at His word and set out on their
journey. As they went, before they had gone far on the
road, an unseen power removed the foul disease. In the act
of obedience they had obtained the blessing. One of them
turned back ; he felt something was due to his Benefactor, and
he left his companions to throw himself at the feet of the One
Whom he believed had worked the miracle, and to glorify God
for his signal deliverance. " And he was a Samaritan." No
Jew returned thanks, only the Samaritan ; one man out of ten,
and he according to expectation the most unlikely.
Jesus accepted his gratitude and bestowed on him a richer
benefit ; then He remarked to His disciples, " Were there not
ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found
to give glory to God save this stranger." 2 They were enabled
to see a difference in the attitude of the grateful Samaritan
leper from the attitude of the Samaritan people who refused
to grant a passage through their country, and also from that
of the nine Jews healed of their leprosy.
It was an incident that served a useful purpose, at a most
appropriate time, for the followers of Jesus to perceive with
comprehending eyes that the world contained more than they
had seen in the people with whom they had been directly con
cerned. If they had been thinking of themselves, and their
own nation, and their own interests, they had a new vision of
what might be done for strangers, and what strangers might
do in return. It must have slowly dawned on the disciples
that Jesus thought and acted, not for a single race, but for all
mankind. The unfortunate experience at En-gannim having been
turned into another direction, another opportunity occurred
2 St. Luke xvii. 17.

292 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
for the extension of the work of Jesus. Its universal nature
having become more apparent to His disciples, He selected and
commissioned Seventy of them " to go before His face into
every city and place whither He himself would come," 3 and
the only remaining province open to Him which He had not
visited was the part of Perea south of Gadara. The seventy
disciples received similar instructions to those already given to
the twelve Apostles, an important injunction being added re
specting their movements — the charge to hasten on their jour
ney, in the language of the East: " Salute no one by the
way." 4 It deprecates also the use of meaningless compli
ments that might convey a false impression.
Scribes loved salutations in the market-place.5 Salutations
often hide sinister motives ; sometimes vanity demands their use ;
time is always wasted. An Oriental salutation is not merely
a sign of recognition, an inclination of the head, or a clasp
of the hand, but an elaborate ceremony with complimentary
speech. It begins with a bow and friendly greeting. Expres
sions vary, but the following are representative.
" Good-morning, O Sheikh ! " "A hundred good-mornings
with peace be yours," is the reply. The hand is raised to the
forehead, then lowered towards the heart, and extended to
the feet, a few more compliments pass, and the two men sit
together in silence. At length it is broken by one of them who
says, " Peace be unto you, how are you? " " God's peace be
with you," is the answer. " Thanks be to God, the Lord of the
universe. I wish to ask about your health," the first speaker
says. " God be praised," the other replies, and adds, " True
friends find each other." To this wise utterance the response
is, " Your politeness and knowledge speak out of you." The
one thus addressed, disparaging himself, with mock humility
says, " Oh, Sheikh ! I am but a child compared with you and
your excellent manners." " Now that I have seen you I beg
you will allow me to continue on my way." He rises, stretches
out his hand, his companion grasps it and says entreatingly,
s St. Luke x. 1. * St. Luke x. 4. b St. Mark xii. 38.

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us
Luke XVII: 13

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
And set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn
Luke X: 34

ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM 293
" Stay a while," " Are you in a hurry ? " " Remember that
hurry is from Satan; God preserve us." They sit together
again, time flies, but they take no heed. " Hurry is from
Satan." Seventy messengers, two and two, passing through Perea
in thirty-five different directions without the customary salu
tations created a tremendous sensation. Only men in des
perate haste, bent on a most important errand, transgress the
law of Oriental courtesy. And this departure from the rule of
Eastern conduct excites the curiosity of the inhabitants. The
spirit of enquiry quickly spreads. Wherever the messengers
went their amazing method of procedure roused the populace
to such a pitch of excitement that as soon as they arrived at
a village and asked for the guest chamber they were foUowed
by a crowd of people to hear what they had to say. In silent
expectation men watched the strangers with eager glances
while they sat at meat, and waited for their message, then
discussed the news with increasing interest, as rumours had
already reached them of the wonderful words of the Prophet
of Galilee. In towns and cities, entrance to a house was not
so easy. Men of good repute would gladly receive the mes
senger; the chief citizens were always prepared for guests.
Along the main roads from the Jordan they turned in various
ways in scattered pairs; by the paths over the mountains
towards the eastern desert; through the forests and smiHng
gardens of picturesque Gilead; up the steep slopes where vines
and fig-trees flourished and terraces girt the ridges; down
the glens and valleys into the lowlands, where belts of corn-
lands covered the fertile fields ; on to the plateau of the south
with its grazing flocks ; into gay cities, small towns, and quiet
villages the disciples spread the knowledge of the coming of
their Lord. They spread the news over aU the land. Every
body in every place heard it, and we have reason to beheve
that when He appeared, though Httle is known of His work,
He sowed the seed of the kingdom that grew into the Church
which flourished for a long time with greater vigour on the

294 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Eastern side of the Jordan than the Church of the West.
There is a significance boj:h in numbers and their respective
spheres of operation calculated to excite the imagination.
In the old dispensation were twelve Patriarchs, and later a
Sanhedrin with seventy members. Twelve represented also
the number of the Tribes of Israel; seventy the nations of the
world.6 Various opinions have been formed, in relation to the ap
pointment of the messengers and their message, respecting
Church work and Church government. It is more evident that
the extension of God's Kingdom was desired, that a new order
of God's people was intended, and one neither confined within
the borders of Jewish nationalism, nor the instincts of a par
ticular race.
In the neighbourhood of Scythopolis the disciples had sep
arated, the " Seventy " being dispatched on their mission over
Jordan, while the rest of them proceeded with their Master
down the Jordan Valley. The domain of Scythopolis covered
a considerable portion of the plain along the river-side, and
its palm-groves and gardens sheltered travellers on the first
stage of the road to Jericho. A place of rest under the lee
of bare hills beckoned them at nightfall in structures prepared
by individual enterprise for wayfaring men. Early in the
morning they entered the narrowest part of the valley, and
before evening of the second day reached the next resting-place
near the Damieh ford, where provision would also be made for
travellers. Not far from this important river crossing, by which Sa
maritans passed from their country to the eastern province,
where Phasaelis, founded by Herod the Great,7 and Archelais,
built by Archelaus his son 8 — towns intended to rival Jericho
s Cf. Exodus xxiv. Lange, in his Life of Christ, vol. iii. p. 403, attracts
attention to Lightfoot (Hor Heli on John vii. 31) who quotes from the
tract Succah : " There were seventy bullocks, according to the seventy na
tions of the world. These were offered in sacrifice during the fast of the
Tabernacles." 7 Josephus, Ant., XVI, v. 2. 8 Josephus, Ant., XVII. xiii. 1.

ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM 295
as centres of agricultural and horticultural industries.9 Palm-
groves extended from Phasaelis, near the border of Judea, to
those of Jericho, twenty-three miles away. Only for part of
a day, the second day from Scythopolis, the road touched the
low hills or skirted the gorge of the descending valley, where
danger lurked in excess for lonely travellers, the first and last
part of the journey being near cultivated lands by a pleasant
way of increasing interest and security. Marauders infested
the lonely parts of the country on both sides of the river ; the
most perilous of all being the road from Jerusalem to Jericho.
Travellers usually carried arms for self-defence. St. Peter
wore a sword,10 and knew how to use it.
During the hot summer months no special call was made
to the northern people for worship in Jerusalem, but traders
pursued their own interests, moving with leisured pace early
in the morning and late in the evening to avoid the noontide
heat on their journey from the cities of the Galilean Lake to
the Herodean towns in the valley of the Jordan.
There is a general assumption that the people from Galilee,
on their way to Jerusalem, travelled by a road on the eastern
bank of the river to avoid Samaria. All the evidence avail
able fails to substantiate the assumption. That which is re
garded as the most important is derived from the well-known
hostility of the inhabitants of the central province. Subordi
nate to this, but supplementary, are the statements in St. Matt.
xix. 1 and St. Mark x. 1. St. Mark, however, appears to indi
cate two journeys: ets ra opia tijs 'lovSaias Kal irtpav tov 'lopBdvov,
i.e. " into the coasts of Judea and beyond Jordan." It is
quite clear, from this statement, that the act of entering Judea
preceded the crossing of the river, which would have been im
possible if the road to Judea went first over Jordan. The
last clause refers to the Perean ministry of Jesus as separate
from this journey to the Holy City.
The survival of the highways and byways of the land, the
towns and villages still extant, and the ruins of former cities,
a Ibid., XVIII. ii. 2. io St John xviii. 10.

296 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
furnish us with more dependable information about the routes
followed by travellers from one part of the country to an
other. A Roman road is marked on the Tabula Peutingeriana
from Scythopolis to Jericho down the western side of the river
that served the traders from the Sea of Galilee for the con
veyance of their fish to the cities in the valley. Although
many of the roads marked on the Peutinger Tables were prob
ably made in the second century, all Roman roads seem to
have followed the old paths that led from one town to another,
and especially so when several towns lay in the same direction.
The cities and towns in Perea were situated either on the foot
hills or higher up the mountain region ; none, like Scythopolis,
Phasaelis, Archaelais, and Jericho, were built on the high
ground of the plain by the river. There is no reason for a
highway down the eastern bank ever having existed. Roads
traversed the country east and west towards the main fords,
and tracks led to less important crossings known only to the
people dwelling in their vicinity. It was not Samaria that the
Galileans desired to avoid, but its hostile people. Travellers
escaped from the Samaritans by going down the valley road
on the western bank of the Jordan. Fear of reprisals kept in
check the provocative instincts even of Samaritans who were
in the habit of passing beyond the limits of their own terri
tory; only in the more central part of the country were the
people inclined to resent the appearance of Jews. The valley
road was a better and more comfortable way than the roads
through the highlands, except in summer, and far from Samari
tan settlements.
Jesus tarried in Jericho for the return of the " Seventy."
Two and two they went, and two and two they returned, bear
ing the same joyful news, " Lord, even the devils are subject
unto us through Thy Name." xl The result of this tour hav
ing exceeded their expectations, they related their success with
joy, and their joy was the joy of their Lord, Who turned to
God the Father in thanksgiving and prayer which explained
11 St. Luke x. 17.

ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM 297
the authority He had given them. He then referred to the
beatific vision of the Messianic Kingdom, which He said
prophets and kings had desired to see. He appeared to have
anticipated greater things, and said, " I beheld Satan as light
ning fall from heaven." The disciples had expected little, and,
having gained more, were satisfied. Detecting in their exulta
tion the pride of success, Jesus reminded them that a greater
cause of joy was the record of their names in the Book of
Life. A surprising feature of the Gospel narratives is the absence
of descriptive accounts of the places and people visited by
Jesus and His disciples, except those specific instances which
were directly concerned with particular phases of His work.
Familiarity with the circumstances suggests the reason for
their omission from the Gospels by the Evangelists.
We shall never gauge the extraordinary power of the words
of Jesus until we realize that the situation in which they were
uttered was less important than the effect they produced on
the minds of the listeners. We shall, however, appreciate more
fully their meaning when it is possible to associate them with
the event or locality with which they were connected. Every
lesson Jesus taught has not been handed down to us ; His
daily conversation was not recorded; but some of His sayings
left an impression that could never be effaced from the mem
ory. Deeper and deeper sink unforgettable utterances until
the things of God become the conspicuous feature of permanent
value. There are certain hours when everything is forgotten
except the predominant factor which attracted attention.
Subservient to it, yet supporting it, from whence proceeded
the immediate cause, is an incident and an allusion that may
add to the interest of the particular saying.
Before continuing His journey to the Feast of the Taber
nacles in Jerusalem, Jesus taught the people wherever a suit
able place could be found, and no doubt the synagogue in
Jericho offered the most favourable spot; it served also His
hearers with an appropriate place for discussion. As He

298 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
spoke, a certain lawyer, apparently a man of learning, in a
tone of self-conscious superiority, interrupted Jesus with the
question: Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Abounding pleasure in the gay city of palm-trees ministered
to the enjoyment of the transitory life of the time. What
could a man do to secure the joyful possession of life for ever?
By observing the law surely permission to enter with satisfac
tion into the selfish indulgence around him was assured. What
more could be required than keeping the law for life to con
tinue throughout the ages? The lawyer evidently desired to
test the knowledge of Jesus in the ethical obligations of the
law, and fortify his own position. The great Teacher, no
ticing the ability of the lawyer, skilfully replied with another
question, " What is written in the law, how readest thou ? "
And he, answering, said : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thy
self." Jesus accepted his reply as theoretically correct, say
ing: "This do, and thou shalt live." "This do," meant
something more than a formal treatment of legal obligations ;
to love with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his strength,
and with all his mind was to live a life of love, and the test
of true love is in action.
The clever lawyer became uneasy ; he had given his definition,
and was told to act up to the standard he had set. He does
not seem to have doubted his love of God; what troubled him
was his relation to his neighbour, and, willing to justify him
self, asked, " Who is my neighbour ? " Jesus answered in the
Parable of the Good Samaritan,12 an answer with a lesson for
His disciples as well as the lawyer.
A neighbour in the East receives exceptional treatment; his
position is defined by custom, which is even stronger than law,
and Jewish exclusiveness, cultivated by the desire to strengthen
the racial instinct, fulfilled the obligation imposed on every
one's relation to another of the same race. This is a notice-
12 St. Luke x. 30.

ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM 299
able feature of our own time. A Jew can depend on the sup
port of his own community ; he can reckon on assistance wher
ever another Jew is found. And there has been left on the
people of his native land an indelible impression of this obli
gation. A neighbour in Jerusalem has a right to expect help
in any emergency. But the neighbour is defined by his creed,
and such was the custom when the lawyer asked the important
question, and its answer fixed for ever the extent of man's
obligation to his fellow-man.
Modern Jerusalem is divided into quarters represented by
the religion of its inhabitants. There is the Jewish, the Chris
tian, and the Mohammedan quarter. Each supports its own
poor. They are only neighbours according to their religious
faith. The Jew is not a neighbour to the Christian, nor is the
Mohammedan a neighbour to any one but a Mohammedan. A
pious Moslem cannot, without violating a direct command,
enter into any relationship that is avoidable with a Jew or a
Christian.13 He is forbidden in a positive manner to con
tract any friendship with unbelievers. And if a Jew were
found at Easter-time in a Christian street in Jerusalem, a
fanatical Christian would express his indignation in a forcible
and unpleasant manner. The Jew is not less disagreeable in
his attitude to those who differ from him. But in their re
spective quarters neighbourliness is carried to an incredible
extent. Amongst the Moslems a neighbour has the first re
fusal of any article offered for sale, and it is not a trespass
to demand the use of anything belonging to the man that lives
next door.
The universal obligation of service rests on a firmer basis
than a creed ; it deals with the principle of God's love for man,
which is exhibited in the realm of nature by an appropriate
supply of food according to the measure of his requirements.
But this depends on his effort to make a proper use of it. A
similar effort is equally necessary for the proper treatment
of his fellow-man. In order that the will of God should pre-
13 Sura v., The Table. Dent's edition of the Koran, p. 492.

300 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
vail in the sphere of man's conduct as it is seen in the king
dom of nature, Christ came to show its universal application.
He recognized man's need of a right understanding, his need of
right dealing, which systems confine within the sphere of their
own operations, and often prevent the use which God intended
man to make of His provision for mankind.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is God's direction
through Christ His Son to all men of all systems and all
creeds, who arrogate to themselves the exclusive right of de
termining the kind of treatment that is necessary for man
kind. Christ is greater than a system, His love is richer than
the law. No ecclesiastical system controlled even by spiritual
men is capable of embracing the whole of the love of God. At
its best it is only partial, and cannot do more than show the
way to obtain a better knowledge of the unsearchable riches
of God's ceaseless care, a more intimate acquaintance with His
love. The parable contains the principle which Jesus came
to teach all men, the principle He expressed in His life and
in His death, that the man who loves God loves also his fellow-
man. Religious thought has passed through many revolutions
in the history of mankind, but nothing ever exhibited so clearly
this principle, which none but God could have enunciated for
the basis of man's duty.
Jesus said : " A certain man went down from Jerusalem
to Jericho, and fell among thieves,14 who stripped 1B him of
his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half
dead." The lawyer would immediately recognize an incident
true to life, one he knew had actually happened. There never
was a time in the history of the country when the wild region
between Jerusalem and Jericho was free from robbers. Caves
in the hills shelter them; inaccessible rocks and deep ravines
help them to escape from punishment. Even now travellers
are in such danger that the safety of Europeans depends on
an escort sanctioned by the authorities. The danger attached
i* Robbers.
is They stripped him first to save his garments from being spoilt.

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
But Martha was cumbered about much serving
Luke X: 40

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her
John VIII: 7

ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM 301
to a journey to the city of the plain was not more than the
peril of the soul in the city. The lawyer could not have been
unaware of Lot's choice and the ruin of his family. But the
historic incident may not have occurred to him, although he
knew well the reputation of Jericho in the land of Israel.
What chastened the lawyer was the picture of the men our
Lord introduced into the parable. First, He said a priest
journeying from the Holy City saw the injured man and
passed by on the other side. Probably fear of defilement
through touching the body when it might be dead would cause
him to ignore the need for help. Next came a Levite, who
gazed on the sufferer, then turned away.
The priest represented the Ecclesiastical System, a system
which was merely an instrument, and failed because it lacked
the personal touch. It was good for the purpose of education
and direction, and was intended to sensitize the moral faculty
until it became capable of receiving a higher revelation for
raising social right to the level of spiritual principle. With
out that revelation, which would elevate the individual into a
being possessed of the power of living the life in God, of loving
His wiU and acting for Him, the system was no use to any one
outside its own borders.
The Levite represented the Law, a constraining influence,
a moral force, which condemns and fixes a penalty, but can
neither feel nor save. It makes a man conscious of wrong
doing, but it does not assist him in doing right.
The priest and the Levite were not condemned as men; it
was the organized form each represented: the law of which
the Jew was so proud, and the exclusive character of the reli
gion of his fathers. Our Lord selected the Samaritan to rep
resent the spirit of true religion in order to strengthen His
rebuke of the priest and Levite for their failure to exhibit the
true spirit of religion in the forms they used. And in His
choice of the alien Jesus directed the attention of His hearers
to the revolution necessary to understand the practice of the
right conduct of man to man.

302 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
He said: "A certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came
where he was ; and when he saw him, he had compassion on
him." 16 This would mean a revolution in their minds, a revo
lution which carried with it a corresponding revelation, and
as Jesus described the treatment of the helpless man by the
stranger, it was a revelation so profound that even the self-
satisfied lawyer saw that his question ought to be reversed,
and, instead of asking Who is my neighbour? it should be, To
whom am I neighbour? Man has a claim by virtue of his be
ing a creature of need on the Great Creator. It is the tre
mendous need of fallen man that Jesus the Divine Son came
to supply, and in Him we have God's supreme revelation of
His love for mankind.
From Jericho Jesus ascended the mountain road on His
way to Jerusalem. The Twelve who went with Him, and the
other disciples as they passed through the wilderness of bare
hills, would not fail to be impressed by the parable. Every
step they took reminded them of the dangers to which travellers
were exposed in the wild waste land around them and the deep
and dark ravine beneath their feet, the lurking places of evil
men from whence they rushed on the lonely wayfarer. The
inn on the side of the road and the men they met added to the
vividness of the sublime story.
On reaching Bethany Jesus parted from the company of His
followers. They continued their journey to the Feast, and He
entered the home of His friends. His unexpected arrival at
the house of Martha and Mary caused quite a scene of excite
ment. Preparations had been made for the reception of guests
at the festival season by the erection of a booth in the court
yard of every dwelling, and Martha, wishing to entertain Jesus
in a manner suitable to her feeling of regard for Him, bustled
about the place to bring forth the choicest food, while her
sister Mary eagerly sought to learn more of His wonderful
way of life. She sat at His feet and heard His word. Mar
tha was at the first so busy that her sister was forgotten.
m St. Luke x. 33.

ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM 303
When she noticed Mary unmoved by the necessity for attend
ance, her impatience at her inattention to the household duties
burst its restraint, and in her distraction she appealed to
Jesus. With a gentle remonstrance He answered, " Martha,
Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things."
She had been anxious to serve the choicest food in many dishes
according to the festival custom, but one thing was needful,
and in His accustomed manner Jesus turned the occasion into
an opportunity for a lesson by using the earthly food to indi
cate the heavenly. Sitting in the booth, the memorial of
Israel's desert pilgrimage, in the courtyard of the house, He
referred to Mary's choice as the " good portion," 17 the in
ward, distinguished from the outward, form of food, the hidden
manna which by faith feeds the soul and which can never be
taken away.
17 St. Luke x. 42: dyaSii pepls = good portion. The word for portion is
the same used in the parable of the Prodigal Son, who asked for his por
tion.

CHAPTER XXX
JESUS AT THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES
The Feast of the Tabernacles was the Harvest Festival of the
Children of Israel, and the third of the great festivals on
which all adult Jews were required to appear in the Temple at
Jerusalem. Its celebration began on the 15th of Tishri,
usually corresponding to the early part of October, and lasted
seven days. During the festival all people dwelt in booths,
structures composed of the branches of trees,1 specially built
for the occasion on the housetops and in the courtyards, as a
remembrance of the journey of their forefathers through the
wilderness, where God provided for their needs. Pilgrims came
very readily to this Feast, multitudes gathered from distant
lands to celebrate the great ingathering of the fruits of the
earth, and the streets of Jerusalem were filled with joyous
crowds in picturesque costumes. Strangers erected their tem
porary dwelling-places on the slopes of Olivet. From its sum
mit the Holy City appeared to be embowered in foliage, and a
traveller, on passing through one of the gates, found himself
in the midst of a scene af gaiety which he had never before
encountered. Processions passed frequently, in which palm-
branches, myrtles, and citrons figured conspicuously, and the
cheerful aspect of the people exhibited the most favourable
characteristics of their race. The religious part of the cele
bration also attracted large numbers. In addition to the
usual services, there were two prominent acts of a spectacular
nature which Jesus subsequently used as significant illustra
tions of the lessons He desired to convey to the people. At
the morning sacrifice a priest drew water from the fountain
in the Siloam village, entered with it by the Water Gate, and
iLev. xxiii. 33, 34; Neh. viii. 14, 15. 304

THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES 305
poured it out from a golden vessel at the foot of the altar.2
Every evening of the feast-days the sanctuary was so bril
liantly illuminated by means of torches in the court of the
women, and light from the great candelabra, that the glare
lit up the whole city.3
Each visit Jesus paid to Jerusalem marked a distinct step
in the manifestation of His Messianic purpose. On the first
occasion He suddenly appeared in the Temple and cleansed
the courts of His Father's House,4 thus signifying the need
of the preparation for His reception which coincided with the
proclamation of John the Baptist. During his next visit,
when He healed the impotent man at the Pool of Bethesda,5 He
continued the process He had begun by His appeal to the Jews
for their acceptance of His claim to be equal with God. A
crisis was then reached through the refusal of the rulers to
accept Him as the Messiah, and He turned to Galilee, where
He ordained Twelve Apostles to be trained for universal serv
ice. When the Feast of the Tabernacles began Jesus had not
arrived in Jerusalem. His absence was noticed and provoked
discussion. This alone showed that He had attained a national
reputation. Enquiries were made for Him, and both His char
acter and mission became the topic of conversation, but
through fear of the rulers no one dare commit himself to more
than a vague statement of his views. It was generally ad
mitted that Jesus was a good man, though some demurred,
saying, " Nay, He deceiveth the people." ° The hostility of the
hierarchy had increased to such an extent since His last visit,
when they sought to kill Him, that it was known amongst
some of the people to have now reached a definite and deter
mined place in their minds, and all that the rulers required was
a suitable opportunity for getting rid of Jesus. Suddenly
He appeared in the midst of the Feast and was found, to the
astonishment of those who saw Him, sitting in one of the outer
2 Mishna, Succa iv. * Succa v. 2, 9. * St. John ii. 16.
6 St. John v. 8. o St. John vii, 12,

306 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
courts of the Temple teaching the people. A still greater
surprise was in store for them in the development of His work.
The character of His teaching changed. A more universal
note was struck ; His appeal became more catholic. His claim
exceeded the limits of Jewish expectation ; it passed beyond the
narrow confines of a Hebrew Messiahship. He addressed the
world.7 Those who listened to Him in the Temple Court were aston
ished at His learning 8 because He belonged to no Rabbinical
school, and they could not imagine such wisdom proceeding
from One who had no claim to Rabbinical authority. He said,
" My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent Me. If any
man will do His will he shall know the doctrine, whether it
be of God, or whether I speak of Myself." He taught only
what He Himself possessed in the conscious union with the
Father as the only real thing in life. Unlike the learning of
the Rabbis, His great knowledge had neither come to Him
through intellectual speculation, nor through any communi
cation from without, but through His inner consciousness of
the Father's will, which He manifested in His conduct. Doing
God's will was not at all marvellous to Him, but perfectly nat
ural. In one sense the rulers knew the will of God, and in this
lay the secret of their unbelief. They knew the law, but failed
to carry out its precepts in their daily life, and this neglect
of duty rendered them incapable of perceiving the truth which
He revealed. If they had acted on what they already knew,
their vision would have become clearer, and they would have
entered into a fuller realization of the will of the Father by its
operation in their conduct. He said : " Did not Moses give
you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go
ye about to kill Me." ° Some of the people standing by, prob
ably strangers and ignorant of the intentions of the rulers,
answered, " Thou hast a devil ; who is going about to kill
Thee." 10 Others, seeing the crowd of people gathered round
7 St. John viii. 26. » St. John vii. 19.
» St. John vii. IS. " St. John vii, 20.

THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES 307
and observing Jesus as the centre of attraction, and aware of
the determination of the rulers, wondered why it had not been
put into execution ; they exclaimed, " Is not this He Whom
they are seeking to kill," xl thus suggesting that perhaps the
rulers had recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and therefore let
Him alone ; but others answered, " No, we know this Man
whence He is ; but when Christ cometh no man knoweth whence
He is." 12 " Then cried Jesus : ' Ye both know Me, and ye
know whence I am: and I am not come of Myself, but He that
sent Me is true, Whom ye know not.' " Stirred by His allu
sion to their ignorance of God and their knowledge of His own
claim to have come from God, some of them sought to take
Him by force, but were held in check by the popular feeling in
His favour; others, moved by His words and the knowledge
they possessed of His works, considered His claim to be veri
fied, and believed on Him, saying, " When Christ cometh,
will He do more miracles than these which this Man hath
done? " 13
The rulers watched with angry feelings the state of popular
opinion, and consulted together in order to ascertain what
might be done under the circumstances. They even sent offi
cers to arrest Jesus, but no favourable opportunity was found;
the people were too well disposed towards Him, and, fearing
to provoke a tumult, the rulers restrained their hatred until
the Feast was over. Jesus knew their feelings. He was also
aware of their determination, yet He stood in the Temple court
without fear and addressed the people. He warned them that
the time of His mission was brief, that soon He would, pass
away from them where they could not follow Him, and ap
pealed to the waverers to decide at once what they would do ;
but their minds were so engrossed with things present that
they thought He meant to depart and reside amongst another
people, and they questioned one another whether He would
go to the dispersed among the Gentiles and teach them.
On the last, the great day of the Feast, Jesus stood again
n St. John vii, 25. 12 St. John vii. 27, 28, is St. John vii, 31,

308 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
in the Temple court when the water libation peculiar to the
Feast was offered. He cried, " If any man thirst, let him
come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the
scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water." 14 When the people heard this they marvelled, and
some said, " Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said,
This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of
Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that Christ cometh of
the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where
David was? So there was a division among the people be
cause of Him." 15
An opportunity at last arrived in the division among the
people for the enemies of Jesus, which they eagerly sought to
use. They sent men to seize Him, but His words so impressed
the officers who had been ordered to effect His arrest that they
returned to the rulers without Him, and when asked why they
had not brought Jesus the officers answered, " Never man spake
like this Man." The Pharisees, incensed by their defeat,
angrily asked them if they were also deceived, and said, " Have
any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed on Him? As for
the multitude, they are ignorant and accursed." One voice
was raised in protest ; one man spoke for Jesus : 16 Nicodemus,
the ruler who went to Jesus by night. The memory of that
interview had touched the spring of justice in them. Timidly
he said, " Doth our law judge any man before it hear him and
know what he doeth? " His protest heralded the dawn of a
new life, the life for which he craved, and which he sought in
the darkness, soon to be dispelled by the light of everlasting
day. After a night spent on the Mount of Olives, probably in
one of the booths erected for the Feast not yet dismantled,
Jesus returned in the morning to the Temple, where He sat
and taught the people that came to Him. While engaged in
i* St. John vii. 37, 38. Cf. Peter's confession at the source of the Jor
dan, p. 2fit, and our Lord's conversation with the woman of Samaria,
is St, John vii, 40-14, ie St John vii. 50, 51.

THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES 309
this congenial occupation He was interrupted by a number
of Scribes and Pharisees, who brought to Him a poor sinful
woman. Having set her " in the midst," they said to Jesus,
" Master, this woman was taken in adultery. Now Moses# in
the law commanded us that such should be stoned; but what
sayest Thou? " 17 They had not brought the accused solely
out of regard for the law, nor as advocates of purity, although
their feeling against the woman was no doubt sincere. Anx
ious to accomplish the downfall of Jesus, they were prepared
to adopt any means for carrying out their plan, and this ap
peared to answer their purpose. They reckoned on His testi
mony for His destruction. His tenderness towards sinners
might induce Him to acquit her, and thus place Himself in
violent antagonism to the law. Should He condemn her ac
cording to the law, the sympathy and support of the multi
tude might vanish, and the rulers could then more easily dis
pose of Him. Their indignation scarcely veiled the malevolent
glee within them. To Jesus the horror of the whole scene was
distressing. He turned His head from the miserable and tor
tured woman, the brutal hypocrites behind her, and the gaping
crowd at the back, stooped down and with His finger wrote
on the ground. His apparent indifference was in reality a
significant act : it showed that He had no intention of dealing
with the situation from their point of view. He was not in
different, nor did he ignore the question of the accusing rulers.
They relied on the law of Moses written on stone ; He came to
write the law in the hearts of men, and show them that only
the Judge of all the earth can judge righteously; that men
who have avoided one sin and committed another are incapable
of exercising judgment.
Incensed at His proceedings, the Scribes and Pharisees con
tinued asking for the judgment they had themselves settled.
At length He stood erect, and, looking at them, said, " He
that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at
it In Lev. xx. 10 the manner of carrying out the penalty is not stated.
Lightfoot gives, as the Rabinnical interpretation, stoning for a damsel
betrothed but not married, and strangling for a married woman,

310 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
her." 18 His answer, wholly unexpected, shifted the scene, and
turned the light of truth on the accusers. One by one, in
silent shame, they passed through the crowd, each with his
accusing conscience, utterly defeated.
Again Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground, and
once more stood upright, and looked on the woman. She
might have gone also; none was there to witness against her.
But she waited, a solitary woman, a guilty sinner, ashamed
and awed by her situation, strangely bound to the spot. And
when her accusers, themselves condemned, had departed, she
allowed her case to remain where they had lodged it, in the
supreme court of appeal. Conscience is a provision of mercy
. as well as of misery. By waiting she signified her desire that
Jesus should deal with her, and thus gave evidence of her trust
in His mercy. The verdict was not long delayed. Jesus said,
" Woman, where are thine accusers? Hath no man condemned
thee?" She said, "No man, Lord." He said, "Neither do
I condemn thee ; go, and sin no more." 19 His words pri
marily referred to the civil penalty of death, which he had
been asked to confirm. While there was in the admonition
" Sin no more " an emphatic reproof of her sin, there was in
the words " Neither do I condemn thee," substantial evidence
of Divine absolution. The woman who was brought to Jesus
as a Judge found in Him a Saviour.
Jesus went on with His teaching. He said : " I am the
Light of the World: he that followeth Me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life." 20 The significance
of His words became more apparent after His encounter with
the Scribes and Pharisees and the sinful woman. They also
constitute His claim to the Jewish title of Messiah,21 and were
illustrated by the brilliant display of light on the last day of
the Feast, when the city shone in the glare of the torches and
candelabra in the Temple Courts. The Pharisees in the com
pany before Him interrupted His great declaration on the
is St. John viii. 7. is St. John viii. 11. 20 St. John viii. 12.
21 Dan, ii'. 22 has been regarded as typifying the Messiah.

THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES 311
ground that a man's own testimony regarding himself is in
sufficient, and must be supported by the evidence of another
person. He replied : " Ye judge after the flesh : I judge no
man, and yet if I judge, my judgment is true; for I am not
alone, but I and the Father that sent Me." 22
" I am one that bear witness of Myself, and the Father that
sent Me beareth witness of Me." 23 So utterly materialized
were their conceptions of true life, the Pharisees, apparently
incompetent to perceive the spiritual light it shed on their
bewildered minds, asked, " Where is Thy Father? " He an
swered, " Ye neither know Me nor My Father : if ye had known
Me ye should have known My Father also." Then He said,
" I go my way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your
sins; whither I go, ye cannot come." The suspicions of the
Pharisees that Jesus was an abnormal product of their time,
animated by a spirit of antagonism to their rule of life, they
believed were now confirmed. Having failed to act as an ordi
nary Jew, He intended to finish His extraordinary career in
disgust of life and die by His own hand.
" Then said the Jews, Will He kill Himself? because He said
whither I go ye cannot come." 24 To them His departure to
a place where they could not find Him, and could not follow
Him, had only this sinister meaning. They believed that " the
souls of those whose hands have acted madly against them
selves are received by the darkest places in Hades," 25 while
" those who depart out of this life, according to the law of
nature, and pay that debt which was received from God, enjoy
eternal fame."
The infinite patience of Jesus in teaching these dull-witted
men, whose coarse minds and hard hearts turned His wonder
ful words into vulgar ideas, can only be measured by His
infinite love. He was so far removed in thought from the men
before Him that their world contained no place for His life,
and His eternal home was no place for them. All that their
22 St. John viii. 15, 16. 23 St. John viii. 18. 2* St. John viii. 22.
25 Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book III. chap. viii. 5.

