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WEEK-DAY SCHOOL SERIES GEORGE HERBERT BETTS, Editor

THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF JESUS

By
FREDERICK C. GRANT

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THE ABINGDON PRESS
NEW YORK CINCINNATI

Copyright, 1921, by
FREDERICK C. GRANT
All Rights Reserved

Gib

For the sake of clearneas, the Biblical text used in this volume has been
paraphrased in modern English. Though adhering closely to the current versions,
the original has been compared throughout.

TO MY WIFE
HELEN McQUEEN GRANT

CONTENTS
CHAPTER pAGE
I. The Land Where Jesus Lived  9
II. The Birth of Jesus  16
III. Jesus' Home in Nazareth  24
IV. A Visit to Jerusalem  33
V. John, the Son of Zacharias  41
VI. The Baptism of Jesus  48
VII. In the Wilderness  54
VIII. Beginning His Ministry  60
IX. A Day in Capernaum  66
X. Healing the Sick  72
XI. The Call of the Disciples  77
XII. Keeping the Sabbath  84
XIII. The Opposition of the Scribes and
Pharisees  91
XIV. Seeking the Lost  97
XV. The Sermon on the Mount  105
XVI. Jesus' Teaching and the Law  112
XVII. Prayer and the Lord's Prayer  120
XVIII. Trust in Our Heavenly Father  127
XIX. The Two Houses  132
XX. A Visit to Nazareth  137
XXI. A Message from John  , . 144
XXII. Teaching by Parables  150
XXIII. The Disciples' Faith in Jesus  156
XXIV. Alone With the Twelve  163
XXV. Journeying to Jerusalem  169

6 CONTENTS .
CHAPTER PAGE
XXVI. In JudjBA  175
XXVII. Entering Jerusalem  182
XXVIII. The Plot Against Jesus  187
XXIX. The Last Days in Jerusalem  193
XXX. Jesus in the Hands of the Priests ... 201
XXXI. The Crucifixion  208
XXXII. The Resurrection  215

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Map  ., . . Frontispiece FACING FACE
Road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem  18
Nazareth  24
Great Wall of Jerusalem  36
The Temptation in the Wilderness  54
Bethany  89
Mount of Olives  127
Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus  183
The Temple in the Time of Jesus  193

HOW HE CAME
WHEN the golden evening gathered on the shore of
Galilee,
When the fishing boats lay quiet by the sea.
Long ago the people wondered, tho' no sign was in the
sky.
For the glory of the Lord was passing by.
Not in robes of purple splendor, not in silken softness
shod.
But in raiment worn with travel came their God,
And the people knew His presence by the heart that
ceased to sigh
When the glory of the Lord was passing by.
For He healed their sick at even, and He cured the
leper's sore.
And sinful men and women sinned no more.
And the world grew mirthful-hearted, and forgot its
misery
When the glory of the Lord was passing by.
Not in robes of purple splendor, but in lives that do His
will,
In patient acts of kindness He comes still ;
And the people cry with wonder, tho' no sign is in the
sky.
That the glory of the Lord is passing by.
W. J. Dawson.
By permission ef the author. From The Empire of Lew, published by Fleming H. Rev-ell Company.

CHAPTER I
THE LAND WHERE JESUS LIVED
The country in which Jesus lived, Palestine, is one of
the smallest in the world. It is smaller than Belgium
or the Netherlands; it is only a httle larger than Ver
mont, less than one fourth the size of Illinois, and only
one tenth the size of Colorado.
From the Syrian border on the north to the desert of
Idumea on the south is only 140 miles. From the Jor
dan River to the Mediterranean coast is only 50 miles.
The Jordan itself, from the outlet of the Lake of Galilee
to the Dead Sea into which it flows, is only 65 miles
long. As the crow flies, it is only 70 miles from Naz
areth to Jerusalem — an aviator can cover this distance
in half an hour. physical features
Palestine is a beautiful land, hilly and picturesque.
Except along the seacoast and in the Plain of Esdraelon,
one cannot travel many miles in any direction without
losing sight of his starting-place, unless he climbs a
high hill to look back.
Judaea and Samaria. — Down the middle of the coun
try, north and south, lies a high and rugged plateau.
Thus if you wish to travel eastward from Joppa, on the
Mediterranean coast (see the map), you must first cross
the maritime plain, about twelve miles wide, and then
begin to ascend the foothills of the central range.
Ten miles further the real "hill-country" is reached.
This is the highest land in central Palestine, and is
twelve or fifteen miles across. On its eastern side lies

10 THE .LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
the city of Jerusalem. Beyond this begins the steep
descent to the Jordan Valley, which is about fifteen
miles across and over a thousand feet below sea-level.
On the opposite side rise the cliffs and hills of eastern
Palestine; and ten miles beyond these hes the desert,
stretching away for hundreds of miles to the east.
Galilee. — But Galilee, where Jesus grew up and
spent most of his ministry, is less rugged than Judaea
and Samaria, and although smaller in size it supported
a much larger population. The highland range is
broken in southern Galilee by the fertile Plain of Es
draelon. This lies northwest and southeast, and joins
the Mediterranean seacoast, just north of Mount Car
mel, with the upper end of the Jordan Valley, just
south of the Lake of Galilee. (See if you can find it on
the map, though it is not named there.)
Looking north from the middle of this plain, you
would see the hills of Lower Galilee — and among them
the hill of Nazareth — rising gently, to the mountain
foothills of Upper Galilee; back of these stands the
mountain range of Lebanon in Syria, with snow
capped Hermon rising majestically .far away in the
northeast. To the east and north lies the Lake of Galilee, shaped
like a harp, its eastern shores girded by steep cliffs, but
bordered on the north and west by the lovely Plain of
Gennesaret. In this plain were the cities of Caper
naum, Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Magdala, where Jesus
spent the greater part of his ministry.
Rivers. — Rivers and streams abound in Palestine,
though many of them are filled only in the rainy season.
Springs are common, fed underground by the melting
snow on the northern mountains.
Through the Plain of Esdraelon flows the river Kishon,

THE LAND WHERE JESUS LIVED n
famous in ancient history, and into the Jordan, the Dead
Sea, and the Lake of Galilee flow tributaries from all
sides. The source of the Jordan is found in the Lebanon
Valley north of Mount Hermon. Flowing south and
westward it spreads out to form a marshy little lake,
"the Waters of Merom," and then flows on down into
the Lake of Galilee, whose surface is over six hundred
feet below sea-level. Leaving Galilee, it winds rapidly
down through the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea —
which has no outlet and is so salty no fish can live in it.
industries
Although Palestine is small in area and broken by
hills and valleys, it was once a very fertile land, and in
it lived over a million people. We must not judge the
country as it was in Jesus' time by what travelers see
there to-day. Then it was one of the most fruitful and
prosperous lands in the world; especially is this true of
Galilee, Jesus' own country.
Products of the soil. — Its climate was warm and
sunny, like the island of Sicily or southern Italy. Or
chards of figs and olives, vineyards, palm groves, gar
dens of pomegranates and cucumbers, citron and melons,
lettuce and mustard, fields of flax and barley and millet
covered the hillsides. It is said that grapes and olives
ripened the year round, save for two months in winter.
And the rabbis explained that the fruits of Galilee were
not taken up to Jerusalem lest people should visit the
holy city in order to enjoy such dehcacies, instead of to
observe the sacred festivals!
Flowers grew beside every winding road through the
hills — flags and lilies, hyacinths, tulips, anemones, roses
and oleanders and wild gourds. In the springtime the
fields looked hke billowy seas of green and white and gold.

ia THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
On the mountains of Carmel and Lebanon grew forests
of oak, cedar, and walnut.
The fishing industry. — Fish were found in abund
ance in the Lake of Galilee, and in the marshy valley-
bottoms and the streams. Fish-pickling was one of the
great industries of the country, and fish of Tarichea
were shipped to Rome and Antioch and Alexandria.
The market place. — In the markets of Galilee were
sold fruits and vegetables, dates and figs, olive oil, eggs,
grain (which each family ground for itself in making
bread, just as most people still grind their own coffee),
spices and salt and fish. There were also household
utensils and furniture, lamps and tables, and children's
toys; coarse-woven linen and wool cloth; and besides
all these, many strange and wonderful things brought
in from Egypt and Tyre and the lands beyond the sea.
A busy people.— In the south, on the rocky hillsides
of Samaria and Judaea, lonely shepherds watched their
flocks, guarding them against wolves and robbers; and
in the country east of the Jordan great herds of cattle
grazed. But in Galilee farmers tilled the rich soil and
harvested their abundant crops, fishermen dragged the
lake with their nets, people came and went, busy and
happy and prosperous.
Scores of towns and villages were scattered over the
hills and about the lake. To-day most of these have
disappeared, and the land is rocky and barren, hke
Judsa. But in Jesus' time there must have been 300,-
000 people living in Galilee — ten times as many as live
there now.
Travel. — Roads crossed the land in all directions.
Among them was the oldest road in the world, from
Babylonia to Egypt. It passed through Damascus,
across Galilee to the pass south of Mount Carmel, then

THE LAND WHERE JESUS LIVED 13
down along the seacoast to the land of the Nile. From
the earliest times, before history began, caravans trav
eled this road, laden with fruit and timber, baskets of
figs and dates, gold and copper and precious stones,
wheat and rye and barley, flax and wool, dyes and pre
served fish. And down this road had come in ancient
times the armies of Assyria and Persia and Babylon.
Another road passed from Ptolemais up through the
Plain of Esdraelon into the hill country of Samaria and
Judaea — and along this road, in Jesus' time, traveled
the soldiers of Rome as they left ship at the port and
went up to the garrisons in Samaria, Jericho, and Jeru
salem. Then there were other winding roads which
connected the cities and villages scattered through the
country, and look hke an odd net spread over the map.
centers of population
We have already mentioned the chief cities. Jeru
salem, the ancient capital of Judaea, was a strongly
walled city in the highlands. Here was the temple,
visited each year by thousands of pilgrims from all over
Palestine and wherever else, throughout the world, Jew
ish families resided.
Samaria was another ancient city in the heart of
the hill country. But loyal Jews never visited it; for
the Samaritans were a mixed race, and had a temple
of their own which they preferred to that at Jerusalem.
Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, was on the southern
edge of the Galilean hills, on the very border of the
fertile Plain of Esdraelon.
Capernaum was on the road from Damascus to
Egypt; and here was the customs-house, where the
freighted caravans were taxed for their use of the road
through Palestine.

14 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Tiberias, jog. the southwest shore of the lake, was a
new city, built by Herod Antipas in honor of the Roman
emperor. It was finished just before Jesus began his
public ministry. So far as we know, he never entered
it. Though it was the capital of Galilee, no loyal Jew
would visit Tiberias. It was a pagan city, and defiled —
for a cemetery had been disturbed when its walls were
built, and in Jewish eyes this made the city polluted.
Then there were other cities besides Tiberias and
Samaria which faithful Jews rarely entered, for to do so
meant defiling contact with idolatry. Such were cer
tain cities along the Mediterranean coast, and the cities
of Decapolis, east of Galilee and the Jordan. Even in
Galilee and Judaea there were scattered colonies of
"Gentiles" or foreigners, Greeks, Syrians, Arabs, Egyp
tians, and people from all countries, drawn to Palestine
by the prospect of trade or by the fame of its fertile soil.
Wide-spread fame. — Traders passed ceaselessly
through the land, for Palestine was the great "land-
bridge" between Asia and Europe and Africa. Her
baths and springs were famous all over the world, and
many travelers visited Palestine to enjoy her wonderful
climate and delicious fruits. For thousands of years
great empires had gone to war in order to possess this
rich and beautiful country. Now it was in peace, under
the stable government of Rome.
Thus it was in no remote and unfrequented province
that our Lord was born and grew to manhood. On the
contrary, he lived in one of the most famous, most
prosperous, and most populous regions in the world.
Galilee was a vast, luxuriant garden, rich in the pro
ducts of nature and filled with crowded cities. Here he
spent his boyhood; and here, among its multitudes, he
went about doing good, healing the sick, teaching men

THE LAND WHERE JESUS LIVED . 15
to love and obey their Father in heaven, and proclaiming
the good tidings of the Kingdom of God.
STUDY TOPICS
r. Find Palestine in your geography (map of Asia). Sup
pose you are planning a journey to the Holy Land:
which route do you prefer?
2. Turn to the map of Palestine in this book. Trace the
road from Damascus to Egypt. Show how you
would go from Nazareth to Jerusalem ; from Nazareth
to Capernaum; from Bethsaida to Jericho.
3. Palestine is 140 miles long by 80 miles wide. How
does it compare with your own state in size?
4. "How far is Albany from New York ? Indianapolis from
Chicago? Los Angeles from San Francisco? Nash
ville from Atlanta? Compare the distance from
Nazareth to Jerusalem.
5. Can you explain the change which has taken place in
Palestine? Why do so few people live there now
compared to the number in the first century?
6. Do you know how to pronounce Ptolemais, Esdraelon,
Gennesaret, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Magdala, Chora-
zin? What and where was each?
7. Describe the industries of Palestine in the time of
Jesus.
8. Draw a map of Palestine, locating its principal divi
sions, cities, and rivers.

CHAPTER II
THE BIRTH OF JESUS
In the days of Jesus the Jews were no longer a free
and independent people. Like almost every country in
the world, Palestine was under the government of Rome.
The Romans had divided the empire which they con
quered into provinces, and Palestine was only the
southern end of the province of Syria. In the year
63 B. C, when Jesus' grandfather was a boy, the Roman
general Pompey had come up into the hills with an army
and captured Jerusalem. No doubt Jesus was often
told the story of this conquest.
THE ROMAN RULE
For a hundred years Palestine had enjoyed inde
pendence under the noble Jewish dynasty known as
the Maccabees. But at the end of the century civil war
had broken out through the quarrel of two brothers,
Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, each claiming to be the law
ful high priest and king.
The capture of Jerusalem. — This controversy gave
the Romans their opportunity. Pompey led his troops
down to Jericho, rested there over night, and next day
marched up to Jerusalem. The people opened the gates
and welcomed him, but Aristobulus and his followers
fortified the temple and prepared for. a siege.
For three months the siege continued, until one au
tumn day in the year 63, the troops broke into the tem
ple, killed the priests at the altar, and seized Aristo
bulus. He was taken to Rome as a captive, and marched
16

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 17
in Pompey's triumph. Hyrcanus was left as high priest,
but without any royal power; and thenceforth Judaea,
like the rest of Palestine, was under the government
of Rome.
King Herod. — A few years later, however, the
Romans gave the Jews a king, who was to reign under
the oversight of the Governor of Syria — somewhat as
the rajahs of India rule under the British viceroy. This
king was Herod. He was not a member of the de
throned Maccabean house, but only a half- Jewish
Idumean, a clever, progressive, but unscrupulous man.
For a while the Jews rejoiced to have once more a
king of their own. Herod began to rebuild the temple
and to beautify Jerusalem, his capital. Great pubhc
buildings were erected in Judaea, Samaria and Gahlee,
and at Caesarea, on the sea. Even across the Jordan
the old forts and military outposts were transformed
into cities, with castles and palaces, theaters and mar
kets. But Herod was a tyrant — proud, jealous, and merci
less. He suspected everyone about him of disloyalty
and intrigue, and put to death not only the descendants
of the Maccabees, lest they should head a revolution,
but even three of his own sons, and the mother of two
of them, Mariamne. His own miserable life was ended
in the year 4 B. C, after he had reigned thirty-seven
years. The sons of Herod. — Augustus was now the Roman
emperor, and so with him lay the choice of Herod's
successor. He parceled out the country among three of
the surviving sons of Herod — Archelaus, to whom he
gave Judaea and Samaria; Antipas, who received Gahlee
and Perea; and PhiMp, to whom went the region north of
Perea and east of Galilee.

18 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
The census.— In the year in which Herod died a
census had been ordered by the Emperor Augustus.
For he kept a book, which he called his "Breviary of the
Whole Empire," in which were entered the population
and mihtary forces of all the nations under the Roman
rule. To make the figures accurate, a census had to be
taken from time to time.
In Palestine the census was not taken from house to
house, as elsewhere, and as we take it to-day. It was
taken by families. And even if members of a family
lived in some remote region they would return home
for the census, so as to be enrolled in their native city
or village.
The journey to Bethlehem. — So it came to pass that
Joseph and Mary went up from Nazareth in Galilee to
their native village in Judaea for the census. Bethlehem
was their birthplace, a little town five miles south of
Jerusalem on the road to Gaza. Here still lived de
scendants of the family of King David, who had reigned
over Palestine a thousand years before; and even in the
days when Jews had lost their freedom this family was
proud to be of his "house and lineage."
The birth of Jesus. — And here, in this little village,
Jesus was born at the time of the census. The beautiful
story of his birth; the message to the shepherds abiding
in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night;
the song of the angels, "Peace on earth, good will to
men;" the manger used for his cradle — all this beautiful
tale you have heard every Christmas you can re
member. It is found in the second chapter of the Gospel accord
ing to Saint Luke. And since it has never been told so
well by anyone else, you must read it in the words of the
Gospel:

ROAD FROM JERUSALEM TO BETHLEHEM

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 19
"Now it came to pass in those days, that a decree
was issued by Caesar Augustus for a census of the
whole world. This was the first census taken when
Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to
be enrolled, every one to his own city. And Joseph
also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth,
into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family
of David. So he went to be enrolled with Mary,
who was betrothed to him.
"And it came to pass, while they were there, that
she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped
him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them at the inn.
"Now there were shepherds in the same country
abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night. And the angel of the Lord stood by them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them;
and they were sore afraid. And the angel said to
them, 'Be not afraid: for behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people;
for there is born to you this day in the city of David
a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this, is the
sign unto you: you shall find a babe wrapped in
'swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.' And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of
the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
" 'Glory in the highest to God,
And on earth peace
Among men whom He favors.'
"And it came to pass, when the angels went away
from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to
another, 'Let us now go to Bethlehem, and see this
thing that is come to pass which the Lord has made
known unto us.' And they came with haste, and
found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in
the manger. And when they saw it, they repeated

20 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
what had been told them by the angel about this
child. "And all that' heard it wondered at the things
which were spoken unto them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in
her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God for all the things that they had
heard and seen, even as it was spoken unto them."
— Luke 2 : 1-20.
THE CHILD
When Jesus was eight days old he was given his name.
This had already been decided upon: he was to be called
"Jesus." It was a noble name, meaning "Jehovah
saves," and had been borne by great men in the past —
by Joshua, who led the people into Palestine after the
death of Moses; and by a great high priest in the days
of Zechariah and Zerubbabel, after the return of the
Jews from exile.
The Presentation. — A month later Jesus was taken
up to the temple in Jerusalem. Every Jewish boy was
thus taken and presented to the Lord, just as Christian
children are presented to Him in baptism. A sacrifice
was offered on the altar, and then he was taken home.
From now on he belonged to God, he was "holy to the
Lord," he was a child of God and a member of the
sacred race.
A wonderful incident occurred that day in the temple
when Jesus was presented. An old man by the name of
Simeon, who hved in Jerusalem and spent much of his
time in the temple worshiping God and praying that He
would send the Messiah to free His people, came in
when the sacrifice was offered.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that
he should not die until he had seen the Messiah; and

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 21
when he now saw Jesus he believed that his prayers
were answered. This little child, this son of David,
was the Lord's Messiah! And so he took the child in
his arms and gave thanks to God:
"Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart
In peace, according to Thy word !
For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all
peoples,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles
And the glory of Thy people Israel!" — Luke 2 : 29-32.
Then he blessed Mary and Joseph and the little
child. And there came in an aged woman, Anna, who
was a prophetess. Like Simeon, she spent much of her
time in the temple, fasting and praying night and day
for "the redemption of Jerusalem" from its yoke of
bondage. She had seen Simeon take the child in his
arms and say his words of blessing and thanksgiving.
And she too recognized the Messiah in this tiny babe,
and spoke of him to the others who were gathered there
to pray for Messiah's corning.
What a wonderful impression this must have made
upon Mary, the mother of Jesus! The Gospel says
that she kept all these sayings in her heart, and
pondered them.
The "Magnificat." — Do you know the beautiful
hymn which she sang when first she knew that Jesus
was to be born? It is found in the first chapter of
Saint Luke, and every boy and girl should learn it.
No doubt she taught it to Jesus when he was old
enough to learn; and perhaps she sang it softly as they
went down that day from the temple, and she knew

22 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
that her own dear baby was the one whom God had
sent to save His people.
"My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He hath looked upon the low estate of His hand
maiden:
And behold, from henceforth all generations shall
call me blessed.
For He that is mighty hath done for me great things,
And holy is His name.
"And His mercy is upon them that fear Him
Throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with His arm; i
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of
their heart.
He hath put down princes from their thrones,
And exalted them of low degree.
"The hungry He hath filled with good things,
And the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath helped Israel His servant,
That He might remember mercy —
As He promised to our forefathers —
Toward Abraham and his seed for ever."
— Luke i : 46-55.
And so when they had accomphshed all things that
were required by the sacred Law, they returned to
Galilee, to their home in Nazareth. "And- the child
grew and waxed strong, filled with wisdom; and the
grace of God was upon him."
STUDY TOPICS
1. Who were the Maccabees? (See encyclopedia.)
2. Consult a Roman history and learn what countries
were under the rule of Rome at the time of Jesus'
birth.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS 23
3. Refer to the map of Palestine and locate the territory
given by Augustus to each of Herod's sons to rule.
Also locate Caesarea.
4. Where was the village of Bethlehem? Tell what you
know of it.
5. Trace on the map two routes from Nazareth to Jeru
salem. Which do you think would be the easier
journey with a little baby?
6. Tell in your own words the story of the bkth; tell it
as nearly as you can just as Luke has told it.
7. Relate the incident which occurred in the temple when
Jesus was presented.
8. Tell the story of the Magnificat. Commit it to mem
ory.

CHAPTER III
JESUS' HOME IN NAZARETH
On the morning of the third day of their returning
journey from Judaea, as they descended the southern
hills, or eame up into the plain from the Jordan Valley,
Joseph and Mary caught sight of the familiar hill of
Nazareth. Near its summit they could just make out
the white cluster which was their own village. Between
them and it lay the broad Plain of Esdraelon. But by
nightfall they would be safely home with their precious
burden, which Mary held in her arms as she rode upon
the plodding, gentle ass which Joseph led. From time
to time as they journeyed on they could make out more
clearly the streets and houses — first twenty miles away,
then fifteen, then ten, then five — until at last they were
leaving the valley and climbing the road which led to
their very door. THE SURROUNDINGS
In those days Nazareth must have looked somewhat
as it does to-day. It was a scattered group of houses on
the hillside, with crooked streets, and perhaps a few
olive or fig trees or grape-vines in the tiny yards.
Home life in Nazareth. — The houses were square,
and built of stone and gray, sun-dried brick. None of
them was very large; they had only two or three rooms,
and the stairway, if there was one, ran up outside to the
roof (made of clay and dried in the sun), where the
family slept on hot summer nights. The village water
supply was a cool spring, which is now called "the
Virgin's Fountain." Every day the women and girls
24

JESUS' HOME IN NAZARETH 25
of the village brought their jars to fill them at the
spring. And here Jesus, when he was a httle older
and able to walk, followed his mother as she went for
water. There was a synagogue in the village. For wherever
ten Jewish families lived a synagogue was established.
Beside the synagogue stood the schoolhouse, where the
boys learned to read and write. And then there were a
few shops — just as every little village to-day has a
general store and a blacksmith shop and perhaps a
meat-market. Among them was the carpenter shop
kept by Joseph.
The carpenter shop. — We can imagine what this
shop was like. It was, perhaps, only one room in the
house where the family lived. With his few simple
tools — saws, chisels, a hammer and an axe, with knives
for shaving and planing — Joseph fashioned the imple
ments used by the farmers of the neighborhood. These
were crude wooden plows and rakes: forks and fans for
shaking out the grain after it had been trodden on the
threshing-floor; yokes for the oxen; carts and cart
wheels; wooden shovels; handles for sickles and knives;
chairs and tables for household use; doors and door
frames and wooden locks and keys.
Here, while he was still a httle boy, Jesus would hsten
to the men talk as they came in to buy implements or
furniture, or to order them made — especially on the
rainy days of winter, when no work could be done in
the fields. Here they would discuss the weather, or the
Romans, or the tax-collectors, or the news just brought
to the larger cities by travelers and caravan-drivers.
And when they came to pay for Joseph's wares or his
work, it would probably be in produce as often as in
money— grain or poultry or dried fruits.

26 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
WHERE JESUS WENT TO CHURCH
On Sabbaths everyone in Nazareth went to the syna
gogue. This was their finest building, and the whole
village was proud of it. As they entered, the women
went to one side and sat down and the men went to the
other; the girls sat with their mothers, and boys with
their fathers. Up in front was the chancel or pulpit,
where Lessons from the Law and Prophets were read,
and where the rabbi — if there was one — sat to expound
the Law.
The Bible on a scroll. — In a little closet or "ark,"
with curtains hanging before it, were kept the precious
scrolls on which the Bible was written. You may some
time have seen such a scroll as these were — a long strip
of parchment with the ends fastened to rods of wood,
which were then rolled together. To find the place,
one had to wind the scroll on one rod and unroll it from
the other.
The man who had charge of the services and the
care of the building was called "the Ruler of the Syna
gogue." On the Sabbath it was his duty to invite
certain men in the congregation to come forward and
read the appointed Scripture Lessons.
The service. — The Bible was, of course, written in
the Hebrew language; but in our Lord's time the Jews
no longer spoke Hebrew. Instead, they spoke a dialect
called Aramaic, which was like Hebrew, but differently
pronounced. And so it was necessary after each Lesson
to interpret it, and give its explanation in the language
commonly understood. The man who did this had the
title of Methurgeman, or "Interpreter."
After Jesus grew up he was often asked to read and
interpret the Lessons in the synagogue. As a boy he

JESUS' HOME IN NAZARETH 27
went every Sabbath and sat beside Joseph and joined
in the prayers and listened to the reading and expound
ing of the Bible — for that was all the sermon they had.
Morning and evening every Jew recited a section from
the Law, which was called the Shema (or "Hear"), from
the first word of the passage in Hebrew.
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is
One. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
might. "And these words, which I command thee this day,
shall be upon thy heart: and thou shalt teach them
diligently to thy children; and thou shalt talk of
them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou
walkest in the way, and when thou liest down, and
when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for
a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets
between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them
upon the door posts of thy house, and upon thy
gates." — Deuteronomy 6: 4-9.
Not only was this passage said morning and evening
("when thou liest down and when thou risest up"), but
the latter part was literally obeyed. The Pharisees wore
httle leather boxes bound to their foreheads, containing
the commandments written in fine handwriting on very
thin parchment or skin. These were called phylacteries.
And beside the doorway of every house was a mezuzah,
like a tiny mail-box, containing the commandments of
the 'Law. Thus the requirement of Deuteronomy was
strictly observed.
On the Sabbath, in addition to the Lessons, the Shema
and the reading of Psalms, the stated prayers were said.

28 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Many of them were very beautiful. Here is a part of
one which was used at the morning service on that
day: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the
universe, who formest light and createst darkness,
who makest peace and createst all things: Who in
Thy mercy givest light to the earth and to them that
dwell thereon, and in Thy goodness renewest the
creation every day continually. How manifold are
thy works, O Lord: In wisdom hast thou made
them all: the earth is full of thy possessions . . . ."
— From the Jewish Prayer Book.
GOING TO SCHOOL
Beside the synagogue was the school. Here the boys
of the village learned to read and write.
What the pupils studied. — But at first they had
no books. Instead, they sat about their teacher in a
circle on the floor, and he read to them from the Bible.
This they memorized, as he read, and recited it after
him. As they learned to write, they copied down what
he read to them. At the age of five a boy began in
this way to learn the Scripture. At ten he began
to study the explanation of the Law made by
the scribes or rabbis. Very early he learned the Shema
and the Ten Commandments and some of the Psalms
and prayers used in the synagogue.
Through the Old Testament (the Jewish Bible), Jesus
heard the voice of his Father speaking to him. Its
stories were stories of men and women who had loved
and served God. And he, too, loved God, and wanted
to do great deeds for him. The Psalms, the Law, the
Prophets were the most wonderful books in the world to
him.

JESUS' HOME IN NAZARETH 29
A Son of the Commandments. — Then, one day
when he was twelve or thirteen years old, Jesus was
made a bar mitswoth — a "Son of the Commandments" —
and after that he was supposed to keep the entire Law,
just like his father and the grown-up men of the con
gregation. Thereafter, too, since he was a bright,
intelligent boy, he was permitted to read the Law to
the congregation in the synagogue. This was a happy
day for his parents. We can imagine how Joseph and
Mary observed the event when Jesus first read the Law
in the synagogue, wearing their best clothes, and pro
viding a Sabbath dinner for their friends and neighbors
in honor of the occasion. It was like a graduation day
in our schools.
Other books. — There were other books which people
read besides the Bible, but they were very few, and
were not recommended by the rabbis (a rabbi was both
a minister and a school teacher in one). The rabbis
believed that everything a person needed to know was
contained in the Law and Prophets.
And so boys and girls had no story-books hke ours —
and girls were not taught to read anyway. But even so,
they loved all the more dearly the stories which were
read to them from the Old Testament — from Genesis
and Exodus and Joshua and Kings and Chronicles and
Nehemiah. And so, also, a boy who really loved the
Bible came to know it perfectly, and to understand its
message about God and righteousness, the pun
ishment for sin, and the forgiveness of the divine and
all-loving Father. Jesus knew the Old Testament
perfectly. Even on the cross he was reciting psalms
which he had learned in boyhood — at home by his
mother's knee, or in the school beside the synagogue
at Nazareth.

30 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
RECREATIONS
After he became old enough to play with the other
boys, he learned their games — tag, and follow-the-leader,
and such games as boys have always enjoyed. Then
they had some games quite different from ours — they
would play synagogue (as children to-day "play church")
and have a service like that on the Sabbath; or they
would have wedding and funeral processions, either-
dancing to the pipe, and carrying sticks for torches, or
wailing and beating their breasts, whichever was proper.
Rambles in the hills. — On bright, sunny days in
summer he would tramp over the hills, perhaps with
other boys, but probably alone. Flowers were every
where, and birds sang in the trees and meadows beside
the road. Jesus knew and loved God's great out-of-
doors; his sermons and parables, when he grew up and
began to teach, were full of pictures of nature.
THE WORLD OUTSIDE
It was a fine view one got from the top of the hill,
just west of the village and a little higher up. From
the summit you could see in all directions. Off to the
west lay Mount Carmel, covered with green forests
which seemed always changing their hues as the mists
came up from the sea. Beyond lay the blue Mediter
ranean, with here and there the white sail of a coasting
vessel or the shining side of a Roman trireme ghstening
in the sun. To the north were the great mountains,
beyond which lay the famous cities of the Gentiles,
Tyre and Sidon and Antioch and Damascus. Nearer.
by, just over the hills, were the villages of Cana and
Sepphoris (once the capital of Gahlee, before Tiberias
was built), and Jotapata. Eastward, beyond the high
ridges, lay the Lake and its surrounding cities, a thriving

JESUS' HOME IN NAZARETH 31
center of hfe and industry. Compared to the cities on
the lake, Nazareth was a very quiet, even dull, sort of a
place. But they were a whole day's journey away; and
boys never visited that far from home unless accom
panied by their fathers or relatives.
The caravans. — Across the hills stretched those roads
we have already told about. There was that old, old
road with its dusty caravans making their way from
Egypt to Damascus and the Valley of Euphrates, or
back again. This road passed just a mile or two below
Nazareth, in the valley. From the hilltop you could
almost count the camels, and you could see their drivers
trudging along beside them. East and west through the
great plain ran the road to Ptolemais, with its soldiers
and merchants and travelers.
Thus Nazareth was not a~~city like Capernaum or
Bethsaida; it was a country village, somewhat secluded
in the midst of its beautiful hills; yet it was near enough
the busy, thriving centers, near enough the great high
ways of travel, for Jesus to know what was going on in
the world.
The famous city. — Off to the south stretched the
wide and beautiful Plain of Esdraelon; and beyond this
were the hills, dim in the distance, and mounting up,
fold behind fold, to the mountains of Samaria and
Judaea. Up in these mountains, far to the south, lay
the most wonderful city in the world, where was God's
Temple, and where hved the sacred priests and scribes
and doctors of the Law. A great wall surrounded it,
and there were .soldiers guarding the gates. And every
day in the temple sacrifices were offered to God.
Ever since he was a little boy, Jesus had been told of
this marvelous city by those who visited it each year to
observe the feasts. He had asked many questions about

32 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
it, and he imagined very well what it was like. Best of
all, in another year or two he would be old enough to
go along when his parents went up for the Passover.
No doubt this was often in his mind as he came home
from his rambles on the hills — some day he too would
visit Jerusalem, the Holy City, and see it for himself,
and walk about its streets, and go to the temple, and
worship in the City of the Great King
STUDY TOPICS
i. Trace the probable route taken by Joseph and Mary
as they crossed the Esdraelon Valley to Nazareth.
2. Can you shut your eyes and see the city of Nazareth
as it looked when Jesus lived there?
3 . Compare the service in the Jewish synagogue of Jesus'
day with our modern church service.
4. Compare the subjects studied in the old Jewish schools
with the course of study in your own school. If our
education is better than theirs, should more, corre
spondingly, be expected of us?
5. What language did Jesus speak? What language did
he read?
6. Try to describe a day's life such as Jesus must have
lived when he was your age. Have in mind that he
learned Joseph's trade and helped in the shop.
7. Did you ever see any Hebrew writing? Find some
(see dictionary or encyclopaedia), and see what it
looks like. Are any of the letters like English?
8. What is your favorite book in the Old Testament? —
your favorite story? Do you think that Jesus en
joyed it when he was a boy? What was the Law?
The Prophets?

CHAPTER IV
A VISIT TO JERUSALEM
At last the day came when Jesus was old enough to
go on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. For weeks prepara
tions had been made for the journey. Fopd had been
prepared, the tent and clothing packed, and arrange
ments made for leaving the younger children of the
household with one of the neighbors while Joseph and
Mary and Jesus were away. the feast
There were three great festivals in the Jewish year,
when every faithful Israelite was expected to go to
Jerusalem. These were the Passover, held in March
or April; the Feast of Weeks, which came fifty days
later; and the Feast of Tabernacles, in September or
October. But most Jews who hved at a distance from
Jerusalem were able to attend but one of the three
each year. And so, Saint Luke says, "His parents
went every year to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Pass
over": for Galilee was too far from Jerusalem for them
to attend all three of the feasts.
The Passover. — Jesus was, of course, fully instructed
about the observance of the festival long before he was
allowed to go. Not only had he heard all about it from
older boys who had been to Jerusalem, but he had
studied the Law, which told how it was to be observed
(see Exodus 12; Deuteronomy 16).
Why it was observed, and how. — The Passover
commemorated the escape of the Israehtes from slavery
in Egypt, in the time of Moses. Therefore, the Pass-
33

34 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
over meal was just hke the last meal their forefathers
had eaten in Egypt: they wore their hats and coats,
as if ready to depart; they ate in haste; and the food,
which was lamb and bitter herbs and bread made with
out yeast, was entirely consumed, with nothing left over.
Just as our Thanksgiving dinner is as much like the
Pilgrims' observance of Harvest Home as our mothers
can make it, so their feast was to remind them of the
Deliverance -from Pharaoh.
The hymns of thanksgiving. — But this was not all.
The reason for holding the feast was to thank God for
freedom and deliverance. And so they sang hymns of
thanksgiving, called "the Hallel." These hymns are in
our Bible, Psalms 113 to 118. They begin as follows:
"Praise ye Jehovah.
Praise, O ye servants of the Lord,
Praise ye the name of Jehovah.
Blessed be the name of Jehovah
From this time forth and for evermore;
From the rising of the sun unto its going down
Jehovah's name is to be praised." — Psalm 113: 1-2.
And the reason for going to Jerusalem to celebrate
the feast was simply this: men wanted to thank God as
a nation for what He had given them as a nation. Jeru
salem was the capital; and the temple was the great
center of Jewish rehgion. It was the natural place to
observe the festival; and in the olden times, when the
Law was made, all Jews lived either in or near Jerusa
lem, so that it was no hardship to attend.
the journey
And so they started, this sunny spring day in the
year when Jesus was twelve years old. It was the

A VISIT TO JERUSALEM 35
loveliest time of the year. Flowers were in bloom,
birds sang sweetly in the trees and bushes by the road
side, the fields were a velvety green, and sunshine
flooded the earth with warmth and splendor. The
breeze from the sea was no longer chill and damp:
nor had the burning heat of summer arrived with its
hot winds from the far away deserts of the east and
south. The company. — There were many in the company
going from Nazareth. One or two at least, perhaps
more, came from every household in town. Soon the
group from Nazareth was joined by others from nearby
villages. For several days every road to the south
would be crowded with Passover pilgrims.
In the evenings they put up their tents and camped
beside the road. The boys, if not too tired, played
games. After a while they sat down by the fire and
listened while their fathers told of other journeys;
of the wonderful city which lay at the end of the
road; of the great temple which King Herod had
begun to rebuild before he died, and which was still
unfinished. At early dawn the camp was astir. After a hasty
breakfast the day's travel began. And as they journeyed
the pilgrims sang those old chants which we find in the
Book of Psalms (120 to 134), called the "Songs of
Ascents." "Jerusalem, thou art builded
As a city that is compact together:
Whither the tribes go up, even the tribes of Jeho
vah,
For an ordinance for Israel,
To give thanks to the name of Jehovah." — Psalm 122 : 3-4.

36 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
AT JERUSALEM
As the afternoon advanced, and they were nearing
the Mount of Olives, Joseph told Jesus to watch now
for his first sight of the Holy City. As they rounded the
bill, there before him it lay, vast and majestic in the
April sunlight.
The view of the city. — Nearest by, he could see its
northern wall, high and massive — with the great stone
towers which Herod had built above the gates. But
higher still, above the walls, on the hill of Zion stood
the temple. It was built of marble and cedar; and on
its front, facing eastward, and on its sides, were huge
plates of shining gold. Its towers or "pinnacles" were
180 feet high. Smoke was ascending from the altar,
where fire burned perpetually. Soon it would be time
for the evening sacrifice, when clouds of smoke and in
cense should arise. Already he could see the courts of
the temple filled with crowds of worshipers.
Far off to the south and west, beyond the temple,
and across the roofs of the houses, could be seen the
palace of Herod, now the home of the Roman governor.
(For in the year 6 A. D. the Emperor had deposed
Archelaus, and appointed a governor in his stead.)
Away to the south, visible now as they -ascended the
crest of the Mount of Olives, was the steep wall, rising
sheer one hundred and fifty feet above the Kidron Val
ley. Far beyond, in the background, lay the haze-
wrapped mountains of Judaea.
Camping for the night. — They did not enter the
city that night, but camped on the hillside. Jerusalem
was already overcrowded. Every house had its guests,
and there was no more room within the walls. Israelites
from all over the world had come to the feast. Poor

GREAT WALL OF JERUSALEM

A VISIT TO JERUSALEM 37
country people from Gahlee had no relatives who might
entertain them in the great city.
IN THE TEMPLE
Early next morning they awoke; for, shortly before
dawn, the priests in the temple blew their trumpets to
rouse the sleeping city for worship.
The mormng sacrifice. — First the priests ap
pointed to offer the morning sacrifice made ready the
altar — they removed the ashes, raked the embers, and
placed fresh wood upon it. Then those appointed
to open the temple gates did so. It required twenty
men to open them, they were so heavy. Then the gates
of the city were opened by the soldiers who kept guard
and hved in the towers above them.
As soon as the gates were open Jesus and Mary and
Joseph entered and went up to the temple. His mother
entered the Court of the Women, while Joseph and Jesus
went farther in, to the Court of the Men of Israel.
Then, just as the sun rose over the eastern hills, the
white-robed choir of Levites began the morning hymn,
accompanied by cymbals and trumpets. The sacrifice
was offered upon the high altar just outside the sanc
tuary, and the priests pronounced the blessing "in the
divine Name."
God's house. — The service was over. But the three
no doubt lingered in the sacred courts, offering prayers
and thanks to God in His very presence. For the
temple was God's House, and here, of all places on
earth, people could come nearest to Him. Jesus re
peated the prayers he had long ago learned to say;
but also, out of his adoring heart, he poured forth love
and worship and thanksgiving to his Father in heaven.
Mary and Joseph — can you imagine what were their

38 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
prayers? Do you not suppose that they prayed very
earnestly for the Boy whom they loved so dearly, who
had now come for the first time in his Ufe, since he was a
tiny babe, into his Father's House?
How wonderful an impression this visit made upon
Jesus! It was the greatest event in all his boyhood.
The city, the crowds, the temple, the priests, the sac
rifice, the wonder and splendor and awe of the holy
place — all this must have overshadowed the Passover
meal, which was after all only one incident of that
memorable journey. Never could he forget this festival
and the multitude of things he had seen and heard.
THE RETURN
Nor was his mother ever to forget it! For this was
the time when Jesus was lost for three whole days.
Jesus tarries in the temple. — As soon as the feast
was over — three or four days after the Passover supper
had been eaten — Jesus' parents and the rest of the
company from Nazareth set out for home. Thinking
that Jesus was with the other boys, they went a whole
day's journey, till they camped at mght beyond Jericho.
Then, to their amazement and alarm, Jesus was no
where to be found. What could have separated him
from the company? There were other companies of
pilgrims with whom he might be traveling. Could he
be with them? — No, they had not seen him. There
was nothing to do but to go back and search for him.
"And it came to pass," Luke says,
"It came to pass, after three days they found him
in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them, and asking them questions. And
all that heard him were amazed at his understanding
and his answers.

A VISIT TO JERUSALEM 30
"His parents were astonished when they saw him,
and his mother said, 'Child, why have you dealt this
way with us? Your father and I have sought you
sorrowing.' But he replied, 'Why were you looking
for me? Did you not know I must be in my Father's
House?' " — Luke 2:46-49.
There was nothing disrespectful in his answer. The
time had passed so rapidly that he did not realize it;
and he never for a moment supposed they would look
for him anywhere else than in the temple. For his
mother had long ago taught him that this was his
Father's House — and at last he was here!
Home again. — And so he went home with them to
Nazareth, his mother and Joseph rejoicing to have him
back again safe and sound; and his mother, especially,
remembering his words about "my Father's House.'''
And Jesus, still living over those glorious days in Jeru
salem, which he would never forget, "advanced in wis
dom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
(Luke 2 : 52.) STUDY TOPICS
1. Look up Psalm 114. What significance had this as
one of the hymns sung at the Passover?
2. Turn to the map of Jerusalem and find the point from
which Jesus first looked upon the city.
3. Find, in the plan of the temple, the court in which
Mary stood, and the one in which Joseph and Jesus
worshiped.
4. Close your book, and sketch in outline the city of
Jerusalem. On which side was the temple ? Where
was the Mount of Olives? In which direction was
Jericho? Galilee?
5. Are the rules for the temple worship to be found any
where in the Bible? If so, where would you start
to look for them?

40 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Remember that the Israelites in the wilderness had no
temple. They worshiped in the tabernacle — a great tent
which they carried about with them. But the laws for
sacrifice and worship were held to apply to the temple in
the time of Jesus.

CHAPTER V
JOHN, THE SON OF ZACHARIAS
There was another boy living in Palestine at that
time in whom we are greatly interested — for his career
was destined to be closely related to that of Jesus. This
boy's home was near Jerusalem, in the "hill country"
of Judaea. His father was a priest, who ministered from
time to time in the temple at Jerusalem — very possibly
he was there on the occasion of Jesus' visit at the age of
twelve. The boy's name was John, and his father was
Zacharias. His mother, Elisabeth, was a noble woman,
a descendant of the sacred priestly house of Aaron.
With such parents, and living in such a home as theirs,
it is not strange at all that John grew up to be a good
man and that God called him to be a prophet.
THE BOY JOHN
The beautiful story of John's birth is told in the first
chapter of Saint Luke's Gospel — how an angel appeared
to his father in the temple, announcing that he should
have a son,, whom he was to name John; how Mary,
the mother of Jesus, also saw an angel who came to
announce Jesus' birth; how Mary visited Elisabeth, and
sang the Magnificat, her beautiful hymn of thanksgiving;
how the neighbors and friends of the aged priest and his
wife rejoiced when John was born; how the neighbors
wanted to name the baby Zacharias, after his father;
all this wonderful and beautiful story you must read
for yourself, if you have not read it already.
A child of promise. — Sometimes fathers and mothers
41

42 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
dedicate their children to God. The service of baptism
is one way in which they are given to God; but often
they are dedicated specially, like the boy Samuel in the
Old Testament story, and given to God for His service.
This is what Zacharias and Elisabeth did for their
son. In his vision in the temple Zacharias remembered
having heard the angel say, "He shall be great in the
sight of the Lord, . . . and he shall drink no wine nor
strong drink . . . and he shall be filled with the Holy
Spirit . . . and many of the children of Israel shall he
turn unto the Lord their God."
A "Nazirite." — The son of a priest was expected to
live a holy hfe — for he himself would be a priest some
time. But John's parents dedicated him to a hfe of
peculiar hohness, hke that of the Nazirites (of whom we
read in the Old Testament). He was never to drink
wine, nor cut his hair or shave his beard. Of course,
this would not make him holy; but it set him apart
from other men, and in solitude he was to devote his
hfe to religion, to prayer and study and meditation.
That was the way, so those people thought, in which
great holiness was to be attained.
Thus John's early life was quite different from that
of Jesus. His parents were much older than most boys'
fathers and mothers. His home was in the rugged hill-
country near Jerusalem — unlike the region round about
Nazareth; and, even as a little boy, he was made to feel
how solemn and austere a life must be his when he grew
to be a man.
His father's influence. — Still, his parents were not
harsh or severe in their religion. They were just good,
old-fashioned people who loved their boy and wanted
him to be the best man, the truest servant of God,
that he could possibly become.

JOHN, THE SON OF ZACHARIAS 43
The fine and noble spirit of his father may be seen in
the hymn which he composed when John was born. It
is often called the Benedictus, from the first word of
the Latin translation. It deserves to be set beside
Mary's hymn, the Magnificat, which we read in Chap
ter II.
The Benedictus. —
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
For He hath visited and redeemed His people,
And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David —
(this referred to the birth of Jesus, who was a "son of
David") "As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Which have been since the world began —
Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all that hate us;
To show mercy toward our forefathers,
And to remember His holy covenant;
"The oath which He sware unto Abraham our
father,
To grant unto us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him,
All the days of our life.
"And thou, child (that is, John),
Shalt be called the prophet of the Highest;
For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord,
To prepare His ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto His people,
In the remission of their sins.

44 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"Because of the tender mercy of our God,
Whereby the dayspring from on high
Shall visit us,
To shine upon them that sit in darkness
And the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace."
— Luke 1:68-79.
CALLED OF GOD
Nothing more is told us about John's boyhood, ex
cept the following, at the end of Chapter I of Luke:
"And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and
was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Is
rael." The word "deserts" means the open country,
John was not a city boy, nor did he even hve in a village.
like Nazareth. He was a country boy and grew up
familiar with the work of shepherds and woodcutters,
with the sowing and harvesting and threshing of grain.
For thirty years he lived thus quietly and obscurely,
unknown outside his own neighborhood. No doubt he
went up from time to time to the temple with his father
— perhaps taking his part in the service as a priest
when his father grew too old to officiate.
John's call as a prophet. — But when John was
about thirty years old, "in the fifteenth year of the
reign of Tiberius Caesar" (28 or 29 A. D.), "the word of
God came unto him in the wilderness." This means
that he was called to be a prophet.
It had been many years, in fact centuries, since a
prophet had appeared in Israel. The people had begun
to feel that God must have forsaken them, since He
sent them no messenger or prophet. But now, at last,
one had appeared, and at once the news spread through
the country.
John began his preaching in the Jordan valley, out in

JOHN, THE SON OF ZACHARIAS 45
the open country. Like the ancient prophet Elijah, he
wore a mantle of camel's hair, with a leather girdle or
belt about the waist. And his food was the simple fare of
the desert, locusts (or carobs) and wild honey. As a
Nazirite, he let his hair grow long and drank no wine.
Thus even his outward appearance reminded people of
the Old Testament prophets.
His message. — Just as in the Old Testament times,
a prophet was one sent by God to deliver a message.
John's message can be summed up in one word: Repent.
He felt himself to be the one described in the Book of
Isaiah: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
'Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.' " — Isaiah 40: 3.
The Jewish people at that time were expecting a
change to take place in the world. God was to send
them a great Dehverer, the King "Messiah" or Anointed
One, who should free them from the rule of the Romans,
and set up an independent kingdom in Palestine. Then
all the descendants of Jacob were to be gathered home to
their native land; and in peace and prosperity they should
dwell there forever, under the reign or kingdom of God.
But John said to them: "You are not fit to enter this
Kingdom of God. You must repent of your sins and
bring forth worthy fruits. Mere descent from Abraham
doesn't count: you must actually do the will of God,
obediently and faithfully, if you expect Him to send
you the Messiah to be your dehverer."
What did this mean? People came to him and asked
what it meant, and what they must do to please God;
and he told them: "Whoever has two coats, let him

46 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
give one to his poor neighbor who has none. Whoever
has food to spare, let him do the same." The tax-
gatherers came, and he said to them, "Stop collecting
more than is fair from the people." And to the soldiers
he said, "Don't be violent; stop accusing innocent peo
ple of crimes; and be content with your wages."
"The baptism of repentance." — Great crowds of
people, from Jerusalem and Judaea and all the region
round about the Jordan River, went out to hear John
as he traveled, preaching, up and down the country.
And whenever there were those who did repent and
confessed their sins, and wanted" to begin a new life,
John administered to them the "baptism of repentance."
They were taken to the river or to some nearby stream,
and there, in John's presence, plunged beneath the
waters. This outward washing was the symbol and
token of the inward cleansing of their souls. Now they
could begin afresh, in newness of life, to serve God and
prepare for the coming of His Kingdom. But they must
not forget to bring forth fruits "worthy of repentance,"
to be honest and gentle and generous.
"Is John himself the Messiah?" — This question
rose naturally to the lips of those who heard the prophet
and who wondered where and when the Messiah should
appear. "And as the people were in expectation, and all
men mused in their hearts concerning John, whether
haply he were the Messiah, John answered, and
said to them all, 'I indeed baptize you with water;
but there comes one who is mightier than I — so
much mightier, in fact, that I am not worthy even
to stoop and loose his sandal's thong! He shall
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His
fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his thresh-

JOHN, THE SON OF ZACHARIAS 47
ing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary.
But the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire !' "
—Luke 3: 15-17.
The Messiah was coming to hold the judgment! The
righteous were to enter God's Kingdom and be saved;
but the wicked were to be cast out and be punished!
This was not quite what the people were expecting.
To them it had seemed that God would do everything.
But John made it clear that there was much indeed
for them to do.
STUDY TOPICS
1. Read Chapter 1 of Luke.
2. Look up "Nazirites," Numbers 6.
3. Find on the map the "hill country of Judaea." It is
not named, but you can locate it from the shading
on the map.
4. Some of the Psalms are called "Messianic," since they
describe the coming of the expected Messiah. Look
up the following: Psalms 2, 21, 72, no.
5. What did John command the publicans and soldiers
to do?
6. Memorize Isaiah 40:3.