312 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
religion might have done to interpret His words had disap
peared from them. Nothing but its skeleton remained, the
framework of that Hfe, through which God revealed Himself
to their forefathers. The blood and smoke of sacrifices, the
steam of incense, observation of days, distinction of meats, and
corporeal purifications had so clogged their minds that the
spirituality of worship lay veiled under this thick cloud, and
the people could not see what God intended them to behold.
The sacrifices were to direct them to the justice of God in the
punishment of sin, and the mercy of God in substituting them
in their stead as types of the Redeemer, and the ransom by His
blood. The supreme sacrifice was still to be offered in the
great consummation of the death of Jesus. There rose before
Him the gaunt figure of the cross, its beams of wood out
stretched for His hands, His body pierced, and His blood out
poured. He said : " When ye have lifted up the Son of Man,
then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of
Myself, but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these
things."26 His teaching had not been altogether unprofitable. As He
spake these words many believed on Him — that is, on what He
had said. He exhorted them to continue in their belief so that
they might become His disciples indeed, to know the truth for
the truth to make them free. This allusion to freedom touched
their pride, and some resented the inference. Jesus then ex
plained the meaning of His words as referring to the bondage
of sin, that those who committed sin were the servants of sin,
and only the sons of God were free. They relied on their ex
alted position as children of Abraham. He claimed a wider
origin than Abraham, that He came from the universal Fa
ther of all mankind. It was this claim which roused their in
dignation, and His assertion that the privileges on which they
relied belonged to all people, and were not to remain always
with them, although they came first to them. This statement
appeared to them in a political aspect; it expressed the revo-
26 St. John viii. 28,

THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES 313
lution that Jesus brought into the world, it touched the secret
of the future of their race and hurt their vanity. They knew
very well, though they did not understand exactly, what was
meant by Christ's descent from the Father, that it implied an
extension of the Kingdom of heaven in which others would
share, for God was the Father of all men. And when Jesus
said that Abraham had seen the universal application of His
Kingdom they burst into fury and took up stones to cast at
Him ; and, as at Nazareth, He passed through them unhurt.27
27 St. John viii. 59.

CHAPTER XXXI

SHEPHERDS  FALSE AND TRUE

Beggars sat at the doors of rich men's houses ; * they pursued
their calling at the Temple Gates.2 Wherever an opportunity
for soliciting aid was likely to be found the mendicant ap
peared. The poor were always with the people.3 Shadows
of affliction fell continually across the gaiety of life, tears
mingled with its laughter, and sorrow associated with its joy.
The coming of the Messiah they expected never meant to the
nation the elimination of all forms of distress. Their program
of future glory contained no scheme for the banishment of
social evils. Nor did Jesus sweep away all abuses, and by a
mighty effort remove the tears from off all faces. Here a
little and there a little, He showed how life might be trans
formed. He offered to men something new for them to enter
into a better life: an inward state of being capable of sus
taining all outward cares. Some of the people accepted His
offer ; others exhibited no desire to change.
When Jesus went in and out of the precincts of the Holy
House the need of an afflicted man arrested His attention.
He saw a poor blind beggar sitting at the Temple Gate, wait
ing patiently near the court where the light had shot its
beams on the festival night. The surging crowd passed him
to walk on the marble pavement of the Temple court in the
glory of its illumination; and he sat with sightless eyes in the
darkness. Jesus saw him and gazed in pity on him. The
Light of the World shed His beams on the beggar's night.
Accustomed to the importunities of mendicants, the disciples
noticed their Lord's compassion, and, seeing in the case be
fore them one of the perplexities of human life, asked their
Master for a solution of the difficult problem of Jewish theology
i St. Luke xvi. 20. 2 Acts iii. 2. s St. John xii. 8.
314

SHEPHERDS — FALSE AND TRUE 315
respecting the cause of suffering. " Who did sin, this man or
his parents, that he was born blind ? " 4
This misconception of the judgment of God has been the
question of the ages; it arose chiefly from the knowledge of
heredity, in the visitation of the sins of the fathers on the
children. Some afflictions are the direct consequence of per
sonal wickedness ; others follow from a course of parental sin.
There are disabilities which cannot be attributed either to a
man's transgression or his father's wrong-doing; they deal
rather with the discipline of life ; sometimes assuming a vicari
ous direction, they are instrumental in mellowing the tempers
and softening the hearts of relations and friends.
Jesus dealt summarily with the speculative question of His
disciples by informing them that the blindness of the man in
front of them was due neither to his own nor his parents' sin,
but that the work of God might become manifest in him. This
was the purpose of Jesus, and He immediately began to restore
the poor man's sight. The means He employed followed the
usual symbolical character of the actions of Eastern men.
Without some form there seemed to be no expectation. Naa
man, the Syrian, expressed his disappointment with the simple
words of the Prophet, who had sent a message by his servant
for him to wash in the Jordan. " I thought," he said, " He
will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name
of the Lord God, and strike His hand over the place and
recover the leper." 5
There was no virtue in the process of healing adopted by
Jesus when He spat on the ground, " made clay " (mixed His
saliva with the dust), anointed the eyes of the blind man, then
told him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.6 The char
acter of the miracle, as well as the means employed, were sym
bolical, even the man himself was a symbol, that the works of
God should be made manifest in him ; to show that on the dark
ness of the past the true Light had shined, that the eyes of the
blind might be opened.
* St. John ix. 2. $2 Kings v. 11. e St. John ix. 6, 7.

316 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
The man obeyed the direction of Jesus, and by doing His
will he recovered his sight; he knew then that a change had
taken place, the darkness of the night had passed, and the day
of light had dawned for him. On his way back, doubtless to
seek his Benefactor, he called at his home and told his par
ents. The neighbours, too, heard the wonderful news and
were all amazed. They could not believe that he was the beg
gar they knew so well, and actually disagreed among them
selves whether he was the man with whom they were acquainted,
or another like him. He settled their dispute by his own ad
mission, " I am he." They naturally inquired about his re
covery, and he gladly told them how it had happened, how
" A Man that is called Jesus " had restored his sight. In
stead of sharing his joy, when they heard that the deed had
been wrought on the Sabbath Day, they asked him where the
Restorer of his sight might be found, and took the man to the
Pharisees to lodge a complaint against Jesus for having healed
him on the Sabbath Day.
The rulers had set forth a proclamation of their intention
to punish any one associated with Jesus ; they were determined
to uphold their authority for maintaining the law, and the
man, having submitted to the treatment of Jesus, was guilty
as His accomplice of breaking the law of the Sabbath.
The Pharisees questioned him, and some of them declared
Jesus could not be Divine because He kept not the Sabbath;
others said, " How can a Man that is a sinner do such mira
cles ? And there was a division among them " ; 7 but the man
replied, " He is a Prophet." Evidently the rulers were in a
dilemma, and how to escape from it they did not know. One
way at last appeared : perhaps, after all, the man had not been
blind. They would send for his parents and ask them. Un
willing to be drawn into the controversy, through fear of pun
ishment, they said their son was of age and could answer for
himself. And when questioned again the man stoutly held to
his conviction that once he was blind and now he could see.
i St. John ix. 16.

SHEPHERDS — FALSE AND TRUE 317
Instead of shaking his faith in the Worker of the miracle,
their angry comments on his Benefactor provoked a rejoinder,
and he scornfully told them, with a sarcastic reminder that
God heareth not sinners, if this Man Who had restored his
sight were not of God He could do nothing. His audacity
increased their anger, and they excommunicated him.8 He
became a social as well as a theological outcast ; no one dare
speak to him, nobody would give him employment, and none
might receive him as a guest. The curse that had fallen on
him would rest on all who befriended him. Jesus heard they
had cast him out, and He sought and found him. The things
He took the most trouble about were the lost things ; He came
to seek and to save the lost. The tenderness of Jesus, His
love for the outcast and forlorn, has often caused men to for
get, in view of this attitude of the Saviour towards all in need,
another side of His character. His great love obscures His
great courage. Jesus knew the rulers designed to take Him,
but He fearlessly sought the man on whom they had placed
their miserable ban of excommunication, and when He had
found him He proceeded with the work already begun in him,
saying, " Dost thou believe on the Son of God? " The man
answered, " Who is He, that I may beheve on Him? " And
Jesus said, " Not only hast thou seen Him, but it is He that is
talking with thee." 9 The Light of Life illumined his soul,
and the Spring of Living Water burst forth in the expression
of his faith in Jesus. When he saw his Lord he worshipped
Him. There were Pharisees with Jesus who had apparently not
decided against Him, doubtful about His claim, but uncon
vinced, whom He addressed in words that conveyed to them
the truth about seeing. He said for judgment He had come
into the world, that they which had not seen might see, and
those who saw and would not beheve might remain in their
spiritual blindness. The physical blindness of the beggar was
a misfortune, the moral bHndness of the Pharisees was a crime,
s St John ix. 34. » St John ix. 35, 36, 37.

318 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
because they were wilfully blind to the higher revelation of
God in Christ. Jesus said unto them, " If ye were blind ye
should have no sin; but now ye say, We see: therefore your
sin remaineth." 10
He then addressed to them the beautiful allegories of the
Fold and the Good Shepherd, to rebuke them for their treat
ment of the man whose sight had been restored, to comfort him,
and at the same time instruct His disciples in the duties which
would inevitably fall to them in the future. The beggar, hav
ing been expelled from the fold of Judaism, was received into
the flock of the True Shepherd.
An " ideal " or good shepherd xl is beautifuUy illustrated
by the picture of the shepherd's life and work. Its familiarity
became more impressive in the adaptation Jesus made of it for
His lessons. Those who heard His words would attribute to
them the highest significance. The sheep country in Judea
is the mountainous region, where every village is built at the
top or side of a hill. The gardens immediately surround the
village, the corn-fields encircle the gardens, and the pasture
lands lie beyond the cultivated fields. The pastures being
farthest from the village, a knowledge of their situation is
essential for a correct appreciation of the relation between the
shepherd and the sheep.
A shepherd begins his career as a boy watching the sheep
and goats on the hillocks near his home, or in the company
of his father in the fields. When he is old enough to take the
sheep to the scanty pastures they have already learnt to recog
nize his voice. A shepherd first calls, he calls to lead, he leads
to feed, and he feeds to keep. The shepherd calls,12 and at
ioSt John ix. 41.
11 6 iroL/iiii/ & ko\6s, " the good shepherd " ; i.e. the perfect or ideal shep
herd (St. John x. 2).
12 The shepherd's call. I remember once meeting with five shepherds
watering their flocks at the Springs of Moses under Mount Nebo, and when
their work was done watching them extricate their respective sheep from
the great flock in which they were scattered. First one shepherd called
"Tahoo"; his sheep lifted their heads, wriggled out of the flock in the
direction of his voice, and followed his retreating figure up the hill. Then

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
And the sheep follow him : for they know his voice
John X: 4

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in thy sight
Luke XV: 21

SHEPHERDS — FALSE AND TRUE 319
his call the sheep follow him. He leads them down the hill,
past the gardens, by the corn-fields, up the hill beyond to the
pastures. There are always some sheep walking in his steps,
close behind him; and others farther away. Those farthest
from him are most easily tempted to stray. The rough,
coarse grass of the wayside entices them, or the toil of the
steep path enfeebles them. It is always in the following that
sheep are lost. Attracted by their surroundings, they fail to
notice the movements of the shepherd, and when they follow
afar off they are in danger of losing the way, of missing the
track, and many a wandering sheep has fallen down a steep
ravine and been lost. Having reached the pasture lands, the
shepherd stands before his sheep and watches them feed. If
one wanders too far away a well-directed stone shot from the
shepherd's sling, just to miss the head, startles and turns the
sheep back again. Some sheep have to be startled before
they are turned. During the feeding the shepherd may no
tice if a sheep is missing; he can leave the rest in the wilder
ness, where there is often a common fold for all sheep to form
one flock from all quarters, and there his sheep abide in safety
while the shepherd seeks the sheep that is lost.
When the sheep have been fed the shepherd leads them home
to the village fold. Again they follow. On his arrival at the
door he opens wide its portal and they pass inside. One or
more of his sheep may be ailing or wounded by thorn and
scrub; if the shepherd cannot attend to them in the fields he
remembers their need of his attention at the fold. He places
his rod across the door. At first the sheep hesitate to pass
beneath because of the obstruction; he gently raises it to cast
away their fear, and one by one they pass under the rod, and
he watches carefully for the sheep that needs his special care.
When it appears the rod falls, he catches the sheep by the
leg, the poor thing struggles until it submits to the shepherd's
will to heal its wound or attend to its sickness.
the next called, and the next, until five shepherds were walking in different
directions, each followed by his own sheep. — Author.

320 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
There is no picture of Eastern life which so clearly indi
cates the love and care of Christ as that of the ideal shepherd ;
there is no situation so plain that marks the conduct of the
sheep. The Ideal Shepherd calls, He leads, He feeds, He keeps,
always in this order; it is never altered or reversed. The call
comes first, and those who have become accustomed to the voice
of the Good Shepherd in their daily life will hear it in the
time of trial 13 and temptation, and even at the mouth of the
tomb.14 Jesus said also that He represented the door of the sheep-
fold, the way by which men enter into the Kingdom of God.
Through Him they gain a life of freedom. He told them that
He came to give this larger life, life in its abounding joy and
richer knowledge. Before Him passed another picture of Him
self as the True Shepherd, differing from the hireling shepherd
in the sense of caring even unto death. He saw the necessity
for the life laid down. A power in the way of the sheep, which
He termed the wolf, had to be faced by consummate courage,
as necessary in the world as in the wilderness, to battle with the
wild beast. Jesus felt that the Good Shepherd had to be pre
pared even for death, and He expressed His willingness to die
for the sheep. Let the wolf come, He will meet it, by the
offering of Himself of His own free will. Then He spoke of
other sheep, not of the Jewish fold, which He must bring for
all to form one flock 15 under one Shepherd.
" There was a division, therefore, again among the Jews for
these sayings." 16
13 St. John vi. 20. i* St. John xx. 16.
15 St. John x. 16, iila, -rtoliirn, not iilo. avkii; one flock, not one fold.
ifl St. John x. 19.

CHAPTER XXXII

the perean ministry

Jesus had bidden fareweU to Galilee when He steadfastly set
His face towards Jerusalem to finish His work. Samaria had
refused to receive Him on His journey to the Jewish metropolis,
and the only way left open for the seventy disciples whom He
sent before His face into every city in which He would enter
was over Jordan. People from Perea, the province on the
east of the river, had visited the scenes of his labours in Gali
lee and carried reports of His work to their homes. Both
Jewish and Gentile inhabitants were acquainted with His power,
the mission of the Seventy prepared them for His visit, and the
universal note He had struck in His message to Jerusalem
at the Feast of the Tabernacles seemed a fitting prelude to
His Mission.
Down the Jericho road Jesus passed again to the ford across
the Jordan, by which He entered the plain on the other side of
the river. Along its level ground He walked to the valley
leading to the top of the plateau of the east, and the first city
in southern Perea, for His tour through the land, where in the
cities of the Decapohs were many Greeks. The " lost sheep "
of the House of Israel first attracted his attention, but every
where He went other " sheep " heard His voice and listened
to His word.
His discourses appear more often at this period in the Gos
pels than a record of His works. Even His words are few
when we think of the time He spent in Perea, and the places
He visited on His journey through the country. So few are
they that all the Evangelists have given us to read might have
been spoken in a single day. We can see they are fragmentary,
and indicate a more extensive use of the time that Jesus passed
321

322 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
amongst the inhabitants. It is the effect they had on the
people and on the disciples rather than their extent that repre
sents their value. This feature makes them appear surpris
ingly vivid, and so naturally are they related that we wonder
why more of the words and works of Jesus have not been re
corded. Yet more would perhaps have left less for us of the
reality of their significance.
One of the few incidents that are noticed related to His
care of a dumb lunatic, which became the occasion of the most
bitter controversy of His Perean ministry. With this excep
tion there was less rancour in the opposition of the rulers be
yond Jordan than either in Galilee or Judea. It arose chiefly
from the impression the miracle created on the people, who
were not so familiar with the signs of His power. " And it
came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake;
and the people wondered." ' In a spirit of antagonism the
rulers present accused Jesus of casting out devils through the
chief of the devils. It seemed the only way of discrediting
Him before the people who saw His power, but a more unfor
tunate accusation they could not have made. He answered
first by reminding them of the natural consequence of disunion
in illustrations they could not ignore — the kingdom, the city,
and the house divided ; if Satan expelled Satan, he was divided
against himself. Then, referring to the practice of Jewish
exorcists who claimed to be able to cast out demons, Jesus said,
" If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons
cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges."2 They
were finally discomfited by the statement that if He proved
to be the victorious antagonist of the devil it was by the Spirit
of God, therefore the Kingdom of God had appeared, and their
acknowledgment of His triumph should have been accompanied
by their acceptance of the power He displayed as a proof that
the Spirit within Him was the sign of His Divine origin. He
brought a counter-charge against them for their failure, and
told them that they had committed the unpardonable sin of
i St. Luke xi. 14. 2 St. Luke xi. 19.

THE PEREAN MINISTRY 323
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God.3 They had seen
His power, they knew the miracle had been performed by Him,
yet they hardened their hearts and said it was the work of
the devil. They might be forgiven for speaking against the
Son of Man and ignorantly rejecting Him, but to call good
evil, when their consciences directed their thoughts to speak
the truth, was a sin which could not be pardoned.
Evidently chagrined at the turn of affairs, and put to shame,
certain Scribes and Pharisees changed the subject by making
a request for a sign from heaven,4 an excuse for themselves
and an attempt to justify their lack of apprehension. They
had no desire to be convinced of His Divine claim for their
recognition, and they had not the grace to acknowledge their
error. They simply resorted to another method of covering
their real motive of opposition in a vain and subtle attempt to
extort from Jesus a sign, because they were unwilling to accept
defeat. The spirit in which they asked for the sign exposed
their mean disposition ; if their request had been made in good
faith nothing more could be done to satisfy their wishes than
they had already seen. They were told that a wicked and
adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, but no sign would
be given except that of the prophet Jonah, whose preaching
brought the people of Nineveh to repentance, and a greater
than Jonah was before them; that the men of Nineveh would
rise up in judgment against them for their unbelief; and that
the Queen of Sheba would also condemn them because she came
from the uttermost part of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon, and they had an opportunity of hearing a greater
than Solomon.5
While the thoughts of His hearers still lingered on the sub
ject of the dispute,8 Jesus, with the graphic touch of a skilled
Teacher, depicted a moral tragedy. He described the soul of
a man as a house from whence an evil spirit had been cast,
and then the inside was cleansed and the outside decorated.
s St. Matt. xii. 31. 5 St. Matt. xii. 39-42.
4 St. Matt. xii. 38. «St Luke xi. 24.

324 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
The moral disorder of the past had gone ; all that was wrong
had been expelled. But the momentary triumph gained was
not enough; there remained still the peril of the empty soul.
Had the vacant dwelling been occupied by a worthier tenant,
a good spirit, the evil one that had been cast out would have
been utterly defeated. He returned to see, and found the soul
" to let," so he went and brought other spirits with him and
entered into his old home, and the last state of that man was
worse than the first.
A woman in the company,7 admiring the teaching of Jesus,
called for a blessing on His mother. The tribute of esteem
formed a pleasant interlude in the storm of disputation, and
ehcited from Jesus a still higher benediction on those who read
the Word of God and keep it.
Following these exciting incidents another yet more painful
and distressing occurred. As if to allay the bitterness of the
contention with the parties at variance a Pharisee invited
Jesus to his house.8 On entering the guest-chamber He found
Himself amongst a number of His enemies. The usual cour
tesy offered to a guest was forgotten, and Jesus reclined at
the meal without the customary washing. No one had offered
Him the means, and He made no request. His omission was
instantly noticed; looks of surprise and disapproval passed
between the other guests. He saw their contemptuous glances,
He marked the veiled hostility of their hearts. Utterly re
gardless of the respect due to an invited guest, they scarcely
concealed their malevolence, and the patronizing host seemed
as if he had asked Jesus to his house to afford his friends an
opportunity of displaying their animosity. They had alto
gether passed the bounds of decency and it was time their mis
erable pretensions were exposed.9 In language unmistakably
plain Jesus denounced their contemptible trivialities, the osten
tatious character of their tithing, the miserable little acts of
service, and the gross neglect of principle; their inordinate
vanity and self-esteem, the desire for outward show, and the
7 St Luke xi, 27. » St. Luke xi. 37. s St. Luke xi. 42, 43.

THE PEREAN MINISTRY 325
corruption of their inward life. Interrupting the torrent of
our Lord's rebuke one of the lawyers present said, " Master,
thus saying Thou reproachest us also," 10 as if He had for
gotten Himself in His righteous indignation and by a sweeping
assertion included all. But the lawyers were equally guilty.
Their overbearing manner towards the poor, their arrogant
display of authority, their pride of oflice and ignorance of
truth, showed that they were partakers of the same spirit, the
spirit of opposition to righteousness.
He had been treated by His host in bad faith, the pretence
of hospitality was simply an occasion for exhibiting the bitter
ness of his opponents, and He used it to expose them, to show
that He knew the deceitfulness of their nature and their wicked
ness. Their disguise of friendly intercourse was cast away,
and by pressing upon Him in a threatening manner and ve
hemently questioning Him, they entered on an open conflict
determined to put Him down.
He left the Pharisee's house as the crowd gathered to view
the unseemly spectacle of a hostile movement in a guest-cham
ber. All the rabble of the streets collected, and partisans of
both sides appeared to join in the contention, actualy J1 tread
ing upon one another to gain a better approach to the scene
of strife. Flushed with the excitement of the proceedings, the
disciples, who had remained in the outer court with other un
invited supporters of the various guests, emerged from the
building with their Master, Who addressed the crowd. First
solemnly warning His disciples against the " leaven of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy," 12 He told them that nothing
could hide the secrets of the heart. They were not to be
afraid of man, as the disturbances they had witnessed might
incline them, but rather to fear Him Who could destroy both
body and soul ; that the Father Who fashioned them loved
them and provided for them, and they were to trust Him.
Jesus said : " Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings,
and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the
10 St. Luke xi, 45. » St. Luke xii. 1, 12 St, Luke xii. 1,

326 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not there
fore : ye are of more value than many sparrows." 1S
As these sublime words were uttered an interruption came
from a man who had missed altogether their import, whose
mind was wholly bent on selfish interest; yet such was his es
teem for Jesus that he attributed to Him the power to prevail
on his brother for an equal distribution of their inheritance.
The man's request clashed with the aim of Jesus, Whose desire
for the people to look in faith to God had nothing in common
with selfish motives. He said unto him, " Man, who made Me
a judge or divider over you? " 14 Interest in wealth and the
problems involved in its distribution lay outside the work of
Jesus. Human need always touched His heart and brought
forth His sympathy and help, but human greed appealed to
Him in vain. Addressing the multitude, Jesus warned them
against covetousness, the desire of having more. He told
them that " a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the
things which he possesseth." 15 The acquisition of wealth for
personal use displays an attitude of mind which, while persist
ing in its selfish aims, prevents a man from growing into the
larger experience of the fellowship of the richer life in God.
Jesus illustrated His statement of this profound truth by. a
parable. He described a farmer whose fields yielded so abun
dantly that his barns had to be enlarged to hold his wealth,
and when at last his storehouses were full the man said to his
soul, " Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ;
take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry." 16 But God said,
" Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee : then
whose shall these things be, which thou hast provided? "
There was no suggestion of iniquity in his gain, his riches
had been obtained by strict application to his temporal affairs.
The charge against him was the neglect of a greater obligation,
the attention due to the eternal. Absorbed by worldly con
cerns, he had failed to realize the ultimate fact of life, its
is St. Luke xii. 7. is St. Luke xii. 15.
n St. Luke xii. 14. ie St. Luke xii. 19.

THE PEREAN MINISTRY 32?
eternal destiny. He had left out of his reckoning death and
judgment, because they appeared to him so far away, and,
though he became a successful farmer, he was in the main a
fool, for having secured the less at the price of the greater.
He deemed the precarious enjoyment of a short and merry
existence of more value than Hfe eternal, and in God's sight
he was a fool. " So is he that layeth up treasure for himself
and is not rich towards God." 17
Jesus amphfied His meaning to the disciples when they were
alone together and the multitude had departed. He said unto
them, " Seek not ye what ye shaU eat, or what ye shall drink,
neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the
nations of the world seek after : and your Father knoweth that
ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the Kingdom
of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear
not, Httle flock: for it is your Father's good pleasure to give
you the Kingdom." 18
They had left aU for His sake. They were His companions
who had elected to share His lot and endure the privations of
His earthly pilgrimage. As His Httle flock, they had heard
His voice and were foUowing Him to know more of what He
meant to be to them. The Kingdom He graduaUy revealed,
of which He had so often told them, still remained a mystery
closely involved with the perplexities of their natural existence.
Jesus did not abohsh the mystery of the association of the
Kingdom with human Hfe. He was so free from the burden
of the mystery that He was never restless and baffled with it
as mankind. In this singular aspect of His Hfe appears fur
ther evidence of His Divinity. Everything was inteHigible
to Him because He knew the Father's meaning in it aU. He
enlightened the anxiety of ordinary Hfe with the love of God
the Father, to show the Son's disciples there was something
higher and better than material objects. God's care for these
things signified a greater desire for the welfare of men. Jesus
said : " If God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field
17 St Luke xii. 21. is St Luke xii. 29-32.

328 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
and tomorrow is cast into the oven ; 19 how much more wul He
clothe you, 0 ye of little faith?" Through His great love
of the beautiful things in nature He saw in the varied tints
of the flowers of the field the clothing of the grass, and in that
vision of adornment there appeared God's superintending prov
idence. To the prophet and psalmist all nature quivered with
the thought of God. Behind the storm and the flood they
saw His hand ; and in the heavens His handiwork. But to the
prophet and the psalmist God was Jehovah; to Jesus God
was Father. He wished His disciples to realize that behind all
the processes of nature the love of the Father works for man.
All their phenomena appear in a particular order, their se
quence can be depended on; because He rules. The thought
of the Great Creator, infinite in power, being softened and
deepened into that of Father, it became possible to learn how
the mystery of fear might depart from! the life of the disciples
and the mystery of love might enter in. Though men may not
always understand they can expect according to their faith.
Freedom from anxiety will, therefore, depend on the direction
of the mind and the disposition of the heart. Jesus taught the
disciples to fix their minds on the Father's will, to turn their
hearts from the things of earth, and leave all their interests in
the Father's hands, where neither thief approacheth nor moth
corrupteth, for He said, " Where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also." 20 He wanted His disciples to love all
that was lovely, to see the love of God in nature, to realize
the love of God in His providence, to desire the love of God
in their own hearts as the preparation for the continuation
of a life of love, that, holding it fast, they might possess it
for ever.
Then, in quick transition from things present, He turned
their attention to the future, to a more distant future than
they had yet considered. Having directed them to the Fa
ther, He told them not to cease from the ordinary cares of life
is St. Luke xii. 28. The rough grass of the field is used as fuel; it is
put within the clay oven and the cakes are laid outside.
20 St Luke xii. 34.

THE PEREAN MINISTRY 329
because He had seen fit to give them the Kingdom; the King
dom and the preparation for it were to become their care;
that He, their Master, would return, and they were to be in
continual readiness to receive Him. In a short parable21 he
revealed to them their duty and their reward. As servants
watching for their Lord, whose absence at a wedding, on ac
count of the nature of the feast,22 indicated delay, they should
hold themselves in readiness to open the door at His appearing.
In return for their devotion He would attend to their personal
comfort. He impressed upon them the necessity for ever being
on the watch to guard against all attempts to determine the
precise time of His coming, declaring that it was just as un
certain as the moment when a thief would break into the house
at night.23
Peter interrupted 24 his Lord with a question concerning
the application of the parable, whether it referred to the
Apostles, who as servants were to watch, or all the disciples.
Jesus answered, in effect, that the greater a man's knowledge
the greater his guilt if his knowledge be not improved. If
a steward, under the impression that his Lord's coming was
delayed, should behave unkindly towards his subordinates, and
himself unseemly, a just reckoning would be made and punish
ment inflicted, and the reward for faithfulness would be a
higher post of administration.
Then Jesus 25 uttered the wish that the refining fire which
He had come to spread might be kindled, but before the purify
ing and illuminating Spirit could seize human nature and burn
out its impurity, His agony must be borne and His work ac
complished. These He compared in their intensity to a bap
tism of suffering, and thus contradicted the prevailing notions
that the Messiah would come to work by an outward revolu
tion. His victory would be found in His death. And the
nature of His suffering indicated the power of His word in
dividing asunder with its purifying flame the members of the
21 St. Luke xii. 35. 22 See page 389. 23 St. Luke xii. 39.
24 St. Luke xii. 41. 26 St. Luke xii. 49.

330 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
human family. The application of His words to the people
He showed by referring to the ordinary portents of the weather
with which they were all familiar : the little cloud in the western
sky, the precursor of rain; and the sirocco's breath from the
desert, the sign of greater summer heat. Common sense de
clared the necessity for the usual precautions, and also in
dealing with the ordinary disagreements of men.26
Rumours of a massacre of Galileans 27 in Jerusalem having
reached the district, the Pharisees imagined that Jesus would
naturally be affected by the account of the sanguinary method
adopted by the authorities towards a new movement. Gali
leans were of a notoriously turbulent character, and the event
recorded was not infrequent. It answered, however, the pur
pose of inquiry, and Jesus was questioned about the cause of
the disaster, whether it was not a sign of God's displeasure,
according to Jewish ideas of Divine judgment. " Suppose ye
that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans be
cause they suffered such things ? I tell you nay ; but, except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." A similar pronounce
ment was made in relation to the accidental death of some peo
ple in Siloam.
His prophecy was literally fulfilled at the destruction of
Jerusalem. The persistence of the Jews in their desire for a
Messiah to restore their land and nation raised false Messiahs,28
and kept the people in a ferment until hot rebellion against
Roman rule brought ruin on their city and disaster to the
nation. They rejected the true Messiah because He was not
according to their expectation. Their false notions were their
undoing; their false pride paved the way for destruction.
Jesus, realizing the doom of the people, impressed upon them
the necessity for repentance. He added another warning in
2« St. Luke xii. 58.
27 St. Luke xiii. 1. Josephus, Ant. Book XVIII. chap. iii. 2, where
there is also a note from Noldius de Herod, No. 294, relating to St. Luke
xxiii. 6, 7. (Whiston's Ed.)
28 Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book XI. chap. v. 3, 4.

THE PEREAN MINISTRY 331
the parable of the Barren Fig-tree, to show them the patience
of God and the inevitable result of unfruitfulness.
The parable of the Fig-tree 29 planted in a Vineyard, con
veys a very intimate and accurate knowledge of the fruit cul
ture of the land of Israel. Fig-trees and vines often grow
together, as they take different substances from the same soil,
and may therefore be cultivated in the same plot. In the
language of Scripture the vineyard generally stands as a sym
bol of Israel.30 The owner of the vineyard is the Lord. While
the vineyard signified the nation, the fig-tree in it was the
symbol of the individual soul, the tree planted in the garden
of the Lord, its place in the Divine order. The One Who
interceded for the tree, the dresser of the vineyard, was Jesus
Himself. He had pleaded for judgment to be deferred until
a further opportunity for imparting new sources of nourish
ment might produce some fruit. In the delay for the hope of
improvement God's forbearance was represented, and the three
years of grace indicated the time for growth.
During His ministry in Perea Jesus taught in the syna
gogues. A more tolerant attitude towards Him is noticeable
in the record of His visit to that distant province. The only
occasion when trouble occurred on the Sabbath Day relates
to a miracle He performed. He had seen a poor bent woman
suffering from curvature of the spine, attributed by the people
to demoniacal possession, and, calling her to Him, He said,
" Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." 31 And He
laid His hands on her ; and immediately she was made straight
and glorified God.
The ruler of the synagogue indignantly protested against
this infringement of their Sabbatical laws. Turning to the
people, he told them there were six days in which they could
be healed; such work ought not to be done on the Sabbath
Day. His complaint differs from the manner in which Jesus
had been treated in Judea and Galilee. Persecution followed
29 St. Luke xiii. 6. 30 Isaiah v. 1. 31 St. Luke xiii. 12.