CHAPTER VI
THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
The news of John's preaching spread rapidly. Not
only throughout Judaea and the Jordan valley, but up
in Galilee, in the villages around the lake and in the
hills, people were talking about the great prophet who
had appeared. Men made a journey to Jerusalem the
occasion for going to hear John. Groups of young men
went down the valley to the place where John was
preaching, and came back with accounts of his message,
of the listening crowds, of the cries of the penitents as
they went forward to share in the simple ceremony of
cleansing. But it was his words about the Messiah which trav
eled faster than everything else: there was not a person
in all Palestine who could hear that message and not
be interested at once.
THE HOPE OF THE MESSIAH
The expectation of the Messiah was nothing new in
Israel. For several centuries, especially since the Baby
lonian exile, it had seemed that the only hope of free
dom and independence lay in God's hands. When He
willed it the change would come. God would "take
His great power and reign" over them; God Himself
should be their King, and they should be His people.
The coming Kingdom. — This was to be "the King
dom of God." No longer were foreign rulers, with their
armies and their false gods and their shameful customs,
to have dominion over God's people. The kings of
Babylon, Egypt, Persia, Macedonia, with their hosts of
48

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 49
warriors, had once swept over Palestine, and crushed the
httle armies of her defenders. But one by one they had
fallen. Now Rome ruled the world. But it would not
be long until Rome too should fall. Then, surely then,
God would Himself take the scepter, or, what meant the
same thing, send his "Anointed" to rule in His stead
— and the Jewish people would be saved.
The corning King. — Now most persons thought that
the Messiah, the "Anointed," when he came, would be
an earthly ruler; he would be inspired by God, perfectly
obedient to His will, but would reign in Jerusalem just
like David or Solomon or any of the ancient kings.
There are some old hymns, called "the Psalms of the
Pharisees," written about fifty years before Jesus was
born, which express this hope in stirring words. Here
is a part of one of them:
"Behold, O Lord, and raise up over them their king,
the Son of David,
That he may reign over Israel Thy servant;
And gird him with strength, that he may shatter
unrighteous rulers,
And that he may purge Jerusalem from the nations
that trample her down to destruction."
— Psalms of the Pharisees 17: 23-25.
He would also judge his own people and banish sinners
from the Holy City.
"He shall not allow unrighteousness to lodge any
more in their midst,
Nor shall there dwell among them any man that
knows wickedness; . . .
For he shall know them that they are all sons of
their God." —Ibid., 17:29* 3°, 36.

50 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Revolution, or patience? — People were tired of the
Roman rule, as they had been tired of the -Maccabees
and of Herod. They longed for the coming of this King
of their own, the "Son of David," the Messiah, or
"Christ." And some men .there were who stood
ready at a moment's notice to grasp the sword
and start a revolution. It was the mad scheme of
these "Zealots/' as they were called, to overthrow
the Roman government in Palestine, as Judas the
Maccabee had once overthrown that of the kingdom
of Antioch.
But not all the Jews were Zealots. Nor were all the
Pharisees like those who wrote or who treasured the
"Psalms of the Pharisees." There were some who said,
"Until all Israel keeps the Law perfectly from one Sab
bath to the next, the Messiah cannot come." This was
somewhat more like John's teaching: the Kingdom of
God would not appear until the nation repented and
brought forth the fruits of righteousness.
"The Son of Man." — And these people thought of
the Messiah, not as a warrior and king, but as the divine
judge, who should try the deeds and the hearts of men
and reward them either with happiness and salvation or
with pain and misery. They read the vision of Daniel,
in the Old Testament, and understood it as a picture of
the Messiah. "I beheld till thrones were cast down and one
that was Ancient of Days did sit: his raiment was
white as snow, and the hair of his head was like
fine wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the
wheels thereof burning fire. . . . And behold, there
came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a Son
of Man, and he came even to the Ancient of Days.
. . . And there was given him dominion and glory

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 51
and a kingdom, that all peoples should serve
him." — Daniel 7 : 9-14.
And so they called the Messiah by a special name,
"the Son of Man." We shall find this name very often
in the New Testament, and so we ought to know what
it means: It refers to the Messiah expected by those
who did not believe in revolution or rebelhon against
Rome; they believed that he was to be the judge of
men's souls at the last judgment; and that his kingdom
was not to be in Palestine or anywhere in this world,
but in heaven, in the world to come.
There is a very curious old book, called "the Book of
Enoch," which Jesus may possibly have read and which
describes this kind of Messiah. Let us read just a few
lines of it.
"And he sat on his throne of glory,
And all judgment was given unto the Son of Man;
And he caused the sinners to pass away from the
face of the earth,
And those who had led the world astray."
— I Enoch 69:27.
Thus there were several different ways in which the
Kingdom of God and the Messiah were expected in
Jesus' time. John evidently did not expect him to be
an earthly warrior or king, but the heavenly "Son of
Man." THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
And so the news spread that John announced the
coming of the Messiah. At last, after all these years, a
prophet! At last, a prophet who was himself the Mes
siah's herald! Such a message had not been heard for
generations — no, it had never been heard before.

52 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Jesus goes to hear John. — Jesus was working in the
carpenter shop when the news came. He was alone in
the shop now — for Joseph had died some years before,
leaving Jesus as head of the family. Like John, he was
now about thirty years old; the younger members of
the family were grown up. He was therefore free to go
and take part in John's work. And he felt that he could
not remain aloof from this great movement which was
sweeping the nation. He must have some share in it:
it was his Father's business.
His baptism. — So he went down the Jordan val
ley, heard the prophet, and received his baptism. For
this was the first thing to do, if he was to share in the
preparation for the coming of the Messiah: he must
do everything which God had showed to be His will,
either in the Bible or through His prophet. Who the
Messiah should be no one could tell, but everyone must
make ready for his coming, in obedience to God's
command. The vision and the Voice from heaven. — A won
derful event occurred when Jesus was baptized. For it
came to pass that as he came up out of the water and
knelt down to pray, he beheld a vision: the heaven was
opened, and he saw the Spirit of God — whose coming
John had foretold — descending as a dove and resting
upon himself; then a voice came forth from heaven and
said, "Thou art my beloved Son; in Thee I am well
pleased." The beloved Son! — that was the name which had
been given the Messiah! — the "Son of Man," God's
Son, the one who was to stand before the Ancient of
Days. Not John, not some angelic being still unseen,
but Jesus himself was the Messiah!
Can you imagine what a wonderful feeling came over

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 53
Jesus as he saw this vision and heard these words?
What deep joy, what a sense of responsibihty, what
a supreme exultation it gave him! He could not go
home now; nor could he stay there with John and the
multitude; he must get away and be alone with God.
So straightway he went up from the river, away from
the crowd, avoiding the highways' and villages, into the
lonely wilderness of Judaea where he could commune
with his Father in solitude. STUDY TOPICS
1. What is a vision? Name several persons in the Bible
who are described as having seen visions.
2. Why did Jesus wish to be alone for a time after his
baptism?
3. Describe briefly the Jewish expectation of the Messiah.
4. What was the significance of the title, "the Beloved
Son"?
5. Why was the Messiah called "the Son of David"?
6. Who were the Zealots? What did they expect to do?
7. Form as completely as you can a picture of the bap
tism of Jesus, and then write a description of it.

CHAPTER VII
IN THE WILDERNESS
The "wilderness" into which Jesus went was not a
sandy desert, but thinly populated, open country,
northwest of the Dead Sea, where were no farms and
only wandering shepherds guarded their flocks. The
ground was stony, as you may see in the picture, and
one might go several miles without meeting another
person. THE TEMPTATION
Here Jesus remained for several weeks — the Gospels
say "forty days,'.' as if the writers thought of the forty
years spent in the wilderness by the children of Israel
in the time of Moses. Of course, there was little to eat
in such a place. And so, like Elijah of old, he fasted;
"he did eat nothing in those days."
What he was thinking about. — He had come out
into the wilderness in order to be alone with God and
to think about the vision he had seen at his baptism.
What was he thinking about? It had come to him so
suddenly. Like everyone else, he had been expecting
the coming of the Messiah; he had read of him in the
books of the prophets in the Old Testament; he had
heard John describe the Messiah in glowing' words,
". . . whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly
cleanse his threshing-floor . . ." And then all at once
he had seen the opened heaven, and the descending
dove, and heard the words, "Thou art my Son." *
No words of prophet or seer, of Isaiah or Daniel or
Enoch, or of John himself, seemed to make it clear. If
54

THE TEMPTATION

WILDERNESS

From Sanday's Life of Christ in Recent Research. Copyright, University Press,
American Branch. Used by permission.

IN THE WILDERNESS 55
he was to be the Messiah he must be a different kind
of Messiah than anyone had ever expected. He would
not be a king or warrior, leading an army or ascending
a throne in Jerusalem; that was not the way in which
God's Kingdom should be established. Nor was he the
Son of Man standing before the Ancient of Days — not
yet, certainly. What should he do first of all? What
did God want him to do? He would wait for the answer
of God Himself. For it was the voice of God which had
said to Him, "Thou art my Son," and he would wait
until God led him, by the Spirit, to begin his work as
Messiah. Stones and bread. — As he waited he hungered. It
was not many miles to some village where he could get
food. But no, he had come hither for a purpose, and
mere hunger of the body was not to daunt him.
The stones lying about on the ground looked some
what like small loaves of bread. And there came secret
whisperings which seemed to say, "If you are the Son
of God, command these stones to become bread — do
not perish here of hunger, when you can easily work a
miracle and enjoy plenty." It was the voice of the
tempter, the spirit of disobedience, who stands some time
or other at everyone's side, and bids him do what is not
lawful and right, bids him set his own desires above the
will of God.
Jesus recognized that to yield to this temptation would
be sin. It meant that he would be using his powers, as
Messiah, for his own safety and welfare, and not for the
good of his people. And did not the Scripture say,
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that goes forth from the mouth of God"?
The kingdoms of the world. — But if he will not
use his divine powers toj save himself, perhaps he

56 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
will use them to fulfill the hopes of those who want a
king? It seemed to him that he was now standing on the
summit of a mountain— higher than Carmel or Hermon
— a mountain so high he could see all the kingdoms of
the world. There in the west lay Macedoh and Greece,
and beyond them Italy, Sicily, Carthage; far to the
north lay Asia and Armenia, Scythia, and the rich re
gions of Syria and Mesopotamia; eastward lay Babylon
and Media and far-off India, with their strange peoples
and crowded cities; to the south, Arabia with its war
riors of the desert and ancient Egypt with its pyramids
and temples and its teeming multitudes. Prophets had
said that Messiah should rule all the nations of the
world. Was he then to become a greater king than
Caesar, whose soldiers marched everywhere in the world?
But earthly kingdoms were built up through blood
shed, through wars and intrigues and deceptions. It
was unthinkable that he should aspire to be such a
king, even though he were to be a good ruler, the "king
of righteousness."
Once more it was the voice of Satan, now saying to
him, "To thee will I give all this authority and the
glory of these kingdoms; for it is mine, and to whomso
ever I will, I give it. Worship me — obey my will-
adopt my methods — and all shall be yours!" But Jesus
answered and said, again using the words of the Bible,
"Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only
shalt thou serve."
The pinnacle of the temple. — But how, then, were
people to recognize him as Messiah? How was he to
let them know?
The prophet Malachi had said, and everyone sup
posed he referred to the Messiah, "The Lord, whom ye

IN THE WILDERNESS 57
seek, shall suddenly come to His temple" (Malachi
3:1). Where else ought they to look for the approach
of their Dehverer? Might he not appear before the
assembled people in the temple, and proclaim himself
as the Messiah, and ask them to accept him at once?
He seemed now to be standing on the very pinnacle
of the. temple — the lofty tower above the sanctuary,
overlooking its very entrance, high above the altar of
sacrifice. Long ago, when he saw it for the first time,
it had seemed so high it reached almost to heaven. Up
there, one could almost touch the clouds or hear the
voices of the angels singing about the throne of God.
Now he seemed to be standing there. Far below, in
the Courts of the Men of Israel and of the Women and
of the Gentiles, gathered the crowds of worshipers.
Might he not leap off the pinnacle, and glide gently
down into their midst, as the Messiah "come suddenly
to his temple"? Would not the angels guard him from
falling? It was written, "He shall give His angels
charge over thee, to guard thee," and "On their hands
they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against
a stone." But no! It was also written, "Thou shalt not
make trial of the Lord thy God." This would only
be putting God to the test, to see if He really would
make good the promise and save him from injury.
His resolve. — Thus he did not know how he was to
be manifested as Messiah. But in fact that was not
his problem. It belonged to God. His duty was to do
the work wliich lay nearest at hand — to carry on the
teaching of John, to spread the message of repentance
and preparation for the coming Kingdom. Then, in
His own good time, the Father would make him known.
When the hour came in which God wanted men to know
that he was Messiah, when the time came in which he

58 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
should be brought before the Ancient of Days as the
Son of Man in glory, then the Father Himself would
make him known. JESUS ' VICTORY
All these other ways were but idle dreams. Each
time the method was wrong. Even though his people
expected the Messiah to come in such ways, he would
not be the kind of a Messiah the tempter suggested.
There was only one way for him, and that was humbly
to follow the guidance of God. From day to day, with
out asking why, he would follow the path which lay
before him in lowliness and obedience and faith.
Obedience and faith. — Do you realize that Jesus
was setting out to do what no one at that time expected
the Messiah to do? No one who heard John preach, or
who read the Old Testament and other religious books,
supposed that the Messiah would begin his work as a
humble teacher, going about from village to village in
Gahlee with a message like that of Jesus.
In refusing to carry out the plans of others and to
realize their dreams of a King Messiah, an earthly war
rior and ruler, what do you suppose guided Jesus in his
choice? It was his faith in God. For he believed that
God knew what was best, and that He would do all
things well; and so Jesus could leave everything in his
Father's hands. It was also his obedience to God which
guided him in this choice — the same obedience he had
learned as a boy in Nazareth, and which had made him
the wonderful Man he was. And it was also his knowl
edge of God. Whenever the suggesting temptation
arose, immediately he knew the answer to it. For years
he had studied the Bible and was perfectly familiar with
it. He knew so well what it told about God that the

IN THE WILDERNESS 59
answer to temptation came into his mind at once, in
the very words of the Scripture. Faith, obedience,
knowledge — these were his weapons in the contest.
How he would begin his ministry. — The period of
trial was now over, and the tempter left him "for a
season." Temptation might come again, but never in
this form. He had settled once and for all these ques
tions. Nothing could afterwards swerve him from his
course. It might mean shame and suffering; he might
be misunderstood, perhaps rejected; but that did not
matter, since this was God's will for him. He had made
his choice and he would hold firmly to it to the end.
He was already winning the victory over Satan!
STUDY TOPICS
1. Read Luke 4: 1-13.
2. Tell the story of Jesus' temptation and explain the
three suggestions of the tempter.
3. Jesus was "tempted in all points like as we are." This
means that he had no help for the meeting of temp
tation which is not available to each of us. What
lesson should this teach us about meeting our
temptations?
4. How did knowing the Bible help Jesus in overcoming
temptation?
5. Point out the difference between the Messiah as peo
ple expected him, and the Messiah as Jesus intended
to fulfill the expectation.

CHAPTER VIII
BEGINNING HIS MINISTRY
After his baptism Jesus was "led by the Holy
Spirit." And his first work for God was to preach and
teach and carry on the mission of John.
JESUS RETURNS TO GALILEE
For some time, perhaps, he remained with 'John,
sharing his work and teaching the disciples of the
prophet. These disciples of John were the most earnest
people in the whole nation. In heeding the prophet's
message, and receiving his baptism, they had showed
themselves ready and willing to prepare for the coming
of God's Kingdom.
John in prison. — Not all of the people, however,
were numbered among John's followers. There were
haughty Pharisees who indignantly refused to accept
the message of this country preacher. They felt no
need of baptism themselves. The call to repentance
was meant for sinners — and they were sure that they
were not sinners. John had even called them "a brood
of vipers": and this had completely antagonized them.
Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Gahlee and Perea, was
another who had taken offense. John boldly rebuked
him for marrying his brother Philip's divorced wife.
This was contrary to the Law of God, and John had
been brave enough to say so. But instead of heeding
the rebuke and repenting of his sins, Antipas sent his
soldiers and cast John into prison. No doubt the
Pharisees, who scorned this rustic prophet, now re
joiced at his downfall. 60

BEGINNING HIS MINISTRY 61
John's disciples carry on his work. — Thus
John's own ministry was ended, but his work went on.
While he lay in a dungeon of the fortress Macherus,
east of the Dead Sea, his disciples continued to preach
and baptize. They were allowed to visit their master
and to receive messages from him. The tetrarch had
imprisoned the prophet in a fit of anger, and did not
dare to injure him further. Like most tyrants, he was
really a coward. He was himself afraid of John, and
still more afraid that Herodias, his unlawful wife, might
put John out of the way. This might cause an outbreak
among the people. So he "kept him safe," as he said,
in prison. And after all, John might be a man inspired,
a prophet sent by God.
Jesus returns to Galilee. — When Jesus heard that
John was in prison, he withdrew into Galilee (Matthew
4: 12). Although many of John's followers were Gali
leans, the prophet himself had never visited Gahlee.
But it was Jesus' own country, in which he had grown
to manhood. It was perfectly natural that he should
go there to begin his own ministry.
In the synagogues. — Like Nazareth, every other
town and village in Galilee had its synagogue. Wherever
there were ten Jewish families in the neighborhood a
synagogue was built. If they had no rabbi to hold the
services and preach on the Sabbath, and conduct the
village school during the week, then one of the older
men was made "ruler of the synagogue" and led the
worship, and the boys studied at home. In such vil
lages a traveling rabbi was cordially welcomed and
invited to preach on the Sabbath. But if no rabbi was
present, any man famihar with the Bible and able to
explain it was welcomed and asked to take part in the
service.

62 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
HIS MESSAGE
. So when Jesus went round about all Galilee, teaching
in the synagogues, this is what he did: he accepted the
ruler's invitation to read and expound the Scripture in
the service on the Sabbath day. He was welcomed
everywhere and praised by all who heard him. His
fame soon began to spread throughout Galilee and the
regions beyond, and into all parts of Syria.
The subject of his teaching. — The people knew that
Jesus was carrying on the work of the imprisoned
prophet. They looked upon Antipas as a tyrant and
they hated him. When they heard of his treatment of
John, they hoped it would not be long now until the
judgment of God should take place, and the tetrarch
receive his just punishment.
All who had heard John welcomed Jesus. For his mes
sage, at first, was the same as John's: "Repent, for the
Kingdom of heaven is at hand." Before the Kingdom
could come to pass, before God could truly reign over
the world, or send His Messiah, men's hearts must be
changed. They must be converted, their minds and
desires turned about, they must face in another direc
tion! They must seek the Kingdom of God and prepare
to enter it.
Differences between Jesus and John. — Although
Jesus' message was the same, his manner was quite dif
ferent. John did not care if he offended his hearers.
He was the prophet of judgment; he was the "voice of
one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the
Lord." So terrible did the coming judgment appear to
him that he used every means to urge his hearers to
repentance. But Jesus, on the other hand, spoke with a charm

BEGINNING HIS MINISTRY 63
which drew people to him in love; he won the hearts of
his hearers. He spoke to them of God's love and care
for them, rather than of God's threats agamst the un
repentant. He did not avoid the crowds and preach in
the wilderness; he visited the cities, he taught in the
synagogues, he hved close to the people. Nor did he
wear a prophet's hairy mantle, like John — his apparel
was simple, like that of his neighbors, a seamless robe
which his mother had weaved for him at home.
Where and how he taught. — Thus wherever Jesus
went people crowded about him. On Sabbaths he
taught in the synagogues. After the service people
invited him to their homes to share their Sabbath
meal. On weekdays he taught httle groups of people
in their houses, or walked with them along the road,
or sat on some hillside, or visited the fishermen on the
shores of the lake.
Such a quiet way was this for the Messiah to go
about his work! So different was it from the method
of John the Baptizer! So different from the way in
which people expected the Messiah to come! So dif
ferent from the ways suggested by the tempter in the
wilderness! Nevertheless, this was God's way. The hour had not
yet come for proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah.
And no one knew what he had experienced at his bap
tism and during the weeks in the wilderness. But all
the time, Jesus was winning men and women and chil
dren for the Kingdom of God. They were learning, as
never before, what God's Kingdom was to be, when
Jesus explained it to them. It was to be a Kingdom
ruled by God in righteousness and love. And to enter
it men must not only repent and, as John had said,
"bring forth fruits of repentance"; they must become

64 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
the children of their Father in heaven. And what Jesus
did in this quiet way was to make people want to be
children of God. Even as Messiah could he possibly
have done anything greater than this?
This is God's way. Not in the voice of thunder, not
in fires and Ughtnings and figures descending from the
sky, not with hosts of angels or armies of soldiers, but
in quietness and gentleness God comes to people and
asks them to be His children. You know the words of
the Christmas hymn —
"How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given !
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven." — Phillips Brooks.
THE FIRST DISCIPLES
One day, as he was passing along the shore of the
lake, he saw two fishermen casting their net. They
were brothers and also partners in business, Simon
Peter and his younger brother Andrew. Jesus knew
who they were; they lived in Capernaum, and were
among those who had gone to hear John and were bap
tized. They were men whom he wanted as helpers in
his ministry to spread the message which he alone was
preaching, and to teach the people who were now so
eager to learn.
"Fishers of men."— So Jesus called out to them,
"Come with me and I will make you fishers of men."
When they heard this they came to land at once, left
their nets, and went with him. They had heard Jesus
before; they knew what he was teaching; they welcomed
the privilege of following him, helping him, and con
stantly hearing him.

BEGINNING HIS MINISTRY 65
Two other brothers. — A little further up the beach
they found two other brothers, James and John, who
with their father Zebedee were busy mending nets.
Straightway Jesus called them to follow him. At once,
like Simon and Andrew, they rose and went, leaving
their father with the hired servants in the boat. It
was a wonderful honor to be asked by a rabbi to become
his disciple. And Jesus was to them more than any
rabbi whom they had ever heard, a greater teacher, a
more winning friend; he made them want to be sons of
God. From now on Jesus had disciples with him wherever
he went. Before long there were twelve. But of all
the twelve, it was three of this first group, Peter and
James and John, who were his closest friends, who went
with him always, wherever he went, and who of all the
disciples learned the most from their Master.
STUDY TOPICS
1. Do you think that Jesus, even as Messiah, could have
accomplished anything greater than making people
want to become children of God? What does it
mean to be a "child of God"?
2. Show how John's preaching was a preparation for
Jesus' ministry.
3. Describe in your own words the difference between
John and Jesus.
4. What do you suppose Jesus meant when he promised
to make his disciples "fishers of men" ?
5. Who was Herod Antipas?

CHAPTER IX
A DAY IN CAPERNAUM
After calling the four young fishermen to be his
disciples, Jesus went into the city of Capernaum. No
doubt Peter had invited his new teacher to go home
and stay with him over the Sabbath. This was the
beginning of his work in Capernaum.
IN THE SYNAGOGUE
Capernaum was the most important city of Galilee.
It was not the capital, but it was the chief trading
center. Jesus' work in Capernaum. — Here, as we have seen,
was the custom house, where tolls were levied on the
caravans passing between Damascus and Babylon in
the east and Palestine and Egypt in the south and west.
Here were the markets where all the products of Galilee
were bought and sold, vegetables, fruit, and manufac
tured articles. Capernaum was the largest city on the
lake. People were constantly coming and going. There
was no better opportunity anywhere for spreading the
good news of the Kingdom of God than preaching on
the Sabbath in the synagogue at Capernaum.
The synagogue was one of the largest and most beau
tiful in Palestine. It was built of stone, and stood on
the top of a hill. From its "porch" or courtyard and
open doorway — even from its windows — could be seen
the blue waters of the lake, with its border of sur
rounding hills showing dimly in the distance. This
beautiful house of worship had been built by a devout
66

A DAY IN CAPERNAUM 67
Gentile (see Luke 7 : 4-5) in honor of the God worshiped
by the Jews. He was the centurion in command of the
small garrison of soldiers stationed at Capernaum — to
protect the custom house and guard the roads here at
the border of Galilee.
Jesus preaches in the synagogue. — As his custom
was, Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath with
his four disciples, Peter and Andrew, James and John.
When the time came and he was asked to read the Law
and expound it, he went forward to the chancel and re
ceived the scroll from the sexton (who had taken it from
the "ark" or cupboard where the scrolls were kept);
then he turned and faced the congregation, unrolled the
book till he found the place, and read to them the Lesson
appointed for that day.
As soon as he finished reading he handed back the
sacred manuscript to the attendant, who slipped over it
the embroidered cloth cover in which it was kept, re
placed it in the ark, and drew the curtains before it.
Then Jesus sat down and taught the people the meaning
of the Scripture which he had just read. That is the
way the sermon was delivered in the synagogue in
Jesus' time.
How we should like to know what he told the congre
gation that morning! Before long, we shall read about
his visit to Nazareth and his sermon there. But if only
we knew how he began his teaching in Capernaum, his
first address in the foremost city of his native district!
But at least we are told of his hearers that "they were
astonished at his teaching: for he taught them as hav
ing authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1:22).
The scribes never taught without quoting the authority
of their teachers for everything they said; but Jesus
taught as if he himself had sufficient authority, and did

68 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
not need to quote others. How strange and wonderful
this seemed to his hearers!
The demoniac in the synagogue. — But they were
soon to be still more astomshed. For there was a man
in the synagogue who had what his neighbors called
"an unclean spirit." That is, he had "fits" which peo
ple supposed came from an evil spirit or demon entering
into him from time to time and compelling him to act
in a disgusting way. Worse than this, the poor man
himself believed that his trouble came from an evil
spirit; and since he was "possessed" by the demon,
there was no use trying to become sound and well. So
he gave himself up to the disease, and whenever his
spells came on his own weakness of will simply made
the attack more severe.
That morning in the synagogue, while the people
were listening in wonder and admiration to the rabbi
from Nazareth, the man suddenly felt an attack coming
on. Unable, as he supposed, to control himself, he
shouted out, "What business have you with us, Jesus
of Nazareth? Have you come here to destroy us? I
know you — you are the Holy One of God!"
What did this mean? The man himself was not
speaking; he had no control over his words.' It was
the demon within him, everyone thought. Did the
demon mean that Jesus had come from Nazareth to
Capernaum in order to harm the people of Caper
naum? Or did he mean that Jesus had power to de
stroy the demons, that he was God's Holy One sent
for the very purpose of destroying them?
Perhaps the rabbi had been speaking, as he spoke
everywhere else, of the coming of God's Kingdom, and
how it meant that evil must be put away from men's
hearts and from wherever in the world it was to be

A DAY IN CAPERNAUM 69
found. Everyone knew that when the Messiah came,
the evil spirits would be vanquished and either destroyed
or imprisoned forever. Some such idea had entered the
poor demoniac's troubled mind; and, blurting out what
ever words came to him, he interrupted the service
before anyone could stop him.
Jesus heals him. — But Jesus was not annoyed.
Turning to the man, he spoke as if addressing the.
demon and said firmly, "Silence! Come out of him."
The man dropped to the floor in convulsions and
then, after a loud and prolonged wail, became silent.
In a moment or two he rose and was Mmself
again. No one had ever before tried to help the man gain
self-control. Everyone feared the demon, and only
made the miserable man still more depressed and hope
less. But Jesus had no fear of demons. He knew that
God wanted His children to be well and strong in body
and soul. And if only men would beheve in God and
face the demons they would flee.
As the man rose up a wave of surprise and awe passed
over the congregation. Neighbor leaned over to neigh
bor and whispered, "What is this? Did you ever hear
such teaching before? and with such proof of its au
thority? . . . Why, he even commands the unclean
spirits and they obey him!"
in peter's house
When the service was over, Jesus and his two other
disciples went home with Peter and Andrew.
The healing in Peter's house. — There was sickness
in the house; and so before they arrived Peter began to
tell them about it. His wife's mother lived with them,
and she was sick abed with a fever. But perhaps, since

70 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Jesus had healed the insane man in the synagogue, he
could also drive away the fever.
So when Jesus came in he went directly to her bed
side. He spoke to her gently, and taking her by the
hand raised her up. As he did so the fever left her.
She felt perfectly well, and at once began helping with
the dinner.
The news spreads. — The news of what had occurred
in the synagogue that morning spread rapidly through
the city. Everyone said, "If the rabbi can drive out
demons, he must be able to cure all disease." So they
planned to bring to him all that were sick in the city.
Friends and neighbors would bring the lame and blind
and paralyzed. Fathers and mothers would take their
children; children would take their parents.
Waiting for the Sabbath to end. — But they could
not do so while it was still the Sabbath. For the Law
forbade carrying burdens on the Sabbath — even if the
burden were one's sick brother; and some of the scribes
said that it was breaking the Law to heal or be healed
on the Sabbath. And so they waited for the sunset,
when the Sabbath would end.
Cures in the evening. — In the evening, when the
sun had set, they came. There were people lame and
blind and deaf; there were poor, frightened, crying
demoniacs, begging not to be tortured; there were others
suffering from paralysis, who had to be carried by their
friends or relatives. Indeed, Mark says, "The" whole
city gathered at Peter's door."
The demons he sternly commanded to keep silence.
He would not permit the wild, ungoverned words and
cries which, people supposed, came from the wicked
spirits. To some persons he addressed a word of com
mand. Upon others he laid his hands, with prayer for

A DAY IN CAPERNAUM 71
their recovery. Many went home rejoicing that night,
healed and made whole once more.
At last the crowds dispersed. There were no street
lights in the narrow lanes of that lakeside city. But
there were lamps burning in many of the houses; and
through the open doors, here and there, came the light.
Through the night came the sounds of distant voices —
people in other streets finding their way homeward;
people within the houses talking of the great teacher
who had come to them and thanking God for the restora
tion of their dear ones.
So ended the first day of Jesus' ministry in Caper
naum. He had come to Capernaum to spread the tidings
of the Kingdom of God. And in one day he was known
throughout the city. On the morrow his name would
begin to travel the length and breadth of Palestine, and
then to the world outside! STUDY TOPICS
1. Describe a synagogue, especially its interior, as found
in -the days of Jesus.
2 . Try to form a clear mental picture of the services held
in the synagogue, and then describe a service in'
your own words.
3. Why was Capernaum an important city? Do you
think that is why Jesus began his ministry there ?
4. Tell the story of Jesus' first day in Capernaum (read
Mark 1: 21-34).
5. Contrast the attitude of Jesus to the evil spirits and
that of the people of his time.

CHAPTER X
HEALING THE SICK
The news that Jesus was able to heal the sick spread
at once. Such news would spread rapidly enough
to-day. For even now, when we have doctors who
know how to prescribe medicines and treatments for
most diseases, the news that some man can heal by
faith and prayer, without medicine, spreads everywhere
and people flock to him. Imagine what it was hke in
Capernaum when people heard that the rabbi from
Nazareth could heal by a touch or a word!
JESUS. HEALING THE SICK
At that time doctors knew very little about disease
or medicine, or even about physiology. Indeed, they
knew less than any boy or girl of to-day knows, who has
studied physiology and hygiene in the pubhc school.
This may seem very strange, but it is perfectly true.
Jewish physicians. — The medicines in common use
were oil, salt, balm, salve, mandrake roots, wine, and
the hke. These were simply the oldest and best known
of "home remedies" used in the east for thousands of
years. Of course, really serious diseases could not be
cured by such remedies. And so they thought, when
anyone became very sick, and their medicine did no
good, that he must have committed some dreadful sin,
and that God was sending the sickness to punish him.
Jesus taught that this was not so — God does not "send"
sickness to punish His children.
Or else they thought the sickness was due to some
evil spirit. There were all sorts of evil spirits in the
72

HEALING THE SICK 73
world — some brought on one kind of disease, others
produced another kind; some caused lameness and
blindness and deafness, some drove their victims into
insanity or epilepsy or other terrible afflictions. To
guard against these wicked spirits, people wore charms
and amulets. These were odd-looking stones, pieces of
bark, the teeth of animals, forked sticks or curious twigs,
necklaces shaped hke serpents, and so forth. These
amulets were supposed to keep away disease as well as
cure it.
Whenever a child felt sick the parents tried to remem
ber if someone had looked long at it, or had winked, and
thus cast the spell of the "evil eye" upon it. If they
could remember, and find the person, and have the
spell removed, the child would get well.
People simply did not know what caused disease.
Only a very few hygienic rules were understood or ob
served. And their "medicines" were hardly deserving
the name. It was quite natural, then, for people to try
all sorts of superstitious means for getting well.
The methods of Jesus. — Jesus rejected these
methods. He did not share the superstitions be
cause he believed in the goodness and love of God. He
knew that sickness was not sent to punish people for
sin, because it is not always the wicked who suffer the
greatest pain. He saw babies and httle children, with
whom God cannot possibly be offended, suffering far
more than grown up men who knew they had done
wrong. And anyway, Jesus reahzed that God loves
people, and does not punish them for sins which they
don't even know that they have committed.
As for the demons, whom everyone dreaded;, it was
no use wearing amulets and charms. They could do no
good. Instead of fearing the demons, people should

74 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
trust in God and His care. If they would only be "fol
lowers of that which is good," no harm could come to
them from evil spirits. The spirits could be commanded,
in the name of God, to depart and nevermore enter the
bodies and minds of the sick. All that people needed
was to beheve, to have faith and not fear.
The disciples also learned how to heal people in this
way. Later on Jesus sent them out on a journey and
bade them do this very thing. For of course it was
part of Jesus' task, as Messiah, to conquer every
work of evil. He, above all others, was the one to drive
out the evil spirits by the power of the Holy Spirit,
which he had received at his baptism.
The coming of the Kingdom of God, that is, of God's
own rule or reign in the world, meant the end of sick
ness as well as of sin. The Holy Spirit had been given
to Jesus — that was the first great sign of the coming of
God to set up His reign upon earth. And Jesus was to
use the power, which came to him from the Spirit, in
making the bodies and souls of men well and strong.
For health of the body and health of the soul go to
gether. Both are required if we are to do God's will
in the world. Thus the healing of the sick was an im
portant part of Jesus' work.
JESUS LEAVES CAPERNAUM
So soon had the news spread through the city; so
soon would it spread still further to every village and
market place in Syria, that Jesus had no need to leave
Capernaum. He might stay there as long as he wished,
and people would come to him from every part of the
country, bringing the sick to be healed. Should he,
then, remain in Capernaum? That was one way in
which his mission might be carried out.

HEALING THE SICK 75
He goes to the next towns. — But it was not the
best way. True enough, the people would hear his
message, "Repent, for the Reign of God is about to be
established." Yet they would scarcely heed it as they
should, for they were so much more interested in his
power over the demons.
So, the next morning, rising up a great while before
day, he went out into a lonely place and prayed. Jesus
always prayed before making up his mind upon im
portant matters. He asked his Father in heaven to
guide him to the right decision.
After a time the dawn appeared over the eastern
horizon, and the dark waters of the lake turned gray,
then white, and began to shimmer. By sunrise all
Capernaum was astir. Shops were opened, caravans
harnessed and loaded, the business of the week had
begun — but this was not the chief cause of the commo
tion. Around the doorway of Peter's house once more
the crowds were gathering. Those who had not come
the night before, or who had not been healed, were
there. — Where was Jesus? He had disappeared!
Seeking for Jesus. — Peter and his friends set forth
to find him. They went down along the beach to the
place where he had come to them and called them the
week before. They went up into the hills back of the
town. At last they found him, and Peter said, "Every
one is looking for you. The' whole city is waiting out
side the house for you to appear." But he quietly re
plied, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may
preach there too. That is the reason why I have come
away." His true mission was to call people to repentance, to
teach them about God and His coming Kingdom, and
help them to prepare to enter the Kingdom as its

76 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
citizens, as children of God, the heavenly Father and
King. Compared with that, even healing the sick was
not so important. STUDY TOPICS
i. Why were the people of Jesus' day especially attracted
to one who could heal their diseases?
2. Does the Church to-day carry on a ministry of heal
ing? Have you ever heard a missionary describe
the work of doctors in foreign countries?
3. Was the chief thought of Jesus to heal men's bodies?
If he had remained in Capernaum, what might have
been the result of his ministry? Why did he leave?
4. Judging from Jesus' readiness to heal all manner of
diseases for all manner of people, do you think that
God sends sickness upon us to punish us for sin?
And see Luke 13: 1-5; John 9: 1-3.
5. The methods used by the people in the days of Jesus
were partly "old-fashioned remedies" and partly
magic. They believed in charms. Did you ever
know anyone who believed in charms? Do charms
ever do any good?

CHAPTER XI
THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES
Jesus now set out to visit the cities and villages of
Galilee. Probably he first went to the towns along the
north and west shore of the lake — Chorazin, Bethsaida,
and Magdala. He was preaching on the Sabbath in the
synagogues; during the week he taught the people
wherever they gathered. Soon multitudes of people
were following him. Wherever he went the fame of his
teaching and healing preceded him. Accompanying him
were the four disciples whom he had called as he came
to Capernaum — Peter and Andrew, James and John.
THE CALL OF LEVI
One day, as they were passing along the shore of the
lake, he saw a man named Levi sitting at the customs
booth. Jesus knew him, and wished him to become a
disciple. But Levi was a publican.
The people of Gahlee hated publicans. They were
tax-gatherers, who not only assessed the value of prop
erty and decided how much the tax would be, but also
collected the money. They paid a certain amount to
the government for their office — the office was given to
the highest bidder — and then made their fortunes by
collecting exorbitant taxes from travelers, passing cara
vans, and their own neighbors. No wonder they were
despised and hated!
Jesus calls Levi. — But the shame and disgrace of
Levi's profession did not hinder Jesus from calling him.
It is wonderful how the Master read the characters of
77

78 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
people and saw at once what they really were in their
secret hearts. He knew that Levi might become a true
and faithful disciple and so he called him. Just as in
calling the fishermen, Jesus said to him the brief words,
"Follow me." He did not explain why he wanted him
to come. But Levi understood, and arose and followed
at once.
The dinner in Levi's house. — It was the custom
when anyone became the disciple of a rabbi to give a
banquet. The new scholar invited his friends — it was a
sort of farewell dinner.
So Levi had a dinner at his house and invited his
friends. Levi's friends were also tax-collectors, and they
were all men whom the Pharisees described as "sinners."
' To be a sinner, according to the Pharisees, one had only
to omit certain ceremonies or break certain rules which
they laid down as equal in importance to the divine Law.
For instance, to buy goods from Gentiles, or sell them,
during the three days preceding a feast-day was a sin;
or to eat without first going through the ceremony of
dipping your fingers in water; or to walk more than a
mile on the Sabbath — all these were sins. And of course,
publicans were dealing with Gentiles every day, and so
were "unclean."
The Pharisees gave them up as hopelessly wicked;
they could do nothing for them. The poor publicans,
who didn't know much about religion and supposed the
Pharisees were right, gave up trying to please God.
And so some of them became quite as bad as the Phari
sees said they were. Thus while Jesus made it easier
for people to do right, because he made people want to
do good and be good and please God, the Pharisees made
it harder. For they called the publicans and other
"sinners" accursed, and made them feel that religion

THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES 79
was altogether too hard, and God too exacting. The
Pharisees succeeded only in making such people thor
oughly dislike rehgion.
So when Jesus and his disciples sat down at Levi's
table, with the publicans and other "sinners," the
Pharisees heard of it and were amazed.
- The question of the Pharisees. — Some of their dis
ciples came to the disciples of Jesus and asked, "Why
does your teacher eat and drink with publicans and
sinners? If he were a holy man he would avoid such
defilement!" Jesus himself answered their question: "They that
are well have no need of a physician, but they that are
sick. I came not to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance." If the publicans were sinful, then they
needed Jesus. That was his work — to call sinners to
repentance, to prepare them to enter the Kingdom of
God. But the Pharisees were thinking only of saving
themselves, and not others.
THE OTHER DISCIPLES
Jesus now had five disciples — Peter and Andrew,
James and John, and Levi, who was also called Mat
thew. To these five were soon added seven others.
Just when the other disciples were called we do not
know. But one day, after a night spent in prayer, Jesus
was teaching on a hillside in the country. The multi
tude, which now followed him everywhere, had gathered
about him to listen. He rose up and stood apart, and
called to him a group of twelve.
The Twelve. — These were the twelve disciples—
"whom he also called apostles" — for they were to be
"sent" (apostle means "one sent") on missions of teach
ing and heahng to parts of the country which Jesus

80 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
himself could not reach. Their names were, including
the five about whom we have already heard: Simon
Peter and Andrew; James the son of Zebedee and John
his brother; Levi, also called Matthew; Philip; Bar
tholomew; Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus; Thad-
dams; Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot.
The others. — Then there were others, about whom
little is told in the Gospels. They did not follow Jesus
from place to place, but welcomed him whenever he
came to their towns, and did what they could to
extend the message that he taught. Such were Joseph of
Arimathea and Nicodemus, and perhaps Nathanael;
there were also women, like Mary of Magdala, who had
been healed of a grievous illness; Joanna, the wife of
Chuza, Herod's steward; Susanna; and many others who
rninistered to Jesus "of their substance."
Some who did not become disciples. — There were
some whom Jesus called who did not heed the invita
tion. One day he said to a man, "Follow me." But the
man rephed, "Let me go first and bury my father."
But Jesus answered, "Let the dead bury the dead: it
is your duty to go and pubhsh abroad the Kingdom of
God." Others wished to follow him, but were not worthy to
become disciples. One day a man said to him, "Master, I
will follow you wherever you go; first let me go and say
goodby to those at home." But Jesus rephed to him,
"No man, having put his hand to the plow and then
looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God."
Another said that he wanted to become a disciple
and follow Jesus wherever he went, but Jesus told him,
"The foxes have .holes, and the birds of the air have
their nests; but the Son of Man has not where to lay
his head!"

THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES 81
These men scarcely reahzed what it meant to be a
disciple of Jesus.
The rich young man. — There was one young man,
who was very rich and owned great estates, who wanted
to follow Jesus and at the same time keep his great pos
sessions. In case the Kingdom did not come as he
expected it (as a pohtical kingdom, with Jesus as ruler
in Jerusalem), then he would still have his wealth. He
did not wish to risk anything — he wanted to "play safe,"
whether the Kingdom was to come or not. Jesus told
him to sell all that he had, give the money to the poor,
and then come and follow him. But the man went away
sorrowful: for he could not face that test.
One story says that he came to Jesus and asked,
"What shall I do to inherit eternal hfe?" Jesus an
swered, "Keep the Law and the Prophets." He said, "I
have done so." Jesus then told him to sell what he had
and give to the poor, and come and follow him. The
rich man began to demur, for the command scarcely
pleased him.
Then Jesus asked him, "How can you say, 'I have
kept the Law and the Prophets,' when the Law says to
love your neighbor as yourself? For many of your
brothers, sons of Abraham, are clothed in rags and are
dying of hunger; yet your house is full of good things,
and nothmg comes out of it for them!" And he turned
to Peter and said, "Simon, son of Jona, it is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich
man to enter the Kingdom of God!"
WHAT IT MEANT TO BE A DISCIPLE
Thus there were some whom Jesus called to follow
him who made excuses and refused to go. There were
others who wanted to become disciples, but could not

82 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
meet the requirements. What did it mean to be a dis
ciple of- Jesus?
It meant hard work. — Jesus was preaching constantly
and traveling over the country far and wide. He was
now followed everywhere by crowds, who came to be
healed or to see others healed, to hear his message, and
to be near at hand when (as they expected) the King
dom of God came in outward splendor and magnificence.
The disciples were to be with him constantly, and so to
learn from him the truth about the Kingdom of God
and God's requirements of those who wished to enter it.
Afterwards they too were to preach the "good news" of
the Kingdom.
Then they were to share in his work of healing the
sick and casting out demons. This was difficult and
exhausting work. It required great faith, and it took
bodily and mental energy. Some persons were fitted for
this work and some were not.
The conditions of discipleship. — But it meant still
more to be a disciple. One had to give up whatever he
owned, his work, and even his home, just as Jesus had
done. For these men had been called by their Master
to do the greatest work men have ever been asked to do.
They were to call a whole nation to prepare for the
coming of the judgment and the setting up of the
Reign of God. They were to explain to people what
God's Kingdom really means, and what is necessary in
order to share in it. They were to show to people, even
as ' their Master was doing, that God's goodness and
love is the true reason for our being good: not the fear
of punishment, or the desire for a fine reward either in
heaven or on earth.
The privilege of discipleship. — But what a wonder
ful privilege it was! To be with Jesus day after day;

THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES 83
to go with him and share his work of teaching and heal
ing; to be sent to minister to the sick in other villages,
and to preach the gospel — this was a greater privilege
than any other which could possibly have come to these
men. The Kingdom of God was coming, and they were
sharing with their Master the task of preparing the
world for its approach.
STUDY TOPICS
1. Who was Levi? What was his business? Describe it.
2. Why did the Pharisees object to Jesus dining at Levi's
house?
3. Make a list of the twelve disciples. Memorize it.
4. TeU in your own words what it meant to be a disciple
of Jesus.
5. Can people still become disciples of Jesus? How?
What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus to-day?
6. Can disciples of Jesus to-day prepare for the coming
of the Kingdom of God? If so, how?
7. Read Mark 2: 13-17 and 3: 13-19.

CHAPTER XII
KEEPING THE SABBATH
At the present time everyone who lives in a Christian
nation knows when Sunday comes. Even people who
do not go to church observe it in some way. Offices and
stores are closed. Fewer trains run on the railroads.
But in ancient times the Jews were the only people
who rested one day in seven. The Gentiles kept their
shops open and went about their business, week in and
week out, one day just like another. And the Gentiles
laughed at the Jews for losing trade on their weekly
Sabbath. Nevertheless, the custom was strictly ob
served. For the careful observance of the Sabbath
was one of the most sacred customs of the Jewish race.
THE JEWISH SABBATH
Everywhere in the world Jewish families set aside
their work and rested from Friday at sunset until sun
rise two days later. For Saturday, not Sunday, was the
Sabbath. The Law. — It was one of the commandments of the
Law, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six
days shalt thou labor and do all that thou hast to do.
But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy
God. In it thou shalt not do any work, thou and
thy son and thy daughter, thy manservant and thy
maidservant, thy cattle, and the stranger that is
within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord

KEEPING THE SABBATH 85.
blessed the seventh day and hallowed it." — Exodus
20:8-11.
We ought not to think that the keeping of the Sab
bath was a painful burden to the Jewish people. In
stead, it was a "day of rest and gladness" which every
one welcomed and enjoyed.
The Sabbath-eve. — On Sabbath-eve, at sunset, the
Jewish mother lighted the Sabbath lamp. As she did so
she said this beautiful prayer:
"Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the
Universe, who hast sanctified us by Thy command
ments, and commanded us to hght the Sabbath
lamp."
There was a service in the synagogue that evening,
and when the family returned they had dinner. The
father's place was at the head of the table, and he pro
nounced the blessing before they sat down. He repeated
the verses in Genesis teUing of the work of creation on
the sixth and seventh days (Genesis 1 : 24—2 : 3). Then
he poured out a cup of wine and said a prayer of thanks
giving for the Sabbath. Drinking from the cup, he then
passed it to his wife, who also drank and gave it to the
children and any others at the table. They then dipped
their fingers in water for the ceremonial cleansing, and
sat down to eat. It was a weekly festival of the family.
The Sabbath itself. — Of course, no work was done
on the Sabbath. The family went to the synagogue for
morning and evening worship, and the rest of the day
was spent quietly indoors, reading the Bible and singing
hymns. The rules of the scribes. — The scribes, however,
were not satisfied to let people decide for themselves
how the day was to be kept. With them, everything

86 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
had to be governed by rules. They defined exactly how
far a person might walk on the Sabbath (a mile) and
not break the Law. They explained just how food was
to be prepared so that no work would be required.
They — or their followers later on, after the time of
Jesus — set forth the various kinds of work prohibited
on this day. There were thirty-nine of these — plowing,
reaping, threshing, grinding, and so on, of course. But
they even forbade taking out two threads from a piece
of cloth (this would be mending or sewing), writing two
letters of a word, erasing to write two letters, and similar
insignificant acts. "And whoever carries out food the
size of a dried fig," they said, "is worthy of death."
This was a part of "the fence about the Law," which
they had built up to keep people from breaking the
commandments. For, of course, if a man took care not
to write even two letters, he would not be likely to do
much writing on the Sabbath! If a woman was careful .
not to pull two threads or do two stitches, she would
not do much sewing or mending on the Sabbath! The
scribes wished to guard against every possible breach of
the Law. Their motive was good, but their method was
overdone. Objections to such rules.— The trouble with all such
regulations is that people think more of the rules than
they do of the spirit which makes rehgion real. After a
while it becomes a burden instead of a joy. They come
to think of God as a hard taskmaster, one who has given
so many commandments that men cannot even remem
ber them all. They forget that God is really a loving
Father; that He has given the Sabbath as a day for
rest and worship; that He wants to give His Kingdom
to the world, not to withhold it or make it hard for His
children to enter it.

KEEPING THE SABBATH 87

JESUS IN THE FIELDS
One Sabbath, late in the summer, Jesus and his dis
ciples were walking through the fields of ripening grain.
There were no roads or lanes here, but only paths across
the fields where people walked. As they went along
the disciples pulled off the heads of grain and rubbed
out the kernels in their hands. The Law permitted this.
If anyone was hungry he might pluck and eat the heads
— though he must not "move a sickle into his neighbor's
standing grain" (Deuteronomy 23: 25).
The Pharisees' objection. — Some Pharisees saw
what the disciples were doing. They knew that the
Law allowed this, but it was the Sabbath day! Strictly
interpreted according to their rules, this was both reap
ing and threshing on the Sabbath!
So they said to Jesus, "Behold! why are your dis
ciples doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"
The example of David. — Jesus answered them at
once, "Have you never read what David did when he
was in need, and hungry, both he and the men who were
with him? — How he entered into the house of God and
ate the showbread, which it is not lawful for anyone
but the priests to eat, and gave some to those that were
with him?"
Yes, the Pharisees knew the story, told in the First
Book of Samuel. David had been warned to flee from
King Saul — Jonathan had shot the arrow which was the
appointed signal. As David made his way down toward
the cities of the Philistines he came to Nob, the city of
priests. He and his men were hungry, and must find
food at once. They came to Ahimelech, the priest of
the sanctuary, and asked him for five loaves of bread.
All that he had was the sacred showbread, standing in

88 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
the holy place as an offering to the Lord. This was
never removed unless it could be replaced immediately
with fresh, hot loaves. Nevertheless, David was in
great need, and there was no time to be lost. Ahimelech
took the sacred bread and gave it to David and his men.
If a great hero like David, who became King of all
Israel, had been permitted to eat the consecrated bread
which was offered to God; if a great priest like Ahime
lech had been permitted to give it to him, and no divine
judgment had overtaken them; surely, then, Jesus and
his disciples were not guilty of breaking the Law of the
Sabbath when they rubbed out and ate a few kernels of
grain to satisfy their hunger!
The law of mercy. — There is no law above human
need. The Pharisees did not recognize this principle.
But the ancient Law provided for it, when it permitted
the rubbing out of kernels of grain, and allowed the
poor to glean the fields and vineyards after most of the
grain and fruit had been gathered (Leviticus 19:9-10).
And it was surely in accord with the spirit of the Law
to permit the hungry to eat on the Sabbath.
"The Sabbath was made for man," Jesus added, "not
man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2: 27).
HOW TO KEEP THE SABBATH
We must not imagine that Jesus meant to do away
with the Sabbath, as the Pharisees said. What he
wished to do was to free rehgion from the burden of
petty rules which the scribes had invented, and make
people feel the spirit of the Law. If they could realize
what God intended by the Law, if they could feel its
spirit, then they would accomplish naturally all that
the scribes were trying to make them do artificially and
under compulsion.