332 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
His acts of healing on the Sabbath in Jerusalem. In Galilee
His work on the Sabbath raised a storm of wrath, but no vio
lent attempt to injure Him followed. Although there was
a protest in Perea and the same hostile spirit prevailed amongst
the rulers, it had evidently been influenced by local feeling.
The distance from Jerusalem and the predominance of Gen
tiles in the cities acted on Jewish prejudice, and cooled the
ardour of those who might be disposed to adopt severe meas
ures against Sabbath offenders. When Jesus pointed to the
people's care for their animals on the Sabbath and asked if
the same regard should not be shown for an afflicted woman,
" His adversaries were ashamed ; and all the people rejoiced
for all the glorious things that were done by Him." 32
The Feast of Dedication
After two months in Perea Jesus returned to Jerusalem to
the Feast of Dedication.33 How solemn the season, how sad
the significance, we dare not venture to proclaim. Words can
never express all the feelings of the heart of Jesus. We judge
chiefly by our own feeble strivings after knowledge. Accord
ing to calculation by Wieseler, the Feast in that year fell on
December 20th and lasted eight days. Jesus therefore kept
His birthday, His last birthday, in Jerusalem. It was also the
anniversary of His rejection by the rulers.
He walked up and down the eastern porch of the Temple
in the midst of the decoration of the rich colonnade apparently
alone, gazing wistfully across the Kedron on the slopes of
Olivet, and occasionally at the people. Suddenly, as if by
arrangement, the rulers of the Jews surrounded Him and im
patiently questioned Him, saying, " How long dost Thou make
us doubt ? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly." si Perhaps
the remembrance of the achievements of the heroes of the past,
whose deeds they commemorated at the Feast of Dedication,
impelled the rulers towards enquiry in the hope that the greater
32 St. Luke xiii. 17.
ss St. John x. 22. 34 St. John x. 24.

THE PEREAN MINISTRY 333
glory in store for their nation might be consummated. In
reply, He said He had already told them, but they would not
believe. He referred to His works as evidence of Divine origin,
then said : " Ye believe not because ye are not of My sheep,
as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know
them and they follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life." 3B
He declared Himself to be One with the Father,36 and imme
diately they attempted to stone Him. There was no mistake
about His claim before them. His words reminded them of
His address two months before; His reference to His works
recalled His claim. But none of these things appealed to the
base minds of the rulers. They wanted a temporal King to
lead them on to victory over their Roman masters ; Jesus came
to lead them unto God. He repeated His evidence of the works
to prove His Divine origin ; they became furious and sought
to take Him, but He escaped and went away again beyond
Jordan.37 35 St. John x. 26. 36 St. John x. 30. 37 St. John x. 39, 40.

CHAPTER XXXIII
A RETREAT BEYOND JORDAN
Jesus selected Bethabara as the most suitable place for re
tirement, not through personal fear of the authorities in Jeru
salem, but with the intention of continuing His work. The
district was sufficiently remote to keep Him out of their reach,
and by its position near the upper ford of the Jordan it
formed a rallying-place for disciples from various parts of the
country ; it was also close to the great highway of the east and
west. These advantages, however, were only incidental to His
purpose. Here John baptized, here he proclaimed the advent
of the Kingdom of God, and here Jesus met His first disciples.
The Kingdom John announced had begun to appear in the
teaching of Jesus, Who came here to continue its unveiling,
and in all the parables He taught at this time there is a grad
ual development of the idea of the Kingdom being in process
for completion in a higher life, in a fuller sense of living nearer
to God, something beyond the present. Earthly scenes with
which the disciples were familiar opened their eyes to behold
the vision of its expansion in the life immortal, and showed
how inadequate were the resources of earth for the satisfac
tion of the soul.
The people came to Him in large numbers, and many of
them acknowledged that Jesus was greater than John and
believed on Him.1 Wherever He became popular the Pharisees
became active, and when their activity was not openly conten
tious their energies were employed in preparing plans to un
dermine His authority and destroy His work. They even took
a mean advantage of their hospitality to entangle Him in their
i St. John x. 41, 42; St. Matt. xix. 1; St. Mark x. 1: t& Spia rijs 'lovSalas
ko! iripav tov 'lopddyov ("The borders of Judea and beyond Jordan").
334

A RETREAT BEYOND JORDAN 335
snares. One of their schemes, devised by a Pharisee of distinc
tion who invited Jesus to " eat bread " on the Sabbath Day,2
is specially mentioned.
In the courtyard of such an important person all kinds of
people gathered during the progress of a meal. Whether by
accident or design — probably the latter — a man with the
dropsy appeared amongst them, and in so prominent a place
he could not be overlooked. The sick man, evidently sincere
in his desire to be healed, had been brought by the adherents
of the Pharisee knowing what would be likely to happen, and
they watched to see what Jesus would do. Their eager looks
exposed their thoughts, and He asked them if it were lawful
to heal on the Sabbath Day, then cured the man and let him
go. Before they could offer a protest, probably on account
of their surprise at the successful treatment of a difficult
case, Jesus said, " Which of you shall have an ass or an ox
fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on
the Sabbath Day?"3
Having noticed several of the Pharisees striving for the chief
seats at the Pharisee's table, Jesus proceeded in the form of a
simple parable to admonish them. The sting appeared in the
closing words, which referred to their position in God's King
dom, where they would find their exalted opinions of themselves
reduced to their proper dimensions.4
A second parable 5 followed the same line of thought, in
which Jesus addressed the host, advising him not to invite
those who could return his invitation, but to send it to people
who had no means of recompense. The Pharisees, in their
pride of place, too frequently kept their hospitable intentions
confined within the circle of their own class ; for the poor and
sinful outside their doors they had nothing but contempt. Al
lusion was more particularly made to their idea of the King
dom of Heaven as a special preserve of their own, which they
expected to enjoy more freely by excluding all who did not
2 St. Luke xiv. 1.
3 St. Luke xiv. 5; originally "son or an ox" (uibs Ij [iovs, and altered
to hosty fiovs). * St. Luke xiv. 11. 5 St. Luke xiv. 12.

336 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
belong to the seeming righteous of which they were the chief
ornaments. One of the company cried, " Blessed is he who
shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God."
This outburst led to the parable of the Great Supper. In
the figure of a Feast, the most attractive and aUuring form of
happiness for Eastern men, Jesus gave them a manifestation
of the Kingdom of God. He presented the picture in a two
fold aspect: first in its appeal to the individual; and, second,
in its conception of fellowship. The invitation is offered to a
number, the acceptance is made by the individual in response
to the Divine call. But it does not end there. Just as the
natural life cannot be lived completely and perfectly in seclu
sion and isolation, but requires companionship for its develop
ment and expression, so the supernatural life needs fellowship.
The Head of the house presides at the Feast, the Giver is the
Governor, and all who accept His invitation sit with Him and
the other guests. It is the real presence of the Master that
maintains the harmony of the Feast ; it is His fellowship which
makes the heart beat with rapture and the face bright with
glee. The respectable, those who apparently live blameless lives,
first receive the invitation, as the most likely to possess a sense
of appreciation. And the excuses they give are all taken from
things lawful in themselves, yet from the manner in which they
are made they become the occasion of the greatest contempt
being shown to the Giver of the Feast. Nothing could be more
frivolous, Jesus showed them, than for men to regard their or
dinary affairs of life, the acquisition of wealth, the cares of
business, or domestic duties, as being more important to them
than the higher and better qualities of the life that is found in
the Kingdom of Heaven. They might easily have deferred
these matters to another time, but their minds were set against
the feast to which they were bidden, and their hearts turned
from the Giver to the petty details of their own fancy. It
shows the carnal mind even in the blameless life, and the carnal
mind gives everything the preference to God and His salvation.

A RETREAT BEYOND JORDAN 337
The Host, naturally indignant, said, " None of these men shall
taste of my supper."
Invitations were then sent to others of less repute who had
fewer things of their own to consider, to those who, being dis
satisfied with their condition, desired something better ; " the
poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind."
The warning was perfectly obvious. Those who refused the
invitation, rejected the offer, and of their own deliberate choice
turned from the highest good, had no reasonable ground of
complaint when others accepted and the feast was furnished
with guests.
Jesus impressed upon the minds of the people the necessary
conditions of feUowship. Even the nearest and dearest ties
of earth, He told them, should not interfere with the desire
for the Kingdom of God. Everything must be sacrificed for
the better life, even a cross — heavier through differences in
families and harder because of its being opposed to all that
the world offers to man — a cross had to be borne by the dis
ciple. Lest the people surrounding Him saw a contradiction
between this hard saying 6 and the parable of the Feast, Jesus
spoke two short parables by way of illustration.7 He had set
a high standard, and told the people to count the cost. He
would not have them suddenly dragged into His service, nor
cause them to be led astray on false pretences by the appear
ance of an easy entrance into the Kingdom of God. He said,
" Count the cost " ; He wished to impress them with the depth
and difficulty of the better life. It was a feast truly, not some
thing to be gained by calculating and cowardly prudence, but
from wise deliberation, as a builder, having secured a good
foundation, realizes what it will cost to finish the structure.
Effort on effort must be laid for character to rise, by great
endeavour and not by comfortable progress. The better life
has a cross in it which demands from men, besides the power
of endurance, the sense of perspective ; though the cross be
heavy, and the struggle severe, the prize is glorious. " Count
s St. Luke xiv. 26-29. 7 St. Luke xiv. 30-33.

338 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the cost," Jesus said, as if you were a king making war; for
life is a warfare too, and the disciple must be a hero, a think
ing and reasoning warrior. Thus, what appears as a contra
diction is a twofold conception of Hfe ; man's response is his
own share in it ; the feast the gift of life which God bestows.
" Then drew near unto Him all the Publicans and Sinners
for to hear Him. And the Pharisees murmured, saying, This
man receiveth Publicans and Sinners, and eateth with them." 8
A more glorious reproach could scarcely have been uttered
than the complaint of the Pharisees of the work of Jesus. He
answered them in the three parables of the lost, by appealing
td the highest and best in man 9 in defence of God's method of
redemption. So lofty an ideal transcends the ordinary concep
tion of a man, such love as it represents could only be real
ized in a Divine Person and exhibited by Himself. There is a
suggestiveness and a tenderness in the word " lost " ; it means
something is missing from its right place, not necessarily some
thing of intrinsic value, but valuable to the loser. It is the
Loser Who understands the true meaning of the word, and
not the one that is lost. We often speak of lost things in a
sense quite different from the interpretation of the word in the
Bible. According to the mind of God the lost are not irrecov
erable, there is the desire to regain and not the abandonment
of despair. In His sight the lost are worth saving. God sees
something not whoUy depraved, and therefore He wants to
make the best of it, to restore it. Jesus, the Divine Son,
showed in the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and
the Lost Son, that lost things are objects of unquenchable
affection. In the first two we see a picture of the seeking love
of God. Many sheep were left, but the number did not satisfy
the Divine Shepherd. One was lost, not by wilfulness, not by
deliberate intention, but in waywardness and in discontent, and
His heart followed the wanderer. When it had strayed it was
in danger, and might perish if not found. An evil beast, ever
on the watch for wandering sheep, might seize it, the mountain
8 St. Luke xv. 1, 2. f» St, Luke xv. 4.

A RETREAT BEYOND JORDAN 339
wilderness might retain it. God's pity for it, His regard for
its danger, is seen in His search. The lost sheep became more
valuable in the eyes of the Shepherd than all that remained.
Over the rugged hill and down the deep ravine, up the thorny
steep and through the desert scrub, He sought the lost, and
when He found it carried it home with joy.
The lost coin has a greater relative value than the lost sheep.
Ninety-nine out of the hundred still kept together, but only
nine out of the ten coins remained.10 One-tenth of the wom
an's wealth had disappeared. Whatever may be the interpre
tation of the woman, her efforts and her coin, this fact ap
pears for us to notice, that it is the missing drachma that she
seeks, and, having turned the house upside down, at last she
found it and called her friends and neighbours together to share
her joy.
The third parable differs from the first two in the kind of
object lost. In the former we see no sign of feeling; one is
mute and the other lifeless ; but in the third, besides the seek
ing love of God, there are the various movements in the re
sponse of the human heart, the rise and progress of true reli
gion in the soul. The son we call prodigal the Father shields
under the term " lost." No other word of God describes his
deplorable meanness. The brother speaks of him in a harsher
way, but we must remember Jesus showed that God has a
greater love for lost man than man has for his lost brother.
The younger son had asked for his inheritance, all that he
could obtain from his father. He wanted everything but
parental rule, and having received all he asked, he became
weary of his home, of his father's restraining presence, and
went and wasted his substance among exciting pleasure in a
world of sin away from home. He discovered at last the un
satisfying nature of worldly happiness ; his money spent, aban
doned by his friends, he reached the lowest depths of degrada-
10 A plausible explanation of the lost coin has been given in the state
ment that the coins formed the dowry of the bride and corresponded to
the wedding ring; but coins are worn as ornaments by unmarried women.
AU a womaii's wealth is placed in ornaments on her person,

340 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
tion. It was not until he realized how deep was his fall below
the standard of his true home that he came to himself. This
was the first step in a new experience. The next was the most
critical, the one on which his future depended. He had to
decide whether he would turn from his miserable state or re
main in his abject position. Memory awoke within him a
father's care. Having made up his mind to leave his sordid
occupation, the next step is seen in the direction of his gaze.
He saw that even the service of his father was better than the
servitude of sin, and turned his back on his miserable plight
to return to his father with words of confession ready formed
to express his contrition.
When he was a great way off his father saw him, had great
compassion on him, ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him.
A banquet was prepared to celebrate with joy the lost son's
return; the best robe was procured to signify his reception
into the family; and the ring was obtained for his finger to
show the binding nature of the father's love. Forgiveness was
ready for him even before he left the husks ; he had to return
and claim it. The luxury of home he found in the father's
presence. When the elder brother came from the field the strains of
music from the house surprised him. He inquired the cause,
and when he heard that a feast was being given to express the
joy of his father at the return of his prodigal brother, he
would not go in. The father went out to him and entreated
him, but he sullenly complained of his love for the lost, and
spoke as if he who had remained at home had been deprived
of the due reward of his merits. Gently the father talked to
him, and told him of his perpetual recompense in his father's
wealth. He may not have had the rapture of the returned
prodigal, but he might have possessed the joy of uninter
rupted peace.
On another occasion, when our Lord was teaching His dis
ciples, He told them the parable of the Unjust Steward, a
story of worldly acuteness to illustrate a lesson on spiritual

A RETREAT BEYOND JORDAN 341
prudence. In the East the tenants of a landowner paid their
rent in kind; his steward having been found dishonest, and
fearing poverty on being dismissed, made what he thought a
suitable provision for the future by friendly overtures to his
master's tenants, with appropriate concessions at his master's
expense. Many difficulties have arisen in the interpretation of this
parable, owing to Jesus commending the prudence of the man
who cheated his master. Some people regard the whole parable
as a specimen of the ironical method our Lord adopted in deal
ing with the Pharisees; but this explanation assumes that the
parable was spoken only to the Pharisees. The concluding
words give the key to its meaning. It is not the dishonesty of
the steward which Jesus approved, but his foresight. The
test of a man's real value is the ultimate aim of his life. Some
men try to make the best of two aims, the service of self and the
service of God, and fail in both. If the unjust steward had
hesitated in carrying out his crime, and allowed his conscience
to hamper or to hinder him, he would have failed hopelessly and
lost both his stewardship, in which he had been unfaithful,
and the friends he tried by a trick to secure. Therefore his
lord commended his foresight, and Jesus said that in such pru
dence the children of this world are wiser than the children
of light — that is, with reference to their own standard of life.
Their choice having once been made, its success depended on
the determination with which they acted upon it. If a man
chooses the service of God he should be just as keen and cour
ageous in his service as worldly people are in their particular
choice. The Pharisees who heard the parable treated Jesus with open
derision. His words had touched the spring of their corrupt
lives. They imagined that the problem of serving God and
satisfying their instinct for gain had been successfully solved.
No one, they thought, could doubt their future safety; their
example of service in their attendance at the Temple, and its
display of tithing, made it secure. Yet they loved the wealth

342 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
they sought with diligence. Love of money is the most prom
inent feature of Eastern life ; money forms the chief topic of
conversation. It is a subject of perennial interest, a source
of infinite joy. Every piece of money upon which a man can
lay his hands is put in a safe place, and the safest place is the
earth. Coins by the bushel have been turned up by the plough
share in the field. Occasionally a little earthen jar 1X contain
ing shekels appears, to the delight of the seeker after wealth.
Wherever any digging 12 or excavation work is being carried
on in Palestine no explanation will persuade the peasant that
the recovery of treasure is not the object of all the work and
search. The Pharisees were told that, though they justified them
selves before men, the direction of their hearts was not hidden
from God. Into the new Kingdom for which John had pre
pared the way men were pressing, and the law was being ful
filled. The faithless were those who failed to see it fulfilled
in the Kingdom ; neither the law itself nor even a tittle 13 of
it would fail.
In order to make the lesson which He had conveyed to the
Pharisees more plain, Jesus proceeded to exhibit in the parable
of the Rich Man and Lazarus the future life as it is related
to the present. He showed that, if a worldly man desires in
this life intense physical pleasure from the good things he
possesses, and gives himself up to the enjoyment of them with
out any restraint upon himself or thought of others, his heart
is set upon them and not upon God. Having made his choice,
he cannot expect anything different. The power of associa
tion continues in his memory, which plays an important part
in future retribution and increases the misery of the lost. The
mind, being like a sensitized plate, develops in the next sphere,
and, having the capacity to retain impressions, it has also
the energy to recall them. What might have been tortures the
n2 Cor. iv. 7. 12 St. Matt. xxv. 18; Josh. vii. 21; St. Matt. xiii. 44.
13 Kepaia = tittle, the smallest stroke of a letter.

A RETREAT BEYOND JORDAN 343
soul besides the issues of self-indulgence. God is no respecter
of persons. Man chooses now between the good things and
the evil things. Ample opportunities present both of them to
men. The Rich Man represents those who forget God in the
use they make of the good things of life. The beggar Laz
arus, neglected at the rich man's gate, the recipient of the
broken meat, whose sores were aggravated by the attention of
the pariah dogs, the scavengers of the city streets, looked for
his enjoyment of the better life of the Kingdom of God. The
rich man was not tormented because he had been rich, nor was
the beggar happy on account of his former poverty. Their
feelings were determined by the remembrance of the past, of
the choice they had made. The rich man's view of the repose
of the beggar in Abraham's bosom 14 was a picture of what
might have been for him, and to save his brethren from a fate
similar to his own he asked that Lazarus should be sent to
warn them of their latter end; but he was told that, if they
would not heed the message of the law and the prophets,
neither would they believe a messenger who had risen from the
dead. The Pharisees were not long disposed to let Jesus alone \
they continually devised means to gain an advantage, gen
erally by questions, in the hope that by some mistaken judg
ment they might entangle Him in a decision against the law.
One of the most difficult problems of Eastern life has- ever been
the matter of divorce. The laxity of the law is so prevalent
in Jewish circles at the present time in Jerusalem that a
badly cooked dinner is sufficient cause for a man to put away
his wife. Among the lower orders it is possible for a man, in
asking for a marriage certificate, to take out a bill of divorce
at the same time for any future emergency, and discount will
be given for the two documents.
In our Lord's time a decided opposition of opinion was ex
pressed regarding this question. Two different schools of
14 Abraham's bosom depicted the abode of the righteous dead. The figure
IS taken from the place of the children on the breast pf a parent,

344 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
thought divided the people, and the difference was seen in their
customs. Moses gave the law that a man might divorce his wife.
The Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful for a man " to put
away his wife for every cause." 15 He answered, " Have ye
not read that He which made them at the beginning made them
male and female? And said, for this cause shall a man leave
father and mother and shall cleave to his wife : and they twain
shall be one flesh. What, therefore, God hath j oined together
let no man put asunder." They say unto Him, " Why did
Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to
put her away? " He saith unto them, " Because of the hard
ness of your hearts." Then He gave His own law regarding
adultery. " Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be
for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery ;
and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adul
tery." 16
Loftier wisdom and greater courage than the Pharisees had
ever seen baffled them. Even the disciples were startled by
this Divine exposition of the law of marital conduct, and sug
gested that it might be better not to marry. But no sanction
was given for celibacy. The men who did not marry, for rea
sons satisfactory to themselves, were not on that account bet
ters than others, only different from them.
As if in comment on these great thoughts, the people, hav
ing noticed preparations for departure, hurriedly brought
their children for the legacy of His blessing. His disciples,
anxious to save their Master from being needlessly disturbed,
rebuked the parents, but happily Jesus saw them and called
them unto Him and said, " Suffer little children to come unto
Me, and forbid them not : for of such is the Kingdom of God." 17
Women and children found a ready champion in Jesus. His
regard for them has changed men's attitude towards them, and
placed the children in the forefront of love. His saying that
15 St. Matt. xix. 3, 4, 5. 17 St. Luke xviii. 16.
16 St. Matt. xix. 9.

Edit. A. Noyer, Pans Sc. D. Mastroianni
Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not : for of such is
the kingdom of God
Mark X: 14

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris Sc. D. Mastroianni
Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go
John XI: 44

A RETREAT BEYOND JORDAN 345
" Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little
child shaU in nowise enter therein " 18 was soon justified in an
incident that followed.
A young man of good family and great wealth,19 attracted
by the reputation of Jesus as a Teacher, came running to Him,
and, prostrating himself at His feet, breathlessly said, " Good
Master, what shaU I do to inherit eternal life?" His style
of address, though intended as a mark of admiration, exhibited
his need of understanding the position of Jesus. The Master
asked, " Why callest thou Me good? " He wished first to show
him tlie mistaken idea he had in his mind of the One Whom
he addressed; that He was not a good or saintly Rabbi as He
might have appeared to the young ruler. Jesus did not de
scribe Himself; He merely set aside the young man's descrip
tion as wrong, then pointed him to the commandments. Ap
parently surprised at the answer he received, the ruler said,
" All these have I kept from my youth up." He had lived
a blameless life, keeping the letter of the law in aU sincerity,
and Jesus, perceiving the truth of his statement, looked on
him and loved him.20
But the young man had not been satisfied with himself and
what he had done; a conscious and instinctive longing for
something better than the faithful discharge of external duties
filled his heart ; he groped for something higher. And, in order
to reach it, he imagined that something else could be done.
He might well have been staggered when Jesus proposed an act
of self-denial so different from what he had ever conceived, so
contrary to the ideas of the time. He thought of external
work instead of internal worth. Although he was a product
of the age in which he lived, he had not the pride of the Phari
see; his transparent and lovable nature presented a strange
and remarkable picture, considering his circumstances, and
we may be surprised at the way in which Jesus dealt with him.
He said to him, " If thou wilt be perfect, go and seU that
is St. Luke xviii. 17. =o St Mark x. 21.
is St Luke xviii. IS, etc.

346 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure
in heaven; and come and follow Me." But when the young
man heard that saying, " he went away sorrowful : for he had
great possessions." 21 St. Mark reports the need of one thing
in the young ruler without defining it, but the record of St.
Matthew, " If thou wilt be perfect " is equal to " If thou wish
est to be complete, one thing is needed." In principle it was
the answer to all under the law, whose highest ideal of right
eousness was doing instead of being. Jesus wanted the man
and not his works, and only when the young ruler had stripped
himself of everything and stood in the bare consciousness of
self could he become a true follower of Jesus. Nothing must
come between God and man for the right relationship to be
established. What Christ taught He practised. He asked no
more than He gave Himself. For eternal life to be real to a
man it had to be apprehended as the life with God alone, with
out any thought of anything else. It set before the rich young
man an ideal too high for him to attain ; not perhaps too high
for him to appreciate. He felt unable to reach its lofty
sphere, and sorrowfully turned away. For a moment he stood
on the threshold of the Kingdom, just for a moment, with a
craving for it that moved his heart and almost tore it asunder ;
then he refused to enter. Called from the security of his ob
servance of the law and the comfort of his earthly possessions
for life's great adventure, to face a situation in which nothing
of his own would assist him, but where he would find God, he
dare not risk the venture of leaving aU to trust in Him. It
looks like a tragedy: to be so near, hesitate, and turn away.
When Jesus saw that he was sorrowful, He said, " How hardly
shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God ! 22
For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,23
21 St. Matt. xix. 21, 22. 22 St. Luke xviii. 24.
23 St. Luke xviii. 25. A common and plausible explanation has often
been given by calling the little door of the city gate "the needle's eye,"
but it is untrue both to fact and life. A camel never attempts to enter
the city in this way, the aperture is too small, and the gate is not known
as the Needle's Eye, but Bab Ezreer, i.e. little gate. Even if the camel

A RETREAT BEYOND JORDAN 347
than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God." Jesus
illustrated the difficulty in true Eastern fashion by referring
to the biggest animal the people had ever seen, and the smallest
hole with which they were acquainted, and thus emphasized the
impossibility of a man's own efforts. The people might well
have been amazed, and they said, " Who then shall be saved? "
Jesus answered, " The things which are impossible with men
are possible with God." 24
Peter replied, as if in doubt about his own position and that
of his friends, " Lo ! we have left all and followed Thee." By
way of explanation and encouragement, after stating that self-
sacrifice would not be without reward, Jesus impressed upon
His disciples more fully, by the parable of the Labourers in the
Market-place, that entering into the Kingdom of Heaven had
nothing to do with the nature of exchange or recompense.
God admitted according to His will and in His own order all
whom He would, that Gentiles might be received before Jews,
and the young left 'before the old, and that in that happy
state none would complain about his place or pay. The
parable has about it a rich local colour, as labourers even to
day may be found standing idle in the market-place waiting
to be hired, and are easily recognized by their garments : one
coat, the sign of the workman, either hanging loose from the
shoulder, if he is a countryman, or bound with a girdle, at
tracts attention; his position in the streets where these men
assemble is known to all who hire them. Although one of them
might be standing in his usual place, he will decline an offer of
work if he wears two coats; his attire then indicates his holi
day.kneels to be unloaded, as is sometimes suggested, it cannot move until it
regains its feet. Besides, St. Luke introduces the word (SeXovins, commonly
used for the needle employed in surgical operations.
24 St. Luke xviii. 27.

CHAPTER XXXIV
THE RAISING OF XAZARUS
Just before Jesus closed His ministry in Perea a message came
from the sisters of Bethany informing Him that their brother
Lazarus was sick. They thought the simple intimation re
specting their brother's need and their distress was sufficient to
create a response in the heart of Jesus. Belief in His willing
ness to aid them without a direct appeal shows how greatly
they valued His love, yet instead of hurrying to their assist
ance He contentedly dispatched a reply that the sickness was
" not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of
God might be glorified thereby." x Such unconcern seemed
utterly at variance with affectionate regard, but the Lord's
delays were never without reason, they had a meaning which
became manifest in His own time. He had been teaching His
disciples that death is not the end of all things, and He wished
to prove it. The healing of Lazarus would not accomplish
His purpose ; death had to be vanquished to furnish the proof
of immortality and exhibit the glory of the Eternal God.
After hearing the sad news of the illness of the man whom
He loved, Jesus abode two more days in His distant sphere
of labour apparently unmoved ; then He casually spoke to His
disciples about going to Judea without first revealing the cause
of His intended departure from Bethabara. Alarmed at His
proposal, they reminded Him of the danger to which He would
be exposed by the venture ; but He answered,2 " Are there not
twelve hours in the day? " twelve hours for work and duty,
when the light for guidance keeps men from failure. He said,
" Our friend Lazarus sleepeth ; but I go that I may awake him
out of sleep." 3 His disciples thought He referred to rest as
i St. John xi. 4. s St. John xi. 11.
2 St. John xi. 9. 348

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS 349
a sign of improvement, and said, " Lord, if he sleep he shall
do well," although three of them had heard the same expres
sion used with reference to death. He then told them plainly
that Lazarus was dead. He even said He was glad for their
sakes that He was not present, " to the intent they might
believe," 4 — a statement that must have astonished them. He
could have cured Lazarus by His word as He healed the son
of the nobleman of Capernaum, but He wished to show His
disciples the power of an endless life, and destroy the horror
of death. It would not have been easy to watch His friend
Lazarus die in the presence of His disciples, and still less rea
sonable to do the work He wished to perform after seeing him
pass away. He was glad, therefore, to remain at a distance
until Lazarus died. " Nevertheless," said Jesus, " let us go
unto' him." The enterprise now appeared unnecessary, and to
Thomas it seemed full of danger on account of the determina
tion of the rulers in Jerusalem to destroy Jesus, but love and
loyalty to his Lord prompted him to say, " Let us also go,
that we may die with Him." 5
No further information had reached Jesus from the sisters
of Bethany when He told His disciples that Lazarus was dead :
He knew as the Son of God, Who knoweth all things. He
waited two days after receiving the message that His friend
was sick, waited until He knew that Lazarus was dead and
buried ; then He left the Bethany in northern Perea and reached
the village of Martha and Mary on the fourth day.6
Many of their friends in Jerusalem, about two miles distant
from the home of Lazarus, now known as El Azarieh (the place
of Lazarus), had come to mourn with his sorrow-stricken sis
ters; but as soon as Martha heard of the approach of Jesus
she left them to go and meet Him. Immediately she saw Him
she said, " Lord, if Thou hadst been here my brother had not
died. But I know that, even now, whatsoever Thou wilt ask
4 St. John xi. 15. 5 St. John xi. 16.
o Jericho is reached from Bethany in northern Perea on the third day
and Bethany near Jerusalem on the fourth day. Burial follows death in
a few hours.

350 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
of God He will give it Thee." 7 The presence of Jesus in
spired her with hope. He replied, " Thy brother shall rise
again." Thinking of the distant gathering of the spirits of
the departed, she answered, " I know that he shall rise again
in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus declared, " I am
the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and be
lieveth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this ? " She
could not fathom the depth of this great truth, but she ac
knowledged the fact which embraced it when she answered,
" Yea, Lord, I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of
God." After making this great confession she went in search of
Mary, and, having found her, she whispered to her, " The
Master is come and calleth for thee." 8 Instantly Mary
arose and went to the place outside the village where Martha
met Him. The mourners who had come to comfort the sisters
thought she had gone to her brother's grave to weep, and fol
lowed her. As soon as she came to Jesus she fell adoringly
at His feet and said, " Lord, if Thou hadst been here my
brother had not died." When He saw her tears, and the Jews
who came with her also weeping, " He groaned in spirit and
was troubled." They took Him to the sepulchre, and there
He also wept, and some of those who saw Him regarded His
sorrow as evidence of His love; others said, "Could not this
Man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even
this man had not died? " 9
On reaching the " grave," a chamber hewn out of the rock
on the side of the hill with a stone in front, a sign of the last
resting-place of a man of wealth,10 Jesus said, " Take ye away
the stone." lx His command alarmed Martha, who reminded
her Lord that her brother had been in the grave four days,
and she feared the exposure of his body in its corruption.
But Jesus said unto her, " Said I not unto thee that if thou
7 St. John xi. 21, 22. a St. John xi. 28. 9 St John xi. 32-37.
io The poor were buried in hollow places dug in the earth; only the rich
could afford a sepulchre with a stone before it. n St. John xi. 39.

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS 351
wouldest believe thou shouldest see the glory of God ? " 12 The
stone was then removed, and Jesus in solemn yet audible tones
thanked God the Father for the confirmation of His work,
and, turning to the mouth of the sepulchre, He cried, " Laz
arus, come forth." 18 And from the grave and gate of death
he that had passed within walked out of the tomb bound in
the garments of his burial, the warm blood once again coursing
through his veins in vigorous health. His return to earth
restored him to his family; it also offered him to mankind as
evidence of immortality, which men have failed to realize be
cause of their unbelief. Every step in the working of the
miracle moved towards the revelation of the power in Jesus
over death, to show that death is the great illusion, and that
those who live in fellowship with Him will never die. He had
seen death, but He never treated death like other people. He
had never shown the least alarm nor any sorrow for death it
self. Later He became sorrowful even unto death, but not
sorrowful for death; neither that nor aU the problems attend
ing it had ever perplexed Him.
Yet the dread of death is a universal instinct; the mystery
by which it is surrounded increases men's fear of it, and the
certainty that sooner or later they wiU succumb to its power
causes them to shrink from contemplating their departure into
what is often called the Great Unknown. It is hard for a man
to leave everything and everybody behind him, and step as it
were into the future, separate and alone. The indifference
which some men show is often the absence of courage and not
the proof of it. Yet many have faced death with indomitable
will and noble fortitude ; others have welcomed it as a way out
of their misery. But neither the attitude of the brave nor the
submission of the weary disposes of the fact that the mystery,
and the certainty, and the loneliness of death have laid hold
on men and their fear of death has dimmed the glory of the
Eternal God.
Christ's miracle was designed to vindicate His glory by a
12 St. John xi. 40. iS St. John xi. 43.