KEEPING THE SABBATH 89
How did Jesus keep the Sabbath?— Jesus himself
kept the Sabbath by resting from work— he had done
this for years as a carpenter — and by going to the syna
gogue to worship God, and by doing good. Several
times he healed on the Sabbath, sometimes right in the
synagogue. He also taught on the Sabbath, and brought
people nearer to God.
How should we keep it?— That is what the Sab
bath is for, whether we observe it on Sunday or Satur
day: it is a day in which to rest from labor, to worship
God, and to do good. Jesus does not lay down any
rules and say, "You may do this on the Sabbath, but
you mustn't do that." Jesus is no scribe or Pharisee.
What he does is to tell us what the Sabbath is for; and
then we must apply that test to all we wish to do.
Whatever interferes with rest from labor, or the wor
ship of God, or doing good to others (for example,
visiting the sick) must not be done.
It is easy to ignore Sunday in spirit while keeping it
in name. Many persons make Sunday a day for mere
sport and recreation. Instead of going to church, they
go to the country. Instead of doing good to others,
they "have a good time" themselves. But are we keep
ing the spirit of the day when we use it only for games
and picnics and drives in the country?
Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha. — There
is a story in the Gospel according to Saint Luke of two
sisters who entertained our Lord one time when he was
on his way to Jerusalem. We do not know where they
hved, or who they were — but only their names. Saint
Luke must have known, and the readers of his Gospel,
for the chief interest of the story is in the characters of
the two women. It may very likely have been a Sab
bath which Jesus spent in their home.

90 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"Now as they journeyed on, they entered a certain
village, and a woman named Martha invited Jesus
to her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat
at Jesus' feet and listened to him. But Martha was
greatly troubled with the serving; and she came up
to Jesus and said, 'Master, you see how my sister
has left me to serve alone. Tell her to come now
and help me.'
"But Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha,
Martha, you are anxious and worried about many
things. Only- a few are needful [the Sabbath dinner
was a simple meal]; indeed, only one [a calm, un
troubled spirit]. And Mary has chosen the good
part which shall not be taken away from her.' "
— Luke 10:38-42.
It is the spirit of Mary, rather than that of Martha,
which brings Sabbath peace and Sabbath joy. "Few
things are needful — indeed,' only one!"
STUDY TOPICS
1 . How were the Jews treated by their Gentile neighbors
for observing the Sabbath?
2. Describe the Sabbath-eve observance in the Jewish
home. Was the Sabbath looked upon as a burden
by the Jews?
3. Look up the reference to Genesis, telhng the story of
creation and the divine institution of the Sabbath.
4. Look up Leviticus 19: 9, 10; and see Ruth 2 for the
story of a gleaner.
5. Tell the story of David at Nob. How did his example
bear upon the complaint of the Pharisees against
Jesus?
6. Do you know why Christians keep Sunday instead of
Saturday as their day of rest?
7. How should we keep Sunday?

CHAPTER XIII
THE OPPOSITION OF THE SCRIBES AND
PHARISEES
As Jesus went about Galilee teaching in the syna
gogues and healing the sick, what do you suppose the
rabbis thought of him?
The people were enthusiastic; wherever he went great
crowds followed him. As soon as it was noised abroad
that Jesus had arrived in a town, throngs of people
gathered about the house where he was staying. But
what were the rabbis thinking about all this?
WHO WERE THE RABBIS?
Every synagogue, where the congregation was large
enough, had a minister who held the services, and trans
lated and explained the Scriptures; he also taught the
school during the week.
Scribes. — Because he knew how to write, the minis
ter was called a "scribe,," or writer. This referred espe
cially to the privilege of copying the Bible. Only very
studious and careful men were permitted to copy the
sacred Law and other writings in the Old Testament.
For when each copy of the Bible was made by hand,
it was easy to make mistakes; and therefore only trained
"writers" were allowed to do this work.
Teachers of the Law. — Even more important than
copying the Bible was the explanation of it. It had to
be translated, first of all. For the Jewish Bible was
written in the old Hebrew language; whereas, in Jesus'
time people spoke a language called Aramaic. This was
91

92 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
about as different from Hebrew as our language to-aay
is different from that spoken in England five hundred
years ago.
Moreover, the Hebrew Bible was written in conso
nants without any vowels, and without any spaces be
tween the words— like this: NTHBGNNNGGDCRTDT
HHVNNDTHRTH. (Can you make this out?— it is
taken from the first chapter of Genesis in English.) As
the Bible was read in Hebrew in the synagogue service,
before being translated into Aramaic, the vowels had to
be supplied by the reader! And this had to be done
"orally"; a written translation was not allowed. You
must never think the Jewish teachers in Jesus' day
were ignorant or stupid men, since they could read and
translate the Bible under such conditions.
In addition to translating the Bible, the teachers ex
pounded it. They devoted themselves especially to the
Law or "Torah" (found in Genesis to Deuteronomy, in
the Old Testament). This they explained by certain
methods then in use, and showed how it applied to daily
Ufe. They often told stories to show clearly what was
meant. They made up "parables," and quoted prov
erbs; above all, they quoted the sayings of great rabbis
in the past. In everything but the quotation of these
authorities, Jesus' preaching in the synagogue was like
theirs: he read and translated the Bible, and then
explained its meamng. He, too, used parables and
stories and proverbs.
The Pharisees. — Now most of the rabbis were mem
bers of a society or party called the Pharisees (that is,
"those separated"). There were hundreds of Pharisees
throughout Palestine in Jesus' time. The society orig
inated in the days of the Maccabees. It then stood for
the strict interpretation of the Law, against the laxity

OPPOSITION OF SCRIBES AND PHARISEES 93
and carelessness of those who would admit uncon
verted Gentiles to the privileges of Jewish rehgion.
Later on, as in the days of Jesus, the society was
composed of those who were so anxious to observe the
Law in every detail that they wanted to overdo it:
that is, by doing even more than the Law required
they would make sure of its complete observance. The
making of such rules they called "building a fence
about the Law." One of these rules was that which
prohibited eating with Gentiles. They were interested
in having every possible application of the Law, and
every possible breach of it, fully explained. Then, they
thought, people would be better able to do the will of
God; and the salvation of Israel, the coming of God's
Reign, would be certain.
The Sadducees. — There was another party, known
"as the Sadducees. In Jesus' time its members were
found chiefly among the priestly families in Jerusalem.
(Do not confuse the scribes, who were rabbis and teach
ers of the Law in the synagogues, with the priests, who
offered the sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem.) The
Sadducees did not accept the Pharisean "fence about
the Law." They were satisfied with the Law just as it
was found in the Old Testament. If people would only
follow that, God would be satisfied, they thought.
They were a rich and contented class of people, and
looked upon the Pharisees as fanatics.
THE OPPOSITION TO JESUS
Now we can answer the question, What did the rabbis
think of Jesus?
Why were the rabbis opposed? — You remember
what the people in the synagogue at Capernaum said
about Jesus' teaching that first Sabbath. Unlike the

94 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
scribes, he taught "as one having authority" riimself,
who did not need to quote the great teachers of the past.
No one would notice this difference more quickly than
the scribes themselves.
And then his healing of the sick and his casting out
of demons aroused their opposition. The rabbis them
selves did the same; but never with the success which
Jesus had. Stories were told of their miracles, and
the people supposed them to possess great powers.
But no rabbi ever had the following, from all parts of
the country, from hamlet and village and town, which
Jesus had. "After all," they said, "everyone knows
this teacher from Nazareth is no rabbi! The people
who call him 'rabbi' are bewitched — for he never studied
at the feet of any learned teacher in Jerusalem! In
deed, it is a mystery that he is even able to read!"
They also heard him teaching the people about the
coming of the Kingdom of God. Not many of them
selves had accepted the message of John or received his
baptism. Of course, they expected the Kingdom of
God to come some time, but not until everyone kept
the Law. And Jesus was teaching the people things
about the Law which were contrary to their teachings
as Pharisees. For he paid no attention whatever to the
"fence" of rules which they had built up. And if his
work continued, and still more people flocked after him,
it would not be long until their teaching and influence
were overthrown. From the start they were suspicious
of Jesus, and watched him with jealous eyes.
Growing opposition. — Since they were thus preju
diced against him, everything he did was misinterpreted
by them. They found fault with whatever he said or
did. At Levi's house they had protested against his
eating with publicans and sinners. They objected, at

OPPOSITION OF SCRIBES AND PHARISEES 95
the same time, that he and his disciples were not ob
serving the fast appointed for that day — when even
John's disciples were keeping the rule. Nor did Jesus
and his disciples obey the rule about dipping their
fingers in water before sitting down to eat: they "ate
with unwashen hands."
When they asked Jesus why he did not obey their
regulations, he rephed, "No one puts new wine into
old wine-skins. For the wine, when it ferments, will
burst the skins. They put it, rather, into fresh skins,
which give and stretch as the wine ferments and so do
not burst."
What did he mean? They were somewhat mystified
by his answer. Perhaps he meant that his teaching was
like new wine; and the old customs, which they were
observing, were like old skins. Did he mean to do away
with the old rehgion altogether? Their suspicions grew.
Healing on the Sabbath. — Then, one Sabbath in the
synagogue, there was present a man with a withered hand;
he had come hoping to be healed. He had great faith in
Jesus. One story tells us that he was a mason, and could
not work and support himself with only one good hand.
There were also scribes and Pharisees in the syna
gogue watching Jesus to see if he would heal on the
Sabbath. For he could just as well, they thought, wait
until the next day to cure the man.
Jesus knew that they were watching him, but he did
not hesitate. He said to the man, "Rise up and stand
forth." The man did so. Then Jesus said to the Phari
sees, "I ask you, Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good,
or to do harm? to save a hfe, or to destroy it? Not one
of you, if his only sheep fell into a pit, would refuse to
rescue it on the Sabbath day. How much more a man
is worth than a sheep!"' And he said to the man,

96 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"Stretch forth your hand." He stretched it out, and
it was restored, just like the other.
The Pharisees were angry. Their rules required the
greatest care in avoiding work on the Sabbath, lest the
commandment should be broken. And here was one
who actually excused the breaking of the Sabbath in
order to heal a man! So they went out "filled with
madness, and communed one with another what they
might do to Jesus" (Luke 6: n).
The people honor Jesus. — However, the scribes and
Pharisees did not dare to oppose Jesus publicly. The
multitudes continued to follow him. His fame spread
abroad into the farthest corners of the country. New
accounts of his teaching and heahng were carried by
every traveler. People came in throngs to hear him,
bringing their sick to be healed. A great multitude was
thus gathered together, and large numbers of people
came to him from all Judaea — even from Jerusalem —
from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, from Decapolis
and Perea, and the country east of the Jordan. "And
all the multitude sought to touch him: for power came
forth from him, and healed them" (Luke 6: 19).
STUDY TOPICS
1. Who were the rabbis? Who were the scribes? The
Pharisees? The Sadducees?
2. Why was the Old Testament hard for the people to
read?
3. Why were the scribes and Pharisees opposed to Jesus?
4. What was Jesus' answer when the Pharisees com
plained that he and his disciples were not fasting?
Explain his answer.
5. Read Mark 2: 1-12; 3:1-6; 3: 22-30; in order to dis
cover more fully the attitude of the Pharisees toward
Jesus.

CHAPTER XIV
SEEKING THE LOST
The scribes and Pharisees, as we have seen, were
opposed to Jesus. They -thought that his teaching
made rehgion too easy. For he paid no attention to
some of the practices which they said God required of
people. And they disliked the way in which he mingled
with publicans and "sinners." They felt that he was
in this way undermining their influence with the people.
They said that unless men observed the Sabbath
strictly according to their rules, they could not please
God. But Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for
man — not man for the Sabbath." God gave them the
Sabbath as a day for rest and worship and for doing
good. They said that God loved only those who observed
the fasts and ceremonies of washing and kept away
from Gentiles. But Jesus said that God is our Father
in heaven, who loves all His children. He "makes His
sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain
on the just and on the unjust." If we wish to be like
our Father in heaven, we must love our neighbors, even
those who treat us unkindly. We must even love our
enemies, — all who treat us meanly and unfairly.
Surely, to hate and despise the people whom we
think are wicked will not make them any better. But
being kind to them, loving them and praying for them,
may help them to see that they are doing wrong; and
then perhaps they will wish to do what is right. In this
way Jesus' disciples were to be like their heavenly
97

98 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Father, and show forth in their hves His love. That is
what Jesus meant when he said:
"Let your hght so shine before men that they
may see your good works and glorify your Father
who is in heaven." — Matthew 5 : 16.
The Pharisees looked down on the common people of
Galilee as hopeless sinners, and so they gave them up
as lost. They supposed that such people could not
possibly enter the Kingdom. But Jesus visited them,
hved among them, and taught them about God and
His care for them. He knew that many of them were
sinful; but he wanted to win them to him and so lead
them to repent of their sins and serve God. And to
serve God meant keeping the spirit of the Law, as he
explained it in the Sermon on the Mount, not observing
all the petty rules and regulations which the scribes
laid down. So while the Pharisees gave up the people
of the land as lost, Jesus loved them; he had come, in
fact, "to seek and to save the lost."
THE PARABLES OF THE LOST AND FOUND
Jesus explained this to the Pharisees when they ob
jected to his friendliness with the "sinners." He told
them parables which showed clearly that God loves
His lost children and wants them to return to Him.
But the Pharisees were hard-hearted men. They were
bigoted and narrow, and could not imagine that God
cared for wicked men and women.
Three of these parables are found in chapter 15 of
Luke: the stories of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and
the Lost Boy. Let us read these in Jesus' own words,
as Saint Luke has given them.

SEEKING THE LOST 99
The lost sheep. — His first parable was taken from
the shepherd's life, which was familiar to all his hearers.
"Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing
near to hear him. The Pharisees and scribes mur
mured at this and said, 'This man receives sinners
and eats with them.'
"And he told them this parable, saying, 'What man
among you, having a hundred sheep, and having
lost one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine
in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost,
and look for it until he finds it? When he has found
it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing, and brings
it home. And when he comes home, he calls to
gether his friends and neighbors, saying, "Rejoice
with me, for I have found my lost sheep."
" 'I tell you that even so there is more joy in heaven
over one sinner who repents than over ninety and
nine righteous persons who need no repentance.' "
— Luke 15 : 1-7.
In those days farms were not inclosed within fences.
The shepherds led their flocks out into the wild, open
country, just as they do to-day in the highlands of
Scotland and out on the great western plains in America.
The shepherd's life was lonely. Weeks might go by
in which he never met another human being. Two or
three shepherds might watch their flocks together, but
they would scarcely meet any others all summer long.
They might see other shepherds and their flocks in the
distance; but they kept away, so that their own sheep
might have plenty of grass. And also, if the flocks
mingled it would be hard to separate them again. Did
you ever see two boys keeping their marbles in the
same bag?
And so, for want of human companionship, the shep
herds made pets of their sheep. They called each one

ioo THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
by name, and they guarded them carefully at night.
And if one of them strayed away the shepherd would
look until he found it. Even, as Jesus said, if he had a
hundred sheep and one got lost, he would search until
it was found. It might be some little lamb, its wool
caught in a thorny bush; or perhaps it had fallen into
one of those shallow old wells which shepherds had dug,
centuries before, out on the hillsides of Judaea and Perea.
When the shepherd found it he carried it back on his
shoulders rejoicing.
That is the way in which, said Jesus, God is pleased
when one sinner repents and returns to Him. And
Jesus himself was the good shepherd, seeking and saving
the lost.
The lost coin.— Then he continued by asking,
"Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she
loses one piece, does not light a lamp and sweep the
house and seek diligently until she finds it? And
when she has found it, she calls together her friends
and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have
found my money that was lost !' Even so, I tell you,
there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over
one sinner who repents." — Luke 15: 8-10.
The houses in Palestine were small, and were made
of clay and stone. They had only one or two windows,
or perhaps none at all. In the daytime their only light
came in at the door; at night from a flickering httle
oil lamp wliich rested on a shelf on the wall. The peo
ple were very poor, and ten drachmae ($1.60) was to
them a great amount of money.
Cannot you see the woman in Jesus' story, lighting
her httle lamp and taking her broom — made of brush
tied to the end of a stick— and sweeping carefully until
she found her piece of money? There was no wooden

SEEKING THE LOST 101
floor in her house: only the hard earth tramped down
smooth. A dark-colored coin would be hard to find in
the dim corners of such a house. But the loss was great
to the poor woman, and she searched long until she
found the money. But how great was her joy when she
found it!
That is the way, said Jesus, God cares for sinners.
He never gives them up as lost. He never turns against
them or hates them. If only people could realize this,
would they not try to be worthy of His love? Would
they not make an effort to please Him? And the Phari
sees, if only they too could realize how God cares for
all His children, would they not cease to look down on
the poor common people who failed to observe their
difficult rules?
THE YOUNG SPENDTHRIFT AND HIS BROTHER
The Master then told them another story which
makes this perfectly clear. It is sometimes called the
"Parable of the Prodigal Son." But there were two
boys in the story, the prodigal and his brother; and
the words of the brother were very important. People
always put something of their own character into what
they say. As you read the story, see if you can realize
just what these two boys were like. Would you say
that the older brother was justified in what he said?
The parable. — This is the story he told them:
"A certain man had two sons; and the younger of
them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion
of your property which will belong to me some time.'
And so the father divided between them his estate.
"Not many days after this, the younger son gath
ered all together and took his journey into a far
country; and there he wasted his wealth in riotous
living. After he had spent all that he had, a great

102 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
famine arose in that country, and he began to be in
want. "So he went and hired out to a citizen of that
country, who sent him out into the fields to herd
swine. And he was so hungry he would gladly have
eaten the carob-pods which the swine fed upon, had
they been fit to eat; and no man gave him anything.
"But when he came to himself he said, 'How many
hired servants of my father's have bread enough and
to spare — while I perish here of hunger ! I will arise
and go to my father, and say to him, "Father, I have
sinned against heaven, and against you. I am no
longer worthy to be called your son: make me one
of the hired servants." '
"So he arose and came to his father. And while
he was still a great ways off, his father saw him and
was moved with compassion, and ran out to welcome
him, falling on his neck and kissing him. And the
son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and against you; I am no longer worthy to
be called your son: make me one of the hired serv
ants. "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring forth
quickly the best robe and put it on him; and put a
ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring
the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make
merry; for this my son was dead, and now is alive
again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began
to make merry.
"Now the elder son had been in the field ; and as
he came home and drew near the house he heard
the music and dancing. He called one of the serv
ants and asked what was the reason for this. The
servant replied, 'Your brother has come; and your
father has killed the fatted calf, because he has re
ceived him again safe and sound.'
"But he- was angry and would not go in. His

SEEKING THE LOST 103
father came out and entreated him, but he answered,
'Lo, all these years I have served you, and never
transgressed one of your commandments; and yet
you never gave me a kid that I might make merry
with my friends. But when this spendthrift comes
home, who has wasted everything you gave him,
you kill for him the fatted calf!'
"His father rephed, 'My boy, you are always with
me, and all that I have is yours. It was right to make
merry and be glad when he came home. He is your
brother; and he was dead, but is alive again; he was
lost, and is found.' " — Luke 15: 11-32.
Was the older brother in the right? Yes; he seemed
to be. For it is true that he had never gone off and
squandered his share of the family fortune; he had
never broken his father's heart; he remained at home
and worked hard and saved his money; he had not
even entertained his friends at his father's expense.
Now that is just the point of Jesus' story. This
older brother was really a very good man, but he lacked
something. And because he lacked it he spoiled all
that he did. Can you guess what it was he lacked?
It was love. He was a very good person in other ways,
but he was proud and selfish. No wonder he never
entertained his friends! Perhaps he hadn't many
friends to entertain! For the person who is proud and
selfish, who is so sure that he himself has done every
thing just right that he feels he can criticize others, is
not the one to make many friends.
And no wonder he was surly and mean when his
brother returned! You might expect him to be glad
and rejoice with his father at such a time. For the
bad boy had finally "come to his senses" and returned.
But this older brother was thinking about something

104 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
else all the time. What was it? Himself! Have you
ever seen a boy who criticized his father, or a girl who
spoke or acted as if she knew more than her mother?
They were like this older brother: for you will notice
how he criticized his father.
The Pharisees, also, were like the older brother.
Many of the people whom they despised were sinners,
true enough. And the Pharisees were good men in
many ways. But they spoiled all they did by their pride
and selfishness. They were always thinking of them
selves. If they ever did think of others it was to criti
cize them and "thank God they were not as other men."
That was the real reason why they turned against
Jesus — for he was always thinking of others, he was
always trying to help them and serve them, he was
always giving himself for them. And that is why, too,
the Pharisees had no place in the Kingdom. They were
"self-righteous." God can do nothing for the person
who is satisfied with himself.
STUDY TOPICS
i. Contrast Jesus and the other religious teachers of Gali
lee, their view of God and of the duties of religion.
2. Can you describe in your own words Jesus' teaching
about the love of God? Did Jesus practice what he
preached? Give some instances not found in this
chapter.
3. Read Luke 14: 15-24, the Parable of the Great Supper.
See if you can explain what Jesus meant when he
used it, in the light of the present chapter.
4. Tell the story of the Young Spendthrift and His
Brother, and discuss the words of the older brother.
How did his words reveal his character?
5. What does it mean to be "self-righteous" ? Are people
to-day ever in danger of being "self-righteous"?

CHAPTER XV
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
The controversy with the Pharisees was painful to
Jesus. He had always respected them as his religious
teachers. Famous rabbis seldom came to Nazareth,
but he had heard of them. Their students or disciples
were to be found everywhere in Gahlee. Jesus might
have expected them to welcome his message. Instead,
they were now doing their best to undo his work and
to undermine his influence with the people.
At the same time he knew that the people were more
interested in his cures than in his teaching. Believing
in demons as they did, their diseases were made far
worse by fear and despair. Jesus brought courage and
hope to the sick, as well as heahng. But what he
wanted most to bring was the message of the Kingdom
of God. He wanted to lead people to repentance. His
healings were only a part of his work, not the whole of
it. At times he actually had to avoid the crowds.
And often, as he was teaching the people, sick persons
or their friends would interrupt him and ask for healing.
It would have been easy to give up his real mission
and become simply a healer of men's bodies. But Jesus
was also the physician of their souls, and his real pur
pose was to bring them nearer to God. He could not
neglect his great work of teaching.
We are about to study, in the next five lessons, Jesus'
teaching as it is found in the "Sermon on the Mount."
HOW THE SERMON CAME DOWN TO US
There are two accounts of the Sermon on the Mount.
One is found in Matthew 5 to 7; the other, in much
105

106 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
briefer form, in Luke 6. One is in three chapters; the
other in about one half of one chapter. Of course, this
is not strange; for you often see a story in one news
paper filling three columns, and in another it is cut
down to half of one column.
There is another reason in this case which explains
why the account in Matthew is so much longer than the
one in Luke.
How the stories about Jesus came to be written
down. — For many years after Jesus' death and resur
rection, his disciples went about through Palestine
preaching the gospel. They told the story of Jesus'
great deeds and repeated his words, taught them to
other preachers and "ministers of the Word," who in
turn were to teach still others. So, after a while, these
stories came to be told in just one way. And they were
still told, of course, in the Aramaic language.
Then the missionaries began to go outside Palestine,
where the language was not Aramaic, but Greek. Thus
it became necessary to write down the stories in the
Greek language for the use of these missionaries and
their converts. This was the first written account of
Jesus' teaching, and though it included also a few stories
of his miracles, it is usually called the "Sayings of
Jesus." The apostle Matthew is said to have written
this account. It was probably written in Caesarea or
Antioch, though possibly in Jerusalem. But as yet there
was no written gospel, like the four Gospels in our New
Testament. The writing of the Gospels. — The time soon came
when these new Christians outside Palestine wanted to
have the whole story of Jesus' ministry, his "mighty
works," his teaching, and the story of his last days on
earth, all in one book. So the "Gospel according to

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 107
Mark" came to be written. This was the second writ
ing, about the hfe and teaching of Jesus, that has come
down to us. It was probably written in Rome, and,
of course, in the Greek language — as almost the whole
world knew Greek in those days.
After a time other Gospels were written. That which
later came to be called "According to Matthew" was
written somewhere in Syria or Palestine, and was based
on the two writings already described — the "Sayings of
Jesus" and the "Gospel According to Mark." The
book wliich Luke wrote (probably in Antioch) was also
based on these two earher writings. But in addition
to the "Sayings" and "Mark," the authors of both
"Matthew" and "Luke" had many things to record
which they had heard or read in other writings about
Jesus. Thus it comes to pass that of our Gospels the second
one ("Mark") is the oldest. "Matthew" and "Luke"
have copied most of "Mark"; they have also copied
most of the "Sayings of Jesus." That is why, for
example, the story of Jesus' visit to Capernaum, which
we have already studied, is found in "Mark" and also
in "Matthew" and "Luke" — for they copied it out of
"Mark." But the story of the Sermon on the Mount
is found only in "Matthew" and "Luke," not in "Mark";
for they copied it out of the now-lost book of the "Say
ings of Jesus." That is why there are two versions of
the sermon instead of three. And also that is why the
two versions are not the same. For both "Matthew"
and "Luke" added, to what they found in the "Sayings,"
other accounts of the teaching of Jesus on the same
subject — "Matthew" adding several times as much as
"Luke." The fourth Gospel in our New Testament, the one

108 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"According to John," is much later than the writings
we have already named. It ought perhaps to be called
the fifth Gospel (i. "Sayings," 2. "Mark," 3. "Mat
thew," 4. "Luke," 5. "John"). It is really not so much
a narrative of Jesus' hfe and teaching as a wonderful
argument for Christianity and against the Jewish reli
gion as taught about the year 100 A. D.
THE SUBJECT OF THE SERMON
Now we can see why the Gospels tell so much about
Jesus' ministry of healing, and so little, at first, about
his teaching in the synagogues. And they tell us almost
nothing about his personal appearance and manners,
and his ways of speaking and acting, which we should
so much like to know. What they tell us is just what
people remembered and repeated about him in the years
between his death and those first writings in the Greek
language which finally grew into our Gospels. People
remembered how they or their loved ones were healed
of their sickness. People remembered some of his words
of controversy with the Pharisees, and how he silenced
them with one or two arguments. They remembered his
parables — the stories he told to illustrate his teaching.
The disciples remembered how they were called to fol
low him, and how he taught them about the mysteries
of the Kingdom of God, and what he said again and
again about the conditions of entering it. And espe
cially they remembered the talk he gave them one morn
ing on a hillside in Galilee upon this very subject. This
talk, the "Sermon on the Mount," contains so much
of Jesus' teaching, as "Matthew" has presented it, that
we are going to study it.
Who are to enter the Kingdom of God? — As soon
as Jesus began to preach the coming of God's Kingdom

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 109
and to urge people to repent and prepare to enter it,
they asked, "What are the conditions for entering it?
What must we do?"
The Pharisees had their answer ready. They had
been saying for years that if anyone wished to enter
or "inherit" the Kingdom of God, he must obey the
divine Law. And if anyone asked what this required,
they would answer that it meant much more than the
Ten Commandments. It meant keepmg the whole
system of rules governing ceremonies of worship and
of ordinary hfe which the scribes and Pharisees had
worked out.
Jesus' answer. — But Jesus' answer was not that of
the Pharisees. Instead of a long, complex set of entrance
requirements, which men could satisfy only if they had
plenty of leisure to study and practice their rehgion, he
said, "Fear not, httle flock; it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the Kingdom." God wants His
children to enter the Kingdom. He has prepared it for
them to enjoy. He is not trying to keep them out of it
— as one might surmise from the Pharisees' teaching.
Jesus' whole teaching makes it clear that God loves
people; and that to enter His Kingdom we must be as
much like Him as possible. And nowhere does Jesus
make this clearer than in the Sermon on the Mount.
The Beatitudes. — The sermon begins with Jesus'
answer to the question, "Who afe to enter the King
dom?" "Blessed are the poor in spirit;
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are the meek;
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they that mourn;
For they shall be comforted.

no THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after right
eousness;
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful;
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart;
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers;
For they shall be called the sons of God."
— Matthew 5:3-9.
These verses are called the seven "Beatitudes," or
"Blesseds." Do you think they describe seven different
kinds of people? Or are they not, rather, seven ways of
describing the same kind of character? Jesus is using
this way to explain what God requires of those who are
to enter or receive His Kingdom. For the expressions
"inherit the earth," "be comforted," "be filled," and
so on, all meant the same thing to those who heard him
preach. Everyone understood him to mean "they shall
enter the Kingdom of God."
This was a very different answer from that of the
Pharisees. Those haughty and self-satisfied teachers
would not, of course, say that Jesus' answer was wrong.
But their teaching was so completely concerned with
what men were to avoid, with what they were not to do,
that they lost sight of what people really were to do
and to be in order to be like God and worthy to enter
His Kingdom.
Merely not to break the Law is not enough. No one
really keeps the Law when he thinks only of not break
ing it. For he is then trying to go as close to breaking
it as he can without becoming a sinner. He is thinking
only of his record with God, and he does good only in
order to win merit or reward in heaven. He doesn't

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT in
realize that God is his Father; he thinks of Him only as
a judge or a paymaster.
Jesus showed his hearers that to do good and please
God one must want to be good and be like God. And so
he described the character of the person who is good and
like God, and therefore fit to enter and enjoy God's
Kingdom. Don't you think that this was the better way in which
to teach people? Doesn't it make you want to be good,
just to read Jesus' teaching in the Gospels? What a
wonderful effect he must have had on the people of
Gahlee. Truly, he was greater than the scribes, and
they had never heard such teaching before. Nor had
anyone else ever heard it before.
STUDY TOPICS
i. Was Jesus disappointed in the Pharisees? If so, why?
2. What were the people chiefly interested in when they
came to Jesus?
3. Tell how the stories of Jesus came to be written down.
Which of our Gospels is the oldest?
4. What was the subject of the Sermon on the Mount?
5. Who did Jesus say are to enter the Kingdom of God?
Was this the answer of the Pharisees ?
6. Memorize the Beatitudes, if you do not already know
them.

CHAPTER XVI
JESUS' TEACHING AND THE LAW
"Do not think that I have come to destroy the
Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy,
but to fulfil. For truly I say unto you, Till heaven
and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass away from the Law, until all things are
accomphshed. Whoever therefore shall break one
of these least commandments, and shall teach men
so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven:
but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called
great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you,
except your righteousness exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means
enter the Kingdom." — Matthew 5: 17-20.
The Pharisees said that Jesus was destroying the
Law and teaching the people to disregard it. But he
rephed that they were mistaken: as long as the world
lasts, not one iota of the real Law shall cease to be
binding. What he was doing away with was the burden
of rules which the Pharisees had added to the Law.
The Law itself was binding. But the "righteousness of
the scribes and Pharisees' r — their interpretation of the
Law and their rules for its observance — was not enough.
To enter the Kingdom of God one must do far more
than they. And the Pharisees were the ones who said
that he was teaching people to do less, not more!
The Pharisees, as Jesus later said, "tithed mint and
anise and cummin," that is, they taught that even the
weeds and wild herbs which grew in Palestine must be
tithed, and the tenth part of them sent to the temple;

JESUS' TEACHING AND THE LAW 113
"but they neglected the weightier matters of the Law,
justice and mercy and the love of God."
JESUS' INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW
The Law was the very heart and center of Jewish
rehgion in the days of Jesus — as it was long before and
has been ever since. Men supposed, since it was found
in the five rolls commonly called the "Books of Moses,"
that it had been given directly by God to Moses. Hence
it was binding upon everyone. In order to be saved, to
enter the Kingdom of God, it was necessary to obey
the Law.
The Law sacred. — Jesus had studied the Law all
his life. It was the first book he read in school; and
whatever was read in addition to it (for example, pas
sages from the Prophets and Psalms) was studied as the
commentary or explanation of the Law. In the syna
gogue, the Law was read at every service. The only
sermons people ever heard were expositions of the
"Torah," for the Law was the most sacred thing in the
world to the Jews. In the days of the Maccabees, their
ancestors had died rather than surrender their copies
of the Law to be burned by the soldiers of Antiochus.
They had inherited all their forefathers' reverence for
the sacred Book.
The charge against Jesus. — Thus in accusing Jesus
of destroying the Law, the Pharisees were spreading a
most dangerous charge against him. If the charge
was proved he might be put to death. Even if the
charge was untrue, some angry defenders of the Law
might seize him and put him to death without any
trial. The Sermon on the Mount makes clear what was
Jesus' teaching regarding the Law. He takes up one by

ii4 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
one some of the most important commands of the Law
and discusses them.
The law against murder.— The Law said: "Thou
shalt not kill." And the scribes explained this as fol
lows: "i. Whoever commits murder is to be tried and
condemned. 2. Whoever calls his brother a foul name
[as, for example, "Good-for-nothing"] shall be brought
before the Sanhedrin, the great court of seventy judges
in Jerusalem. 3. Whoever curses his brother shall be
cast into the fire of Gehenna [a place outside Jerusalem
where the bodies of executed criminals were cast]."
"But I tell you," Jesus added, "whoever is angry
with his brother is in danger df the judgment." For
anger leads to murder. And the sin begins, not when
the murdered man actually dies, but long before, when
the hatred first began in the murderer's heart. To hate
another person is sin in the sight of God. This shows
how Jesus interpreted the Law. He showed that to
keep the Law perfectly and to please God (that is what
the Pharisees wanted to do) it is needful to guard against
the very beginnings of sin. It is not enough just to re
frain from killing someone: you must not hate him!
"If therefore you are in the temple offering your
gift at the altar, and even there you remember that
you have injured your brother, leave your gift and
go your way: first be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift." — Matthew 5:
23-24.
The law regarding oaths. — Jesus took another ex
ample. The Law said, regarding oaths, that if one
were taken it must be faithfully observed: "Thou shalt
not forswear thyself, but perform unto the Lord all
thine oaths." $0 if a man swore to tell the truth he

JESUS' TEACHING AND THE LAW 115
must do so without fail. But Jesus would prohibit all
swearing. "When you mean yes, say 'Yes'; when you
mean no, say 'No.' " A child of God should speak the
truth without being compelled to do so by an oath.
Thus, again, Jesus "fulfilled" the Law by showing that
it really meant much more than a rule of the civil court.
The law of revenge. — The Law also decreed that
when one person had injured another or his property,
the same amount of injury or damage could be de
manded of the offender: "An eye for an eye, a tooth
for a tooth," and so on. And this might be understood
to permit "retaliation"^-the right to strike blow for
blow and "pay back" the one who does us an injury.
"But I say unto you," said Jesus, "do not resist the
evil-doer. If he strikes you on one cheek, turn to him
the other. If anyone wishes to sue you at the Law
and take away your cloak, let him have your coat as
well. If you are compelled to go a mile, go two miles."
If we return blow for blow, and injure the other person
as he injures us, when will the quarrel end? Jesus shows
how to end it — by never letting it begin. It takes two
to make a quarrel!
This is what Jesus meant when he quoted the golden
rule, "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
"You have heard it said, Love your neighbor, hate
your enemy! But I say, Love your enemies, pray
for those who persecute you — in order that you may
be sons of your Father in heaven. For He makes
His sun to rise on evil and good alike, and sends
rain on the just and the unjust.
"If you love only those who love you, what credit
is it to you? Even the publicans do that, do they
not? If you salute your brethren only, what more
is that than everyone does? Even the Gentiles,

116 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
whom you despise, do that. Instead of doing as
they do, you ought to try to be like your Father in
heaven; for He is perfect." — Matthew 5: 43-48.
THE WORKS OF PIETY
Jesus had shown that he was not "destroying" the
Law; rather, he was giving it a deeper meaning than
anyone had ever before given to it. Understood in
Jesus' sense, the Law is eternal. "Till heaven and
earth pass away, not one jot or tittle of it shall cease
to be binding."
Perhaps the Pharisees — or at least some of them —
welcomed this part of his teaching. For certain of their
great teachers had tried to show that the spirit of the
Law was greater than its letter. But Jesus turns now
to the standing charge of the scribes against him, the
charge of neglecting the "traditions of the elders," the
three great works of piety: almsgiving, prayer, and
fasting. Display in religion. — Jesus had said, "Except your
righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven." And here
is the reason: they thought that "righteousness" con
sisted in doing these "works of piety." And since God
promised a reward for the righteous, they could see
no reason why their good deeds should not be done as
publicly as possible. They wanted everyone to know
how good and righteous they were. They felt sure that
after they had given lots of money to the poor, and
prayed and fasted often, they would surely be allowed
to enter the Kingdom of God and be rewarded with
prominent places therein.
But Jesus said emphatically, "Be careful not to dis
play your righteousness; if you do, you have no reward

JESUS' TEACHING AND THE LAW 117
with your Father in heaven." God cannot bless any
one who does good just to be seen and praised by others.
Almsgiving. — Alms for the poor were collected every
Sabbath in the synagogue. People gave this money in
addition to the tithe or tenth of all their income which
was sent to Jerusalem. This care of the poor and needy
is part of the noble record of the Jewish race. No other
nation in ancient times has such a record. And Jesus
did not mean to abolish the practice of almsgiving, any
more than he did away with the sacred Law when he
said men must keep it in their heart's as well as with
their hands and lips. But certain men — "hypocrites,"
he called them, "just playing a part like actors on the
stage" — spoil all their goodness by their pride and love
of display. "When you are giving alms, don't let your left
hand know what your right hand does; let your
almsgiving be in secret. Your Father will see it
and recompense you." — Matthew 6 : 3-4.
Prayer. — This same principle he now applied to the
subject of prayer.
"And also when you pray, avoid the example of
the hypocrites, for they love to stand and say their
prayers in the synagogue and on the street-corners,
that they may be seen of men."
You could see them any day, at the hours of prayer!
"I tell you, they have received their reward al
ready! "But when you pray, go into your chamber and
shut the door. Pray to your Father in secret, and He
who sees in secret will hear you." — Matthew 6: 5-6.
Fasting. — Fasting was the third pious work taught
by the Pharisees. To fast, or go without food, was to

118 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
the Jews a sign of mourning and grief, and so expressed
sorrow for sin. They also thought that it made sure
God's answer to their prayers, just as a spoiled child
refuses food until his father or mother gives him what he
wants. So the Pharisees added many fast days to their
calendar, including Monday and Thursday of every
week (see Luke 18: 12). But Jesus and his disciples did
not observe them.
The "hypocrites" fasted, just as they gave alms and
prayed, to be seen of men. "If you are in earnest about
it," said Jesus, "wash your face and anoint your head —
just as you do every other day. Let your fasting be
seen by God alone, not by men." In order to keep the
Law, to be accepted by God, and enter the Kingdom as
God's child, it is necessary to have the Law "written
in your heart," as the prophet said. You not only have
to do something. You must also be something. You
must hve every day as a child of God should live.
One day Jesus was asked by a lawyer, "What is the
great commandment in the Law?" He rephed,
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment, and the
second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neigh
bor as thyself. On these two commandments is
based the whole Law, and the Prophets as well."
— Matthew 22: 35-40.
This, as one of the great rabbis said, was the whole
Law, and all the rest was commentary.
STUDY TOPICS
1. What did Jesus say about the law against murder? Is
it a sin to be angry? Is it wrong to seek revenge?

JESUS' TEACHING AND THE LAW 119
Why should oaths be unnecessary among the disciples
of Jesus?
What were the "works of piety" ? What did Jesus say
about the display of one's religion?
Did Jesus do away with almsgiving, fasting, or prayer ?
How did he say people should practice them?
Can you think of any commandment which the /Sum
mary of the Law does not include ? .Name some of
the commandments which it does cover.
Read again the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke
10: 25-37). What does the story have to do with
Jesus' teaching about the Law?

CHAPTER XVII
PRAYER AND THE LORD'S PRAYER
"When you pray, do not use empty repetitions, as
the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be
heard by their gods because of their many words.
Do not imitate them. For your Father knows what
you need, before you ask Him.
"After this manner, rather, pray ye:
" 'Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have for
given our debtors.
And bring us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil.'
"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your
Father will also forgive you. But if you do not for
give, you cannot expect to be forgiven." — Matthew
6:7-15.
The "Lord's Prayer" has now been in use for nearly
two thousand years. MiUions of Christians have said
it, again and again. And yet it has not grown old.
No one has ever become tired of it, or ceased to learn
from it as he used it. We shall never .know it so well
that it can teach us nothing more. And so we are to
study it in this chapter.
To be learned. — The proper way to study it is to
memorize it, if you have not already done so, and to
use it every day. A person learns to pray by praying.
120

PRAYER AND THE LORD'S PRAYER 121
And Jesus gave this prayer to his disciples in order to
teach them how to pray, not just to give them a beau
tiful prayer to admire.
Jesus' own example. — Jesus himself prayed often.
As a boy he learned to pray both at home and at syna
gogue. By the time he became a man praying had
become a firmly estabhshed habit. He would not think
of making a great choice in his life without first praying
over it. Often he spent long hours of the night in prayer,
as we have seen him do after the day in Capernaum,
and before choosing the twelve apostles. After his bap
tism he even spent weeks in the wilderness, alone with
God. If ever anyone could teach others how to pray,
it was Jesus. HOW TO PRAY
The prayer which Jesus taught the disciples is very
brief. It was not like the long prayers which the "hypo
crites" offered on the street-corners. God hears every
prayer that comes from the heart, whether it is long
or short. It is not necessary to say over and over the
same petitions, as the Gentiles did. For God knows,
even before we ask Him, what we have need of.
What prayer is. — God wants us to pray to Him, but
not just in order that we may tell Him things we need.
Because He is our Father, He wants us to know Him
and love Him. Prayer, then, isn't just asking God for
things we happen to want; it is talking with God, and
learning to know Him better.
And so the spirit in which we should come to Him is
made up of humility, faitb, and love: 1. Humility —
that means not thinking about ourselves and our own
wants first of all. 2. Faith — that means beheving that
He loves us and cares for us, and will see that we receive

122 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
what we really need. 3. Love — not only love for Him,
but at the same time love for other persons. For God
does not love us alone; He loves all His children.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
So the prayer begins with an act of worship —
"Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name."
This might be called the salutation or address of our
prayer. Just as people in the time of Jesus, when they
met, bowed and said, "Peace be unto you," and just as
anyone on entering the presence of a king knelt before
him in submission, so the disciples were to come into the
spiritual presence of their Father with an act of worship
and adoration.
We should think, first of all, not about ourselves and
our needs, but about God's goodness and glory. It is
He who made all the world, the sunshine, and stars and
winds and trees and rivers. He sends His rain upon
the earth to bless it and make it fruitful. He brings to
pass springtime and summer, autumn and winter. Our
food, our clothes, the very air we breathe and the water
we drink, come from Him.
"Back of the loaf is the snowy flour,
And back of the flour the mill;
But back of the mill is the seed and the shower
And the sun, and the Father's will."
It is to God that we must look for all things. The true
prayer, then, begins with worship.
"Thy Kingdom come." — The first petition is for
the coming of God's Kingdom. This is what the Jews
were expecting; it was the subject of Jesus' preaching.

PRAYER AND THE LORD'S PRAYER 123
The disciples were to make it the very first object of
their prayers to the Father in heaven.
"Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
That is what God's Kingdom is. No better definition
was ever given. It is the Reign of God in all the world,
when men on earth will do His will, even as the angels
now do it in heaven.
The Jews were expecting a kingdom with an earthly
king to be sent them by God. But Jesus taught that, as
some of the old prophets had said, God Himself would
"be in the midst of them and be their God." There are
now in the world so many things contrary to the will of
God — crime and hatred and selfishness and pride and
ignorance and disease and sin. When the Reign of God
is fully estabhshed all these will cease to exist. It is for
the coming of this perfect Rule of God that the disciples
were to pray, and for which Christians are praying still.
This meant far more than the freedom of the Jews
from the oppressive rule of Rome. It meant the free
dom of every child of God, everywhere in the world,
from the oppression of sin and ignorance and sickness
and whatever else leads him away from God and true
happiness. "Our daily bread." — Then, but not until they had
asked for these greater blessings, were the disciples to
pray for their own needs.
"Give us to-day our daily bread."
That doesn't mean riches or grand houses or servants
or barns filled and bursting with bountiful harvests. It
means, "Give us enough to meet our needs from day to
day, so that we may be enabled to do Thy will."

124 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
And it doesn't mean that we are to sit down and ask
God to send us what we need, without our working for
it. "God helps those who help themselves." As the
Law had said, "It is He who gives you power to get
wealth" (Deuteronomy 8: 18). But it means that we
ought to trust in our heavenly Father — "Who knows
what things you have need of, before you ask Him" —
and to trust Him to care for us if we do our part. He
feeds the birds; but the birds are not idle. They build
their nests, they search for food, they bring food home
to their nestlings.
"Forgive us our debts." — We must not forget to
ask God to forgive our sins. For when we do wrong we
not only injure ourselves or others, we grieve the heart
of our heavenly Father. Just as boys and girls hurt the
feehngs of their parents when they do wrong, so we
injure our Father in heaven when we sin.
But if we expect God to forgive us we must also for
give everyone who has injured us. We are to say,
"Forgive us our debts,
As we have already forgiven our debtors."
Our "debts" are our trespasses, acts of disobedience to
God; our "debtors" are those who we think have in
jured us and owe us something — an apology or the
"making up" of a quarrel.
One day Peter asked Jesus, "Master, how many times
ought I to forgive my brother when he sins against me?
— seven times?" Jesus answered, "I do not say until
seven times, but until seventy times seven!" As there
is no limit to God's forgiveness, if we repent and are
truly sorry for our sins, so there should be no hmit to
our forgiveness of others.

PRAYER AND THE LORD'S PRAYER 125
"Bring us not into temptation." — Lastly, the dis
ciples were to pray,
"Bring us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil."
Jesus had been through temptation. He knew what it
means for one's faith to be tried. He also knew that,
very often, what tests people's faith the most is not a
desire to sin, but some trouble, sickness, or misfortune.
They often feel that God doesn't care for them, that He
is not interested in them, if He permits them to suffer.
So the disciples were told to pray that they might not
be led into the trial of their faith, but be delivered from
all evil.
No one should suppose that God sends temptation.
When anyone feels the desire to do wrong, to disobey
God, it is something within himself that makes the
temptation possible. God is, rather, the One who
strengthens us to resist temptation and remain true to
Him. He wants His children to be brave, strong, obe
dient, and loyal; and He gives them the power to over
come all temptation. We must ask Him for it, and we
must use it!
Conclusion. — It will do us httle good to study the
teaching of Jesus or the Lord's Prayer unless we make
use of it in our daily lives. It doesn't make any boy a
good mechanic merely to hsten to a lecture on manual
training. One doesn't become a Boy Scout simply by
reading a book on Scouting. One learns only by doing.
And that is just what Jesus said:
"It is not everyone who calls me Master, who is
going to enter the Kingdom of God, but only the one
who does the will of my Father in heaven." — Mat
thew 7:21.

126 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
The best way to learn Jesus' teaching — to know what it
really means — is to obey it. The way to learn the mean
ing of the Lord's Prayer is to use it every day. It should
be the model and pattern for all our prayers.
STUDY TOPICS
i. Memorize the Lord's Prayer, if you have not already
done so. Find and read carefully at least one other
prayer offered by Jesus. See Luke 10:21; 22:42;
John 11:41; 17: 1-26; Luke 23: 46.
2. Did Jesus often pray? What is prayer? — give the
briefest definition you can. Is it asking God to
give us whatever we want? What habits of prayer
have you formed?
3. Explain each of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer.
4. How did Jesus define the Kingdom of God? Was this
what his people expected at that time?
5. What is the proper spirit in which to pray? Why
should we forgive others before we pray for the for
giveness of our own sins? Read Matthew 5 : 23-24.
6. Look up and read the story that Jesus told about the
two men who went up to the temple to pray (Luke
18:9-14). Describe these two men in your own
words. What was the fault of the first man? What
was the virtue of the second ?
7. Look up the story which Jesus told Peter when he
asked how often he was to forgive the person who
offended him (Matthew 18: 21-35). Tell it in your
own words.

MOUNT OF OLIVES

CHAPTER XVIII
TRUST IN OUR HEAVENLY FATHER
In those days people often thought that God was
unwilling to take care of them. The Kingdom had not
yet appeared. They were still paying taxes every year
to the Romans. And whenever the harvest was poor
they thought that God was angry with them.
The Pharisees said that God did not love them be
cause they were sinful and did not keep the Law per
fectly. If they wanted God to be good to them, and
send the Messiah to be their King, they must carefully
obey the Law, go to the temple more regularly, avoid
the defilement of certain kinds of food, and keep away
from their Gentile neighbors.
JESUS' TEACHING ABOUT GOD
Jesus' whole idea of rehgion was different fom this.
To be sure, men must keep the Law — but that meant
loving your neighbor, forgiving your enemy, keeping
peace and avoiding quarrels; it meant telling the truth,
becoming pure in mind and heart as well as deed; it
meant being, humble and not proud, thinking httle of
one's self and much of others. That was obeying the
Law as God expected His children to obey it.
God is a loving Father. — For God is not a stern
king, like the far-away emperor in Rome, who sent
decrees which must be obeyed or people would be pun
ished. He is their Father; and His Law showed the
way in which men can be truly happy. If they keep
this Law, then God's Kingdom will come indeed. If
127

128 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
people will do this they shall be allowed to enter the
Kingdom when it comes.
Since God is our Father, and "knows what we need
before we ask Him," people ought not to worry over
everything as they do, over money and clothes and
positions. If they will just do their part, faithfully and
well, and trust in God, He will take care of them. In
stead of "laying up treasures on earth, where moth and
rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal,"
men ought to "lay up treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust consume, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also" (Matthew 6: 19-21). 1
"No man can serve two masters — for either he
will hate one of them and love the other, or else
obey one and despise the other. You cannot serve
God and mammon (riches).
"And so I say, Do not be anxious over your affairs
— over what to eat or drink or wear. Is not life more
than food, and the body more than raiment?
"See the birds of the air! They do not sow or
reap or gather into barns; and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of much more value
than they?
"And why are you anxious over raiment? See the
lilies in the fields, how they grow. They do not toil ,
nor spin. And yet I tell you that even Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If
God so clothes' the wild flowers of the field, which
blossom to-day and to-morrow are burned in the
oven, will He not much more clothe you? Why do
you not trust Him?
"Therefore, do not burden yourselves with cares,
saying, 'What shall we eat?' or, 'What shall we
drink?' or, 'Wherewithal shall we be clothed?'

TRUST IN OUR HEAVENLY FATHER 129
After all these things do the Gentiles seek. But
your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Instead, seek first His Kingdom and His righteous
ness; and all things needful shall be added unto
you." — Matthew 6: 24-33.
JESUS' OWN EXAMPLE
Whatever Jesus taught he also put in practice. So
it was with these words about trust in God.
Crossing the lake. — One evening, after he had been
teaching the people on the shore of the lake, he said to
his disciples, "Let us go across to the other side." So
they set out. Soon the sun disappeared, and the twi
light came on, and the stars began to shine. As they
sailed on through the night Jesus fell asleep with his
head on the steersman's rough mat in the stern of the
boat. For he was tired out after his day of teaching
and healing, constantly surrounded by the multitude.
The storm. — On the Lake of Galilee one never knew
when a storm would come. Any journey was likely to
be mterrupted by a squall. All of a sudden the cold
wind dashed down from the mountain tops of Hermon
and Lebanon into the hollow basin of the lake, where
during the day the atmosphere had become hot and
sultry. In a few moments the calm lake was covered
with waves, and the boat was at the mercy of wind and
storm. The water, pouring over its sides, began to fill
the httle vessel. The disciples were thoroughly alarmed.
Jesus' faith. — StiU Jesus slept. He had no fears.
Safe in his Father's keeping, he could sleep like a little
child. But the frightened disciples awoke him. "Mas
ter, Master," they cried out, "we are perishing!" Jesus
arose and calmly spoke to the wind and waves, saying,
"Peace, be still." The wind ceased, the waves grew less

130 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
violent, and there was a great calm. Then turning to
the disciples, he asked, "Where is your faith?" But
they were still frightened, and made no answer. In
stead, they marveled, saying one to another, "Who then
is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"
THE SECRET OF JESUS' COURAGE
That was the faith which Jesus taught and which he
lived every day of his hfe. People do not suddenly be
come brave in the midst of danger, as in storms and at
fires. They have to be brave all the time. When the
danger comes they are ready. This is what Scouting
teaches, "Be prepared."
What gave Jesus his courage in danger was his faith
and trust in God at all times. Was he afraid of the
Pharisees and their plans to undo his work? Not at aU!
Was he afraid of Herod, who had put John in prison and
might imprison him also? Not in the least. And we
shall see how his courage never failed him, even when
he stood unjustly condemned before Pilate, and knew
that he was to be crucified.
This faith, or trust in God, was just what the people
in Gahlee needed. Their religion was one of fear, and
their lives were full of anxiety. When Jesus looked at
the multitudes following him he was "moved with com
passion for them, for they were distressed and scattered
like sheep without a shepherd." So he said to his fol
lowers one day,
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me. For I am meek and lowly in
heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls. For
my yoke is easy and my burden is hght." — Matthew
11:28-30.