352 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
manifestation of the truth, which men have held but lightly,
that in mortal man there is an immortal soul.
In addition to the evidence of the resurrection, every man
has a doubt about death being the end of life. It is incon
ceivable that the progress and improvement which he sees in
the moral principles of man, his accumulation of knowledge,
and his progress in virtue, should be of no future use to him,
as his experience has shown him that the best things are the
most permanent. There must be a future life to justify his
present experience, and to allow his full growth, otherwise
development will be arrested, and the best in man can never
come to full fruition. The fact that a man has attained so
much is a sign that he must attain stul more. In Hfe we be
hold illimitable progression; as also in the historic habit of
thought we find that the mental habits of bygone generations
enter the very spirit of present modes of thinking.
Besides all this there is in man the desire for a future life,
his growth in those qualities which endure strengthens it, and
as all natural desires are naturally gratified, he cannot see
why this should fail to obtain satisfaction.
Then there is the expectation of a final adjustment of
things; so many are not cleared up on earth, and the very
nature of justice demands that the tangled web of life shall
be loosed and all its imperfections filled.
All this is suggestive, but uncertain. We do not wonder
that men wish it were true, and dread that it may be false.
If further evidence can be added to support the dim guess the
soul of man has formed, it is worth while looking for it.
There are thousands of men who have never examined the
evidence of resurrection; they are incapable of estimating its
value if they received it. They know nothing about the laws
of evidence ; they have had no practice in balancing the value
of testimony; yet these simple men have been brought into
contact with something above and beyond their ordinary ex
perience, which has assured them of the reality of their hope
in the resurrection of the dead. Their natural sensations tell

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS 353
them one thing, but their faith tells them another. "He
that believeth on the Son of God 14 hath the witness in him
self." When a man confines himself to the light of the ordinary
experience of things around him, and allows his natural feel
ing to absorb his attention, he prevents the Hght from grow
ing brighter that will lead him to another experience. He
lacks the faith which is the evidence of the spirit, the state in
which the things of God become glorious realities. This in
ward condition cannot reveal a fact like the resurrection, but
it can receive the fact the moment it is revealed without re
quiring evidence to prove it; and Jesus furnished the proof
when He revealed the fact in the resurrection of Lazarus. He
set His seal on it with His own resurrection. Through faith
in Him He gives to man the life that will rise. It is the life
we call spiritual; not a state, but a relationship with a force
proceeding directly from the Giver of life eternal; it is the
life of the Son of Man which He lived when He said, " I am the
resurrection and the life," and which He still lives in the hu
manity He has redeemed. In this way He is among men, offer
ing them the gift of an endless life. By the union with Christ,
by keeping in touch with Him, men partake of His life, the life
eternal, and the life identified with God is independent of
death ; however indistinct the likeness in a man, he has some
thing that will never perish.15 And when his body decays, his
eyes become dim, his limbs inert, and his heart still, he is no
longer separate and alone as he passes away from earth. The
uncertainty of the future has gone, and its mystery is dis
solved by faith in Jesus Christ.
Some of the Jews who saw the miracle believed on Jesus,
but others went straight to the Pharisees and told them what
He had done,16 not apparently to glorify God, but to seek
the favour of men. Within a few hours it became known in
Jerusalem that a wonderful miracle had been performed by
14 l John v. 10.
ib Archbishop Lang, The Miracles of Jesus, p. 274, is St. John xi. 46.

354 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Jesus and in a most public manner. It was reported that He
had raised a man from the dead, even in the presence of men
who were hostile to Him, some of whom, convinced of His
power, had confessed their faith in Him. This serious news
caused great excitement, and alarmed the Scribes and Phari
sees. The storm that the presence of Jesus had created when
He was last in Jerusalem had been subdued for a while; now
it broke out afresh and with greater violence. The miracle
was only the indirect cause; the rulers were not angry with
Jesus for raising Lazarus from the dead, it was the publicity
arising from His work and the fear that He might influence
the popular mind in favour of the statements regarding Him
self, His claim of a Divine origin.
The Sanhedrin were hurriedly summoned 17 and Caiaphas
the High Priest, who presided, delivered what at first sight
seems a strange address. In it we have the first trace of the
charge against Jesus at His trial, the argument which even
tually forced the hand of Pontius Pilate, " If thou let this
man go thou art Caesar's friend." 18
Caiaphas said in his address, " If we let Him thus alone
. . . the Romans shall come and take away both our place
and nation." 19 He based this opposition on the ground of
patriotism. The motive which controUed their minds was po-
Htical. Hidden below this ostensible reason for taking action
was their intense hatred, and many causes contributed to the
bitter feeling in them. The teaching of Jesus, which identified
religion with goodness, and brought man into Contact with
God without the aid of priests and the use of external ordi
nances, gave offence; that religion belonged to the heart, and
not to intellectual diversion, increased their enmity. All this
carried weight against Him; but more than all, and yet what
was the essence of all, was the Divine origin claimed by Jesus.
The Messiah, the Jews expected from the line of David, be
longed to the Jews alone, for the aggrandizement of their na
tion. A Divine Messiah offered all people an equal place with
17 St. John xi. 47. is St. John xix. 12. is St. John xi. 48.

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS 355
the Children of Israel, and the idea became more intolerable,
and provoked greater hostility, the more the rulers realized
the mission of Jesus. His claim offended their national in
stincts, and in their eyes it became a crime. He was a bold
Reformer in the very centre of Judaism. With consummate
courage He had declared that God was the Father of aU men
and not of a particular race. For His offence they attempted
to stone Him when He was last in Jerusalem. It suited the
purpose of the rulers then to incite the people against Him
by proclaiming Him a traitor to Israel. When the chance of
His falling a victim to their scheme on this charge threatened
to disappear in the pubHcity He had now obtained by the
miracle of Bethany, they were forced to seek His destruction
on the new ground of treason to Rome. The object of the
meeting of the Sanhedrin became clear when the Jew Caiaphas
posed as a Roman patriot. It was useless to appeal to Rome
for a judgment on the charge of blasphemy; that offence ap
pealed to the Jews and inflamed the populace against the Man
of Nazareth. A more certain case for Csesar's judgment was
the one adopted by the decision of the Sanhedrin, when they
virtually sentenced Jesus to death at their meeting by agree
ing that it was expedient " that one man should die for the
people, and that the whole nation perish not." 20
Years after St. John saw in the judgment of Caiaphas
something which escaped the attention of the Council, a deeper
truth than their prejudiced minds could perceive, and which
he did not hesitate to caU prophetic : " Being High Priest
that year, he prophesied." 21 The truth contained the central
doctrine of Christianity, the vicarious sacrifice of Christ.
20 St John xi. 50. 21 St John xi. 51.

CHAPTER XXXV

UNTO THE END

From that time x " Jesus therefore walked no more openly
among the Jews," He retired to a mountain village of Ephraim
about fifteen miles north-east of Jerusalem. The district had
associations with which He was familiar. Those barren
heights on the south-east of the village and the deep gullies
between them reminded Him of the long preparation for His
great temptation. His last dread conflict was approaching,
when all the forces of evil would again be arrayed against
Him, and during the brief period He and His disciples spent
in seclusion He braced Himself for His final victory. He
may have told them the story of His former struggle and re
hearsed the scenes during their sojourn in the wilderness.
From the hills around them they saw the sterile ground of the
desert places where He wandered, and the high mountain across
the Jordan Valley from whence He gazed on the kingdoms of
the world. The victory won in those barren solitudes pre
figured the triumph of His cross. He remained there until the
time drew near for His last journey to Jerusalem, and the
last great battle for the souls of men, when death was defeated
at the moment when it seemed triumphant. The length of
His stay in the wilderness cannot be determined ; it may have
been forty days. All we know with certainty is that the rais
ing of Lazarus marked a definite stage in the last period of
our Lord's ministry. After the Feast of Dedication in De
cember He went to Bethabara in Perea. No reference is made
to any movements from that retreat until He walked to Bethany
for the miracle which alarmed the rulers and necessitated His
retirement to the village by the wilderness.
iSt. John xi. 54. 356

UNTO THE END 357
Ever since His first sojourn in this barren region Jesus had
steadily and fearlessly walked along the way of life He had
made for Himself; the last stage of His earthly pilgrimage
had now to be traversed. Deeper feU the shadows on the
way home to the Father; brighter glowed through the rifts in
the darkness the light of Eternal Day. Jesus told His dis
ciples that He must go to Jerusalem where " aU things that
are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shaU
be accomplished." 2 He gave them details of the last events.
Still they understood not ; His sayings dropped into the minds
of His disciples in bewildering confusion. So great a scheme
as the world's salvation could not be readily grasped; it had
to be enacted for their understanding to realize its meaning.
Only when the last struggle 3 issued in resurrection glory and
there came the Spirit of their risen and ascended Lord into
their hearts did they see clearly aU that He had said and done
for mankind.
From the mountains of Ephraim overlooking the Jordan,
the Passover caravan from GaHlee, which went down the vaUey
road that year, could easily be seen. As it entered the plain
past the Damieh ford Jesus and His disciples joined the band
of pilgrims, among whom were disciples from the northern
province, His mother, and the holy women who had ministered
unto Him. He walked before them as they marched on their
way to Jericho.
During the journey Salome,4 the mother of James and John,
came with her two sons to Jesus to make a strange request.
First worshipping Him, as if the act of homage might win His
favour, she asked for her sons the posts of honour in His
Kingdom, that one might sit on His right hand and the other
on His left. He gently rebuked them, saying, " Ye know not
what ye ask." They asked in their ignorance for places soon
to be occupied by two thieves. In their imagination they pic
tured a throne: Jesus saw a cross. He told them of a cup
of bitterness and a baptism of blood, and asked them if they
2 St Luke xviii. 31. s St John xv. 26. * St Matt xx. 20.

358 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
could drink with Him the cup and enter into the same bap
tism, and "they answered that they could. " Yes," said He,
" ye shall drink indeed of My cup, . . . but to sit on My
right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it shall
be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father." 5
When the ten Apostles heard of the request of the sons of
Zebedee they were naturally indignant ; 6 but Jesus called
them to Him and told them that they were not to be like
earthly rulers with their authority, that the highest and most
permanent honour would be gained by the greatest humility,
and that even the Son of Man came to be a Servant, and to
give His life a ransom for many.
This was the first distinct declaration of redemption. Jesus
had spoken already of salvation, of the saving of the lost ; 7
now He states that it would be accomplished by the payment
of a price, and that price was His own life. Quite casually the
words slipped from Him as He talked about the matter in dis
pute amongst the Apostles. The contrast between their de
sires and His work seemed to open His lips for His thoughts
to be revealed. The disciples may not have fully realized the
tremendous import of His utterance at the moment when they
were so much concerned about their own position, but they
could attach no other meaning to it than that He who spoke
of ransom 8 meant to offer His life for the redemption of
others. The word " ransom " means primarily a price paid for de
liverance, and in this sense it is found in the Greek version of
the Old Testament 9 for the " ransom " which is accepted in
stead of a man's life in Exod. xxi. 30. The law of blood still
in force in the wilderness, the chief factor of desert Hfe, illus
trates in the most graphic manner the significance of ransom. 10
5 St. Matt. xx. 23. e St. Matt xx. 24. 7 St. Matt, xviii. 11.
s Bishop Ellicott's New Testament Commentary, on St. Matt. xx. 28.
» Ibid.
io " It is a duty of paramount importance for the nearest relative of a
murdered man to take vengeance. Should the man-slayer escape, unless
retribution is made by a substantial payment, his fate is only delayed for
a time; there is a mark upon him, and men soon learn that there is blood

UNTO THE END 359
It implied in the case of Jesus that His death would, in some
way, be representative and vicarious. The same thought, ex
pressed in the language of the Epistles about the redemption
in Jesus Christ,11 " and the language of all Christendom, in
speaking of the Christ as our Redeemer, are the natural de
velopments of that one pregnant word." 12 No shade of doubt
rests on its real meaning.
As they drew nearer to Jericho the odour of the flowers
in its gardens reached the Passover caravan on the scented
air of the valley, and the sound of the tramp of pilgrim feet
struck on the ears of the poor on the outskirts of the city.
Expectant eyes turned to gaze on the procession, and when it
became known that the Man of Galilee accompanied the throng,
the unusual noise of spectators collecting to view the extraordi
nary sight attracted the attention of two blind men. Hearing
the sound, they enquired the cause, and when they were told
that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by His name kindled
within them a great hope. It conveyed to them the wonder
of His works, and they cried out, " Have mercy on us, O Lord,
Thou Son of David." 13 The multitude rebuked them, and
told them to hold their peace, but they cried the more, " Have
between him and another, called the 'heir of blood,' on whom the duty
is laid to see that a ransom is provided, either by the life of him who shed
the blood or a price fixed by agreement.
"... If satisfaction is not given, atonement not made, and the slayer
of his fellow-man refuses to pay ' the price of blood,' then a breach is made
in the relations between the tribes, and a blood feud follows. . . . When
a man desires to pay the price of ransom, and discharge a debt of blood,
he will have friends or relations to act on his behalf and intercede for
him. . . . The price of blood varies according to the position and strength
of the family concerned, and the importance of the man that was slain.
... It is forty camels in Arabia ... in Syria the price is "higher. . . . His
relations will help to find the cattle required to pay for his deliverance "
(The Witness of the Wilderness, pp. 163, 164, 165.)
The best of the men of the wilderness refuse to barter their kinsmen's
blood for gold, and, in order to show that no price can be paid in cash
or kind, fix a prohibitive price, and the statement is made that without
the shedding of blood there is no remission. It must be life for life, blood
for blood, because it contains an element of incomparable value, for the
blood is the life. " Rom. iii. 24; 1 Cor. vi. 20; 1 Peter i. 19,
12 Bishop Ellicott, ibid. is St. Matt. xx. 30,

360 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
mercy on us." Jesus heard their pitiful appeal; He stood
still and caned them, and said, " What wiU ye that I should
do unto you?" They asked that their eyes should be opened;
and Jesus, having compassion on them, " touched their eyes,
and immediately they received their sight, and they foUowed
Him."14 Others desired to look on the face of Jesus. One man of
small stature, unable to gain his wish because of the crowd,
ran on before the procession and climbed into a sycomore
tree.15 Jesus saw him, and, recognizing the man as Zacchaeus,
the chief Publican, said, " Zacchaeus, make haste and come
down, for today I must abide at thy house." 16 JoyfuUy the
Pubhcan descended from the tree to become the host of Jesus.
Very different feelings moved the people who noticed the inci
dent ; they murmured because Jesus had " gone to be a guest
with a man who was a sinner." 17
The position of Jericho at the junction of various trade
routes required a custom-house; it was also the centre of a
rich district farmed by the Roman Government, and the Pub
licans were numerous, and probably on account of many oppor
tunities for extortion, were also rich. Their occupation at aU
times subjected them to a great deal of abuse; it would be
doubly odious to the people so near Jerusalem; and the richer
the Publican the more intensely would he be hated, because
his riches implied closer association with the Roman Govern
ment, and a greater use of the means at his disposal for gain
ing wealth. That the Man of Galilee should consort with a
Publican was enough to rouse a feehng of indignation in aU
pious and patriotic Jews. It was a great thing for Jesus to
propose to go home with this man, and Zacchaeus knew it, he
felt it, he realized that something had happened quite different
from anything he had experienced.
Zacchaeus was a Jew as weU as a Publican; he was also a
14 St. Matt xx. 34.
is The sycomore-tree is known also as the Egyptian fig-tree, and should
not be confused with the English sycamore tree. St Luke xix. 4,
io St. Luke xix. 5. « St. Luke xix. 7.

UNTO THE END 361
man who felt the sting of the world's scorn, the shame of the
world's disgrace, and something stirred in his heart, a dim
consciousness appeared of his need of salvation. He showed
it by his desire to see Jesus. The Divine Spirit, seeking the
souls of men, had touched Zacchaeus, he felt the movement from
afar, and when Jesus came to Jericho he sought His face, and
Jesus the Divine Son knew what was in the Publican's heart,
and spoke to him, identified Himself with him ; Jesus found him.
The whole transaction is summed up in the words of Jesus,
" For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is
lost." 18 Apparently the reason why our Lord makes this
declaration is the vivid illustration in the case of Zacchaeus
of the salvation of the lost. He says of him, " This day is
salvation come to this house," and the man He saved, in his
recovery, offered to make restitution even more completely
than might be expected to be necessary. When he saw the
love of God in Jesus, he saw himself as he was, and as he ought
to be; and, in order to become what he ought to be, he said,
" Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor : and
if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation I
restore him fourfold." 19 He probably held his office in con
nection with the imperial revenue from the soil of the most
fertile region in Judea ; in such a position he would be better
able to deal with the victims of extortion who resided in the
district than if he had been a collector of custom from the
people passing through the city.
Slowly the people gathered for the pilgrim caravan to re
form for the last stage of its journey up the barren mountain
road to Jerusalem. There must have been a restlessness in
the crowd as their destination seemed so near. Tenseness of
feeling in expectant people communicates itself to others.
Portentous events cast their shadows before them. The pro
cession contained many people who were drawn by mingled
motives to Jesus. They had a certain good-will towards Him
when under His influence, wavering in their loyalty accord-
is St. Luke xix. 10. i» St. Luke xix. 8.

362 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
ing to circumstances. All His followers looked for the com
ing of His Kingdom, and evidently expected it soon to appear.
To repress their impatience and to teach the need of diligent
service in their waiting for the King, Jesus told them the
parable of the Pounds.20 He said, " A certain nobleman went
into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom." The
historical allusion in this statement arose from local knowl
edge. It was exactly what Archelaus had done, whose palace
the people saw in Jericho. He went to Rome to receive for
himself a kingdom. Jesus turned this incident to account in
His lesson, indicating a resemblance in Himself, on the eve
of His departure, to the nobleman who called ten of his serv
ants and delivered unto them ten pounds. He taught them
the duty of faithfulness in the use of all He had committed
unto them; the uncertainty of the date of His return; the
certainty of their accountability on His return; the reward
of those who served Him; and the punishment of the unfaith
ful. Onward moved the pilgrim caravan up the steep and rugged
heights above the Jordan valley towards Jerusalem on the
Friday before the great and dreadful day in Israel's destiny.
Jesus left the procession at Bethany late in the afternoon to
rest in the home of His friends. The great company from
Galilee dispersed on reaching the Mount of Olives, some to
stay with friends in the city, others to settle on the slope of
the hill in the booths they built for their temporary lodging.
The disciples followed their Lord.
The next day, being the Sabbath, was spent quietly in the
Bethany household. As soon as the Sabbath had passed Jesus
was entertained at the house of Simon the leper.21 We do not
know what connection there was between the house of Simon
and the sisters of Bethany. Martha apparently superintended
the feast, her brother Lazarus sat at meat, and her sister
Mary shared in the hospitable attention.
The banquet very naturally attracted considerable notice,
20 St. Luke xix. 11. 21 St. Matt. xxvi. 6.

UNTO THE END 363
not only on account of Jesus, but because of the presence of
Lazarus,22 and a report of the supper carried to the rulers
in Jerusalem caused so much perturbation that they decided
to remove the evidence of the great miracle of Jesus and put
Lazarus to death.28 The most memorable incident occurred
while our Lord reclined at supper. Mary, to whom the words
of Jesus had been so precious, and from Whom she had re
ceived the knowledge of eternal life, the Mary who sat at His
feet, came again to His feet with an alabaster box of very
precious ointment. Having broken the box, she anointed first
His head, and then His feet, and wiped them with the long
tresses of her hair. The aroma of her ointment spread through
the house. The story of her loving deed has circulated
throughout the world. But one man there could neither appre
ciate the scent of the ointment nor apprehend the spirit of
the act. Judas, the treasurer of the apostolic band, looked on
the service of the holy woman with lowering brow and bitter
feeling. He thought of the spikenard and what it might have
done for him. His sordid mind and covetous spirit found no
joy in the service of love, he saw no sense in anything but prac
tical advantage. His Master watched the working of his
mean disposition, vindicated Mary's deed, and explained its
meaning. He told Judas, who complained 24 of the waste of
such a valuable substance,25 who said that it might have been
sold for 300 denarii (nearly £10) and given to the poor, and
some of the disciples who appeared to support the man who
carried the bag, to " let her alone." Jesus said " against the
day of My burying hath she kept this." He welcomed with
gladness the spontaneous generosity of this woman's heart.
Judas felt his bag had greater claims than his Lord. Be
ing a thief,26 he could not understand that there are some gifts
which cannot be sold, which even lose their sanctity when their
value is appraised. Love sets no bounds to service, counts
22 St. John xii. 9. zs St. John xii. 10. 24 St. John xii. 5.
25 Another sign of the wealth of the Bethany household.
2« St. John xii. 6.

364 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
nothing too precious as an offering for the object of affection.
The loving deed of Mary of Bethany 27 represents the highest
act of devotion to our Lord, and the savour of that devotion
changed the atmosphere of the feast and has enriched the
world. 27 St. Matt. xxvi. 13.

CHAPTER XXXVI
THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM
The startling news that a man in Bethany, less than two
miles from Jerusalem, had been raised from the dead, and
that Jesus of Nazareth, Who had performed the miracle, was
there with him, having been circulated amongst the people in
the Holy City, great curiosity excited the multitudes assem
bled for the Passover. Crowds of visitors and residents saun
tered along the way to Bethany, hoping to see the Man of
Galilee. The more eager amongst the throng hastened to
the village. The excitement grew to wild enthusiasm, and the
people went mad with admiration. They cut branches from
the palm-trees, the symbols of victory for a great occasion,
and made preparations to accompany Jesus to Jerusalem.
Before He started on His journey He sent two of His dis
ciples to Bethphage for suitable means to make His entry into
the Holy City accord with the nature of His mission. He told
them where they would find an ass's colt, and that they were
to bring it for His use. In Eastern lands warrior kings ap
peared on horses with gay equipments and followers in martial
array ; men of peace rode on asses ; and Jesus was the King
of peace. The dignity of His bearing and the majesty of His
presence converted the humble aspect of the situation into that
of a distinguished spectacle without changing its meek and
lowly character.
For the saddle of the ass the disciples of Jesus placed their
garments, and as He set forth on His triumphal progress to
wards Jerusalem the crowds increased, and the ferment grew
with the crowds. They spread their garments beneath His
feet, over His head they waved their palms, louder and louder
the people in the great procession shouted " Hosanna ! " and
the spectators on the side of the road joined in the great ac-
365

366 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
clamation. " Hosanna ! " * cried the followers of Jesus, and
the response was given by the multitude : " Blessed be the
King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest." 2 " Blessed be the Kingdom of our
father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord." 3
Thus was the saying of the prophet fulfilled, " Tell ye the
daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek
and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." 4
Dismayed by the multitude of joyous people, the Pharisees,
in despair at the popular demonstration, dare not lay their
hands on Him Whom they determined to slay, so they blamed
one another, saying, " Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing?
Behold, all the world has gone after Him." 5
And, what was most amazing, some of them even turned to
Jesus in their helplessness and said, " Master, rebuke Thy
disciples." He answered, " I tell you that if these should hold
their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." 6
Past the olive groves, by the vineyards, in the shade of the
waving palms, the Messiah rode round the shoulder of the hill
of Olivet, and before Him gleamed the city and its Temple
in the sunlight. As His eyes rested on the glorious' spectacle,
the shouts of exultation of the fickle multitude could not allay
the striving of His heart nor stifle the spring of emotion ris
ing within Him. He stopped,7 tears ran down His cheeks, and
He uttered words of sorrow : " If thou hadst known, even
thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong to thy
peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days
shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench
about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every
side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children
within thee ; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon
another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visita
tion." 8
i St. Matt. xxi. 9. 2 St. Luke xix. 38. a St. Mark xi. 10.
4 St. Matt. xxi. 5 ; Zech. ix. 9 ; Isa. lxii. 11. s St. John xii. 19.
« St. Luke xix. 40. 7 St. Luke xix. 41. « St. Luke xix. 42-44.

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 367
Beneath His gaze the city lay in the beauty of its situation,
the splendour of its palaces, and the magnificence of its Tem
ple; but it was not the threatened destruction of its stately
buildings which stirred His heart, nor the tragic ending of its
history rich in its interest and its associations. It was the
eternal destiny of its inhabitants. And here we see how His
deep and true humanity is more than a part of a race. He
was thinking of the souls of men as well as the Jewish me
tropolis and nation. The city and its inhabitants immediately
before Him were dear to His heart, and for them He was about
to die, to shed His blood as freely as He shed His tears; but
not for them alone. The words which fell from His lips, ap
plicable at the time for the nation, are appropriate for all
mankind. The day of Jerusalem was the time of its opportunity now
swiftly passing from it, the time in which the Redeemer ap
peared for its salvation. The blindness from which the peo
ple suffered was moral insensibility, the hardening of their
hearts against truth and duty, and judgment inevitably fol
lowed; not from an arbitrary act of God, but the result of the
neglect of truth and duty.
Jerusalem's time of visitation was the Advent of Jesus. To
its people belonged greater opportunities for a knowledge of
God's will than other lands, the enjoyment of greater privi
leges than other people. God had chosen Jerusalem, set His
Temple there and made it the centre of His dealing with the
nation. He had selected the city to receive His everlasting
freedom and reflect His glory, which Jesus summed up in the
word " peace." He came to make it known by his life, His
words, and His works. They had seen His miracles, His words
they scarcely understood except when their passions were
roused by the stern moral principles that He taught. Fitful
gleams of a better future were seen in them, and a better way
in the life He lived, but few regarded; their hearts were hard
ened. With their past history ever present as substantial
evidence of their spiritual ancestry, the idea of personal holi-

368 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
ness they refused to entertain. They were the children of
Abraham, and hated the Hght lest their deeds should be re
proved.9 Jesus had told them to turn from their pride in the
past for improvement in the present; to cease looking for a
future Deliverer and behold Him now; that in the bondage of
Rome under which their pride rebened there was no degrada
tion comparable with the slavery of sin. They wanted happi
ness without effort, the contentment of desire without its su
preme object, a change outside themselves for comfort, instead
of inside for peace. Their day of visitation was passing; the
day of judgment was at hand.
Down the sloping road the great and joyous company pro
ceeded in the hope that the people were being led into a Hfe
of enjoyment. By the side of the oHve-trees in dark Gethse-
mane Jesus rode to the banks of the Kedron ; then up the steep
path to the city gate and through its portals into the streets.
The people from the housetops and through the latticed win
dows cried, " Who is this ? " and the crowds in the procession
answered, " This is Jesus, the Prophet of Nazareth." 10
The Messiah had appeared, the King had come with the
atmosphere of peace about Him. The whole city was in a
commotion, the ferment grew, and perplexed the rulers more
and more.
What did the disciples think of their Master now? He had
been publicly acclaimed as the King of Peace as he entered
the city on the day the paschal lamb was set aside for the
sacrifice and supper, and Jesus, as the true Paschal Lamb, was
connected with this duty. The disciples thought of nothing
in all they had witnessed that associated their Master with
either the prophecies of the remote past or the tragic events
of the near future. The great triumph renewed their hopes of
the glory of an earthly kingdom; it increased the rulers' fears
and roused in them a greater passion for the death of Jesus.
Behind the trappings of the day's joy, the heart of Jesus
throbbed with a great emotion ; hidden beneath His serene brow
o Cf. St. Matt. xiii. 14, 15. io St. Matt xxi. 10, 11.

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 369
His mind worked out the eternal will ; the destiny of men
moved on its immortal way in the mystery of the Father's
love. St. John confessed, when these scenes lay in the back
ground of his life, that " These things understood not the
disciples at the first; but when Jesus was glorified then re
membered they that these things were written of Him, and that
they had done these things unto Him." "
After looking round the Temple Jesus retired with His dis
ciples to Bethany.
Next day (Monday) He returned with them to the city.
One the way a soHtary fig-tree attracted His attention, one
of those so often found by the side of the road near a town
or village without an owner. As in the late spring or early
summer a particular kind of fig, called by the natives in these
days duffur, appears under the leaves, and not in the ordinary
part of the tree for bearing, He looked for the fruit, and,
finding none, pronounced a curse upon the tree, thus sym
bolically announcing the doom of the Jewish people, so care
ful in their outward acts of piety and so fruitless in their lives.
Jesus looked for the duffur and found nothing but leaves; the
time of the ordinary figs, now called tin, " was not yet." 12
Once again the Man of Nazareth went into Jerusalem and
cleansed the Temple courts and there taught the people : " It
is written, My house is the house of prayer ; but ye have made
it a den of thieves." 18 Having cleared the precincts, He
commenced His work of healing, and the children in the Tem
ple courts took up the strain of exultation they had heard the
day before and cried " Hosanna ! " When the Scribes and
Pharisees saw the wonderful things that Jesus did they were
sore displeased. They complained, especially about the chil
dren, and Jesus said, " Have ye never read, Out of the mouth
of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise ? " 14
About this time certain Greeks, probably from the De-
capolis, came and desired to see Jesus. They went to Philip,
n St. John xii. 16. " St. Luke xix. 46.
12 St, Mark, xi. 13, " St. Matt. xxi. IS, 16,

370 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
he told Andrew, and both of them agreed to inform Jesus,
Who, deeply moved by their request for an interview, said:
" The hour is come that the Son of Man should .be glorified.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone ; but if it die it bring
eth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it : and
he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life
eternal. If any man serve Me, let him follow Me: and where
I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me,
him will My Father honour. Now is My soul troubled: and
what shall I say ? Father, save me from this hour : but for this
cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name.
Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both
glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore
that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered : others said,
An angel spake to Him.
" Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of
Me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world:
now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I
be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.
" This He said signifying what death He should die. The
people answered Him, We have heard out of the law that Christ
abideth for ever : and how sayest Thou, The Son of Man must
be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? " 15
He gave them no direct answer; they knew He had declared
Himself to be the Son of Man, so He told them that a little
while the light would be with them, and warned them to walk
in the light and believe in the light lest the darkness come
upon them.16
When He had said these things He left them. Although
they had seen His work, there was no general acceptance of
His word. Some of the chief rulers believed on Him, but be
cause of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they
should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise
of men more than the praise of God.17
is St, John xii, 23-29. ™ St, John xii. 36. " St John xii. 43,

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 371
Jesus appealed again to them ; He told them that to believe
on Him meant believing on the Father Who had sent Him ; that
He came to illuminate the world for men to dwell no more in
darkness ; 18 that He would not judge those who failed to be
heve, as He came not to judge the world but to save it. And
when the evening came He went out of the city.
is St. John xii. 46.