TRUST IN OUR HEAVENLY FATHER 131
That was one secret of Jesus' courage and strength —
his trust in God. That is what he wanted his followers
to learn.
To "take his yoke" meant to accept his teaching and
foUow his example. That is what the people in Gahlee
needed most to learn. Do you think there are any peo
ple to-day who need to learn it?
STUDY TOPICS
1. Why had the people of Palestine come to think that
God was no longer willing to care for them ? Is it pos
sible for us to make the same mistake to-day ?
2. What did Jesus teach about the way in which the Law
should be kept? Does this teaching stiU hold for us
now?
3. What did Jesus mean by "treasures iri heaven"?
What does "mammon" mean?
4. How does Jesus' action in the storm on the lake teach
us the secret of true courage?
5. Read Luke n : 5-13 ; 12 : 13-34. This assignment con
tains Luke's version of the part of the Sermon on
the Mount we are now studying. Note the bearing
of each passage on the teaching about trust in God.
6. Select from the Bible passages quoted in this chapter
the several sentences you like best and memorize
them.

CHAPTER XIX
THE TWO HOUSES
Like some persons to-day, the Pharisees thought
there were two kinds of people in the world; one kind
whom God loves, the other whom He does not love.
The good kind, whom God loves, were the faithful
keepers of the Law, the "true Israel." The bad kind
were the Gentiles or "heathen," and those Jews —
worse than heathen — who never troubled themselves to
learn the Law and so failed to keep it. And "the Law"
meant to the Pharisees not only the commandments,
but also their added ceremonies and rules.
Now there really are both good people and bad peo
ple in the world, although most people are neither ex
tremely good nor terribly bad. But what distinguishes
good from bad, said Jesus, is not learning the rules and
observing the ceremonies of the Pharisees. For people
might know a very great deal about religion, and yet
fail to put it in practice. That was one grave fault of
the Pharisees. They talked about religion all the time,
but they "neglected the weightiest matters of the Law:
justice and mercy and faith."
WHAT MAKES A PERSON "GOOD"?
What distinguishes the good man from the bad, said
Jesus, is this: the good man does what he knows to be
right. He is not satisfied with talking about it. He
has to put it into practice.
"By their fruits." — Among the followers of Jesus
there were some persons who truly loved God and who
132

THE TWO HOUSES 133
were fit to enter His Kingdom; while there were also
others who needed first to repent before they could
enter. How did Jesus tell the difference between them?
His way was very simple. He said:
"By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men
gather grapes of thorn-bushes, or figs of brambles?
"Even so, every good tree brings forth good fruit;
but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can
not bring forth bad fruit, nor a bad tree good fruit.
. . . Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
— Matt. 7: 16-20.
The two houses. — Then he told his hearers a story
to show stiU more clearly what he meant. For he meant
that there is all the difference in the world between a
man or woman or boy or girl who actually tries to do
what is right, and the person who admires Jesus' beau
tiful teaching and yet never puts it in practice.
Two men were building houses beside a river. One
of them dug down to the solid rock and laid his foun
dation. It took a long time and a good deal of work
to buUd his house in that way. But when he had it
finished it was a weU-built house.
Shortly after he had finished his house there came a
great storm. The wind roared, the rain fell in torrents,
the waters of the river rose and beat against the walls
of the house. But the walls held, and little damage was
done to the property.
The other man, who was careless and lazy, buUt his
house — of all places! — on the sand. He built no foun
dation, but just started his waUs on the ground. He
used good stone, and when he had finished the house it
looked as weU as his neighbor's. People passing by,
unless they were told that his house had no foundation,
would never have suspected it.

134 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
But what happened to this house when the great
storm came? The waters rose, the sand was washed
away, and great holes began t to appear beneath the
walls. The storm continued, and it was not long until
the house fell in — a complete ruin. All the labor of
building it was wasted. No house remained to shelter
the man and his family — only a tumbled heap of stone
mixed with sand. It was because it lacked a foundation
that it went to pieces.
The man who built a foundation is the man who
comes to me, said Jesus, and hears my words and does
them. But the man who hears and does them not — he
is the man whose house fell in. The foundation is doing
what you know to be right.
THE LAST JUDGMENT
Not talking about religion, but doing the will of God:
that is what counts, according to the teaching of Jesus.
You remember his question, "Why do you call me
Master and not do what I say? Not everyone who
calls me 'Lord' will enter God's Kingdom, but only
those who do the will of my Father in heaven."
Doing the will of God. — People often spoke of the
Kingdom of God, how wonderful it would be, how
happy those who entered it, how glad they would be to
serve the Messiah, their king, and obey his commands.
One day a woman said to him, as she heard him teach
ing about the Kingdom, "Blessed are they that shall
eat bread in the Kingdom of God." Quickly he turned
to her and said, in gentle words which nevertheless gave
her a great deal to think over, "Yes; but even more
blessed are those who hear the word of God and do it!"
The parable. — One time Jesus told a story to show
how God would reward those who not only wished to

THE TWO HOUSES 135
mimster'to the King Messiah when he came, but also
help those in need while they waited. He described the
coming of the Messiah, as people expected it to be — in
glory, surrounded with aU the angels of God, sitting
upon his throne to hold the last judgment. Before him
were to be gathered aU the nations, which he would
separate into good and bad as a shepherd divides his
sheep from the goats. The sheep were to be gathered
on his right hand, and the goats on his left.
"Then shall the King say unto those on his right
hand, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food ;
I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger
and you took me in; naked and you clothed me;
sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you
came unto me.'
"Then shall the righteous answer him and say,
'Lord, .when did we see you hungry and feed you?
or thirsty and give you a drink? and when did we see
you a stranger and take you in? or naked and clothe
you? and when did we see you sick or in prison and
came to you?'
"And the King shall answer them, 'Truly I say
to you, Inasmuch as you did it unto one of these my
brethren, even the least, you did it unto me.'
"Then shall he say also to those on the left hand,
'Depart from me! . . . For I was hungry and you
gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave
me no drink; I was a stranger and you turned me
away; naked and you did not clothe me; sick and
you did not visit me.'
"Then shaU they also answer, saying, 'Lord, when
did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or
naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to
you?'

136 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"He wdl answer them, 'Truly, I tell you, inasmuch
as you did it not unto one of the least of these my
brethren, you did it not unto me.'
"And these shall go away into punishment; but
the righteous into life eternal." — Matthew 25 : 34-46.
The real test of righteousness, which will be the test
in the final judgment, is not merely knowing, but know
ing and doing. To know the Law is not enough; we
must keep it. To know that we ought to love our
neighbors is not enough; we must really love them. To
know that we ought to be unselfish, and share our good
things with other boys and girls who do not enjoy our
privileges — merely to know this amounts to nothing: we
must also do it! STUDY TOPICS
1. Tell the story of the two housebuilders. What does it
mean? Memorize Matthew 7:21 and 24-27.
2. Explain: "By their fruits ye shall know them."
3. Look up James 1 : 22-27. What is the difference be
tween the man who merely admires Jesus' teaching,
or who talks all the time about religion, and the one
who actually does the wiU of God ?
4. Look up Matthew 21: 28-31. Do you see any con
nection that this has with our lesson?
5. TeU the story of the Parable of the Last Judgment,
given in this chapter.
6. Read Matthew 25 : 14-29. What does the story found
there have to do with our lesson?
7. Can you think of any other sayings of Jesus which we
have read which show his teaching on this subject?

CHAPTER XX
A VISIT TO NAZARETH
The news about Jesus which spread aU over the
country had reached Nazareth soon after his teaching
and healing in the synagogue at Capernaum. Travelers
may have brought the news, or people from Nazareth
may have heard it when they went down to Capernaum
to seU a load of fruit or a skin or two of wine. Nat
uraUy, they wondered if Jesus would come home and
preach in Nazareth also.
JESUS REVISITS HIS OLD HOME
"His fame went out through all the region round
about," says Saint Luke (4: 14-15), "and he taught in
their synagogues, being honored by aU." And yet he had
never been back to Nazareth since the day when he left
home to go and hear John the prophet and to be bap
tized by him! As he taught in the synagogues of the
vUlages and cities round about, he must have pictured
to himself the congregation in the synagogue at home,
where he had worshiped for almost thirty years, where
he knew everyone, and where everyone knew and — he
was sure — cared for him.
In the synagogue. — Accompanied by the Twelve, he
made his way up to Nazareth. On the Sabbath he went
to the synagogue, as his custom was, and stood up to
read the lessons. The sexton took down the sacred
scroll from the "ark" and handed it to him. It was the
Book of the Prophet Isaiah. He unroUed the book and
began to read: 137

r38 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me;
He has anointed me to preach good tidings to
the poor,
To bind up the brokenhearted.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the cap
tives,
And recovery of sight to the blind;
To set at liberty the captives,
And proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord!"
— Isaiah 6r : 1-2.
The Scripture fulfilled. — Then he rolled up the
book, fastened the clasps of the handles, gave it back
to the attendant, and sat down. The rabbi always sat
to teach, and so did Jesus. The eyes of all in the syna
gogue were fixed upon him. This was to be his first
sermon in the home synagogue. Everyone was listen
ing intently to hear every word he said. He began by
saying, "This passage of Scripture has just been ful
filled — even while you were hearing me read it. The
Day of the Lord is really here at last. The Spirit of
God has been given and It has come upon me. Just
as John was the 'Voice in the Wilderness,' described by
Isaiah, so I am the one upon whom the Spirit has been
sent, likewise described by the ancient prophet."
What his hearers thought. — They had been pleased
with his sermon thus far, and marveled at his gracious
words. And they wondered, "How is it possible for
Jesus to teach in this way?" Never had they heard him
speak thus before — nor had they ever heard anyone
else speak in this way.
But some said to themselves, "Whence has he such
wisdom? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Joseph
and Mary? We know him and his whole family. His
own brothers are right here — James and Joses and

A VISIT TO NAZARETH 139
Judas and Simon — and his sisters too! It is absurd for
him to claim that God has sent him to fulfiU the proph
ecy. We wiU not hsten to him!"
Jesus is interrupted. — So they interrupted his ser
mon and would not aUow him to finish.
But Jesus calmly rephed to them, "Some day you wiU
come to me with the words of the proverb, 'Physician,
heal thyself'; you wiU beg of me, 'Whatever we have
heard done at Capernaum, do here also in your own
home.' But no prophet is honored in his own country
or by his own fannly: only strangers appreciate his
message. "Was Elijah honored in Israel? No — there were many
widows in Israel in his days, when famine lasted for
three years and a half; but the prophet could help no
one in Israel. He had to go to Zarephath, near Sidon,
outside the Holy Land, where he brought God's blessing
upon a poor Gentile.
"It was just as true in the days of Elisha. There
were lepers enough in Israel; but it was Naaman, a
Syrian, who came to him for help."
He is cast out of the synagogue. — This was more
than the congregation could stand! It was bad enough
to have their viUage carpenter claiming to have a mes
sage from God and to be the fulfiUer of prophecy. But
to hear him say that God preferred Gentiles above the
chUdren of Israel — whether or not it had been true in
the days of the old prophets — they would not hsten to
such doctrine now.
Can you imagine people thus hating Jesus and de
spising his teaching? Can you realize what prejudice
and bigotry and meanness mastered the congregation
that day in the Nazareth synagogue?
They .were aU "fiUed with wrath," and led him out to

140 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
the brow of the hill on which Nazareth was built in order
to throw him down headlong. The very hUltop where
he had played as a boy and watched the caravans in
the valley! And the angry men about him had once
been his playfellows, long ago!
Jesus unafraid — But he looked them straight in the
eye without the tremor of a single muscle. His very
attitude made them afraid to touch him. Without a
word, he passed through the crowd and went his way.
The one who had slept in the boat while the storm
raged, and who not only was unafraid himself, but could
also make others brave, was not likely to quail before
his one-time neighbors when they turned against him.
THE RESULTS OF HIS VISIT
In Nazareth "he could do no mighty work," says the
Gospel according to Mark, "except that he laid his
hands upon a few sick persons and healed them. And
he marveled at their unbelief" (Mark 6: 5-6).
The suspicion of his neighbors. — The people of
Nazareth, as a whole, had turned against him. They
could not beheve that Jesus, whom they had known
from boyhood, had a mission from God. It is often so:
the great man — poet, preacher, inventor, statesman — is
not appreciated by his own neighbors, who ought to
know him best.
Their disbelief soon passed into suspicion, and then
into gossip and slander. They said, "He cannot be in
his right mind. He has gone insane over this idea of
the Kingdom of God which John preached. For he is
no rabbi or prophet, but only a carpenter."
The Hbel, "By Beelzebub."— The Pharisees, who
were now doing all they could to ruin Jesus, welcomed
the story of his rejection in Nazareth. The slander

A VISIT TO NAZARETH 141
that he was insane was soon repeated by the Pharisees,
and of course they added to it.
It was impossible to deny that Jesus heaied people.
Everyone knew that. But the scribes and Pharisees
asked, "Where did he get his power to heal? He says,
'The Spirit of God is upon me.' But don't you beheve
him! His power comes from the strongest of all the
evU spirits, Beelzebub." Thus they did not deny his
"mighty works," but they explained them as done by
power received from the devU.
Jesus' answer. — Jesus' answer was simple and rea
sonable. If anyone was fair and honest in mind and
not afraid to disagree with the scribes and Pharisees
he could not help being persuaded.
"Do the scribes say that I cast out demons by the
power of a demon? How can Satan cast out Satan?
If Satan — or Beelzebub, or whatever name they give
the prince of darkness — is casting out Satan, how
long wiU his kingdom last? If he has aheady turned
against himself, it is clear that the kingdom of evil
is at an end.
"They say that I cast out demons by the power of
a demon. By whose power, then, do their own
disciples cast out evil spirits? Therefore, they shall
be theh judges.
"But if my statement is true, and instead of heal
ing the sick by the power of Satan, I really am doing
it by the power of God, then surely this proves that
the Kingdom of God is coming to pass. For Satan's
kingdom is being destroyed. And when Satan's
reign is ended, God's reign wiU be complete.
"They say that I cast out demons by the power of
a demon. Do they mean that to heal the sick, cure
the insane, convert the sinful, is working for Satan
and not for God? That is blasphemy! It is not a

i42 THE LIFE. AND TIMES OF JESUS
slander against me : it is a libel against the' goodness
and mercy of Godl" — Matthew 12: 24-32.
The scribes never replied to that argument.
Jesus' family becomes alarmed.— A terrible con
flict seemed at hand. The people of Galilee, outside
Nazareth, welcomed Jesus and loved him. Great crowds
gathered about him wherever he went. But the au
thorities, the scribes and Pharisees, were determined to
put him out of the way. Either they must get him
out of the way, they felt, before his influence grew any
greater, or he would succeed, and that would be the
end of their hold upon the people.
His own family became alarmed over him. It might
be true that he was "beside himself." The strain of
overwork, the constant teaching and healing, the de
mands of the crowd about him, may have worn him
out. The enthusiasm of the movement begun by John,
the ardent preparation for the coming of God's King
dom, may have carried him too far. And they had
seen the danger he was in, the Sabbath he spent at
Nazareth. Thus they thought. They feared for his safety. So
his mother and brothers went down to Capernaum,
whither he had returned after leaving Nazareth, in
order to bring him home. Here they found him, in a
house, surrounded as usual by a multitude of listeners.
So they sent in word that they had come for him.
Someone said to him, "Behold, your mother and your
brothers are outside, waiting to see you." But he
merely rephed, " 'My mother and my brothers?' — Be
hold, these are my mother and my brothers, right here
before me. For whoever shall do the will of God, the
same is my brother and sister and mother!"
Even his own family had failed to understand him!

A VISIT TO NAZARETH 143
Even their kindness and good intentions were mistaken,
for they did not beheve his message!
STUDY TOPICS
1. Review Chapter -3 for the location and description of
Nazareth.
2. Who were Elijah and Elisha? Who was Naaman?
See 1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 5.
3. Describe Jesus' visit to Nazareth, and tell its results.
Read Luke 4: 16-31.
4. What was Jesus' answer to the charge that he healed
the sick by the power of Beelzebub ?
5. Why was Jesus' faimly alarmed about him?
6. What did Jesus mean when he said that his true fam-
Uy was made up of those who hear the word of God
and do His will?
7. Memorize Isaiah 61: 1-2.
8. Tell how Jesus' work of teaching and heahng was a
fulfillment of the prophecy.

CHAPTER XXI
A MESSAGE FROM JOHN
After John was cast into prison by Herod Antipas
(see Chapter 8), his disciples carried on his work of
teaching and baptizing. The tetrarch was "keeping
John safe" in prison, so he said, from the schemes of the
wicked Herodias. Accordingly, the prophet's disciples
were permitted to visit him from time to time, and
bring him reports of their own work and news of the
outside world. Of course, they told him about Jesus,
the wonderful accounts of his teaching which had come
to them, and of his healing the sick. Everyone said,
"A great prophet has risen up among us: God has vis
ited His people at last!"
john's messengers
John had preached, as you remember, that "one
mightier" than himself was soon to come and hold the
judgment and set up God's Kingdom on earth. As he
lay in prison, now, pondering what his disciples told
him from time to time about Jesus, he began to wonder
if this could be the one whose coming he had been sent
to proclaim. True, this was not the way the Messiah
was expected to come by the people generaUy. Nor
had he himself looked for such a Messiah. For Jesus
was not a judge, but a teacher. He did not seem much
like a man separating trodden wheat from chaff, shovel
in hand, tossing the threshed grain into the wind— as
John had described the Messiah. Instead, he was more
like a sower, scattering seed, waiting for it to take root
in the hearts of men. 144

A MESSAGE FROM JOHN 145
StiU, Jesus might be the Messiah, after all; or at least
another prophet, like himself; or perhaps he was the
"Messenger of the Covenant," whom God was to send
before the "great and terrible Day" of His own coming.
"Are you the Messiah?" — So he chose out two of
his trusted disciples, and sent them to Jesus with the
simple message, "Art thou he that cometh, or shall we
look for another?"
When the men came they found Jesus, as usual,
surrounded by the people. He was teaching and heal
ing; for the sick and afflicted came or were brought to
him in great numbers from every quarter. While the
disciples of John stood there, they saw with their own
eyes what was taking place. The sick were actually
made weU, the helpless made strong.
Jesus' reply. — Jesus' reply was as simple as John's
question. "Go your way, and teU John what you yourselves
have seen and heard. The blind receive their sight,
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good
news preached to them." — Luke 7: 22.
They could see with their own eyes that the prophecy
of Isaiah, which Jesus had read in the synagogue at
Nazareth, was being fulfiUed. This was the proof that
John needed. But Jesus would not say yet whether he
was the Christ or not. This was not for pubhc informa
tion. To teU it broadcast would mean the end of his
ministry at once. For he was not the kind of a Messiah
that everyone expected.
But let John not give up hope! Others might mis
understand and disbelieve, but let John take courage.
So Jesus added this tender message to the imprisoned

146 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
prophet, "Tell him, 'Blessed is he who finds no occasion
for stumbling in me.' "
And to his -own disciples Jesus said, "Blessed are the
eyes that see the things that you see; and the ears that
shear what you hear! For I tell you that many prophets
and kings have desired to see the things that you see
and have not seen them, and to hear the things that
you hear, and, have not heard them."
JESUS' WORDS ABOUT JOHN
What the prophet said when his disciples returned
with Jesus' message we do not know. No doubt he was
cheered in his lonely cell by the news of Jesus' mighty
works, and by Jesus' assurance that they were really
signs of the coming Kingdom.
Who is John? — When the messengers had departed
Jesus began to say to the multitudes,
"What is it that you went out into the wUderness to
see? There are acres of wfld reeds out there, shak
ing in the wind — but surely you did not go out to
look at them! Or did you go out to look at some
man clothed in soft raiment? Hardly! — such sights
are to be seen nearer home, in the courts of kings,
where they wear gorgeous apparel and live deli
cately every day.
"What reauy did you go out to see? A prophet? —
Yes, and I teU you, much more than a prophet! For
this is none other than the one of whom it is written,
" 'Behold, I send My messenger before thy face,
Who shall prepare the way before thee,'.,
— he has come as the Messiah's herald.
"He was no quivering reed — did anyone ever see
him tremble before Herod and his wicked wife? He
was no luxury-loving courtier — his clothing was
rough and his food the plainest. Who was he then?

A MESSAGE FROM JOHN 147
— none other than God's own messenger; he was
the 'Messenger of the Covenant.'
"He was Elijah returned to earth, as the Book of
Malachi says. He was sent 'to turn the hearts of
the fathers to the chUdren, and the hearts of the
children to theh fathers,' the great Converter, whom
the rabbis say must come just before the Messiah
arrives." — Luke 7 : 24-27.
a prophet's fate
Even though John was in prison, he was stiU God's
Messenger. For that was the way men had always
treated God's messengers — by persecution, imprison
ment, stoning, death. It even began to appear that
some such end might be awaiting Jesus himself.
Herod Antipas had tried to excuse himself for im
prisoning John when he said that he did it to "keep
him safe." But the excuse was false, and the day soon
arrived when this became evident.
Herod's birthday feast. — The tetrarch's birthday
came around, and a great banquet was given in his
honor at Tiberias. The officers of the government and
of the army, friends and acquaintances from other parts
of the province, rich and prominent Gentiles doing
business in Gahlee — all these were invited.
Part of the entertainment was a dance performed by
the beautiful daughter of Herodias, Salome — who was
Herod's niece (and now step-daughter by his unlawful
marriage with Herodias). Herod was greatly pleased
with her dancing, and so were his guests. Half-drunk,
and not realizing what he said, he promised with an
oath to give the girl anything she asked, up to the half
of his kingdom. It was the foohsh promise of a brutal
and powerful man with just enough conscience to make
him keep it.

148 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Salome hardly knew what to say to the king, and so
she asked her mother. "What shall I ask him to give
me?" she said. The wicked Herodias saw that at last
the opportunity had come for her to take vengeance on
John. She rephed, "Ask him to give you the head of
John the Baptist!"
John beheaded. — It was too late for Herod to take
back his promise. Even though he was secretly sorry,
he wanted to be a "good fellow" and a "sport" in the
eyes of his guests. So he sent a soldier to comply with
Salome's request. John was beheaded in prison. "And
when his disciples heard thereof, they came and took
up his body and laid it in a tomb."
Such was the end of the greatest man of his genera
tion next to Jesus: "a prophet and more than a prophet,"
God's own messenger to His people and the herald of
the coming of the Messiah. He had been "Elijah come
again," as the angel had said before he was born (Luke
i:i5-i7)- He was slain to satisfy the whim of a child not old
enough to know what she wanted; to satisfy the lust
for vengeance of a wicked, intriguing woman; to enable
a brutal, half-drunken tyrant to keep his silly word.
In such a world as that do you wonder that Jesus
foresaw what might be his own fate? But no more than
John had been was Jesus one who put his own safety
ahead of the work for God which he had undertaken.
That came first, whatever Herod Antipas or the scribes
and Pharisees might try to do to him.
STUDY TOPICS
1. What did John's disciples do after the prophet was
cast into prison?
2. Tell why John was imprisoned.

A MESSAGE FROM JOHN 149
What was Jesus' answer to the messengers from John ?
Explain its significance.
What was meant by the identification of John with
Elijah? What was Elijah expected to do when he
returned to earth, according to the hopes of the
people? Look up Malachi 4: 5-6.
Tell the story of Herod's birthday dinner and the
death of John.

CHAPTER XXII
TEACHING BY PARABLES
About the oldest things in the world are stories.
Long before the pyramids of Egypt were built people
told stories— and some of them are now found in the
Bible. Long before there were any Greek poets, people
told the stories which now are found in Homer. And
the stories of ^Esop — "^Esop's Fables" — are among the
very oldest stories in the whole world: they were told in
Greece and Egypt and Persia and India long before
men began to write books.
The stories of ^Esop are called "fables" because they
were made up for the purpose of teaching certain les
sons. The "parables" of Jesus are somewhat like
"fables," only they are more beautiful and more like
what really happens. Jesus did not, like vEsop, imagine
that trees and animals can talk. The stories he told
were about things which happen around us every day
of our lives.
Jesus constantly used parables in his teaching. It
was hard for his hearers to understand unless he used
such stories. And thus also they remembered what he
taught them much better than when he preached from
the Law. Who could forget the ending of the Sermon
on the Mount, Jesus' story of the two houses?
A DAY OF PARABLES
After Jesus' death someone, perhaps it was Peter,
remembered a day when Jesus sat by the lakeside and
taught the people "many things in parables." Some of
150

TEACHING BY PARABLES 151
those parables have been preserved in the gospels (Mark
4, Matthew 13, Luke 8), and we are going to study them
in this chapter.
Beside the sea. — We can imagine what that day was
like. It was stiU summer. People were following Jesus
in crowds, having come long distances from their homes
to see and hear him. So great was the crowd on this
particular day that he could not be heard by all as they
gathered about him on the shore. So he entered a boat
and sat out on the water a few feet from land.
The Parable of the Sower .—He was teaching them,
as usual, about the Kingdom of God, about the right
way in which to prepare for its coming, about the kind
of persons God wants for its members, about the way
in which it wiU come. And he told them this story:
"Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and it
came to pass, as he sowed, some of the seed fell by
the wayside, and birds came and devoured it. Some
feU on stony ground, where it had but little earth;
and at once it sprang up, because it had no depth of
earth. But when the sun arose, it was scorched;
and because it had no root, it withered away. Still
other seed feU among thorns; and the thorns grew
up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Only a
part of the seed fell upon good ground, where it
took root and grew up and produced thirty, sixty,
and even a hundred-fold.
"He that has ears to hear, let him hear." — Mark
4:3-9-
What did Jesus mean by this parable? What do the
different kinds of soil represent?
Any day in spring you could see the sowers going
about over the fields scattering their millet and barley
seed. But Jesus was not talking 'about such seed.