CHAPTER XXXVII
CONFLICT WITH THE RULERS
In the morning (Tuesday), as Jesus returned to Jerusalem
with His disciples, they saw the fig-tree which He had cursed,
and Peter drew his Master's attention to its shrivelled appear
ance. It had withered away. Jesus told them to have faith
in God, and they would have power to do even more than they
had seen in the miracle of the fig-tree; their faith would re
move mountains, and whatsoever they asked of God, believing,
their request would be granted.
On reaching the Temple the people assembled to hear the
Man of GaHlee. When the rulers saw the attention of the
multitude to His words their anger grew more fierce against
Him. The chief priests and the elders came to Him and said,
" By what authority doest Thou these things ? And who
gave Thee this authority? " x They intended by their ques
tion both to perplex and annoy Him, and to treat His answer
as a cause of offence. The only one they expected Him to
give was the authority of His Father, and that would be suffi
cient for their purpose of accusing Him of speaking blasphemy.
They had apparently made up their minds to take official
notice of His proceedings. He had interfered with the ar
rangements they had sanctioned, by a violent interruption of
the traffic in the Temple courts, and brought discredit on their
methods by His action; and He had done it by assuming an
authority which convinced the people that He had behind Him
a power they might beHeve was Divine. Let Him now give
them some definite statement about Himself and His mission.
They were so exasperated with Him they could scarcely re
strain their feehngs of anger.
He answered them by saying, " I will ask you one question.
i St. Matt xxi. 23. 372

CONFLICT WITH THE RULERS 373
The baptism of John, whence was it ? " 2 It was not His
intention to place them in a dilemma. They had demanded
from Him the source of His authority, the highest thing about
Him, that came direct from God. As they were unlikely to
understand anything so lofty, He sought for them a lower
plane on which they might stand together: the baptism of
John, was it from heaven, or of men ?
John's baptism signified the cleansing from sin as a prepa
ration for entering the Kingdom of Heaven, and implied a
judgment on the past, and a hope for the future. These two
factors in life must first be understood before the rulers could
rise to the understanding of the position of Christ. If they
had no sense of sin, no desire for its removal, there could be no
real hope of Heaven, the Kingdom of the holy God. They
would not, therefore, appreciate the distinctive characteristic
of Christ, His authority, which He received from Heaven, be
ing so far removed from the sphere where his authority was
fixed, and from whence it was derived.
If they admitted that John was a prophet of God their own
neglect of the due response to his call for repentance con
demned them. If they denied his authority they were in dan
ger of a conflict with the people, who had accepted him as a
prophet from God. The indignity of their position was ap
parent. They were hurled back on the bitterness of their ani
mosity mortified by their defeat ; they had repudiated John,
as they rejected Christ, through dislike to his message. It
touched their pride before it reached their consciences. John
was not one of their sect, and not on their side ; that alone
was sufficient to harden their hearts against him, and hide
from them the truth of his message. The people recognized
the truth, even those who had refused to believe for their own
welfare, and if their rulers had denied it, popular indignation
would have been roused against them. They took refuge in
their humiliation by pleading ignorance, and said, " We can
not tell."
2 gt. Matt, xxi. 25,

374 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
And Jesus said, " Neither tell I you by what authority I
do these things." 3 His answer was not an evasive attempt
to conceal His authority. He had no desire to escape from
their question because they failed to give Him a satisfactory
reply. His refusal implied that it would be useless for Him
to speak of His claim for their recognition if they were unable
to perceive the source of John's message or understand the
reason for John's baptism.4
A conflict was inevitable between the righteous Lord and
the men whose parade of righteous forms became a cloak for
their wickedness. On His right side it was for the supremacy
of the will of God; on theirs the predominance of their own
interests. As soon as He proclaimed the truth and broke the
chains of tradition by which the people were bound, the hos
tility of the rulers commenced, and they never wavered in their
opposition to His teaching. Their claim for recognition as
the national party was based on their reputation rather than
their character. For their patriotism they became popular,
and with the people behind them they believed themselves ca
pable of dealing with the Galilean. But their position could
only be maintained by the exercise of their power to keep the
people from recognizing Him as their Deliverer. It was neces
sary for them to remove Him to save themselves, and prevent
a rising of the populace in His favour. Enough mischief to
their cause had been done already, but if they could only
place Him in an unfavourable situation without any precipi
tate action they might succeed. Jesus saw through their
machinations and was quite unperturbed. He endeavoured to
show them their state for a change to be made in their hearts
before it was too late, and He confronted His adversaries with
the parable of a man with two sons, whose father said to one
of them : " Son, go work today in my vineyard." He re
fused, then afterwards repented and went. To the other he
said likewise. He answered and said, " I go, sir, and went
not." " Whether of the twain," said Jesus, " did the will of
s St. Matt xxi. 27. 4 Rev, A, B. Davidson, Waiting upon God, p. 144,

CONFLICT WITH THE RULERS 375
his father?" Without perceiving the point in the parable
the rulers gave the obvious answer, " The first," and uncon
sciously brought upon themselves a well-merited rebuke in
the comparison Jesus drew between those who honour God with
their lips and fail to serve Him with their hearts ; and the re
pentance shown by the Publicans and harlots in their turning
to God when John showed them the way of righteousness.5
The enemies of Jesus were so discomfited they would gladly
have avoided any further controversy, but He pressed the ad
vantage He had gained by another parable,6 as a further
warning and rebuke. Although primarily addressed to the
Pharisees it was spoken in the hearing of the people. All of
them were familiar with the vine-clad hills of Southern Judea ;
every detail of the picture He presented to them was unmis
takable. Even now they furnish us with evidence of the pic
turesque setting of the truth which Jesus conveyed in illus
trated form. Remains of old disused wine-presses are scat
tered over the face of the country. There are vineyards, still
the freehold property of householders, surrounded by a wall,
or hedge of prickly pear, which exclude such midnight ma
rauders as the fox and wild boar, In the centre a tower stands
as a shelter for the watchman to keep away the thieves. Jesus
told them how a householder planted a vineyard and built a
hedge around it. Having finished his work, he let it to hus
bandmen on the usual terms of agreement, that a proportion
of the produce should be paid as rent. When the time drew
near for gathering the grapes, he sent his servants for his
share, but they were maltreated and driven away. Other
servants were dispatched, but the result was even worse. At
last he sent his heir, whom they recognized by his appearance
before he reached the vineyard, which afforded them time to
conspire against his life, so that they might slay him and take
possession of the inheritance for their own use.
Under these extraordinary affronts the patience of the house
holder was exhausted. Jesus asked what should be done, and
5 St. Matt xxi. 28-32, a St. Matt, xxi, 33-44,

376 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
answered His question by the statement that he will destroy the
wicked husbandmen and give the vineyard to others. This
terrible indictment of the nation was lost on the populace, but
the 'Pharisees saw the drift of it ; they knew what Jesus meant
by the vineyard; His parable had an undoubtable reference
to the utterance of the prophet Isaiah,7 and indicated a con
nection between the advent of the Messiah and the various
means God had employed to bring His people into faithful
allegiance to His will. In Isaiah the vineyard stands for
Israel. The hedge around it represented the care of God for
the preservation of His people from the idolatrous nations on
their border, and may be seen in the natural boundaries of
the country. The Pharisees knew by the servants Jesus meant
the prophets of old, who had been sent during the long history
of the nation, and they recognized the heir as Himself. He
added further a truth from the written word applied to their
Messianic King — " The stone which the builders reject, the
same is become the head of the corner," fitting exactly with
the lesson of the parable. Those to whom the maintenance of
the spiritual vineyard was given correspond with the builders
of the spiritual temple. Reference was made to the builders
to show that, though the malice of the husbandmen destroyed
the heir, God's purpose was not frustrated, but completed in
the Temple of which His Son was the corner-stone, and that
He would take vengeance on the wicked men.8 This was mani
fest in His concluding words : " Whosover shall fall on this
stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will
grind him to powder." 9
Jesus uttered another warning in the parable 10 of the Mar
riage of the King's Son, sometimes called the parable of the
Wedding Garment, in which there are several parts which have
in themselves a separate importance ; the wedding garment
and the man who did not wear it, the refusal of the invitation
7 Isa. v. 1-7. s Notes on the Parables, by Archbishop Trench.
» St. Matt. xxi. 44.
l(? St. Matt, xxii, 2,

CONFLICT WITH THE RULERS 377
by those who made light of it, and others who ill-used the mes
sengers ; features which bear a close resemblance to the affront
offered in the parable of the Wicked Husbandmen.
Men do not begin their careers by mocking kings. Their
disposition has already been directed, and their hearts have
become insensible. Being ignorant of the serious things of
life and death, they make light of the great and good because
they either do not know or will not know.
In the parable of the Wicked Husbandmen our Lord is the
Son of the Owner of the vineyard; in this parable He is the
King's Son. The difference is emphasized by the demand made
in the former and the gift offered in the latter. He is dis
pleased because in the first that which He required was re
fused; in the second that which He offered was rejected. The
extraordinary treatment of the invitation to the Marriage
Feast constituted an outrage so monstrous that in the East
the offence would be unpardonable. It showed how complete
was the antagonism of the offenders to the Governor of the
Feast, and their hostility to the King. The obvious method of
dealing with the rebels who had maltreated His ambassadors
is exhibited in the punishment legitimately inflicted by the
armies of a monarch whose representatives had been slain.
Thus history became a prophecy, fulfilled in the destruction
of Jerusalem.
The story then turns into other scenes of deeper meaning,
when other guests are invited of another class. Hitherto the
parable had dealt with the rejection of God's offer to the Jew
ish people by their rulers and the punishment inflicted; now
the offer is made to aU sorts and conditions of men, and here
a difficulty arises in Western minds. The guests at an East
ern wedding are expected to be suitably attired. If they be
long to the circle of acquaintances of the giver of the feast
their own festal garments will be sufficient for a seat at the
table, but in the event of a great man inviting people unable
to provide the necessary clothing they would expect the invi
tation to carry with it the ability to accept it. The gift of

378 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
rich apparel is still a customary offering in the East. Pres
ents of handsome coats are frequently made. And, though
it may appear impossible to furnish a large assembly with
appropriate dress, no man would be excluded through mis
fortune. He could not be happy if he were not able to appear
in accord with the rest of the guests. Provision would be
made for his comfort. Reference to the wedding garment
indicates the supply of all that is necessary for enjoyment.
The appearance of a guest without a wedding garment ex
hibits a contempt for the giver of the feast which h^s been
shown by refusing what was offered. He reckoned his ordi
nary clothing good enough for the company in which he was
found and the great personage who had invited him. No
greater insult could have been given to the King, and the of
fender's exclusion from the feast legitimately foUowed.
There could be no mistake in the minds of the Pharisees
about the meaning of the two parables. The lessons they con
tained plainly disclosed to them the fact that Jesus knew
their state of mind. Their hatred of Him He revealed to them
in His utterances, and their doom He declared as the natural
consequence of their opposition to His mission and their re
jection of His message.
Intent on His destruction, the leading spirits of the nation
devised a plan by which they felt sure of His fall. The Phari
sees and Herodians had contended for years on a most im
portant question, one that had roused a violent antagonism
to one another about their duty as the chosen people of God
to submit to the heathen yoke of Rome. These old enemies
cast aside their differences and united for the common pur
pose of placing Jesus in a position from whence they thought
He could not extricate Himself. In their religious zeal the
Pharisees could not imagine a religious Teacher recognizing
the authority of a heathen power over God's people; and the
Herodians, in the excess of their worldly caution, failed to
see how a man could act with prudence without adopting their

CONFLICT WITH THE RULERS 379
attitude. It never occurred to either of them that it was
possible to answer the question they had agreed to put to
Jesus that would settle the matter for both. Their confidence
gave them courage, and the two parties approached Jesus with
a most flattering introduction, and said,11 " Master, we know
that Thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth,
neither carest Thou for any man; for Thou regardest not the
person of men. Tell us, therefore, what thinkest Thou? Is
it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not ? "
If He answered as the Pharisees expected, by deciding against
the payment of tribute, He would then be exposed to the venge
ance of the ruling power. The Herodians were equally certain
that a reply in their favour would rouse the people against
Him. They expected Him to overthrow the alien power and
restore their land and nation and were anxiously waiting for
His declaration to rise. His submission to Roman authority
would mean the abandonment of a great hope, and immediate
repudiation of all His claims would follow.
But their cunning plot failed. He said, "Why tempt ye
Me, ye hypocrites? Show Me the tribute money," and they
handed Him (" a penny ") a Roman denarius 12 bearing the im
age and superscription of the Emperor Tiberius, TL CAESAR
DIVI AUG. F. AUGUSTUS PONTIF. MAXIM.
" Whose image and superscription is this ? " He said, and
they replied " Caesar's," and, to their great surprise and vexa
tion, Jesus avoided the horns of their dilemma and conveyed
to their opposite frames of mind a lesson of universal truth.
He told them that the image and superscription clearly showed
to whom the tribute was to be paid, and to what authority
they owed allegiance. Whether it was heathen or Jewish could
not alter the facts of the case, as they had themselves acknowl
edged. There was the image and superscription of Caesar on
the coin, and to him was due the respect to his authority in
spite of his character or system of Government; and to God
11 St. Matt. xxii. 15-22. 12 The penny, St. Matt. xxii. 19.

380 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
something was due : respect to His authority. He said " Ren
der therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to
God the things that are God's."
The adversaries of Jesus retired utterly baffled by His wis
dom. Soon after another set of opponents appeared of a
very different type, and on a different errand. They were
the Sadducees, who did not believe in a resurrection, and
wished to reduce the argument for a future life to absurdity
by postulating an extreme case of complex earthly relation
ships. Nothing could have been gained if they had succeeded
in their efforts, popular opinion being against them; but their
pretentious air of superiority encouraged them to hope that
their case was sufficiently strong to show that the idea of a
resurrection was unworthy of serious consideration. The prob
lem they offered for solution propounded a situation not only
imaginary but impossible, and might have been cast aside as
frivolous. They asked what would happen in the resurrection
life to a woman who had successively been the wife of seven
brothers. Jesus shattered their scheme by affirming that im
perfect human relationships are not perpetuated, but tran
scended. What is good in them will survive and live on ; what
is faulty and imperfect will perish. In the Father's House
those will meet and eternally associate who are like-minded,
that is, have the mind that is in Christ Jesus. He said to the
Sadducees, " Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the
power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor
are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in
heaven." 13 Not knowing the power of God, they could not
know the possibilities of the future. If they had even known
the Scriptures the fact that God had declard Himself the God
of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the
God of the living and not of the dead, they might have been
prevented from making the mistake of ignorantly assuming
there was no life beyond the tomb. The phrase implied a
certain relationship between these men and God, and that rela-
13 St. Matt. xxii. 29.

Sc. D. Mastroianni

Edit. A. Noyer, Paris
Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's ; and unto God the
things that are God's
Matthew XXII: 21

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer

Sc. D. Mastroianni

Lord, dost thou wash my feet
John XIII: 6

CONFLICT WITH THE RULERS 381
tion signified a certain capacity in the patriarchs for com
munion with God. When the multitude heard what Jesus had
to say, and saw that He had put the Sadducees to silence, they
were astonished and pleased.
Emboldened by the defeat of their adversaries, the Phari
sees made another attempt to discredit our Lord in the eyes
of the people, by putting forth a lawyer amongst them to ask
a test question : 14 " Which is the first commandment ? "
Jesus promptly replied in the language of Scripture, " Hear
O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind, and with all thy strength ; 15 this is the first
commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other com
mandment greater than these."
The answer evidently touched the heart of the questioner
whose knowledge of the law had brought him to a better un
derstanding of the inspired Word of God. He saw through
the human acts of devotion the reality of God's presence, and
declared that to love his God and his neighbour " is more than
all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." Jesus said unto
him, " Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God." So com
plete was the answer of Jesus, that the Scribes dare not ask
Him any more questions. All their attempts to entangle Him
by their artful devices had failed. He emerged from every
encounter gloriously triumphant. At last His turn came.
He said to the Pharisees, "What think ye of Christ? Whose
Son is He? " 16 Secure in their idea of the Messiah and their
interpretation of the Scriptures, they answered promptly,
"The Son of David." "How then," replied Jesus, "doth
David in spirit caU Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my
Lord, sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies
Thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his
son? " He had no desire to gain an academic advantage over
His opponents, but to convince the rulers and the people that
14 St. Mark xii. 28-34. is Deut. vi. 4. ie St. Matt. xxii. 42.

382 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
their idea of the Messiah was altogether wrong. Ever before
their minds glowed a picture of the Christ as the Son of David,
restoring the ancient glory of their kingdom. So glaringly
inconsistent with their hopes had Jesus shown Himself to be,
that they would not accept Him. Although He had protested
against their dream of worldly greatness both in Galilee and
Judea, and had taught His disciples and the people to look
for a different dominion than the one which they had expected,
the rule of God in the heart of man, and had revealed it in His
life, and its power in His works, His last attempt to destroy
their false view of the Messianic reign failed. They were put
to silence, and dare not ask any more questions; but they
would not believe on Jesus as the Messiah.

CHAPTER XXXVIII
THE GREAT INDICTMENT
On the Wednesday the Scribes and Pharisees were busily en
gaged in their conspiracy, perfecting their plans for the arrest
of Jesus. They had fared badly in their encounters with the
Man of Galilee. Incensed at their defeat, they were more
determined than ever to find occasion to put Him away. Their
secret emissaries flitted to and fro amidst the crowd of people
in the Temple courts to ascertain the general state of feeling
and the chance of success. How they could attain their object
without rousing the people in favour of Jesus perplexed the
rulers. While thus confused help came from an unexpected quar
ter. The enemies of Jesus never imagined that He would have
a traitor amongst His adherents, and one occupying the im
portant position of treasurer. No one can measure the sin
ister influence of the money-bag. Whatever else may have
induced Judas to bargain with the rulers for the betrayal of
his Master, there was money in the business; the pay was
small, and probably disappointing; but the pay was there,
and the price had its place, as in every transaction of a lost
soul. On the side of the Scribes and Pharisees was the advantage
gained in the agreement by bartering the last remaining shred
of their consciences. Their hearts were hardened ; nothing
more could be done to turn them from their course of evil.
The Christ they sought to destroy had often unveiled their
hidden motives and laid bare their inner mood. He had de
scribed the rulers as hypocrites,1 acting a part conscious of
iSt. Matt, xxiii. 13; i-troKpiral — hypocrites, used in classical Greek for
actors, in Job xxxvi. 13 for one who pretends to have a virtue which he
does not possess. 383

384 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
its being a performance for the people to applaud them, even
when they were false to their own ideals.
Christ is the eternal foe of falsehood and wrong under what
ever pretext their practice is vindicated. He is the faithful
and sure witness of truth and righteousness, invincible in good
ness, unerring in judgment. He saw the secret deceit of the
rulers. He saw that they had compiled an elaborate system
of rules for an outward form of religion, and professed to be
righteous by an excessive regard for its appearance. Making
broad their phylacteries 2 and enlarging the borders of their
garments, they were able to enslave their fellow-men for their
own advantage, while they indulged their own desires. Their
position strengthened their power. They grew pompous, loved
titles, the best places at the feasts, the chief seats in the
synagogues, and greetings in the market-places. All these
miserable conceits of the Scribes and Pharisees Jesus denounced
on His arrival in the Temple courts with a vehemence which
showed His contempt for unwarrantable pretensions and un
worthy distinctions. He said to His disciples, " He that is
greatest amongst you shall be your servant. And whosoever
exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted." 3 Jesus taught the absolute equality of
mankind in the presence of God, and for the attainment of
that equality among men He taught them to sacrifice the de
sire of the human heart whereby all selfish interests are sub
ordinated to the welfare of one another.
Turning to the Pharisees, He said : " Woe unto you, ye
hypocrites, for ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against
2 The phylactery is a small leather case or box fixed by long straps upon
the forehead and left arm. The one for the forehead contains four sep
arate compartments made of parchment, each containing a tiny parchment
scroll. On these scrolls are inscribed passages from the Pentateuch. The
custom of wearing the phylacteries arose from interpreting in a literal
sense the command in Deut. vi. 8 : " Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon
thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes." The Phari
sees made broad their phylacteries and enlarged the borders of their gar
ments to attract attention.
a St. Matt, xxiii. 11, 12; St. Luke xiv. 11.

THE GREAT INDICTMENT 385
men, for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them
that are entering to go in." He saw them occupying posts
of administration in the rehgious affairs of the nation, and by
their methods of government conceahng from the people the
eternal principles of truth and justice. He saw the people
eager for instruction to save their souls, gathering round the
rulers in whose hands lay the safety of the nation, and yet the
people were taught that the traditions of men were equal to
the laws of God.
He accused the Pharisees of indescribable meanness, of be
ing plunderers of the poor, while they pubUcly offered up
prayers to disguise their corruption. In bitter terms Jesus
described their anxiety to obtain even one proselyte and then
make him more of a child of heU than themselves. He called
them blind fools for their inability to distinguish between the
Giver and the gift, the Sanctifier and the thing sanctified.
He was no better pleased with their good deeds than their
evil ways, because they were not prompted by good motives.4
Their tithing arose from the wish to keep* rules and not the
offering of their hearts' desire. He told the Pharisees that
their sense of proportion was so deficient that they strained
at a gnat and swallowed a camel.5 So long as their outward
appearance was reputable they had no regard for the poUu-
tion within them. They were Hke whited sepulchres, stained
to keep men in ignorance of the corruption inside.
His righteous indignation breathed into bitter words of
condemnation a defiance which made reconciliation impossible.
He closed His denunciation in biting and terrible terms : " Ye
serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the dam
nation of heU? " 6
His death was inevitable as the result of the conflict with
the rulers. He might have had peace by agreement with
wrong, not in opposition to it; by accepting the rule of the
Scribes and Pharisees, not that of the Spirit of Truth. They
not only differed from Him, they were radicaUy opposed to
4 St Matt xxiii. 33. 5 St Matt xxiii. 24. s St Matt xxiii. 33.

386 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Him. He knew He must die because He was not willing to do
what His enemies wished Him to do ; and He was prepared to
sacrifice Himself, for truth to prevail, for reighteousness to be
established. The obstinacy of the people weighed on His soul; the doom
of their city filled Him with sorrow. With pathetic lamenta
tion He said, " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often would
I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings, and ye would not ! " 7
As He was passing out of the Temple He saw, amongst the
rich men ostentatiously offering their gifts in the treasury, a
poor widow who gave two of the smallest coins in circulation,
all she possessed.8 Her self-denial touched the heart of Jesus.
He drew His disciples' attention to the widow's offering, and
declared it to be the very essence of devotion, and of greater
value than all the contributions of the men of wealth.
Again at eventide Jesus left the city and sat with His dis
ciples on the Mount of Olives. As they gazed on the magnifi
cent scene before them, the disciples drew the attention of their
Master to the glorious spectacle. In the afterglow of the
setting sun, its brilliant colouring lit up the Temple buildings
with a roseate light, and suffused with a radiance of incom
parable beauty the sculptured marbles of the majestic struc
tures within the city walls. He looked on them, and spoke
in the most solemn and affecting terms of the utter destruction
of the noble pile of buildings. Peter, James, John, and An
drew asked Him privately when this dreadful catastrophe would
occur. He then delivered His discourse on the two great events
of the future, the last stage of their nation's history and the
second coming of their Lord. Looking across the valley in
the deepening gloom of the Syrian day, He foretold the de
struction of Jerusalem. The impending doom of the city of
their fathers was plain to behold in the signs of the times, but
so engrossed were the people in the pursuit of selfish aims
t St. Matt, xxiii. 37. s St. Luke xxi. 1-4.

THE GREAT INDICTMENT 387
that they saw none of the portents of disaster. Its cup of
iniquity would soon be full, and its people ripe for judgment.
The sporadic outbursts of national desire for independence,
appearing first in one quarter then in another, caused the Ro
man authority to tighten its hold on the land of Israel. Grad
ually the Roman legions were gathering to support the Roman
dominion. As it grew in strength the hope of the people
waned, until the turbulent population, smarting under the
yoke of Imperial Rome, burst its bonds in one great and un
availing effort to be free. Jesus saw the trend of events ; He
marked the course of wickedness and folly; and in solemn and
awful words He described the last days of the beleaguered
city and its terrible fate. He pictured the gathering armies,
the flight of the inhabitants, the wreck and ruin of the Jewish
metropolis. He warned His disciples of the calamities which
would come upon them.9 A grim and terrible future He por
trayed, and told His disciples that they were not to fear.
When they were in need, support would be given them.
Of the fall of Jerusalem He spoke with such definiteness
that they might easily know the time was approaching, but
the end of time when He should come again was hidden in
the Father's knowledge.10 He said Hfe would continue as in
the days of Noah and of Lot. He gave several familiar illus
trations for directing flight in the sudden alarm of destruc
tion. The man on the housetop would not have time even to
descend and take away his goods ; he had better flee by jump
ing from one housetop to another to a place of safety outside
the city.11 Of two men in one bed,12 one would be taken and
the other left; of two women grinding at the mill, one would
be taken and the other left.
Wherever a nation is dead in sin, destruction comes upon it.
The vulture being the symbol of destruction, Jesus said,
9 St. Luke xxi. 6. 10 St. Matt. xxiv. 36. « St. Matt. xxiv. 17.
12 The bed referred to is the mustabeh, or ledge on the back and sides
of the lewan, used as a couch by day (modern Turkish divan) and resting-
place for guests at night.

388 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
" Wheresoever the carcase is, thither will the vultures be gath
ered together." Before that awful day He said He must suffer
many things and be rejected.
He urged His disciples to trust in the government of God
during the absence of their Lord, and seek support and en
couragement in prayer. If a judge, to whom nothing is sacred,
does what is right towards a persevering widow, simply to get
rid of her pleading, they could rest assured of the justice of
God. " Nevertheless," said He, " when the Son of Man com
eth shall He find faith on the earth?"13 Looking onward
to a more distant future, another scene came before Him, of
the last days, when He would come again; of this Second Ad
vent no idea of the date was given. His disciples had not yet
realized the full meaning of the coming of the Kingdom. Eyes
straining after visions of temporal splendour missed the signs
of its appearing. When they had reached the distant great
ness of its spiritual glory, they would turn to the past behind
them, to the days when the Son of Man was with them, and
see what they had failed to appreciate. Jesus warned them
against the feverishness and restlessness of the time when the
world, expectant of His Second Advent, would turn first in
one direction and then in another after false Messiahs. They
were to walk by faith and not by sight, and watch continually.
To enforce this lesson for all His disciples at all times He
spoke two parables, of the Ten Virgins and the Talents, which
contain the essence of the teaching of the Second Coming of
our Lord. Watching is the key-note of the parable of the
Ten Virgins, and working the precept of the parable of the
Talents.14 Eastern weddings of today help us to realize the uncertainty
of the time for the coming of the bridegroom. Invitations are
issued at a village wedding with a freedom unknown in the
West. If a man has not received an invitation, and is suit
ably attired and prepared to give a present, he is admitted to
the supper. After the procession, when the bride is brought
13 St, Luke xvjii, 8, « St. Matt. xxv. 1-30.

THE GREAT INDICTMENT 389
from her father's house to her future home, the village maidens
assemble with her to keep their feast. After various pastimes
in the field, all the men gather in the evening for supper on
the threshing-floor, and the bridegroom sits on a raised plat
form to view his guests. Meanwhile, the maidens wait with
the bride for his appearing. Each brings her lamp with a
little vessel containing oil to replenish the oil on which the
little wick that gives the light is floating. AU the lamps are
necessary to illuminate the dwelling, and much oil in little
vessels is required for the time of waiting. None can tell when
the bridegroom will come; he tarries until all his guests are
fed, and when they are many he is often late. As he cannot
ascertain their number, he does not know when the supper is
ended until the governor informs him that all is finished. He
rises from his seat, the band begins to play, and the
women waiting with the bride, hearing the noise, go out to
meet him with their lamps trimmed. The lamps are so small
that the oil in them soon runs out, and prudent maidens pre
pare for the period of waiting. In the parable five of the
maidens were wise and five were foolish. The latter carried no
oil in their vessels. They had everything except oil, and when
their light was going out the lamps were useless, so they asked
for a share of the provision made by the wise, but none was
given to them. Each must depend on her own resources and
provision for the time of waiting.
In the parable of the Talents Jesus said the Kingdom of
Heaven is like unto a man about to travel in a far country,
who, before he commenced his journey, caUed unto him three
servants and gave, according to their several abihty, one five
talents, one two, and the last one talent. He charged them
to trade with the money, then took his departure. On his re
turn he caUed the men to give an account of their venture.
The first and second had done weU and were suitably rewarded,
the third, apparently dissatisfied with his capital, and disloyal
to his master, neglected to use the means he had received to
do the work he was expected to perform, and hid the talent in

390 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the earth after the fashion of the day. Excuses for his in
difference and his failure were unavailing, and punishment
followed. Every man is expected to be faithful to the trust
committed unto him, and to act according to the knowledge
imparted to him, whether it be great or smaU.
Jesus described the Last Judgment in a vivid picture of
the gathering of the nations, a scene from Joel iii. which has
left such an indelible impression on Eastern minds that East
ern men have set with dramatic force the place for the great
tribunal where Jesus declared His view of the notable event.
The valley of the Kedron beneath His feet, separating the
city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, has since been
regarded as the site for the spectacle of the Last Assize. In
due preparation for it, Moslems bury their dead on the west
of the valley, and pious Jews are laid on the opposite slope.
They are all more concerned about the site than the character
of the judgment.
The distinguishing feature of the assembly, the parting
asunder of the vast concourse of people as a shepherd re
moves his sheep from the goats, setting the sheep on his right
hand and the goats on his left,15 has never been forgotten;
it is the basis of His judgment, the test of character that es
capes attention, hence the surprise of those who were mus
tered in their respective positions. Some of them were even
startled by the statement of the Judge. As He called those on
His right hand He said, " Come, ye blessed children of My
Father, inherit the kingdoms prepared for you from the foun
dation of the world: for I was an hungred and ye gave Me
meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger,
and ye took Me in : naked, and ye clothed Me : I was sick, and
ye visited Me : I was in prison, and ye came unto Me." 16
One of the number, as spokesman for the rest, perplexed
by this announcement, and, too honest to remain in the posi
tion assigned to himself and his companions without explana-
is St. Matt. xxv. 33-36. is St. Matt. xxv. 34-36.

THE GREAT INDICTMENT 391
tion, said: " Lord, when saw we Thee hungred, and fed Thee?
or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? when saw we Thee a Stranger,
and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed Thee?" 17 He as
sumed there must be a mistake, as he could not remember the
particular acts of kindness enumerated, and credited to him
self and his associates.
There is more in a man's acts than he is aware of; their
origin is deeper and they reach further than he thinks.
Neither the good nor the evil in them has its source in the
scope of the will; both have occupied the dim and unknown
background on the surface of which life works itself out; both
move under the pressure of loftier and deeper agents than the
man himself; but he uses them, or they use him, to direct the
course of his life, and the actions which issue instinctively from
it exhibit the kind of spirit that is in him, his true character.
They are so much a part of his real self that he thinks no
more of them than he thinks of breathing, and he does not
inform his friends that he breathes, nor does he speak about
his courage if he is brave. By these works he is judged, not
justified by them; by the collective character of his life he is
judged, not by individual acts.
If in the life there is a spirit manifesting God that He
might be distinctly felt by others, that life is the Christ life 18
looking out on the world of men, touching other human
life, taking hold of it, and repeating itself upon it. As Christ
identified Himself with man by the assumption of human nature
to serve mankind, those who possess His spirit are naturally,
though it may be to some extent unconsciously, engaged in the
same service. They lose themselves in the life they live for
others, and on that great day when the account is taken, and
the good or ill unreckoned by themselves appears, he that lost
his life shall find it.
The life that has been centred in self to secure its own
profit, though it may have been occasionally interrupted by
17 St. Matt. xxv. 37-^39. is Cf. p. 137.

392 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
deeds of kindness — for every one is influenced at odd times
by the pressure of the good around him — the life which self
endeavoured to save for self will be lost.
The crowd on the left hand said : " When saw we Thee an
hungred, or athirst, or a Stranger, or naked, or sick, or in
prison, and did not minister unto Thee?"19 Then shall He
answer them, saying : " Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch
as ye did it not to one of the least of My brethren, ye did it
not to Me."
Ignorance of God's will indicates the absence of His Spirit.
Indifference to man's need exhibits the presence of self, and
leads only in one direction that ends in loss. Where else could
it end? " Whosoever shall seek it to save his life shaU lose
it." 20
The blind Pharisee, satisfied with himself, never perceived
the effect of his character on the people round him; he failed
even to see its effect on himself, and the more Jesus talked to
him and his fellow rulers the more they resented His sayings.
His indictment of the rulers stands for all times, and His de
scription of the Last Judgment represents the inevitable re
sult of human experience.
is St. Matt. xxv. 44-45. 20 St. Luke xvii. 33.

CHAPTER XXXIX

Jesus spent the early part of Thursday in quiet preparation
for the great tragedy. He knew that evil men had plotted to
seize Him ; He knew also that His disciple Judas had bargained
with them to deliver into their hands his Master; the traitor
only waited for the opportunity.
The precautions taken by our Lord to secure freedom from
arrest until the last supper was over and His final words were
uttered indicate quite clearly that He knew what was before
Him. He evidently attached great importance to the feast
and the occasion it furnished for His last discourse, as He
had already arranged with a friend for the use of a room.
He sent two of His disciples info the city and told them
to foUow a man they would see bearing a pitcher of water.
Such an unusual sight could not well be missed, and the mis
take made of following the wrong person. Bearing a pitcher
is a woman's work ; an exception would only be found when a
rich man employed his slave. The unnamed friend of Jesus
was evidently a man of wealth and position. It may be rea
sonably assumed that he was also a secret disciple, one to
whom Jesus could appeal, on whom He could rely, and who
was ready to answer the call of his dying Lord. The disciples
sent on the last errand were told to ask the goodman of the
house for the guestchamber x in which the Master could eat
the Passover with His disciples. He used the same word 2 for
guestchamber as that which described the place of His birth,
a temporary abiding-place for travelling men, and the un
known friend of Jesus gave Him the upper room (the aleyieh)
reserved for those whose hearts beat in sympathy with his own,
i St. Mark xiv. 13-16.
2 xariXvpia = place of reception for travellers.
393

394 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
a large room built over the apartments at the side of the court
yard with bare, arched whitewashed walls. In it were few
articles of luxury besides the rich soft carpets on the floor,
cushions for reclining at the low table standing in the centre,
and a ewer and basin and towel, the requisites for comfort.
The door which opened on to the terrace that formed part of
the roof of the lower dweUing-places led down a flight of steps
into the courtyard. From the courtyard below, the scent of
flowers floated on the evening breeze into the guestchamber,
filling it with a sweet perfume.
Having found the room, the trustworthy disciples completed
their preparations. The lamb, the wine, the unleavened bread,
the bitter herbs and the kharoseth — a dish of thick sauce
made of figs, dates, raisins, and vinegar — were procured.
Everything being ready, towards evening Jesus with the
Twelve passed through the streets into the courtyard, mounted
the stone steps, and entered the guestchamber. Oblivious of
the solemn crisis approaching, the disciples openly contended
with one another for precedence.3 Not one of them thought
of the humble duty he might perform for the rest to enj oy more
comfortably the meal prepared by attending to the customary
washing of the feet. They settled in their places while their
Master noticed, in painful silence, their striving for the chief
seats. He determined to teach them a lesson that should en
dure for all time. Rising from the supper, He laid aside His
outer garment, girded Himself with a towel, and, taking the
ewer and basin, He approached His disciples. He, their Lord
and Master, became the slave to serve them and, began to
wash their feet. Silent with amazement, all accepted His min
istration until Jesus came to Peter, whose feelings burst into
an exclamation, and he said, "Lord, dost Thou wash my
feet? " 4 Jesus answered, " What I do thou knowest not now,
but thou shalt know hereafter." Peter, again affectionately
protesting, said, " Thou shalt never wash my feet." But Jesus
answered, " If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me,"
s St Luke xxii. 24. 4 St. John xiii. 6.

" THE NIGHT HE WAS BETRAYED " 395
revealing the danger to His disciples that lay hidden in the
wilfulness of men. Only one will can prevail in the follower
of Jesus, the will of his Lord. The impetuous and warm
hearted disciple, fearing exclusion, instantly changed his mind,
and said, " Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my
head." Again Jesus impressed on Peter the importance of
complete submission, saying, " He that is washed B needeth
not save to wash 8 his feet, but is clean every whit ; and ye
are clean, but not all." The last words aUuded to Judas,
whose feet had been washed, while his heart remained foul with
a traitor's bargain.
As soon as Jesus had resumed His place at the table He
explained the significant meaning of His act. He said, " Ye
call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well, for so I am. If
I then, your Master and Lord, have washed your feet,
ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have
given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to
you." 7
Before the actual eating of the Lamb, the Passover proper,
the ceremony consisted of various introductory forms, be
ginning with a discourse on the object of the meeting, the first
cup of wine was drunk, and the one who conducted the cere
mony took the bitter herbs in his hand and said, " These are
the herbs we eat because the Lord passed over our houses in
Egypt." Probably at this stage, when our Lord took the
bitter herbs, His soul being troubled by the bitterness of
treachery, He startled His disciples by saying, " One of you
shall betray Me." 8 A shadow fell on that happy gathering ;
" the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom He
spake." Next to Jesus, and leaning on His bosom, was John,
to whom Simon Peter beckoned for him to ask their Lord.9
b St. John xiii. 10. ,
8 Washed, i.e. \e\ov/iii>os, means bathed as opposed to wash, i.e. vl<j/ao-9ai.
The one who has bathed, after he reaches his home, needs only his feet
cleansed from the dust of the road. Bathing represents the new birth;
the foot-washing, the daily cleansing from daily pollution of sin.
' St John xiii. 13. s St. John xiii. 21. ' 9 St. John xiii. 23-26.

396 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
And Jesus answered, " He it is to whom I shall give a sop when
I have dipped it ; and when He had dipped the sop He gave it
to Judas Iscariot." He had watched the progress of the
traitor's sin ; He saw it growing by the shifty movement of his
eyes, the gloomy silence of his tongue. But Jesus never ceased
His attention to Judas; His patience continued, His grace
flowed on. When the hand of the false disciple dipped in the
same dish, his Master gave him the sop that declared His un
failing love, and His desire to stem the course of sin. Jesus
had chosen the man of Kerioth for a great work, designed for
him a great position, and bestowed on him a great affection.
For a man so trusted and so beloved there could be no greater
wrong, no darker deed, than the treacherous act which Judas
had agreed to perform. St. Paul marks the contract between
the Saviour's love and the traitor's design in the words he uses
in his letter to the Corinthians : " The Lord Jesus, the same
night in which He was betrayed, took bread: and when He
had given thanks He brake it." 10
After the sop Satan entered into Judas.11 Then said Jesus,
" That thou doest, do quickly." False alike to truth and
trust, he went immediately out ; and it was night. Inside was
Hght and the richest fellowship the world had known. Outside
in the darkness of the shadow of the silent street Judas passed
of his own dark will, with his own black heart, for the com
mittal of the act he had devised, which has for ever marked
the depth of infamy. He hurried on to meet the Jewish priests
and march with the Roman soldiers to arrest his Lord. There
fore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, " Now is the Son of
Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him." 12
With Judas passed the shadow over the feast and the hin
drance to the complete fellowship within the upper room. Free
from his evil presence, Jesus opened His heart to His disciples.
The dipping of the sop occurred during the eating of the
Passover. While the disciples remained at the table the last
supper was instituted. Its significance does not entirely rest
10 1 Cor. xi. 23. n St. John xiii. 27. 12 St. John xiii. 31.

" THE NIGHT HE WAS BETRAYED " 397
on its association with the Passover Feast, although the me
morial of the redemption of Israel was uppermost in the dis
ciples' minds. Other meanings are attached to the ordinance,
which are more fully revealed the more intimately they are
considered. In the light of greater knowledge the disciples
would see how appropriately on that fateful night was insti
tuted the memorial of a deliverance from a bondage greater
than the Egyptian, and from a deadlier peril of a more awful
death. The idea of federal relationship is conveyed by the solemn
rite. As the old covenant was ratified with the blood of sacri
fice, which they commemorated, Jesus ordained a new covenant
through His blood, which He confirmed in another act which
represented another sacrifice. He said, " This is My blood of
the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission
of sins." 13 And as " the blood of the lamb is the procuring
cause of salvation, the flesh of the lamb is the sustaining power
of the life that is saved." 14
It has also an interpretation which is based on the institu
tion of the common meal for mankind, constituting a sacred
and indissoluble bond of union in the brotherhood of man.
If in the desert we could watch a fugitive in his need seek
ing food or sanctuary, a man perhaps whose hand is stained
with blood, or a poor wandering Bedawy without a home, we
should see him eagerly look in every direction, and run or ride
to the camp of the greatest chief. The greater the chief, the
more sure is the refuge. As he stands at the entrance in his
loneliness, his isolation, and his weariness, he is welcomed into
a Warm and comforable fellowship with the words, " Peace be
unto you." After the word of peace has been given the pledge
of peace is offered in the food supplied. No questions are
asked. The stranger has come because he is in need; that
accounts for his appearance. He is called " Thaiff Allah,"
i.e. the guest of God, and the partaking of the " bread and
13 St. Matt. xxvi. 28; St. Mark xiv. 24.
14 The Shadow and the Substance, p. 49, by Sir Arthur Blackwood.

398 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
salt," the breaking of the bread in the lone wilderness, is the
sign of fellowship. And so long as the recipient remains in
the company of his host he is identified with him, subject to
his patriarchal rule, and the object of his paternal care; but
if he leaves " the fellowship " 1B he must face the perils of the
wilderness again.
This is not the custom of a particular tribe ; it is the com
mon law of the desert. What a man needs most is there pro
vided in the fullest measure by the table in the wilderness. It
is the central fact of desert life ; it is the only hope of a desert
soul. From generation to generation this tribute to God's
care for all in need has been offered in the most profound be
lief and experience in its efficacy. The desert fugitive is often
fleeing before the avenger of blood, he is trying to escape from
his enemy, and the table in the wilderness offers not merely the '
food, but the safety it bestows in the followship which the food
implies. The faith of the suppliant appropriates the fact of
safety by his inward spirit as he receives the outward sign of
it with his hands. He is assured of it by the experience which
follows; and the testimony of experience is the witness of the
truth. We need not marvel that it has become the type and symbol
of God's great provision for the world's need, that there should
be a table in the wilderness of life for all people. Ever since
our Lord brake the bread and gave it to His disciples in the
upper room the table has been spread for the guests of God.
Sometimes the central truth has been obscured by ceremonial
magnificence; at other times its reality has been ignored; but
in all ages of Christian history it has been the great witness of
the fact of Christ, and the great memorial of His death. " It
is not His Hfe perfectly holy, not His words luminous with
Divine wisdom," not His miracles of Divine compassion, He
would have us commemorate, but His death; His body broken,
and His blood shed for man. " And He took bread, and gave
thanks and brake it, and gave unto them saying, This is My
is See pages 132 and 133.

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you
Luke XXII: 20

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done
Luke XXII: 42

« THE NIGHT HE WAS BETRAYED " 399
body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me.
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the
new testament in My blood, which is shed for you." 16 The
breaking of the bread was a natural symbol of the breaking
of the body of Jesus; the pouring out of the red wine of the
country was a natural symbol of the pouring out of His
blood. Reference to eating His flesh and drinking His blood
had been made before in the synagogue of Capernaum, as a
sign of the reception of the life Divine.17
After the institution of the great memorial, the symbol and
pledge of continued feUowship, Jesus delivered His last dis
course to the Apostles. Beginning in the familiar style of a
father, He told them He was about to leave them. " Little
children," He said, " yet a little while I am with you." 1S " A
new commandment I give unto you " — the commandment of
the new covenant, the sign of the new communion — " that ye
love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another. By this shaU men know ye are My disciples, if ye
have love one to another." This new commandment of love,
with the binding force of Christ's continual presence, and with
His example always before them, was the necessary prelude to
His departure. When he spoke of it they could not beheve
Him. Peter, alarmed, said, "Lord, whither goest Thou?"19
Jesus explained the sense of His words, and intimated that,
though Peter would not be able to foUow Him immediately,
at a later period ability would be given to him. Ever im
petuous and self-confident, Peter asked why he could not fol
low, and declared, " I wiU lay down my life for Thy sake."
In reply to this rash assertion Jesus predicted the disciple's
threefold denial, and said, " This night, before the cock crow,
thou shalt deny Me thrice." 20
Parts of the conversation in the upper room were recorded
by the Synoptists respecting the future conduct of the dis-
is St. Luke xxii. 19, 20. it See page 245.
is St. John xiii. 33-35. " Children " in the sense of " lads " is the usual
form in which the sheikh in the desert addresses the men of his tribe.
io St. John xiii. 36-38. 20 St. Matt. xxvi. 34.

400 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
ciples in their relation to the people, and St. Matthew incor
porates some of the remarks in the charge 21 to the Twelve
when they were sent on their first mission. But the most sub
lime utterances of Jesus on this last evening of His earthly
life have been preserved by St. John. They throb with the
most tender emotions. Having heard the announcement of
His approaching departure, the disciples were unutterably sad.
Jesus looked on their downcast faces and delivered His message
of comfort, which in every age has brought with it strength
and consolation to anxious souls. He said,22 " Let not your
hearts be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In
My Father's house are many mansions ; 2S if it were not so,
I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."
In the eternal resting-places there was room for all, and His
departure would be to prepare for them to foUow Him. Their
capacity for understanding being limited, He patiently listened
to their remarks and answered their questions. He had told
them that they knew both the place where He was going and
the way to it. But Thomas said, " Lord, we know not whither
Thou goest, and how can we know the way? " He replied, " I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the
Father but by Me." " If ye had known Me ye should have
known My Father also : and from henceforth ye know Him. and
have seen Him."
Philip recognized in the homesickness of his soul, in the call
of his human spirit for its completion, the inadequacy of his
knowledge, and boldly suggested a solution of his difficulty
by asking for a vision of the Father. Jesus was grieved. Ap
parently He had lived His life in vain when in Himself the
disciples failed to see the likeness of the Father. Again He
impressed upon their dull minds the fact that the Father had
manifested Himself in the words they had heard and the works
they had seen, and that whoever had by his spiritual vision
21 St Matt. x. 16-20. 22 St. John xiv. 1, etc.
23/M>xi7, rnansio, "station," a place of abode, a resting-place for the night;
also in verse 23.

" THE NIGHT HE WAS BETRAYED " 401
perceived the power of God in Him had seen the Father. But
these manifestations of God were not to remain mere external
exhibitions. Through faith in Him and fellowship with Him
the disciples were to continue the Divine work He had begun.
He promised them that, when the limited form of His mani
festation on which they had depended had gone, a new Advo
cate with Divine power would come and work in them, and
that through communion with the Divine life they would do
yet greater things. A new relationship with Him was to be
established by prayer in His Name, that through His media
tion the Father would send another Person 24 to help them,
even the Spirit of Truth, Who would never leave them, as He
was about to do. He called Him the Spirit of Truth, because
union with the Holy Spirit can only be obtained by embracing
truth as an irresistible conviction dominating the life and in
spiring the soul. Only the spirit of truth can perceive and
appropriate and assimilate truth. If we substitute the word
" reality " for truth we shall be able to understand its mean
ing more exactly. To talk of truth in the sense of speaking
truly, of telling the truth, is very different from the essential
idea of reality. " Speaking the truth implies a correspond
ence between words and thoughts ; truth is a correspondence
between thoughts and realities."
Truth lies in character, and Jesus told the disciples that
the world could not receive the Spirit of Truth because the
Spirit is foreign to the character of the world ; but they would
know the truth in the only way in which it could be known,
by an inward and personal experience of the Holy Spirit. He
said, " He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." 25 Jesus
thus prepared them to expect Him to return to them in the
Spirit Who is One with Him and with the Father, as an in
dwelling Power. Speaking of Himself as He had spoken of
the Holy Spirit, He said, " I will not leave you comfortless
(Le. orphans26): I will come to you."27 The office of the
24 St. John xiv. 16, Tap&Kknros, Comforter, Advocte, 25 St. John xiv. 17.
26 iptpavois, orphans, as in marginal reference. 27 St. John xiv. 18.

402 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Advocate, as the Comforter, is to unite the disciples with the
Father ; if, therefore, the disciples were without the Holy Spirit
they would be fatherless. But if they loved Him they would
keep His commandments, and in the keeping of His command
ments they would enjoy His spiritual feUowship. These state
ments so perplexed the disciples that, with the hope still in
them of a public manifestation, Judas (not Iscariot) asked
why He would make Himself known only to them and not to
the world; but He offered no further explanation; He simply
repeated His former declaration, that only to those who were
spiritually susceptible of receiving Him by a faithful observ
ance of the Father's will would the spiritual manifestation be
made. " If a man love Me he will keep My words : and My
Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make
Our abode with him." 28 He told them that the Holy Ghost
would bring to their remembrance all He had said to them,
and furnish them with the means of rightly understanding all
He had taught them. As they were about to rise from the
tasble He pronounced His final blessing; He gave his last be
quest of peace.29 They sang the Passover Psalm, and He
called them to go with Him to the last conflict. From the
upper room the disciples passed with their Lord into the silent
street, onward to the city gate, and through it down the hiU
to the olive groves and vineyards on the slopes of Olivet. Fur
ther delay in the place where Judas knew his Master abode
might mean a violent interruption of their meeting before He
had finished His discourse.
Many thoughts laboured in His Mind to come forth, and
strong feelings of affection swelled within His soul for the men
who had steadfastly relied upon Him. He called their atten
tion to the vine 30 and its branches in order to teach them
that the relation between them was to remain no longer by
external dependence on Him, but through an internal expe
rience of His Spirit. Their business was to bear fruit, they
were to become active agents of the Kingdom ; but only through
28 St. John xiv. 23. 29 St. John xiv. 27. 30 St. John xv. 1.

" THE NIGHT HE WAS BETRAYED " 403
a vital union of fellowship with Him could they exhibit the
Divine life in fruitful works. He said, " I am the Vine, and
ye are the branches." He continued His discourse and talked
of the plan of salvation through His abiding presence and their
love for Him and for one another. Such love were they to
show that He had manifested, even unto death. He addressed
them by the familiar title of " friends," and informed them of
the world's hatred and predicted worldly persecutions.
They were full of sorrow. Whichever way they looked at
His impending departure there would be a lost Leader and a
lost cause, for surely all things would come to an end with
His disappearance. His declaration that it was expedient that
He should go away seemed incredible, the prospect of His de
parture alarming ; and His words a contradiction. How could
anything be better than the visible presence of the Master, to
walk with Him, hear His gracious words, witness His loving
deeds, and feel His benign influence?
There is, however, a period of tutelage which must come to
an end, and the pupil pass out of the class into the world.
That time had arrived for the disciples. The absence of their
Teacher would mean to them the presence of His Spirit within
them. Christ in the Spirit would be more to them than Christ
after the flesh. He said if He did not go the Holy Spirit
would not come. For their benefit He must leave them, and in
His stead His Spirit would come to achieve the great purpose
of His life through them. He described the process of the
Holy Spirit's action in regenerating the world, and gave them
a brief history of the silent progress of the spiritual Hfe in the
words, " When He is eome He will convince the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment " — that is, bring home
sin to man's judgment to render all denial impossible, and to
a man's conscience to make evasion impracticable. The Spirit
of God would work for righteousness by revealing His char
acter. He said, " I have many things to say unto you, but
ye cannot bear them now.31 Howbeit, when the Spirit of
si St. John xvi, 12,

404 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Truth is come He will guide you into all truth: for He shall
not speak of Himself ; but whatsoever He shall hear that shall
He speak; and He wiU show you things to come. He shall
glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it
unto you."
The Holy Spirit would enable men rightly to appreciate
and justly estimate the character of His life and Person.32
There were powerful men in high places, wielding immense in
fluence, who, having compassed the death of Jesus, would seek
to destroy His reputation, extinguish His work, and blot out
His Name from the annals of time. He had given great of
fence to the rulers ; that alone was sufficient cause to obliterate
His Name and work. Then there was the decay of memory.
We all know how soon we forget the people we have met, how
transitory is the influence of the men of the day, how quickly
attention is absorbed by new interests, how soon fading mem
ory causes the past to recede into the dim distance and fresh
things become prominent. There is the perilous activity of
fancy, which might substitute for facts opinions and views
that are created by the enthusiasm of the moment. The influ
ence of a man that has gone depends greatly on the moods and
manners of his followers. We need only think of great his
torical characters to understand that many who once occu
pied the public mind are now lost in oblivion. Their memory
is but a name, their influence forgotten, or their acts distorted
beyond recognition. That the disciples, so dull of compre
hension of the mystery of the words and works of Jesus, should
have been able to record them, and that we should be able to
perceive in them a Divine authority which moves men's hearts
to believe them, is evidence of the fulfilment of the promise
made by Jesus that after He had gone the Holy Ghost would
come and exhibit His life and work for the welfare of mankind.
The coming of the Holy Spirit after the departure of Jesus
was the basis of the new communion with the Father. He
. 32 Canon Liddon, Sermon on St, John xvi. 14, "The Inspiration of Se
lection,

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master ; and kissed him
Matthew XXVI: 40

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer .Sc. J>. Mastroianni
Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and 'took him
Matthew XXVI: 50

" THE NIGHT HE WAS BETRAYED " 405
told them that for a time they would be sorrowful, but their
temporary sorrow would be turned into permanent joy. He
wished to impart to them a measure of Divine comfort in a
hostile world, and closed His farewell address in a few words
which embraced the whole of His purpose. " These things I
have spoken unto you that in Me ye might have peace. In the
world ye shall have tribulation : but be of good cheer : I have
overcome the world." ss With this note of triumph Jesus con
cluded His address to His disciples, and then He offered His
parting prayer. As the great High Priest He lifted up His
eyes to heaven in a prayer of self-consecration, thanksgiving,
and intercession. He prayed for Himself, fqr His disciples,
for all believers that they may be one, that they may be glori
fied for their abiding in the union of love and the perfection
of Divine knowledge. As He prayed the end was near, and
according to the world's judgment the end exhibited the dis
astrous failure of all His work. Yet He spoke like a con
queror. Standing with His little band of disciples, His eyes
turned to heaven, He declared to God the Father, " I have
glorified Thee on earth ; I have finished the work Thou gavest
Me to do. And now, 0 Father, glorify Thou Me." 3i
It was now very late, and the disciples were very weary.
Jesus told them to sit down, and He, with Peter and the two
sons of Zebedee, went into the dim recesses of the olive-trees,
where He told them to watch with Him; and there began in
dark Gethsemane His passion for the souls of men. Endur
ing unutterable agony, He prayed with the sweat of blood
upon His brow and the burden of the world's sin on His soul.
Worn with the day's anxieties, His disciples slept; and He
sorrowed for human sympathy. When most He needed them
they failed. His voice reached their ears, they heard a few
of His words as they floated on the night air towards them, but
they could not keep awake. He came and found them sleep
ing. Gently rebuking them, He told them to watch and pray,
that they might not enter into temptation, and, seeing their
ss St John xvi. 33, 84 St. John xvii. 4, 5,

406 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
weakness, He remarked, " The spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak." Again He came and found them asleep, and
at last He said : " Behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of
Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners." 36
35 St. Matt. xxvi. 36-45.

CHAPTER XL
THE TRIAL OF JESUS
The glint of the moonbeams shining through the olive-trees of
dark Gethsemane lifted some of the glood, but a solemn silence
reigned in the garden of sorrow. It was broken by the tumult
of the crowd accompanying the soldiers led by the treacherous
disciple. Attracted by the noise, Jesus left the shadowed re
cesses by a narrow path to meet them, and Judas met and
kissed his Master. He had said, " Whomsoever I shall kiss
that same is He, take Him and lead Him away safely." 1 His
Master said unto him, " Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man
with a kiss ? " and the wretched man stepped aside as the crowd
pressed on. Jesus asked, " Whom seek ye ? " They answered,
" Jesus of Nazareth." He said, " I am He." " As soon as
He had said unto them, I am He, they went backward and fell
to the ground." 2 The supreme crisis through which He had
passed in the garden had set up heroic proportions in Him;
His purpose was fixed, He was ready to die. Unaware of the
greatness of the One they had come to arrest, they were over
whelmed by His Divine Majesty. He offered Himself to them,
or they would have failed in the duty they were sent to per
form. " They which were about Him said, Lord, shall we smite
with the sword? " 3 and Peter immediately drew his weapon
and struck off the ear of Malchus, the High Priest's servant.4 .
Jesus said, " Put up thy sword in its place ; for they that take
the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I
cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give
Me more than twelve legions B of angels? " 6 And while He
spake He thought of the injured man and healed him. Then,
i St. Mark xiv. 44. 2 St. John xviii. 6. s St. Luke xxii. 49.
4 St. John xviii. 10. » A legion was 6,000. e St. Matt xxvi. 52, 53,
407

408 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
submitting Himself to the officers, He was instantly seized and
bound. Seeing Him thus helpless in the rough hands of His
captors, the menacing attitude of the mob, and the insolent
bearing of the soldiers, the disciples were frightened, and aU
forsook Him and fled. Stunned by physical fear and mental
anguish, they scarcely knew what they were doing. Two of
them, recovering their balance, followed the crowd at a dis
tance up the hill towards the city and the High Priests' Pal
ace. One boldly passed into the courtyard and ushered in
behind him his shrinking champion Peter, who stood near the
brazier warming his hands to remove the chilly feeling at his
heart and compose his troubled spirit.
As no meeting of the Sanhedrin could be summoned at that
late hour of the night, Jesus was taken bound to be examined
by Annas,7 the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who had been the
High Priest and still retained the title. He questioned Jesus
about His followers and His doctrine, anxious no doubt to
prepare a charge on which the Man of Nazareth might be con
demned. His assumption of authority at such time was as
illegal as his position, and the answer he received, though de
livered in calm and quiet tones, contained a reproof which no
one could misunderstand. In contrast to this secret tribunal
Jesus said,8 " I spake openly to the world ; I ever taught in the
synagogue, and in the Temple whither the Jews always resort :
and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou Me?
Ask them which heard Me, what I have said unto them; be
hold, they know what I said." Evidently the rebuke struck
home, and those who were present winced at the aUusion to
the likely witnesses. One of the officers which stood by struck
Jesus, saying, " Answerest Thou the High Priest so? " Jesus
said, " If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil : but if
well, why smitest thou Me? "
While these proceedings were being conducted in the raised
apartment (the lewan) at the end of the courtyard, near which
John stood to listen to the examination, Peter remained with
t St. John xviii. 13. s St. John xviii. 20, etc.

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man
Matthezv XXVI: 74

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer

Sc. D. Mastroianni
I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ
Matthew XXVI: 63

THE TRIAL OF JESUS 409
the group round the fire in the court below.9 Unable to hear
at this distance, they waited for the result. A young woman
in the crowd, accustomed to scenes of public interest, un
ashamed to stand among a rabble in a public place, with brazen
face gazed on the shrinking form of the simple Galilean fisher
man and recognized him as a disciple of the Man of Nazareth.
She immediately chaUenged him, and the poor man, over
whelmed by his position and the startling incidents through
which he was passing, denied his Lord. Thrice he denied Him,
and, as if he were conscious of his weakness, he turned to the
Master on the upper floor at the other end of the courtyard,
and Jesus, standing there, turned and looked on Peter. Their
eyes met, and Peter saw in the look of Jesus His great love
for weak and sinful men. The solicitude in His eyes, the ten
derness of His gaze, penetrated the soul of the weak disciple;
his heart was broken; he rushed from the place in tears. And
the cock crew.
From Annas Jesus was taken to Caiaphas, the High Priest
and President of the Sanhedrin. In his palace the second stage
of the trial took place, where a few of the more desperate
enemies of Jesus had been hastily summoned. All His acts of
which the rulers had so often complained and which we might
have expected would be laid to His charge, such as the viola
tion of their Sabbath laws, the neglect of their traditional
observances, and the cleansing of the Temple, were studiously
avoided. The Sanhedrin sought false witnesses against Jesus to put
Him to death. This does not mean that messengers were sent
through the streets to summon men to give evidence. False
witnesses seem to have been always the necessary appendage
of judicial proceedings in the changeless East. False wit
nesses may be found today in the corridors of an Oriental court
house waiting to be hired, ready to perjure themselves at a
price. And the price is not always paid in cash; it depends
9 ex Tjj ai\-j k&tw (St. Mark xiv. 66) = " In the court below": the outer
court (koosh) open to the sky, where the charcoal fire was burning, be
low the lewan.

410 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
on the position of the man in need of help. The favour of the
great is enough to gain the response of wiUing men when the
call for witnesses is heard. Two men came forward to support
the Sanhedrin against Jesus. They said they had heard Him
say something about destroying the Temple and rebuilding it
in three days. His words were distorted to suit the president
of the court, but the false witnesses disagreed on their own
statements. Apparently their evidence was rejected.
Details of the trial are meagre. The Evangelists, in their
condensed report, do not appear to have been interested in all
that passed. The most important part, however, has been
preserved, the climax which the proceedings reached, when
Jesus, the Accused, stood silently watching the various at
tempts of His enemies to convict Him. His serene composure
provoked Caiaphas. Angrily rising from his seat, the High
Priest advanced into the circle of his associates, confronted
the Prisoner, and exclaimed, " Answerest Thou nothing? "
But His silence remained unbroken, and His attitude remained
unmoved. In despair and fury Caiaphas cried, " I adjure Thee by the
living God that Thou tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the
Son of God." 10
He could no longer remain silent under so solemn a charge
without being misunderstood. And Jesus said, " I am." xl
In order that no doubt might rest on His affirmation, He
added, by way of emphasis, a quotation from the book of
Daniel, which the High Priest and all the Sanhedrin accepted,
as a Messianic prophecy : " And ye shall see the Son of Man
sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds
of heaven." 12
10 St. Matt. xxvi. 63. n St. Mark xiv. 62.
12 St. Mark xiv. 62; Dan. vii. 13. This quotation is usually regarded as
the prophecy of our Lord respecting His Second Advent rather than a
statement of His Messiahship. St. Mark does not use the words i.ir' iprt
of St. Matthew xxvi. 64, " from now," " from this time " (A. V. " Here
after," R. V. "henceforth"). These words "from now" referred to that
time, and there followed from that time, as Jesus declared, the evidence of
His Divine power in the judgment of God.

THE TRIAL OF JESUS 411
It was also a declaration in figurative language that His
Divine power would be proved by the impending judgment of
God and the increase of His Kingdom.
" Blasphemy," cried the High Priest, and rent his clothes,
saying, " What need we of any further witnesses ? "
" Ye have heard the blasphemy, what think ye ? "
And they all condemned Him to be guilty of death. He
was condemned for saying that He was the Son of God.
" But Hebrew jurisprudence had also a curious rule that
a unanimous vote for conviction set the defendant free." 13
This meant that if a defendant had not a single friend in court
to take his side in the controversy, the court must certainly
be prejudiced against him. So flagrant was the effort to con
demn Jesus that every member of the Sanhedrin at the meet
ing endorsed the wish of the president, and, in spite of their
rule, agreed with his decision.
It was foul play, and not justice.
Caiaphas and his associates sought only the death of
Jesus. The shame of their act might have thrilled all honest men.
Yet even the Evangelists have neither expressed their feelings
nor recorded their opinions of the most shameful deed in the
world's history. The consent of Jesus to His death as the
One Who had to die for men sets the circumstances in another
light. It is His willing sacrifice that transcends the way in
which His death was encompassed that occupies the minds of
the Evangelists and leaves no room for feelings.
That certain irregularities occurred at the trial all authori
ties admit; but a clear issue remains, the one which concerns
mankind. Jesus declared He was the Son of God, and His
enemies, in their unbelief, refused to accept His testimony.
They rejected Him, their rabble attendants spat upon Him,
buffeted Him, struck Him with the palms of their hands, and
despitefully used Him — and no one took His part, never a
voice was raised in His defence.
is R. W. Husband, The Prosecution of Jesus, p. 125. Misha, Sanh. 4, 1.

412 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Thus was prophecy fulfilled, " He was despised and rejected
of men." 14
While these unwarrantable insults were heaped upon Him
the members of the Sanhedrin left the court.
According to the law against blasphemy, if Jesus had been
legally condemned, He should have been stoned; but it was
necessary to obtain the consent of the Roman Governor be
fore proceeding with the execution.
Remorse had begun its work in Judas. When the sentence
of death was pronounced, if he had expected Jesus to assert
His power or the rulers to release Him, his last hope vanished.
No one will ever know why he had become a traitor; few be
lieve he wished his Master to die. He rushed towards the rul
ers as they crossed the Temple precincts with the unholy shekels
in his hands, the miserable price of his infamous deed. Per
haps thinking there was yet time to cancel his bargain, he
said,15 " I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent
blood." 16 With callous indifference the conspirators an
swered, " What is that to us ? See thou to that." But the
acknowledgment of his sin brought no repentance. He threw
the pieces of money on the marble pavement, and, with awful
despair on his face and a fierce pain in his soul, he stole out
of the Temple in the darkness towards the haunted glen of
Hinnom, and hanged himself on a tree.
The money he had returned, the paltry sum received for his
fell purpose, was used to purchase a field in which to bury
strangers, and ever since it has been known as the Field of
Blood.17 Above the valley of Hinnom there stands today a
gaunt and stunted tree, by the Field of Blood, known amongst
all the people as the tree of Judas — a miserable memorial of
his awful crime.
Slowly the hours passed while the Son of Man stood bound.
The grey dawn of the morning of the most fateful day in the
annals of time passed into brightness as the sun rose above the
i* Isa. liii. 3. is St. Matt, xxvii. 5.
is St. Matt, xxvii. 4. " St. Matt xxvii. 8.

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer ,jC. p. Mastroianni
They led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate
Matthew XXVII: 2

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer

Sc. D. Mastroianni

Art thou the King of the Jews
John XVIII: 33

THE TRIAL OF JESUS 413
Hill of Olivet. Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the
judgment haU 18 before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor.19
Of this notable man, whose name might have been lost in ob
livion but for the circumstances in which he was placed, we
know little more than appears in the pages of the Bible.20 He
had a Roman's sense of law and order, and a Roman's hatred
of the Jews. They knew that he would not listen to an indict
ment for blasphemy; in order, therefore, to secure His con
demnation, the rulers charged Jesus with the pohtical crime
of sedition. They said to Pilate, " We found this feUow per
verting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar,
and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." 21 When he
had heard this accusation Pilate retired into the Prastorium
with the Prisoner for examination. The Procurator looked
at Him, and as he gazed on His serene and noble figure in peas
ant garb, surprise at the ridiculous charge overcame him, and
he said, " Art Thou the King of the Jews? " 22
The idea of this poor lonely Galilean, with the traces of in
sult on His face, being a King astonished the Roman. Jesus
answered, " Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others teU
it thee of Me?" Pilate replied, "Am I a Jew? Thine own
nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee unto me:
What hast Thou done? " Ignoring the last question, Jesus
said : " My Kingdom is not of this world : if My Kingdom
were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should
not be delivered to the Jews : but now is My Kingdom not from
hence." " Art Thou a King then ! " said Pilate in astonish
ment. Yes, a King, but of the Kingdom of Truth. Jesus
said, " Every one that is of the Truth heareth My voice," and
is The Praetorium, the military headquarters in the castle of Antonia on
the north-western corner of the Temple Area, a Gentile building from
whence the leaven could not have been removed. The rulers stood in the
courtyard. « St. John xviii. 28.
20 Tacitus alludes to the death of Christ under the Roman Governor
Pontius Pilate (Annals, XV. iv. 4).
21 St Luke xxiii. 2. 22 St Luke xxiii. 3.

414 THE LLFE OF CHRIST
the Governor answered with the question, " What is truth? " 23
It was now clear to the Roman that this high-souled Man with
dreams of noble worth was no dangerous revolutionary, and,
conducting the Prisoner to the Jews, he pronounced His ac
quittal, saying, " I find in Him no fault at aU." 24 This dec
laration of innocence kindled the fury of the rulers,25 and they
became more fierce, saying, " He stirreth up the people . . .
from Galilee to this place."
Hearing the word Galilee the perplexed Governor saw a way
of escape from his dilemma. It happened that the Tetrarch
of Galilee was in Jerusalem, and to him Pilate sent the Man of
Galilee. Herod was delighted; he had often wished to see
Jesus, and hoped to witness His works. Now he could examine
Him ; but to all he said Jesus " answered nothing." Then his
savage feelings burst forth into vulgar mockery in which his
minion soldiers joined, and they sent the Prisoner back to Pi
late, whose device had failed. He knew the Jewish rulers had
set their hearts upon the death of Jesus, his Roman sense of
justice rebelled against their condemnation of an innocent man,
and in a feeble attempt to compromise he said, " I will chastise
Him and release Him." Before he could carry out his wish
the scene changed. At that moment a crowd appeared to ask
for the release of a prisoner according to the custom of the
feast. As a mark of imperial clemency, every year at the
Passover a free pardon was granted to one of the people in
prison, and at that time a notable rebel named Barabbas lay
in the city dungeon. Pilate saw another opening for the
escape of Jesus. But his attention was distracted by a mes
sage from his wife. In answering her appeal he had to turn
from the people, and the rulers persuaded them to ask for the
brigand Barabbas. While they were engaged in preparing
their request the Procurator listened to the strange message
of the forebodings of the woman who had shared his home in
Judea. Alarmed by a dream, she begged her husband to have
23 St. John xviii. 38. 24 St. John xviii. 38. 25 St. Luke xxiii. 5.

THE TRIAL OF JESUS 415
nothing to do with the just Man. As he turned again to the
people he asked them whether he should release unto them
Barabbas or Jesus. They bore no ill-will to Jesus, they even
favoured His cause ; but, after being incited by the priests and
elders to ask for the robber, they did not intend to be baulked
of their wish, and they clamoured for Barabbas. Pilate tried
again to induce them to accept Jesus, saying, " What evil hath
He done? " " He knew that for envy they had delivered Jesus
unto him." Other sins were linked with envy, but envy was the
forerunner of the rest. Envy led the van of passion in the
rulers of the Jews. Hatred and malice followed bard after,
and blinded their eyes to truth and goodness.
They called for Barabbas.
Seeing the Governor waver, the rulers threatened to im
peach him and said, " If thou let this man go thou art not
Caesar's friend." Their threat placed Pilate in an awkward
position. He knew what happened to Procurators when the
tyrant on the imperial throne even suspected them of la-sa
majestas, and, if the story reached the ears of the Roman Em
peror that the Governor of Judea had taken the side of a ring
leader of sedition, not only would he lose his position, but in all
probability forfeit his life.
It was a cunning move on the part of the rulers.
Once more Pilate talked to them, and asked, " What shall
I do, then, with Jesus which is called Christ? " And they
cried, " Crucify Him, crucify Him." When he saw that he
could not prevail and his opposition only incensed the people,
he " gave sentence that it should be as they required, and he
released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast
into prison, whom they had desired: but he delivered Jesus to
their wiU." 26
Before the Romans crucified a criminal they scourged27
him, and for this purpose the soldiers led Jesus away. When
His lacerated flesh quivered under the strokes of their instru-
28 St. Luke xxiii. 24, 25.
27 Josephus, Ant. Book V. chap. xl. 1; Wars, chap. xi. 14, 9.

416 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
ments of torture, and His back was raw and bleeding, they put
upon Him a scarlet robe,28 probably a soldier's old tunic so
faded that it looked like purple.29 One of them stole out into
the night and plucked some twigs from a nubk tree in the palace
garden, made them into a crown of thorns, and placed it on
His head. In His hand they put a reed, and with ribald mock
ery they hailed Him, " King of the Jews." When the brutal
sport was ended and Pilate saw the result of their cruelty,
thinking the compassion of the people might be aroused at the
sight of the pale and bleeding Prisoner, he presented Him to
them, saying, " Behold the Man." 30
While Jesus was thus exhibited to the multitude He was not
one man amid the thousand in the Holy City. In Him the best
of all the races of the earth were gathered, the best of all hu
man life was hidden in that form crowned with thorns. But
the people saw nothing of this ; they did not see in Him a new
order of human life; the spectacle before them only increased
their fury. Once they had been roused nothing appeased their
lust for blood.
Washing his hands before them, Pilate said, " I am innocent
of the blood of this just Person; see ye to it." 31 He declared
himself free from all responsibility.
" Then aU the people answered and said, His blood be on
us and on our children." 32
Rash words uttered in the heat of great public excitement
often entail very serious consequences; but no words ever
spoken have brought such retribution as this wild and passion
ate expression of hate. The consciousness of their significance
was lost in the fear of the rulers lest their victim should escape
from the death they desired. They had forgotten for the
moment the full meaning of their responsibility, or they im
agined that it would be possible to escape from it because there
was no one to take vengeance for the blood that was shed.
They knew that a man seldom declares his accountability for
28 St. Matt xxvii. 28. 29 St. Mark xv. 17. so St. John xix. 5.
31 St. Matt, xxvii. 24. 32 St. Matt xxvii. 35.

Copyright, 191J, A. Noyer
And they .

5c. £>. Mastroianni

took the reed, and smote him on the head
Matthew XXVII: 30

Copyright, 1911, /4. Afoyo- 5c. £). Mastroianni
And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head
lohn XIX: 2

THE TRIAL OF JESUS 417
blood unless he feels secure in his strength to defy the avenger.
But they could not have been unaware of the well-known factor
of Jewish life, of the law of blood in their own Scriptures.
God had said, " At the hand of every man's brother will I
require the life of man." 3S A form of the words in Genesis
iv. 10, " The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from
the ground," is still preserved in the modern proverb, " Dam
butlub dam," i.e., "Blood calls for blood." If a man, even
by accident, finds a mark of blood on his garment, he washes
his robe, and if he sees a stain on the ground he invariably
hides it from the eyes of man and believes that he can stifle the
caU of blood by covering the stain with sand. He thinks it
will, as he says, " lay the mared," the spirit of him who died
by an act of violence, the victim of a man's hate. Job, in the
bitterness of his soul, cried, " 0, earth, earth, cover not thou
my blood, and let my cry have no place." 34 And God de
clares in Ezekiel xxiv. 8 His judgment on the people who are
swift to shed blood in these words, " that it might cause fury
to come up to take vengeance: I have set her blood on the
top of a rock, that it should not be covered."
Since that fateful day when Christ was condemned for say
ing He was the Son of God His blood has stained the Jewish
name. The race has been haunted by their deed, and a terrible
retribution has followed their cry. It cannot be denied that
there is nothing in the world's history to compare with the re
sults of the world's tragedy. Wherever a Jew has been found,
whether quietly pursuing his calling in the market-place of
civilization, or fleeing from its persecution, the blood-guiltiness
of the Jewish fathers has been remembered in their children.
A prejudice has grown in the hearts of men who have not
known anything personaUy against the Jews, who have not
been even personaUy acquainted with them, a prejudice which
cannot be charged to the account of those in whom the inherent
feeling exists without reference to the blood that was shed.
The cry of the infuriated Jews has reverberated down the
ss Gen. ix. 5, 6. 34j0b xvi. 18,

418 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
corridors of the ages, and even men who have heard only the
rudiments of their story shrink from contact with the haunted
race. Time has not wiped out their deed, nor has history
erased it. On the darkest pages of the annals of mankind it
remains as if it had been recorded in letters of blood for aU
men to read for ever. It accelerated the doom then fast
approaching of the people compelled by their own act to tread
a bloodstained road, a people afterwards bereft of their coun
try, yet preserved amidst all nations in a way unparalleled,
ever moving with restless footsteps in the world of men, con
spicuous by the mark upon them that stained their name.
Until the world can discern a deeper meaning in it all, preju
dice will veil the secret lesson in the history of the Jew.36
ss Cf. Heb. ix. 11-28; Exod. xxiv. 8.

CHAPTER XLI

THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST

No time was lost after Jesus had been condemned. The sol
diers immediately proceeded to carry out the sentence. Two
beams of wood to make the cross were laid upon His shoulder as
Jesus was led out of the prison ceU attached to the Judgment
HaU in the Castle of Antonia. Spent with the long vigil of
His sleepless night, He swayed under the burden before He
reached the place of execution, and the soldiers looked around
for some one to take His place beneath His load. Simon of
Cyrene, a stranger pilgrim from a land across the sea, having
attracted the attention of the guard whUe gazing on the cen
tral Figure of the procession, was seized to bear His cross.
At first it might have been an unwiUing service, he may have
struggled to free himself from the caUous soldiers; but some
thing in his history indicates a change. How else could He
have been the father of Alexander and Rufus,1 two of the
names on the roU of the Church of Christ? The spirit of the
devout pUgrim was ready for his Lord. He saw what no others
could see in the Man of Sorrows in the midst of the throng,
and Jesus must have turned and looked in gratitude on the
shining eyes of Simon as the wood of the cross was laid upon
his back. That look brought the man of Cyrene into the fel
lowship of the suffering Christ, and the deed he wrought that
day when he bore the cross was the most eminent service man
had ever done for Jesus. It was the greatest day in Simon's
Hfe.2 Slowly the party marched to the place for the execution,
a sHght elevation beyond the northern waU, a Httle hiU shaped
Hke a skull, hence its name in EngHsh ; in Hebrew, Golgotha ; 3
and its Latin equivalent Calvaria.
i St. Mark xv. 31. 2 St. Luke xxiii. 26. 3 St Mark xv. 22.
419

420 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
From the stillness of the throng loud lamentations burst,
the wailing of Eastern women for the dead. Their hearts were
moved for Jesus, who was on His way to die ; to die as a felon
on a Roman cross. As their cries reached His ears, He
stopped and turned, and with words of gentle chiding He bade
them weep no more for Him, but for themselves, and their chil
dren.4 The doom of their city and their destiny were borne
upon His soul. In effect He said, " If a fruitful tree like Me
be delivered to destruction, what shall be the fate of the bar
ren? " B
Outside the city the procession stopped for the brief prepa
ration of the last stage of the tragedy, and the people poured
out of the gate in scornful, jeering crowds, some of the peo
ple who but a few days earlier had followed the Son of Man
with shouts of exultation and loud Hosannahs. Never a word
had been said in His defence, and not a hand was raised for
Him now. But a merciful custom prevailed from which even
He might benefit. Medicated wine was administered to men
about to die. Jesus refused the cup that was given Him to
deaden His pain.6 He chose to meet God awake. He would
not go through the dark valley with clouded eyes and die with
senses dulled. The heart, that had never been untrue since
it began to beat, faltered not in the face of death. Calm and
serene He stood, submitting with simple dignity to the hands
of the executioners.
At nine o'clock in the morning their work began. Stripped
of his clothing, Jesus was laid on the upright shaft of the in
strument of torture, with His arms outstretched on the cross
beams, His hands made fast at either end by heavy nails
driven through the palms, into the wood. His feet were fas
tened together below.
Before the cross was raised aloft a board was fixed above
His head with the inscription of His accusation painted on it,
and His name : " Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," *
4 St. Luke xxiii. 28. e St. Mark xv. 23.
5 St. Luke xxiii. 31. r St. John xix. 19.

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer

Sc. D. Mastroianni

And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!
John XIX: 5

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer

Pilate .

Sc. /'. Mastroianni

took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying,
I am innocent of the blood of this just person
Matthew XXVII: 24

THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST 421
The King of the Jews was the charge on which He was con
demned. Pilate wrote this title in his anger to insult the rul
ers who had frustrated his purpose to release the Prisoner.
When they protested, he said : " What I have written, I have
written." 8 His verdict stands for all time, as his unconscious
prophecy of the testimony of humanity and the claim of Jesus.
He claimed to be the final moral authority and 'the Judge of
all mankind.9 But the consummation of aU His claims was
to be the King of a Kingdom, spiritual, universal, and eternal.10
A King whose throne was a cross.
On the little hill the grim instrument of death rose above
the garden n where the lilies grew. Beside that hill, crowned
with a living wreath of pleasant verdure, flowers in rich pro
fusion bloomed. All nature gay with the sweet tokens of joy
ous springtime smiled around its Lord. The light wind that
played among the olive-trees fanned His cheek like the breath
of heaven on the life of love ; of the love that never dies.
Between the cross and the flowers there seems a strange con
tradiction in the providence of God. Love will disclose its
secret. As the afterglow of an Eastern sunset faUing on the
flowers kindles them into unexpected splendours, so the light
of God illumines the soul of man for him to penetrate the deep
things encompassing Jesus, Who taught men through the flow
ers 12 that everything is held in love eternal. The Divine hand
which planted the lilies, that men may recognize the measure
of His care, formed also the purpose of the cross that men
might realize the magnitude of His love. And the Divine Son
knew the Father's meaning in both the cross and the flowers.
His love made the pathway to the cross, and from it; for the
love that has its pain has also its paradise.
From the city gate, and from the avenues through the gar
dens of the viUas in the suburbs, when passion had subsided
and the tumult ceased, crowds of morbid spectators regardless
of suffering passed in slow procession to view the sight. Few
s St John xix. 22. » St. John v. 24, 27. io St John xviii. 36.
n St. John xix. 41. 12 St. Matt. vi. 28. Cf. page 328.

422 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
amongst them harboured feelings of pity. Those who were
dearest to Jesus in human thought were the most helpless;
some of them stood afar off in fear and utter desolation ; others
in sympathy gathered as near the foot of the cross as they
were permitted by the rough soldiers ; Mary Magdalene, Mary
the wife of Cleophas, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and at
least one disciple, the disciple John.13
Beneath the cross the soldiers of the quaternion set to guard
the execution, oblivious of the magnitude of the tragedy en
acted above them, with callous indifference spent their time
with the dice-box and gambled for the garments of the crucified
Jesus.14 His enemies stood in groups gloating with satisfac
tion at His defeat, wagging their heads, and saying one to
another, " He saved others ; Himself He cannot save." 15 Even
in their hatred they acknowledged His good deeds, not for the
ascription of merit, but for reference to His inability to exer
cise His power in His own defence. They little thought of
the truth contained in their derisive utterance. If a man will
save others in any kind of salvation the law he must obey is,
that he cannot save himself.
When Jesus came to fulfil this inexorable condition He knew
the extent of the demand that would be made upon Him; He
knew there was no other way of saving mankind than by His
sacrifice. Such an amazing event could not be traced by His
enemies to its ultimate recesses. The rulers followed the
beaten track of their own thoughts, which presented to them
no difficulty, as their imagination enlightened only its narrow
path; but the object that happened to lie on that path they
saw with extraordinary distinctness, just because the area that
the light covered was so restricted. They saw Jesus, only as
the Man who had been so constant a rebuke to them that He
hurt their feelings, and they believed, or thought they believed,
that His death would remove the disturbing element from their
disordered minds, that as He passed from their sight the men
ace to their peace would disappear, and once more their way
is St. John xix. 25. 14 St. John xix. 24. ib St. Mark xv. 31.

THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST 423
of life would be free from condemnation. They did not realize
that what they hated so fiercely was the accusive monotony
of truth which memory would never fail to administer so long
as within them dwelt the evil that is always opposed to good.
They hated Jesus also for the perplexity which had arisen
in their minds concerning Him. He had renounced all the
honour that might have been given Him for satisfying their
hopes and acceding to their wishes. But they were incapable,
owing to the state of their sordid minds and their selfish hearts,
of perceiving in that renunciation the triumphant exhibition
of greatness which finds its supreme means of expression in
self-sacrifice. Having frustrated their hopes, having robbed
them of the consummation of their wishes, to behold in Him
a deliverer from the intolerable yoke of Rome, their passionate
desire for His destruction burned more fiercely in what seemed
the hour of His defeat.
Jesus had to die that, in His act of dying, men might see that
in the supreme revelation of sacrifice is the supreme revelation
of hohness.
It was in the mind of God from all eternity that Christ
should in due time die for men.16 The remedy anticipated
the evil. AU the long history of law and of ritual in the Jew
ish Scriptures is God's progressive revelation to men of the
moral processes in their struggle and suffering against evil,
and all through the Jewish dispensation expectation and faith
in the coming Messiah were expressed chiefly by sacrifice.17
ie 1 Pet. i. 19, 20; Rev. xiii. 8; Gal. iv. 4; Gen. iii. 15.
it In the customs of the people in the land of the Bible, as well as in
the language of the Bible, and the sacrificial system of the Old Testament
scriptures there are two views of human beings. One deals with each per
son separated from all the rest and recognizes clearly individual respon
sibility; the other treats the individual as a representative of the body of
the people of which he forms a part, whether it is the family, the race, or
humanity, and he shares its accountability. The act of one was rightly
regarded as the act of all, because it expressed a characteristic that was
common to all.
By making all sacrifices representative of the people in the Israelitish
system, offered on their behalf by appointed ministers, the fundamental
idea of sacrifice as an act of restoration to the fellowship of God was not

424 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
We may marvel why at the Passover, when the lamb was pre
pared for sacrifice in the Jewish homes, a glimmer of the "truth
did not dawn upon the Jewish minds of the necessity of Christ's
sacrifice, and wonder still more why those who had heard the
Baptist's declaration, " Behold the Lamb of God which taketh
away the sin of the world," 18 could not perceive in the death
of Jesus the consummation of the sacrificial system and the
great salvation of mankind. They saw quite clearly after it
had been accomplished. But while the sacrifice was being
changed, stress was laid on what was required to retain or recover that
fellowship. - At first the communion was purely physical, then in the better spirit
of the people the symbolical character of the act of communion appeared,
because the life they had in common was in the blood. The sense that the
blood was Divine never wholly disappeared from the primitive mind.
The unlettered Bedawy in his desert home, desiring to prolong his gen
eration (in this desire lies the germ of the thought of everlasting life),
yet fearing disaster in the precarious nature of desert life, kills a goat
on the birth of his son, that by the shedding of blood a substitute may
be offered for the life of his child and the continuation of his race. He
feels that something should be done to redress all that has been wrong
in his relation to God. He may have a very indifferent conception of
God, and a very unsatisfactory notion of his own state, but underlying
the act of sacrifice, which, being representative, has no virtue of its own
to obtain relief, rests the desire for communion between himself and a
Divine Being, and in the idea of sacrifice lies the thought and expecta
tion of forgiveness. Sacrifice, according to the mind of an Eastern man,
represents a connection between man and God, and forgiveness of sin
and restoration to Divine favour are sought through the shedding of the
blood of a victim when it is offered to God. According to this belief the
blood is the life, and in it is something Divine, and the outpouring of
the blood becomes a means of communication with the Divine Being Who
accepts the offering of the sinner and gives him relief from the sin he
has committed.
Men in every nation have felt that they were not altogether right, vague
misgivings at times disturbed them, and they were haunted with strange
terrors of a penalty awaiting them in the future for what they had done
and hidden from the eyes of man. They sought to avert the calamity they
feared because of the sin they had committed, and when discovered they
offered some kind of substitute, they endeavoured to do or give something,
to repair the damage.
Man had hitherto thought only of himself, his own way of escape; his
efforts had been directed towards the maintenance of his own existence.
Christ thought of others; He gave Himself for others. In Him God's plan
was perfected. is St. John i. 29.

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
They found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his
cross
Matthew XXVII: 32

-

Sl'lUWOW;,^
Copyright, 1911, ^. ATojer sc. D. Mastroianni
And there followed him a great company of people
Lm£<? XXIII: 27

THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST 425
offered the scene on Calvary eclipsed all that had gone before,
and those who looked for the redemption of Israel saw only
what they thought was the extinction of all their hopes.19 It
was not possible that evil could overcome good, that the love
of God could be conquered. The fear of it is the darkness in
men's minds that needs to be enlightened.
The bitter mockery of the priests continued as Jesus bowed
His head on the cross-crowned hill. They did not with an
honest gaze look at Him hanging there; they talked among
themselves. If only they could have seen what others saw,20
if the veil had been lifted from their eyes to behold the face
of Jesus in His act of dying, even their perverted idea of what
was right and true might have been abandoned. They said,
" If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from
the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let
Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him ; for He said, I am
the Son of God." 21
As if to gain the approbation of the rulers by joining in
their taunts and possibly a mitigation of his penalty through
their aid, one of the bandits on the cross beside the suffering
Jesus cried, " If Thou be the Christ, save Thyself and us." 22
His companion in crime had looked on Jesus and something in
the vision filled his heart with a strange emotion. Deep in his
soul something stirred, so small, so fine, so keen and leavening,
his conscience awakened, a new life moving within him entered
into a new experience. He rebuked the railing thief and said,
" Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same con
demnation? And we indeed justly! for we receive the due re
ward of our deeds ; but this Man hath done nothing amiss." 23
He saw Jesus on the cross, he saw beyond the cross what no
other eyes had seen. Turning to Jesus he said, " Lord, re
member me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom." 24 He
io St. Luke xxiv. 21.
20 The dying thief and the centurion of the Roman guard.
21 St. Matt, xxvii. 42, 43. 23 St. Luke xxiii. 41.
22 St. Luke xxiii. 39. 24 St. Luke xxiii. 42.

426 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
sought not safety for a life on earth, he saw the certainty of
a life in the eternal fellowship of Jesus. He was the first man
to gain that sight, and Jesus confirmed his faith in future
glory, and set the freedom of the malefactor's soul in His own
keeping. He said, "Today shalt thou be with Me in Para
dise." 25
Seven times He spake ; some were exclamations of the Man ;
some were utterances of thought for others. When He felt
the agony of the noontide heat on a frame exhausted by the
anguish of His trial, and the rough treatment of His perse
cutors, a human cry burst from His lips : " I thirst." 26 One
of the soldiers, in pity for Him, responded by sharing his sour
wine with the Sufferer. Dipping a sponge in the vessel con
taining the refreshment, he pressed it to the lips of Jesus.27
When the death struggle of His flesh began and momentary
darkness passed over Him as He bore the burden of the world's
sin, He cried, " My God, My God, why hast Thou' forsaken
Me." 28 The third exclamation was near His last : " Father,
into Thy hands I commend My Spirit." 29 Before these words
were spoken He thought of others, and first of the men who
had compassed his death and the men around Him who had
taken part in the crucifixion and said, " Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do." 30 The next words cheered
the dying thief.31 He then thought of His mother, standing
by the cross.
With bowed head, stricken with grief and burdened with care,
her white hair, and her face furrowed with the lines of age,
which soon appear in Eastern women, she stood probably sup
ported by the other Marys gathered there. One more sorrow
greater than aU the rest had been added to her load when fail
ing strength could ill support it, and before her declining days
the shadows of poverty and helplessness were cast. Mastering
His agony, Jesus spoke to her, and to His disciple John. To
25 St. Luke xxiii. 43. 26 St. John xix. 28. 27 St. Matt xxvii. 48.
as St. Matt, xxvii. 46. 29 St. Luke xxiii. 46. so St. Luke xxiii. 34.
ai St. Luke xxiii. 43.

THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST 427
His mother He said, " Woman, behold thy son." To John,
" Son, behold thy mother." 82 From that hour the disciple
took her to his own home.
Finally Jesus said, with voice triumphant, " It is finished,"
partly for Himself and partly for others. " It is
finished." 33
As death's dark shadows gathered around Him the sky grew
black with clouds that obscured the sun, — an infrequent but
not an unusual sight in Syria, when great heat appears before
the summer has advanced and the atmospheric conditions are
disturbed. Earthquake shocks followed the darkness, and the
storm broke over the city. The passing of the Christ of God
was " knelled by nature's vast convulsions," and men feared in
the darkness like the wretch who had sold his Lord, for they
had crucified their King.
In order to intensify the shame of the criminal, the Ro
mans allowed the body to perish on the cross ; but the Jews,
moved with a more delicate feeling for their own comfort, de
sired the bodies of Jesus and the malefactors to be taken
away. It could not have been pleasant for residents in the
northern suburb to see corpses rotting in the sun, with vul
tures feeding on human remains, as " righteous " men walked
to the Temple for prayer. At the request of the rulers Pilate
sent soldiers to break the legs of the crucified, so that death
might follow quickly, and the bodies be removed. But when
the soldiers came to Jesus they found Him already dead ; one
of them, to be quite certain, pierced the side of Jesus with his
lance and there flowed from His ruptured heart both water
and blood. In a double sense the Saviour died. He died of
a broken heart and a body broken on the cross, and His blood
from pierced hands and feet and riven side fell in drops on
the little hiU ; drop by drop it stained the green grass red.
When the last drop fell the most solemn hour in the history
of the world was struck, and the crimson stain on Golgotha
marked the beginning of a new life for mankind. Underneath
the rocky crest of Calvary, in the Church of the Holy Sep-
32 St. John xix. 26. 33 St John xix. 30.

428 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
ulchre, there is a little chapel called the Chapel of the Tomb
of Adam. It bears the testimony of a Greek legend which illus
trates the inspired words of St. Paul, " As in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall aU be made alive." 34 The ancient tale
informs us that when the life-blood flowed from the Saviour s
side it fell on the bones of Adam, and he rose from the dead.
A new man was begotten through the blood of Jesus. He gave
His life for men that men might live.
The " all " in one clause of St. Paul's statement must be
the " all " in the other, so that the death of Jesus Christ can
celled the condemnation passed on the human race : " As by
the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemna
tion, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came
upon aU men unto justification of life." 35
The sacrificial system of the Mosaic and Jewish dispensation,
made by faith as though Christ had already come, was ful-
fiUed in Him and closed with His sacrifice. " The veil of the
Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom " 3e in
the convulsions which passed through the city while He was
hanging on the cross, as through Him a new and living way
opened for man to gain eternal freedom in the feUowship of
God.37 The only man that saw Jesus die and left a record of the
sight was the Centurion of the Roman guard.38 He gazed
on the dying face of Jesus as he stood beneath the cross. He
knew nothing about His life, he was not even interested in it,
having scarcely read the name above His head. He called
Jesus " this Man." But he had witnessed His trial, his men
had arrested Jesus in the garden and brought Him to the
house of Annas, and he had charge of the soldiers who guarded
the Prisoner. The Centurion had directed the scourging; he
stood by while his soldiers mocked the Galilean; he gave the
order to march when He was taken to Calvary; he superin
tended the crucifixion; and he saw Him die.
34 l Cor. xv. 22. 3e St. Mark xv. 38.
ss Rom. v. 18. 37 Rom. viii. 1.
as Rev. J. M. Clow, The Day of the Cross, p. 299.

Copyright, 1911, .4. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for
your children
Luke XXIII: 28

Copyright, 1911, ^J. Noye

Sc. D. Mastroianni

And they parted his raiment, and cast lots

THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST 429
With a Roman's sense of justice, he saw that all was wrong.
The moral beauty and the innocence of the Crucified forced him
to declare, " Certainly this was a righteous Man." It was
not the character of Jesus only which arrested the attention of
the Centurion, but the way He died. The Roman had seen
men die before: hardened criminals on the cross, gladiators in
the arena, and valiant soldiers on the battle-field. Yes, he
had seen men die, but never a man like the Man before him.
There was a mystery about His death which he could not
fathom, a majesty in it that filled him with reverence and
awe. His pagan mind could not grasp its full significance.
The earthquake and the darkness, the taunts of the mocking
crowds, the great words of Jesus, overwhelmed him; and he
cried, " Truly this Man was the Son of God." 39 Such a
dying was not the death of an ordinary mortal Hke himself,
but the passing of a God.
The vultures gathered in the distant sky, slowly the mob
dispersed, and, sorrowing, the disciples of Jesus departed;
the day was dying too. Joseph of Arimathea, having begged
the body of Jesus from Pilate, took it down from the cross.
Nicodemus met him; and holy women who had followed their
Lord approached the scene of execution to see the last of the
One they loved. His body was prepared for burial and placed
in Joseph's tomb in his garden. A seal was set and a watch
was kept for fear of His disciples.40
The situation of Joseph's garden, where he laid the body
of Jesus in a new sepulchre, has not been located with a cer
tainty that subdues all controversy.
The last building that sheltered our Lord on earth was the
fortress of Antonia, which stood where a minaret now rears its
head at the north-west corner of the Haram enclosure. A
street ran along the fosse of the Antonia ; it can be seen under
the school of the Sisters of Sion in the Tarik Bab Sitti Ma-
riam, usually known as the Via Dolorosa. Beneath this com
paratively modern street the ancient one is visible, with its
39 St. Mark xv. 39. *o St. Mark xxvii. 64.

430 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
marks of chariot-wheels and horses' hoofs on the rock-cut sur
face of the old city. The feet of our Blessed Lord trod on
this hard stone as He walked to Calvary. Traces of the street
are soon lost in the structures built on the rock foundation,
but references in the Bible indicate quite clearly the direction
of the place of crucifixion. Such statements as " without the
gate," " they that passed by reviled Him," " and many women
were there, beholding afar off," show that the site was known
before the fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70.
The few Christians who returned after its destruction found
a very different city. It had suffered from a terrible siege
and was well-nigh destroyed. No mention is made either of
the place of crucifixion or the sepulchre in the Acts of the
Apostles, and in the Epistles Christians are in no way enjoined
to visit or care for holy places. It is extremely likely, there
fore, that the precise spot was lost in the desolation, while
the idea of the locality remained in the minds of the Christians.
In a.d. 135 another great calamity bef el the city. An in
surrection broke out under the false Messiah Simon Barcochba,
which Hadrian, the Roman Emperor, put down with a ruth
less hand. His indignation expressed itself in his determina
tion to level the city with the ground and build another city,
with a new name, on a new plan. A street of columns (some
of them can be seen today) ran through its entire length like
the street in Jerash over Jordan, and in all probability in
other respects it was similar. Its name, iElia Capitolina,
erased from the memory for nearly two hundred years even
the title of old Jerusalem. But that would not destroy the
locality, even if the actual site was obliterated.
In a.d. 335 the present position was chosen for the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre. At first there were only two holy
places — the place of crucifixion and the tomb, the place of
resurrection; the rest were added in the course of years to
represent in careful detail the complete story of the death
and resurrection of our Lord Christ.
This position, inside the gate of the traditional site of Cal-

Copyr.ght, 1911, A. Xoyer

jc. D. Mastroianni

And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they
crucified him
Luke XXIII: 33

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer

"It is finished"
John XIX: 30

Sc. D, Mastroianni

THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST 431
vary and the sepulchre, has appeared to many intelligent
observers to require more substantial confirmation than mere
ecclesiastical tradition; but tradition cannot be entirely ig
nored. In this instance it has considerable support. There
is an old tomb in the church as a proof that the site was once
outside the gate; the dead were always buried beyond the city
wall. Modern minds have been concentrated on a spot outside the
northern gate, a little knoll selected as the more probable site
of Calvary. In the face of this hill a tomb has been found
which many people now regard as being more likely, than the
traditional tomb, to have contained the body of Jesus. Scep
tics have demanded a sight of the actual tomb before accept
ing the fact of His death.41 If every fact in history had to
be proved in a similar fashion there would be little left for us
to believe. The history of Jerusalem since Jesus died has been
one of disaster, the vicissitudes through which the city has
passed are almost inconceivable ; yet, in spite of all the eight
sieges which have followed that of Titus there are remains
above and below ground enough to satisfy an unbiased mind
of its place in history. Even if the place of execution cannot
be satisfactorily established to suit all classes of people, the
death of Christ has been authenticated by eye-witnesses. It
has been recorded in Roman history. The fact is of greater
importance than the place, and many people believe the fact
without having seen the place that is kept in remembrance,
and are satisfied.
41 A few years ago when the officials in Constantinople confiscated cer
tain copies of the Epistle to the Galatians, before releasing them the au
thorities demanded the death certificate of the writer (St. Paul) for their
assurance that the letters were not sent by a modern scribe to the people
of Galata, one of the suburbs of the city.

CHAPTER XLII
THE K.ESURKECTION AND ASCENSION
The death of Jesus appeared to be a terrible misfortune to
the disciples. Their cherished visions were all dissipated;
their hopes of a Messianic reign were all destroyed. Vivid
pictures had been associated in their minds with the dazzling
pomp of an approaching Kingdom. Ideas furnished by these
concrete forms had hovered round their thoughts in an in
tangible structure of dreams which they had built about the
future. All had been dashed to pieces in the most heart-break
ing manner. It seemed as if God had endorsed the verdict
of Caiaphas and the Roman Governor by permitting Jesus to
die on the cross. Stricken with sorrow for their Lord, and
with shame in their disappointed ambition, the disciples passed
out of sight.
They had seen the Messiah die, and the blow thus received
to their materialistic hopes struck home to their hearts, and
brought with it an experience which changed their lives.
Death has a wondrous power of appeal ; it awakens in men new
thoughts and turns them into new directions. When the Mas
ter died, in a sense the disciples were buried with Him; they
also passed through the dark valley. In the three sad days
of their seclusion, memory worked its way into their hearts as
the shattering of their expectations revealed more truly the
love that had been bestowed upon them. Jesus had told them
He would rise again, but it was too much for them to believe,
though they had seen Him raise Lazarus from the dead. Now
the grave held their Master fast.1 A Roman seal was placed
upon the tomb, and a Roman guard was set to watch it. The
guard guaranteed that no one would be able to remove the
body of the crucified Jesus. It is inconceivable, as some peo-
i St. Matt, xxvii. 66. 432

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION 433
pie alleged,2 that His dejected disciples entered into a con
spiracy to overcome the sentinels and steal the corpse of their
Lord. What gain could possibly accrue to them from a situa
tion that would leave them with the torn and bleeding body
of the One they loved, and no Guide in their sad and forlorn
condition? They were too overwhelmed with the terrible ca
tastrophe, and too much afraid of the future, to think of tak
ing the body away from its resting-place.
On the morning of the third day, before even the streaks
of dawn lit up the eastern sky, several of the holy women,
having purchased spices, determined to go to the sepulchre
to anoint, if possible, the remains of Jesus. On the way a
difficulty occurred to them which they had not before con
sidered, and they said anxiously one to another, " Who shall
roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? " s
They did not apparently connect the shaking of the earth on
that resurrection morning with the answer to their question.
St. Matthew explains its significance ; he says, " Behold, there
was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended
from heaven and rolled back the stone from the door and sat
upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment
white as snow, and for fear of him the keepers did shake and
become as dead men." 4 As the women drew near they saw
the stone was rolled away, and Mary Magdalene, unable to
bear the suspicion forming within her that the body of Jesus
might have been stolen, returned hurriedly to the city, sought
Peter and John, and said, " They have taken away the Lord
out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid
Him." B
The confusion of the keepers may have induced Mary to
make that statement. Meanwhile, the frightened soldiers fled
to the Sanhedrin with the news of what had happened, and the
2 St. Matt, xxviii. 13.
8 I saw a stone rolled from the mouth of a sepulchre in Jerusalem, dis
covered during my residence, that required two men with crowbars to re
move it up the inclined plane in front of the opening into the tomb.
4 St. Matt, xxviii, 2-4. 5 St. John xx. 2,

434 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
matter was settled in a manner agreeable to all the authori
ties concerned; but it neither explained the mystery nor de
stroyed the truth of the resurrection. The holy women went
into the tomb and found it empty — a fact admitted by all
who were associated with the discovery, which has been com
memorated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that covers an
empty tomb. There is an uncertainty about the site, but no
doubt has ever been expressed about the condition of the tomb,
nor has ever a whisper been heard of another place where the
body might have been found.
An angel sitting on the right side of the sepulchre said to
the women, " Be not affrighted : ye seek Jesus of Nazareth,
Who was crucified: He is risen; He is not here: behold the
place where they laid Him. But go your way, teU His dis
ciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there
shall ye see Him, as He said unto you." 6
One surprise followed another; first the confused guards,
next the open sepulchre, then the empty tomb, and afterwards
the angel's message. AU these things amazed and alarmed
the women,7 and they fled from the place.
Mary Magdalene, having hastened to the city for Peter and
John, told them what she feared; they ventured out of their
hiding-place to ascertain the truth. Proceeding quickly to
the garden, wonderingly sceptical, John outran his companion.
Arriving first at the sepulchre, he looked in and saw the linen
clothes lying as they had enclosed the body; but no body
could be seen. John's surprise as he noticed these things from
the entrance attracted Peter. Bending before the low open
ing cut in the solid limestone rock on the face of the hill, he
looked within where a square chamber had been hewn, with a
loculus on one of its three sides for the reception of the body.
At the end of the loculus the stone had been left, as is usual
in ancient tombs of this description in evidence today around
Jerusalem,8 and at one end the women had seen the angel
6 St. Mark xvi. 6, 7. i St. Mark xvi. 8.
8 E.g. the Garden Tomb outside the Damascus Gate, and the tomb in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre encased in marble.

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men
Matthew XXVIII: 4

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc D_ Mastroianni'
And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the
sepulchre
Matthew XXVII: 61

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION 435
seated. John's first impression, on seeing the grave-clothes,
was that the body of Jesus lay within them undisturbed. Peter
eagerly rushed forward to examine the sepulchre. Strange in
deed was the sight because of the funeral garments. If the
body had been stolen why were they left so neatly lying, with
" the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the
linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself " 9 as if
the body had passed through them without disarranging the
different articles? Peter particularly noticed the headcloth
on the ledge of the loculus where the head had rested, as if it
were still there. At last the truth dawned on the minds of the
two disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead. The sep
ulchre was untouched, the grave-clothes undisturbed; no hu
man hand had been laid on the body of Jesus; He had come
forth in His own power. The disciples ought not to have been
surprised, but John explained the cause of their doubt : " For
as yet they understood not the Scriptures that He must rise
again from the dead." 10
Peter and John departed from the sepulchre with the swell
ing flood of awakening knowledge filling them with strange
emotions. Jesus was not in the sepulchre ; that He had risen
from the dead seemed to be true; still, doubt and difficulties
beset the two witnesses of the empty tomb; they had not yet
seen their Lord. They were satisfied with the empty tomb;
they needed a satisfaction in their empty hearts. Jesus fills
the hungry soul with gladness. It is in His way of doing it
that we see His resurrection power. He not only fulfilled His
promise to rise again ; we have its assurance in the proofs fur
nished by the manner in which He manifested Himself, and
that assurance is doubly sure in the experience of believers.
He reveals Himself in the various conditions of their life and
thoughts as He showed Himself to comfort His bereaved fol
lowers. He is not bound by one particular method; He does
not always appear to one as He communicates Himself to an
other. a St. John xx, 7. 10 St. John xx. 9.

436 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
When Peter and John went away Mary remained at the
sepulchre weeping. Presently she looked inside, and there, sit
ting at the head and feet, where the body of Jesus had lain,
were two angels. They spoke to her and said, " Woman, why
weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? " She said unto them,
" Because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where
they have laid Him." 1X She then turned and saw Jesus
standing, but she did not know Him; even when He asked her
why she wept and whom she sought she did not recognize His
voice. Thinking He was the gardener, she asked if Jesus had
been taken away, and if he could teU her where He was laid.
Not until the tender and familiar tones of her Master's voice
pronounced her name and Jesus called her Mary, did she know
her Lord. Instantly she moved towards Him with hands out
stretched and said, "Rabboni!" ("Oh. my Master!"); but
He checked her desire to embrace His feet, saying, " Touch
Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to
My brethren and say unto them, I ascend to My Father and
to your Father, to My God and to your God." 12 And she
went and told His disciples all He had said.
During the day two disciples, one caUed Cleopas and the
other whose name is unknown, went to Emmaus, a few miles
from Jerusalem. They had heard the news circulated by the
women amongst their friends, but they appeared incredulous,
and discussed the startling events that had occurred in the
Holy City. While they were engaged in arguments relating
to the news, a traveUer going in the same direction overtook
them without being recognized as their risen Lord. He ap
peared to them in another form.18 When He asked them what
they were discussing they answered with surprise, " Art thou
only a stranger in Jerusalem and hast not known the things
which be come to pass? " 14 and then told Him what had hap
pened. In turn the Stranger expressed His astonishment that
they should have been so slow to believe all the prophets had
11 St John xx. 13. 13 St. Mark xvi. 12.
n St. John xx. 17, i* St, Luke xxiv, 18,

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto him, Rabboni
John XX: 16

',..¦' ¦¦;'¦. -''' ¦ iwfgwwwwi

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer

Sc. D. Mastroianni

Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and saith . . . Peace be unto you
Luke XXIV: 36

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION 437
spoken. He said, " Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things? " Then, beginning with Moses and the prophets, " He
expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concern
ing Himself." 1B He took the book they had studied all their
lives, with which they were personally familiar, and led them
through its pages, and so illumined the darkness of its prophetic
mysteries that the new light He shed on their interpretation
of the old Scriptures unveiled a depth of meaning and a warmth
of love that their hearts glowed with a feeling they had never
known before. As they drew near the viUage the Stranger
seemed as if His destination lay farther on; but they begged
Him to stay with them, saying, " Abide with us, for it is to
wards evening." Still unknown, He entered with them into the
house, and when the evening meal was served He took the bread,
blessed it and brake it, and in the breaking of the bread they
saw the pierced Hands and recognized the Master, and He
vanished from their sight. They also rose and returned to
Jerusalem. Meanwhile in the Holy City their friends were assembled in
the upper room. There is no absolute proof, but reasonable
probability, that the place where the Lord's Supper was insti
tuted became the subsequent meeting-place of the Apostles in
Jerusalem. The force of association, strong at all times,
would induce the troubled disciples of Jesus to gather in the
room which brought them into remembrance of the presence of
their Lord. The unnamed friend of the Man of Galilee had
exhibited such concern for the wishes of Jesus that his hospi
tality would not allow him to forget the disconsolate follow
ers. They had reason to be sad. When, humanly speaking,
Jesus most needed their sympathy, all forsook Him and fled.
Disturbing thoughts arising from the stories of His resurrec
tion added to the confusion of their minds, harassed with care,
and to the tremor in their hearts, crushed with sorrow. When
most they needed their Lord He came to them, passing into
their midst with a message of peace. Two were absent; one,
is St Luke *xiv. 27,

438 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
the traitor, had gone to his own place ; and the other, Thomas,
had not the heart to join his brethren. He could least afford
to be away ; but it is ever so : when a particular man ought to
be present with the believers in their meeting, and really needs
to be there, he often feels unequal to the opportunity.
As Jesus entered the upper room He greeted the assembled
disciples with the usual Eastern salutation, " Peace be unto
you." It had a special significance to the little band bereft
of their Leader. He showed them the wounds in His hands
and His side ; He wished to prove His bodily resurrection. He
exhibited His scars as evidence of His identity, for the dis
ciples to realize that His body had not been carried away, but
was there before them. It was the same body ; His resurrection
accounted for its movement and its instant invisibility, and a
change of raiment for the inability of the two disciples on the
way to Emmaus, and Mary Magdalene at the sepulchre, to
recognize immediately their Lord. Nothing but actual expe
rience, tested by every one who had seen Him, could have con
vinced them of so bewildering, so unique a fact.16 His death
had been certain: it had been certified by the Centurion in
charge of the crucifixion; it is recorded in the annals of Ro
man history.17 His bodily resurrection was equally sure.
Jesus said, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I my
self ; handle Me, and see." 18 At another time " they held Him
by the feet." 19 While the resurrection body was physically
visible, and Jesus referred to its constituent parts, there still
remains the mystery concerning their sustenance. Though
identical with the body crucified, it is not necessary to assume
an identity of particles in the resurrection body; its mode of
action being new, a difference appeared in its control which
accounted for its movement and similarly for its support. The
disciples were satisfied with the reality and permanence of the
body of their Lord, and their hearts were filled with joy. Hope
revived in His disconsolate followers as faith grasped the truth
16 St. John xix. 32-37. is St. Luke xxiv. 39.
it Tacitus, Annals, XV. iv. 4. i» St, Matt, xxviii. 9,

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION 439
of life eternal. Jesus breathed on them as a sign of bestow
ing that Divine life proceeding from Him, adding the words,
" Receive ye the Holy Ghost," in preparation for the fulness
of His power. He said again, " Peace be unto you ; as My
Father has sent Me, even so send I you."
He then left them.
After that He was seen of James, the brother of the Naz
areth home. St. Paul relates this testimony,20 and also that
Jesus appeared to five hundred brethren in one place. Writ
ing about twenty years after, the great Apostle stated that a
number of those eye-witnesses were yet alive. And on the Sun
day following His first appearance, the disciples having brought
with them Thomas, in the hope of seeing Jesus, the Master re
turned to them. There is something peculiarly attractive
about the way the brethren treated the sorrowful Thomas.
Though he refused to believe all they told him, he was not cast
off. They dealt tenderly with this man of brooding mind and
sceptical spirit, who said that unless he himself saw the wounds
of Jesus, and touched them, he would not believe. Silently
Jesus passed inside the room with the salutation of " Peace,"
and immediately addressed Thomas, asking for his finger and
his hand, saying, " Behold My hands." Those hands, so
ragged and torn with heavy nails, revealed God's purpose for
saving the world. In the unexpected outcome of the crisis
through which the disciples had passed the revelation ap
peared. Their eyes were opened to see it, and the sight of
the hands of Jesus kindled in Thomas a warmth and light
which inspired his soul to accept the truth. Overwhelmed by
the impression made upon him, Thomas replied in words of
greater reverence than had ever been used before : " My Lord
and my God." Jesus said, " Because thou hast seen Me thou
hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet
have believed." 21 He acknowledged the exclamation of
Thomas as a confession of faith in Himself as Divine, not sim
ply in His resurrection, and reproved the disciple for his un-
20 1 Cor, xv. 7, 21 St. John xx. 29,

440 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
readiness to accept the testimony of his brethren as confirm
ing the knowledge which he already possessed of His Person
and work.
From Jerusalem the disciples returned to Galilee, and the
fishermen to their boats.22 After they had toiled one whole
night with their nets in vain, they heard, in the early morn
ing before the sun had dispersed the grey mist on the water
of the lake, a voice from a Person on the shore, whom they
did not at first know, calling to them : " Children, have ye
any meat ? " And they answered " No." He said, " Cast the
net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast
therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multi
tude of fishes." 23
The miracle immediately reminded them of a similar inci
dent when first they realized the power of their Master, and
John said to Peter, "It is the Lord."24 Without further
hesitation Peter seized his coat and impetuously threw himself
into the sea to swim to the shore. The other disciples followed
in their boat, dragging the net containing the fish.25 As soon
as they were come to land they saw a fire of charcoal burning
there, with fish upon it and bread by the side. Jesus said,
" Bring the fish which ye have now caught." Peter went at
once and drew the net to land, and found it " full of great
fishes, an hundred and fifty and three." None of the disciples
dared ask a question, knowing the Person who seemed anxious
about their welfare to be their Lord. He invited them to
breakfast, and gave them bread and fish. Then followed Pe
ter's examination. There was no enquiry about knowledge or
faith, but a more important question was addressed to him,
about the relationship of the man to his Master. Jesus said,
"Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these?" —
thy fellow disciples. He felt the rebuke, but, setting aside all
comparison of himself with others, he answered, " Yea, Lord,
Thou knowest that I love Thee." Jesus said, " Feed My
22 St. John xxi. 3-14. 24 St. John xxi. 7.
23 st, John xxi, 6, ?5 St John xxi. 8,

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God
JOHN XX: 28

Copyright, 1911, A. Noyer Sc. D. Mastroianni
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory
Luke XXIV: 26

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION 441
lambs." A second time the Lord asked if Simon loved Him,
and a third time, and the disciple humbly answered, "Yes,
Lord, Thou knowest." He said, " Shepherd My sheep," then
solemnly added : " When thou wast young thou girdedst thyself,
and walkedst whithersoever thou wouldest : but when thou shalt
be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall
gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldest not." Finally,
He said, " Follow Me." Peter, turning round, saw John also
following, and idly asked, " What shall this man do? " Jesus
said, " If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
Follow thou Me." The answer led to the idea that John would
not die until Jesus came.
Forty days had passed since the crucifixion. Jesus had
been seen many times by His disciples. He had given them
instructions to teach and to baptize.26 He promised them His
continual presence and the power of an endless life. His ap
pearances had been designed only for those who had pre
viously known Him, to confirm their faith in Him and His
resurrection power. His body had not been merely a human
body subject to natural laws, although He handled natural
things, and had spoken in a voice His disciples could under
stand. He became visible to human eyes by an outward mani
festation appropriate to the situation He adopted.
At the crucifixion He was stripped of His garments; for
His burial linen clothes wrapped His torn body; after His
resurrection Peter and John saw the linen clothes lying in the
tomb. An interesting conjecture may arise respecting the
clothes He seemed to wear on the manifestations of His pres
ence. But whether His garments were real articles of cloth
ing made by human hands, or He only appeared to be dressed
in earthly raiment, does not so much matter as the fact that
He apparently showed Himself in a different guise on each
separate occasion, so that He could not be immediately recog
nized. When we remember the description of His state at His
Transfiguration, that His raiment was white and ghstering, it
26 St. Matt, xxviii. 19, 20.

442 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
is not incredible to assume that, as He willed to be visible to
mortal eyes, He willed also in what character He could be
seen, and in the accessories suitable for His appearance. In
the narratives of the Evangelists it is the fact which absorbs
their attention; the details connected with it are given as they
concerned those who saw the risen Christ. The different mani
festations become more credible by their difference. If He
had appeared in the same manner and in His former habit to
every one who saw Him, suspicion might have been aroused
either from collusion or from His appearance being the product
of their imagination. To Mary Magdalene he looked Hke a
gardener. Now a Jerusalem gardener would not have been
dressed in the costume of her beloved Master. On the way to
Emmaus He appeared as a traveller, and not as a native of
Jerusalem. His costume differed, therefore, from that of a
gardener. In the upper room His clothing must have been
as loose as that of a countryman for the opening of the inner
garment to expose His side. Whatever it was, no obstacle
would prevent Thomas seeing the wounds of his Lord.
In Galilee the disciples at first failed to recognize their risen
Master when He stood on the lake shore. Whether the mist
of the early morning enshrouded His form, or He differed from
His habitual appearance, doubt filled the minds of the fisher
men regarding the Figure on the beach.
It is not necessary to assume that the risen Saviour wore
no real clothes, nor will the claims of the statements of the
EvangeHsts for our acceptance become unreasonable because
in His invisibility His garments vanished with Him. On two
occasions before His death He disappeared from view: once
at Nazareth, and again in Jerusalem when the people sought
to kill Him.
He had told His disciples during the last evening they spent
together that it was expedient for them that He should go
away; that the world would see Him no more, but He would
come again to them.
For the proper appreciation of a person it is often necessary

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION 443
for that person to be missed. New discoveries are made about
him in his absence. It was not less so with Christ. His dis
ciples could not at first understand how they were to benefit
by their Master's departure until they were taught by the
revelations of His presence after His resurrection.
The world never saw Him again. He appeared only to
those who loved Him and were in sympathy with Him, and in
their time of need, not to satisfy their curiosity, but for their
comfort. From whence He came no one knew, nor whither He went.
He appeared suddenly as one already present though hidden
from mortal sight, and as suddenly vanished.
These outward manifestations seemed necessary for a time
as a means of instruction so that. His disciples might be
come accustomed to realize His spiritual presence when bodily
absent from them.
Further evidence and the climax of all the evidence is fur
nished by the final disapperance of the risen Jesus. He met
His disciples again in Jerusalem and led them towards Bethany.
Out of the eastern gate they passed, down the hill, across the
Kedron, by the garden of tragic memory, and up the familiar
slope of Olivet, to the summit of the ridge from whence an
expansive view of the historic past may easily be gained. In
the distance before them lay, deep in the recesses of the moun
tains, the Sea of Death in lustrous blue; like a wall beyond
it stands, in solemn grandeur, the mount on which Moses stood
to view the promised land. Behind the disciples the Holy City
rested, unconscious of its future doom. Beneath their feet
was the little viUage of Bethany, where lived the friends of
Jesus, Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead, and his
sisters. On every side the prospect grew in extent as their
eyes turned first in one direction and another from the point
of vantage where the Httle group of disciples gathered round
their Lord to hear His last words and receive His final bless
ing. He told them to wait in Jerusalem for the fulfilment of
His promise of the Holy Spirit, their Guide for the future;

444 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
then, lifting up His hands, He blessed them and ascended into
heaven. They saw Him go. They watched His retreating
Figure rising above them until a cloud hid Him from their
sight.27 Angelic witnesses, appearing before their aston
ished gaze, told them He would come again just as He had
gone.28 Convinced alike by human sense and Divine assur
ance, the disciples were satisfied.
His Ascension did not mean His passing to some distant
shore beyond the earth on which we live, but a withdrawal from
human sight that men might find Him by faith for ever pres
ent in a spiritual order of a heavenly kind, far above the life
of earth; not a change of position so much as a change of
existence ; not a change from one locality to another, but from
one condition to another.
The symbols and expressions representing a better state re
fer to every place on earth where He may be found.29 He is
here below, fiUing all who are in fellowship with Him, all who
love Him, with His power to live the life that overcometh the
world, the life above nature, above its aches and pains and dis
appointments, above even death itself. The veil of sense that
hides from men the fulness of His life will some day be sev
ered; then the life which is here in process will be complete in
Him in Whom it is in perfection. The earthly life of man, with
all its human needs and human woe, is kept in its place by an
outward form of government which is the badge of man's servi
tude. As the life of Christ in man grows into His Hkeness His
life of love develops in His followers, His kingdom comes among
men, liberty increases until it is possible to conceive a state
of perfection where universal love wiU prevail and Jesus the
Saviour reign as King eternal.
The Ascension of Jesus was the exaltation of humanity; it
perfectly identifies the earthly and the heavenly body, visibly
unchanged to the last verge of sight from its resurrection state,
and we are reminded by this fact that the Resurrection and
2T Acts i. 9. 28 Acts i. 11.
2»Eph. ii. 6, i. 20; St. Matt, xxviii. 19, 20; Eph. iii. 17; Phil. iii. 20.

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION 445
Ascension are organically connected. As the angels expressly
declared that Jesus will return as He went, it is not mere
assumption to believe that in heaven we shall see our Lord
as the disciples saw Him at His departure, but not in gar
ments made by human hands; and if we behold Him in the
body of His Resurrection and Ascension, we may not unrea
sonably expect to recognize those whom we have known on
earth who are one with Him.30
In the expectation of His promise the disciples turned to
wards Jerusalem, retraced their steps to the Holy City, and
there in patience waited.
There cannot be the slightest doubt that the Apostles be
heved that Jesus rose from the dead and returned to the Fa
ther. Had His career closed with His death, humanly speak
ing, we should have heard no more of Him. Apart from the
conviction in the minds of the disciples that He had risen from
the dead, the Gospel of Jesus would have had no future. It
was in virtue of this conviction that Christianity became pos
sible. This is perhaps the greatest miracle of all.
Those who hesitate to believe in the wonderful works of
Jesus, who cannot reconcile their experience of life with His
death and resurrection, stand face to face with the stupendous
change He wrought in His disciples. From the depth of de
spair, when they saw Him die, they were roused to a pitch of
enthusiasm which captured the world. And this change oc
curred in a few weeks. Between the crucifixion and the first
preaching of the great news of salvation : — a gap of fifty
days — something happened, a miracle so vast, a movement
so vital, that it not only removed from the timorous and
shrinking followers of Jesus the shadow of fear, but their char
acter was altered, and through them the whole history of the
world. At His death the disciples passed out of sight ; they hid
themselves behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. Fifty
days later they stood in the midst of the multitudes who had
so Compare the scene of the Transfiguration, p. 271.

446 THE LIFE OF CHRIST
witnessed the death of Jesus to proclaim the great fact of His
resurrection. Rumour has a transient influence; fact is a
permanent force. The announcement of the fact ran like fire
through the populace ; a new light streamed into their minds, a
new force moved in their hearts, a new society, the Church, still
existing, was begotten by the Spirit of God Who came to
reveal the truth of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ, the Eternal Son of God. New life, new joy, the vic
tory over sin and death, came through His triumph. Many
people who had watched Jesus die believed all the disciples said
about His resurrection.
The Kingdom of God appeared in the hearts of men. It
has never ceased to manifest itself wherever it has been pro
claimed. Jesus is the King Eternal, as He is the Redeemer
of mankind. And to those who find in Him their Saviour,
accept Him as their Lord, and look for His appearing, He
vindicates His claim to be able to give them life for evermore.

THE END

INDEX

Ablutions, ordered by rulers, 120;
not observed by the disciples of
Jesus, 248
Adam, Chapel of the Tomb of, 428
Adultery, woman taken in, 309
Adventure, the soul's great, 179, 267
Aenon, 110, 111, 119
Age of Jesus, 13
Agony in the garden, 405
Alabaster box, 363
Alms, 68
Ambassadors, 377
Amusements, 142
Andrew, call of, 78
Angelic, messengers, 10
Anna the prophetess, 17
Annals of Tacitus, 5 (note 10)
Annas the High Priest, 138, 408
Annunciation, 3
Antipas, Herod, 76, 112, 119, 236
Antonia, Castle of, 419
Apostles, call of, 157; ordination of,
177
Appearances of our Lord after His
resurrection, 436, 437, 438, 439
Apocryphal Gospels, 24
Aramaic, the language of the peo
ple, 29
Archelais, city in the Jordan Val
ley, 290, 294
Archelais, son of Herod the Great,
40, 294
Arimathea, Joseph of, 429
Ark of the Covenant, 134
Arrest of Jesus, 408
Ascension of our Lord, 444, 445
Ass, 365
Atonement, See Redemption
Authority, 135, 170, 186, 201
Avenger, 188; of blood, 398, 417 Carmel, 27, 61
Baptism of Jesus, 45; John's, 43, Carpenter, 1, :
119; by the disciples, 110 Cathedral, 14
447

Barabbas, 414, 415
Barjona, 263
Baskets, used by Jews, 239; used
by Gentiles, 259
Bazaar, 66, 69
Beelzebub, 322
Bethabara, 76, 82, 83, 119, 334
Bethany beyond Jordan, 76, 82, 83;
home of Martha and Mary, 303,
348
Bethesda, pool of, 148
Bethlehem, 1, 7, 10, 14, 19, 21
Bethpage, 365
Bethsaida, Julias, 261
Betrayal of Jesus, 407
Betrothal, 2
Birth of Jesus, date, 5, 13; credi
bility of Virgin Birth, 23
Blind man healed at Bethsaida, 261 ;
man blind from his birth healed,
362; men at Jericho, 359
Blindness, spiritual, 362
Blood, woman with issue of, 228;
law of, 358; vengeance for, 416;
proverb relating to, 417
Brotherhood, 180, 190
Bread of Life, 243; breaking of the,
437
Brethren of Jesus, 27
"Bsharrah" (glad tidings), 11
Burial, Eastern, 205; of Jesus, 429
Caesar, 354
Caiaphas, 354
Calvaria, 419
Camp, 134
Cana, 82, 83, 90
Canaanite, 254, 255
Capernaum, 90, 93, 161, 164, 169,
204

6, 83, 127, 231

448

INDEX

Cave, 9
Celibacy, 344
Census, 4
Centurion, 200, 201
Centurion's slave, 200
Centurion's testimony, 429
Character, 71, 181
Chazzan, 28, 121
Children, the blessing of, 344; in the
Temple, 369
Choice of site of synagogue, 120;
of cross, 267
Chorazin, 93
Christ, meaning of, 20
Christmas Day, 12
Church, 73, 184, 185
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 427
Church of the Nativity, 14
Circumcision of Jesus, 17
Citizen, 56, 185
Civilization, 64, 131, 180
Class distinctions, 67
Coats, 234, 347
Conversion, 87
Cottage, 184
Courtyard, 138, 169, 177
Creator, 189
Cross, taking up the, 266; mark of
discipleship, 266; the model of
the holiest life, 268
Crown of gold, 61; of thorns, 239,
416
Crucifixion, 420
Cyrene, Simon of, 419
Cyrenius, 5
Dalmanutha, 259
Deaf man, healing of, 258
Death not the end, 348
Decapolis, 146, 257
Dedication, Feast of, 147, 332
Denarius (penny), 379
Desert, camp described, 126
Divinity of Jesus Christ, 71, 127
Divine Law, 232; image, 232
Dress, 143
Duty, 54, 126, 178
East, 43

Education of Jesus, 28; Jewish, 28
Egypt, flight into, 21
Elizabeth, 4
Emmaus, walk to, 436
Engannim, 287
Epiphany, 21
Essenes, 41
Eternal Mind, 180, 181
Excommunication, 121
Failure, the work of Jesus no, 280
Faith, 88, 230, 276
Feast of the Passover, 29, 145, 247;
of Dedication, 147, 332; of Purim,
145; unnamed, 145
Feet, washing the disciples', 394
Fellowship, 132, 159, 398
Fig-tree cursed, 369
Fish, 183
Fishers of men, 156
Fishes, miraculous draught of, 156,
440
Fatherhood, Divine, 180
Field of Blood, 413
Five thousand, feeding of the, 239
Fool, parable of the Rich, 326, 327
Forgiveness, Divine, 172
Four thousand, feeding of the, 259
Freedom, impossible without power,
63, 159
Fringes of the Jewish garments,
228
Gadara, 94, 227
Gadarene demoniac, 227
Galilean ministry of Christ, 152
Galileans massacred, 330
Galilee, 25, 95 et seq.
Galilee, Sea of, description of, 90
et seq.
Gamala, 94
Garments of Jesus, 143
Gehinnom, 187
Gennesareth, the plain of, described,
93
Gergesa (Ghersa), 92, 94
Gerizim, 118
Gethsemane, 407
Gilboa, 27, 204
Golgotha, 419

INDEX

449

Governor of the feast, 389
Governor of Judea. See Pilate
Greek learning, 29
Greeks desire to see Jesus, 372
Guest-chambers, 141
Guest of God, 397
Hattin, traditional site of Sermon
on the Mount, 182, 204
Hazard, 134
Herod the Great, 5, 21, 39
Herod Antipas, 91
Herodians, 253, 378
Hospitality, 130
Holy Places, not all authentic, 14
House building, 25; of rich man,
137; divided against itself, 25
Husbandman, 219
Hymn, the Magnificat, 29
Hypocrites, 383
Idle, labourers, in the marketplace,
347
Immortality, 180
Incarnation, 2; philosophy of the,
131
Inn, where hospitality is free, 8;
where payment is made, 9 (note)
Inspiration, 74
Intercession, 178
Jacob's well, 113
Jairus, daughter of, 227
James, the son of Zebedee, 155
Jericho described, 39
Jerusalem, visit to, 29
Jesus, birth of, 10; the name, 17;
presentation of in the Temple,
17; among the doctors, 31; boy
hood of, 28; education of, 28; the
trade of, 34; the baptism of, 45;
temptation of, 53; the first miracle
of, 82; the Cleansing of the Tem
ple by, 102
John the Baptist, 38 et seq.
John, the son of Zebedee, 155
Jordan, baptisms in the river, 76;
the source of the, 264; cities in
the valley of the, 290

Judas, 383, 393, 395, 396, 407
Judge of all the earth, 282
Judgment of Pilate, 413, 416
Justin Martyr, 14
Kedron, 368, 390
Khan (Eastern inn), 6, 7
King, desire to make Jesus, 240; of
glory, 281
Kingdom, Christ established, 67; of
heaven, 181, 182; within, 220
Labourers, in the market-place, 347
Lamb of God, 76
Lamp in a peasant's cottage, 184;
virgins, 389
Last supper, 393; judgment, 385
Law, our schoolmaster, 64
Lawyers, 324
Lazarus, rich man and, 342; of Beth
any, 348
Legion, name, 226; of angels, 407
Leper, healing of the, 167; healing
of the ten, 290
Leprosy, 166
Liberty, 64, 69, 128
Light of lamp, 184; of life, 185
Lilies, 421
Locusts, 39
Love, the centre of the teaching of
Christ, 189; new commandment,
399
Magdala, 92
Magi, 19, 21
Malchus, 415
Manaen, 125
Manger, 11
Maniac, 224
Martha, 302, 349, 363
Mary, the mother of Jesus, 1, 3, 5,
6, 9, 18, 21, 23, 85, 422
Mary of Bethany, 302, 349, 363;
Magdalene, 211, 422; the wife of
Cleophas, 422
Matthew (Levi), 174, 181
Messiah, 2, 78, 80
Messenger, heavenly, 10; of the
Kingdom, 42; God's, 80; (Apos
tles), 181

450

INDEX

Miracle, at Cana, 85; meaning of,
86; purpose of, 87, 88
Nain, 204
Nathaniel, call of, 79; confession of,
80, 181
Nativity of Christ, date of the, 6,
13; Church of the, 14
Nature, laws of, 195; processes of,
327
Nazareth described, 24 et seq.
Newspapers, no, 69, 142
Nicodemus, visit of, 107
Nobleman's son, healing of the, 124 t
Obedience of Jesus in the home, 27;
in His life, 46
Ointment, 210
Olives, Mount of, 30
Oriental, customs, severity of, 4;
luxury, 38; traveller, 83; costumes,
94; language, 106; salutations, 392
Pagan references to Christ, 1 (note)
Palm-trees in Jordan Valley, 6
Parable, Christ teaching by, 213;
meaning of, 214; reveal nature of
Kingdom, 220; of Sower, 216; of
Seed growing secretly, 218; of the
Leaven, 220; of the Mustard-seed,
220; of the Tares, 220; of the
Good Samaritan, 298; of the Rich
Fool, 326; of Fig-tree, 331; of the
Great Supper, of the Lost Sheep,
338; Lost Coin, 339; Lost Son,
339; of the Unjust Steward, 340;
of the Rich Man and Lazarus,
342; of the Labourers in the Mar
ket-place, 347; of the Pounds, 362;
of the Two Sons, 374; of the
"Wicked Husbandmen, 375; of the
Marriage of the King's Son, 377;
of the Talents, 388; of the Ten
Virgins, 389
Paralytic man, healing of the, 169
Passover, Feast of the, 312, 395
Pella, 290
Perea, 290, 292
Peter, call of, 78; confession of, 262;

denial of, 409; examination of, 440
Pharisees, patriotism of, 374
Phasaelis, city of, 290, 294, 296
Philip, call of, 79
Phylactery, 66; described, 384
Pilate, (the Roman Governor), 413
et seq.
Porters, 283
Praetorium, 413
Prayer of Jesus, 178
Proselyte, 385
Publicans, reputation of, 173
Purim, Feast of, 145
Quirinus, 5 (note)
Rabbinical schools, 28
Ransom, 358
Redemption, 272, 358; teaching of
Jesus on, 354
Repentance, 42
Riches, and the Kingdom of Heaven,
346
Roman Emperor, decree of, 4

Sabbath, traditions of men concern
ing, 150, 250; teaching of Christ on
the, 251; miracles performed on
the Sabbath, 148, 252, 331
Sacrifice, 62, 422
Sadducees, 41
Salim, 110
Salutations, 292
Salvation, 358, 361
Samaria, woman of, 113
Samaritans, 113
Sanhedrin, 354, 408
Scourging of Christ, 415
Scribe offers to follow Christ, 287
Scythopolis, 6, 119
Sea of Galilee described, 90; Christ
walking on the, 241
Sermon on the Mount, 182
Seventy disciples sent, 292
Shechem, 118
Shepherd of Bethlehem, U; the
Good, 318
Sidon, 255

INDEX

451

Signs from heaven demanded, 65,
322; and wonders, 124
Siloam, the pool of, 315
Simeon, 17
Simon of Cyrene, 419
Simon Peter, 78
Simon the leper, 362
Simon the Pharisee, 209
Simon the Zealot, 181
Sinners, 68
Son of Man, 48
Storms on the Sea of Galilee, 223
Strait gate, the, 286
Supper, the last, 393
Swine, 227
Sychar, 113, 119
Sycamore tree, 360
Synagogue, position of, 120; de
scribed, 120, 121
Syncoptists, 152, 399

Tabernacles (temporary dwelling-
places, booths), 304
Talents, parable of the, 388
Talmud, 91
Tarichae, 91, 92
Taxes, collection of, 173
Temple, 30, 135
Temptation of Christ, 48
Testament, Old, 136; New, 137
Thief, penitent, 425
Thomas, 438, 439
Tiberias, town of, 91 et seq.

Tiberius, Roman Emperor, reign of,
38
Travellers in the East, 5, 83
Tribute to Caesar, 379
Truth, the basis of Christ's teaching,
65; the Kingdom of, 413
Upper room, 139, 394
Vine culture, 331, 380
Vineyard, 331
Vipers, 44
Virgins, parable of Ten, 388
Visitation, time of, 367
Vultures classed as eagles, 387
Watch, the, at the tomb, 429, 432
Water, 110, 113
Wedding garment, 376
Widow of Nain, 205; sevenfold, 380;
poor, 386; persevering, 388
Woman who washed the feet of
Jesus, 210; with issues of blood,
228; infirm, 363; with alabaster
box, 331
Women, Christ's treatment of, 129)
position of, 129
Yoke, 283
Zacchaeus, 360
Zaeharias, 38 et seq.
Zealots, 41
Zebedee, 155