152 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"He that has ears to hear, let him hear!" One must
try to understand what he meant. The disciples were
not sure that they understood, and so they asked what
the parable signified.
The different kinds of soil, Jesus told them, represent
different kinds of people. They all hear the message of
Jesus, but some respond and some do not. Some hear,
and pay no attention — like the soil in which the seed
does not even take root. Others hear, and "endure for
a little whUe"; but as soon as trouble or opposition
arises they give up — like the soil which the hot sun
dries up into clods, withering the tiny roots of the
plants. StiU others, who are like the thorny, weed-
covered sofl, hear the message about God and His
Kingdom; but they are proud and self-satisfied and
indifferent; the seed is choked and dies. Only a few
bear fruit — but these bear thirty, sixty, a hundredfold!
These are the persons who "hear the word of God and
do it"; they are the ones whom Jesus described in the
Beatitudes, in the story of the two houses (the wise
house-builder), and whom he called his true family,
"brothers and sisters and mother."
The Parable of the Mustard Seed. — But how
great is the harvest even from the few seeds which fall
on good soU, and sprout and spring up and produce
the crop! The beginning is small, the result is great.
So is the Kingdom of God. Only a few persons really
heed the message. But God can always use the few.
He does not "despise the day of small things."
No one, in those days, expected the Kingdom of God
to start with a few — they expected it to come suddenly,
like lightning perhaps; or with an army of soldiers, and
a great war; with a, king in Jerusalem, and angels fight
ing for them in the skies. But Jesus knew that God's

TEACHING BY PARABLES 153
Kingdom was not to come in that way. God could use
even the smaU beginnings, the few persons among
Jesus' crowd of followers who were reaUy true disciples.
"The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed;
when it is sown, it is the smallest of aU seeds. But
when the mustard plant grows up it is larger than
any other shrub. It puts forth great branches and
becomes a tree, so that the birds of heaven come
and lodge in it." — Mark 4: 31-32.
The Seed Growing Secretly. — How the seed grows,
no one can tell. It is buried in the earth, warmed by
the sun, moistened by the rain. After a while the tiny
roots reach down deeper into the soil, and the stalk
pushes up toward the air and the sunlight. Day by day
it grows, until at last it ripens, and the harvest comes.
But no one can teU how or why it has grown!
That also is like the Kingdom of God. Its beginnings
are smaU, hke a tiny seed. No one can force it to grow,
no one can keep it from growing. Just as God makes
the grass and the grain to grow, said Jesus, so He is
bringing His Kingdom to pass. You cannot see it com
ing, for it comes very slowly, like the grain growing in
the fields; but nothing can hinder its coming — for it is
God Himself who is bringing it to pass.
"Fhst the blade, then the ear, then the full grain
in the ear: at last comes the harvest!" — Mark 4:
28-29.
Other parables. — Then he told other parables to
show how men ought to welcome the message of the
Kingdom of God, how they ought to make every sacri
fice which might be necessary for them to enter it.
"It is like a man finding treasure buried in a field.
When he finds it, he puts it back, and then goes and

154 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
seUs all that he has and buys the field. For the
treasure, which will then be his, is worth many
times the price he pays for the field.
"Or it is like a merchant seeking goodly pearls.
When he finds one pearl of great price, he goes and
sens aU that he has, and buys it." — Matthew 13:
44-46.
Preparation for the Kingdom of God. — That is
how men ought to prepare for the Kingdom of God.
When they hear about it they ought to try by every
means in their power to enter it, to get possession of it.
Some persons may have to sell their goods and give to
the poor; some may have to restore what they have
wrongfully taken away from others; some may have to
confess their sins, and ask forgiveness; some may have
to begin all over again, and hve pure, upright, conscien
tious lives before God and their neighbors.
But whatever the price, it is not too much to pay for
the privilege of entering God's Kingdom and becoming
one of His children. For the Kingdom of God is worth
more than everything else in the world.
"What does it profit a man?" — Jesus asked the
question one time, "What does it profit a man to gain
the whole world, and then lose his life?"
That is just what people sometimes do. They sacri
fice their conscience for some pleasure — as when a boy
makes a false excuse in order to see a ball game, or
helps himseU to money or other things which do not
belong to him. For the sake of a little happiness right
now they make themselves untrustworthy for years to
come. Obedience and honesty may seem hard at the time,
but a clear conscience is worth everything. God wants
people who can be trusted as members of His Kingdom.

TEACHING BY PARABLES 155
A clear conscience is one test of the citizen of God's
Kingdom. STUDY TOPICS
1. What is the difference between a parable and a fable?
Show the difference between the fables of iEsop
and the parables of Jesus.
2. Why did Jesus use parables in his teaching?
3. Tell the story of the Parable of the Sower, and explain
it.
4. Give the Parable of the Mustard Seed in your own
words, and explain it.
5. TeU what Jesus said men must do to enter the King
dom of God.
6. What does it mean to have a clear conscience? What
is conscience?

CHAPTER XXIII
THE DISCIPLES' FAITH IN JESUS
The crime of Herod the tetrarch in beheading John
caused mourning throughout the nation. Some of those
who had received him as a prophet and accepted his
message and his baptism began to wonder if the Messiah
was really coming after all. His disciples now turned to
Jesus. He assured them that John indeed was the
promised Messenger, "Elijah who was to come," even
though men "had done unto him as they would."
Prophets had always been persecuted and many of
them put to death. THE PHARISEES' THREAT
The Pharisees did not mourn John's death. Instead,
they saw that his fate could be used to hinder the work
of Jesus. They could make it appear that John had
been mistaken about the coming of the Messiah, and
that Jesus was therefore likewise mistaken. And more
over, they could teU him that Herod would put him to
death in the same way unless he ceased preaching and
heahng. "Get thee hence!" — They succeeded in interesting
some of the courtiers of Herod Antipas in their scheme.
Herod himself was afraid of Jesus, and his conscience
troubled him somewhat over his crime against John.
When they told him about Jesus and his wonderful
works he became nervous and said, "This must be
John the Baptist, risen from the dead: therefore these
powers work in him." For he supposed that only a
156

THE DISCIPLES' FAITH IN JESUS 157
person risen from the grave could do such great works
as Jesus was doing.
But his courtiers, and the scribes and Pharisees, were
not superstitious (so at least they themselves thought) :
they hated Jesus, and this was their opportunity to
put him out of the way. So they sent him word, ¦
"Get out of Galilee at once! Herod is seeking to kill
you!" Jesus' answer. — Jesus was not alarmed. He knew
that his Father had given him work to do; and until it
was done Herod could do him no harm. So he replied,
"Go, tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and per
form cures to-day and to-morrow — and the third day
(that is, in a short time) I shall complete my work."
He would not give up till he had finished. When that
should be God would make clear to him.
This was a bold answer to send a king — especially a
petty king. For Herod was not really a king, but only
a tetrarch, or governor, under the oversight of the
Roman procurator. But the less his real power, the
greater was Herod's pride and his jealousy of what he
thought was his lawful authority.
Jesus withdraws for a time. — Nevertheless, Jesus
soon withdrew from southern or lower Galilee. He was
not afraid of Herod, as his answer shows. But the
time had not yet come to declare himself as the Mes
siah. To do so before the proper time arrived would
be fatal to the success of his work among the people.
From the day of his baptism he had been foUowing the
guidance of his Father. When the time should come
for him to make a pubhc statement of his Messiahship,
God would bring it about.
What faith, what patience, what real obedience this
required in Jesus!

158 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
NEAR CESAREA PHILIPPI
Jesus now went up into the mountain foothills of
northern Galilee." Here there were fewer towns than in
the south and around the lake. There were fewer Jews
and more GentUes among the people — Greeks and
Syrians, mostly. Heathen shrines and temples took the
place of synagogues.
Across the border. — He crossed the border into the
district around Caesarea Philippi. This city, called
"Philip's Cassarea," was so named to distinguish it
from the larger city of Caesarea on the Mediterranean
coast, south of Mount Carmel. It was a new city,
built by Philip in honor of Augustus Caesar, just as
his brother Antipas had built a city on the Lake of
Gahlee and named it Tiberias in honor of the Emperor
Tiberius. But Jesus and his disciples did not go into Caesarea.
They remained in the httle villages nearby. Even here
people had heard of Jesus and welcomed him. But he
did not intend to begin a new ministry here among the
Gentiles. Instead he planned to spend most of his time
with his disciples during the coming months of winter,
teaching them privately and preparing to return. For
he meant to return after a while — perhaps by spring —
to Gahlee; and then to go up to Jerusalem for the Feast
of the Passover.
"Who do men say that I am?" — One day, as they
were walking along the road, Jesus turned to his dis
ciples and asked, "Who do the multitudes say that I
am?" They replied, "Some say you are John the Baptist,
risen from the dead; some say you are Elijah — you, and
not John, since John has been put to death; others say

THE DISCIPLES' FAITH IN JESUS 159
that you are one of the old prophets come back to
earth." "But who do you say that I am?" he asked.
Peter answered at once and said, "You are the Mes
siah!" This was the first time that anyone had said to Jesus
that he was the Messiah — since the day of his baptism,
when he had heard the Voice from heaven. And al
though Peter meant that Jesus, as Messiah ("Christ"),
was to become a king and reign in Jerusalem over the
Jewish nation, still Jesus recognized his faith. "Blessed
art thou," he said, "Simon, son of Jona; for flesh and
blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who
is in heaven."
The divine revelation. — At last the hour had come
for which he had been waiting since his baptism and
temptation. He had refused Satan's suggestion to de
clare himself to be the Messiah. His work was to pre
pare men for the Kingdom; and he had determined to
wait, obediently and patiently, for his Father to make
known to the world who he himself really was. And
now God had revealed it to Peter. Jesus saw that the
time was at hand when he should step forth publicly
as the One sent by God for the salvation of His people.
JESUS THE MESSIAH
Perhaps the disciples had thought that Jesus was the
Messiah, even before Peter confessed his faith. But
they had not dared to say so. Peter was the first to
express this belief. It took real faith to make such a
confession. For at that very time Jesus was an exile
outside the Holy Land, in a region of Gentiles and
heathen — no one had ever yet dreamed that the Mes
siah might be outside the Holy Land.

160 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Nevertheless, Jesus bade the disciples not to tell
others that he was the Messiah. It was to be a secret.
For if the people heard of it they would try, in their
excitement, to start a revolution against the Romans
and make Jesus their king. And Jesus was not to be a
king; he was not that kind of a Messiah.
What kind of a Messiah was Jesus? — The Jews
expected the Messiah to be a king, as we have already
seen. He was to be a great ruler, like King David, de
scribed in the Old Testament (and so they called the
Messiah "the Son of David"); he would probably be a
warrior, like David, and conquer the enemies of Israel.
Or he might be a prophet, some said, who would know
all things; and, hke Moses, he would guide the people
through difficulty and trouble with his miracles and
inspired words.. Or he might perhaps be a priest, like
the great Simeon the Righteous; he would purify the
nation from its sin, and lead the people forever in per
fect observance of the Law.
Still others thought that the Messiah was the "one
like unto a son of man" whom Daniel had seen in his
vision (Daniel 7 : 13-14) — a heavenly, angelic being who
should descend from the sky with his angels, raise the
righteous dead from their graves, hold the judgment,
punish the wicked, and reign over the kingdom of the
risen righteous in a new world. There no death, nor
sickness, nor pain, nor poverty, nor storms, nor any
thing evil or defiling should be permitted to exist.
But none of those who were so ardently looking for
ward to the Messiah's corning expected him to be a
Teacher. No one thought he would go about from
place to place with a band of disciples, preaching in the
synagogues like a rabbi, talking to groups of men and
women and children wherever they gathered about him.

THE DISCIPLES' FAITH IN JESUS 161
Jesus the Teacher.— Yet that is the kind of a Mes
siah Jesus was. That is what he was led to become by
the guidance of his Father, when he "returned in the
Spirit" into Gahlee after his baptism and temptation,
and began his ministry among the people.
He was a Teacher. That is what the words mean,
which are used so frequently in the gospels — rabbi,
master, lord. And that is why he spent the greatest
part of his time in teaching, first the multitudes, and
then the Twelve.
And also that is one reason why he was rejected and
crucified. People wanted a king, a warrior who could
fight for them, or a prophet who could work miracles
for them, or a priest who could offer sacrifices for their
sins, or a heavenly Messiah seated on the clouds and sur
rounded by angels. They did not want one who should
be first of all a teacher, one who came to teU them their
faults and to help them to overcome them; to instruct
them in the way of righteousness; to make them be
honest with themselves and with God; to make them
think clearly and act sincerely and love their un
lovely neighbors. No; that seemed too humble — they
wanted a Messiah who should be more grand and
powerful. But the Messiah whom God sent them began his
work as a Teacher. STUDY TOPICS
i. Where did Jesus go when he left Galilee? See Mark
8:27.
2. TeU how the Pharisees undertook to use the fact of
John's death to get rid of Jesus. What did Jesus
do in response to their scheme?
3. Where was Caesarea Philippi? Who buUt the city?
And in whose honor was it named?

i62 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
4. What did the people think of Jesus, according to the
words of the disciples given above in the lesson?
5. What kind of a Messiah did the disciples expect Jesus
to become?
6. What kind of a Messiah was Jesus?

CHAPTER XXIV
ALONE WITH THE TWELVE
"And he began to teach that the Son of Man (the
Messiah) must suffer many things — and he spake
the saying openly."
This seemed the strangest of teachings! That the
Messiah must suffer and die, and then rise again — just
as the righteous were expected to rise again in order
to enter the Kingdom of God!
"Peter objected and began to contradict him. But
turning about, and seeing his disciples, he rebuked
Peter with the words, 'Get thee behind me, Satan!
Your mind is set on the things of men, not on the
things of God.'
"And he called to him the multitude with his dis
ciples, and said to them, 'If any man would come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross
and foUow me. Whoever would save his life shall
lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and
the gospel's shall save it. . . .
" 'For whoever shall be ashamed of me and of my
words in this sinful generation, the Son of Man also
shall be ashamed of him, when he comes in the
glory of his Father .with the holy angels.'
"And he said to them, 'I tell you truly, There are
some of those that stand here who shaU by no means
taste of death till they see the Kingdom of God
come with power.' " — Mark 8: 31 — 9: 1.
Is it not strange that the very same Peter who was
blessed when he confessed his faith in Jesus' Messiah-
163

164 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
ship should now be rebuked for contradicting his Mas
ter? But Peter still supposed that Jesus was to be the
kind of a Messiah the people expected — not the kind
Jesus knew himself to be.
JESUS APPROACHING DEATH
Strange as the teaching was, that the Messiah must
die and rise again; strange as it seemed to Peter that
Jesus himself must suffer, the Master saw it clearly.
He saw it in the "signs of the times," and he read it in
the Bible.
"The signs of the times." — John, the Messenger of
the Covenant, had been put to death. Herod Antipas,
who had slain him, was reported to be "anxious to see"
Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees had joined hands with
the "Herodians" to put Jesus out of the way, either to
cast him into prison or to procure his death. The peo
ple still flocked after Jesus, but they came expecting to
see signs and wonders, to witness wonderful cures, rather
than to repent of their sins and get ready to enter the
Kingdom of God. There were some, the Zealots, who
were disappointed in Jesus — they expected him to re
store the kingdom to Israel, and set himself up as the
king; and when Jesus refused to do this theyivere ready
to turn against him.
It was clear to Jesus that a crisis was fast approach
ing. Either the scribes and Pharisees, Herod's courtiers
and the disappointed Zealots, would succeed, or else
the people as a whole would accept him as the Messiah.
when the hour came to make his public claim. One or
the other would win — both could not.
He stood alone as the champion of outcast and poor,
as the Teacher sent from God, against all the jealousy
and hatred and intrigue of his opponents. And he knew

ALONE WITH THE TWELVE 165
that very likely he would be put to death. But he was
following his Father's guidance in aU things. And if it
was necessary for him to drink the cup of suffering he
would not flinch; he knew that it was for the best, and
that God could raise him again, even from death, to be
His Messiah, in His Kingdom.
Light from the Bible. — And it was clear also
from the Bible, that is, the Old Testament, that
persecution and suffering had been the lot of God's
messengers in the past. "No prophet is without honor,
except in his own town," he had told his old friends at
Nazareth, when they turned against him and threatened
him with death. The sad truth now became apparent
that prophets had almost always been put to death —
such was their fate, though afterward men had built
fine tombs over theh graves. "It is impossible," he
said to his disciples, "that a prophet should perish
outside Jerusalem!"
And if the prophets sent by God had been put to
death, was it likely that the Messiah — His last and
greatest messenger, even His own Son — would be
treated any better?
Then there were many passages in the Old Testament
which referred to someone's suffering. People did not
know whose suffering was referred to; but Jesus applied
the words to himself. It was he himself, even though
he was Messiah, who must lay down his hfe in that way.
There was the twenty-second Psalm, which began,
"My God, my God,
Why hast thou forsaken me?"
It describes one who was "a reproach of men and de
spised by the people"; all that saw him "laughed him
to scorn" as he lay dying, his hands and feet pierced,
and his "strength dried up like a potsherd."

166 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
The suffering Servant of the Lord. — There was
also that chapter in Isaiah, chapter 53, which describes
even more clearly the Servant of the Lord "despised
and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief." He was "led like a sheep to be slaugh
tered"; and yet in his suffering he "bore the griefs of
others," and "carried their sorrows"; he was "wounded
for their transgressions," the "chastisement of theh
peace was upon him."
The people wondered who it was who suffered in
this way for the sins of others. Some thought the
prophet was describing himself; others, that he referred
to someone unknown, or even in a figurative way to the
nation suffering in exile. But Jesus saw clearly that it
meant the Messiah — not the king Messiah whom the
people expected, but himseU.
And he recognized that this also was the will of the
Father. The way had been opening graduaUy before
him since his baptism. When he was tempted by Satan
to use his powers to preserve himself, to dazzle the
multitudes with some great miracle in the temple, to
seize the kingdoms of this world by military force, he
had refused. For he left all in his Father's hands. The
way now seemed to be leading him to suffering and
death. But he believed that it was his Father's will,
and his obedience was perfect and unquestioning.
Wherever the way might lead him he would follow
without faltering. THE TRANSFIGURATION
This helps us to understand the meaning of the
vision which Peter and James and John had soon after
on the mountain top. They believed that Jesus was
the Messiah, although they could not realize that the

ALONE WITH THE TWELVE 167
Messiah must suffer and die. And his teaching that
the Messiah must suffer and die was a stumbling-block
to theh faith.
On the mountain-top. — About a week after Peter's
confession, one early spring morning, Jesus went up
into a mountain to pray. He often did this, sometimes
spending whole days and nights in prayer. He took
with him his three closest friends and disciples, Peter
and James and John. And whUe he was praying his
countenance was altered and became bright and shin
ing, and the glory of heaven shone forth in it. Even
his garments seemed to grow white and to glisten.
There appeared to him the two great prophets of the
Old Testament, Moses the Lawgiver and Elijah. They
also appeared in glory, and spoke with him about his
approaching death in Jerusalem.
The Voice from the cloud. — Peter and the two
other disciples shared the vision. Not knowing what
to say, Peter exclaimed, "Master, it is good for us to
be here. Let us make three tabernacles, one for you,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But even while
Peter spoke a cloud of mist surrounded them and they
heard a voice saying, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye
him." And when the voice was past the cloud disap
peared and Jesus was there alone with them.
The meaning of the Transfiguration. — The dis
ciples never forgot this experience. There, on the
mountain top, with the mists forming and fading about
them, and the spring sunshine pouring its flood of gold
over the earth, they had seen Jesus in his glory! It was
no longer a matter of faith alone — they had actually
seen Jesus as the Messiah! Even though he might still
have to suffer and die, they knew he was the Coming
One. They would never forsake him now; they would

168 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
foUow him, if need be, even unto death. The Voice
from the cloud wliich they had heard, and the vision of
Jesus in his glory, confirmed Peter's words of faith in
him, "You are the Messiah, the Son of God."
Not only was Jesus ready to accept whatever course
lay before him, in obedience to his Father's wUl; the
disciples also were now ready to follow him to the very
end. STUDY TOPICS
i. Try to imagine how the disciples felt when Jesus told
them that he was going to die. Bear in mind that
they expected him to become a king and reign on
"the throne of David" in Jerusalem.
2. What were the indications that a crisis was at hand in
the career of Jesus and that his enemies would seek
his death? . ,
3. What light did the Bible throw on Jesus' future as the
Messiah? Look up Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.
4. Tell the story of the Transfiguration, and show its
meaning for the disciples.
5. Commit to memory the sentence, in the passage from
Isaiah referred to in this chapter, which impresses
you most.

CHAPTER XXV
JOURNEYING TO JERUSALEM
As the Passover now drew near, Jesus set out with
his disciples for Jerusalem. Every year, since he was a
boy of twelve, he had gone up to Jerusalem for the
great feast. But this time he knew that he was going
there in the very gravest danger. Somehow, the au
thorities, the scribes and Pharisees, the Herodians and
the Sadducean high priests, were sure to succeed in their
efforts to put him to death. And yet he knew that even
if death awaited him there, it was his Father's will for
him to go.
The missionaries who went out to Asia and Africa
fifty or a hundred years ago — men like Livingstone and
Cary and Paton — knew that they "took their hves in
their hands," and might very likely suffer death among
those they went to serve. No — their hves were not
"in their hands," but in the hands of God. He would
care for them; and if they were killed, even their mar
tyrdom might convince their murderers of the truth of
the gospel. And so it was; the heroic death of the
missionary proved to men that Christianity could at
least make men brave enough to die for their faith. It
has always been this way in the history of Christianity.
"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."
This helps us to understand why Jesus went to Jeru
salem, knowing that he would probably be put to death.
And did you ever think of this?— that no missionary
would ever have gone out to teach the gospel if Jesus
had not gone up to Jerusalem to die? We should never
169

170 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
have heard of Jesus, we should still be savages, living
in bark houses, fighting some nearby tribe, wearing the
skins of animals and worshiping evil spirits.
WHAT THE DISCIPLES THOUGHT
But even though Jesus told the disciples the great
danger he faced in going to Jerusalem, they could not
realize it. It seemed to them that he must be going up
to Jerusalem to proclaim himself king and ascend his
throne as Messiah. They pictured to themselves the
splendor of his kingdom, how he should have an army
of soldiers, and servants eager to wait on him, and
angels coming down from heaven to obey his commands.
They themselves, they thought, would sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel in the king
dom. Jesus would be king over all, and they would
each be governing a tribe.
Who is greatest? — As they journeyed on, the dis
ciples feU into a dispute over which should be greatest
in this kingdom. When Jesus heard them he called to
him a little child who was there, and said, "I tell you
truly, except you turn and become as little children,
you cannot even enter the Kingdom of God. Whoever
humbles himself, and becomes like a httle child, shaU
be greatest in the Kingdom." For the spirit of the
disciples was entirely wrong. They were thinking only
of themselves and the honors they were to receive. But
Jesus was thinking of the service he could do for others.
His kingdom was to be one in which men loved and
served their fellows.
The request of James and John. — But even alter
this the disciples were not able to put out of their minds
the honor and glory which they hoped to receive when
the Kingdom was set up. One day James and John, the

JOURNEYING TO JERUSALEM 171
sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, "Master, will
you do something for us? wiU you give us whatever
we ask?" And Jesus rephed, "What is it that you want
me to do for you?" "Grant to us," they said, "that we
may sit, one at your right hand and the other at your
left, when you are king in Jerusalem."
Jesus rephed, "You do not know what you are ask
ing! Can you drink the cup that I shaU drink? Can
you be baptized with the baptism that I am to receive?
— Can you endure what I am about to suffer?" "Yes,
we are able," they rephed. "Then," said Jesus, "the cup
I drink you shall drink, and my baptism you shaU share.
But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to
give. It is for those for whom it has been prepared —
God alone shaU say who has the right to sit there."
Now when the other disciples heard it they were very
indignant over this selfish request of the two brothers.
But Jesus caUed them aU to him and said,
"You know what it means to be 'great' among the
Gentiles — theh rulers lord it over them; they give
commands and the people obey; they live in mag
nificence and luxury and the people are poor; yet
they are called 'benefactors!' But that is not God's
way. Nor shaU it be that way among you. Whoever
wishes to become great among you, let hhn be your
servant; whoever would be first, let him become last
and be the slave of all. For I teU you the truth, the
Messiah himself has not come in order to be minis
tered unto, but to serve others, and to give his life a
ransom for many." — Mark 10:42-45; see Luke 22:
25-27. THE LAWYER'S QUESTION
They were now passing through Gahlee once more,
making their way toward the south. Once more the

172 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
people gathered about Jesus. For everywhere the roads
were crowded with thousands of pilgrims on theh way
to Jerusalem for the Passover.
"Who is my neighbor?" — One day a lawyer — he
must have been a scribe — -came up to Jesus and said
to him, "Master, you are teaching the people about
the Kingdom of God. Tell me, what shall I do to enter
the Kingdom and to inherit eternal hfe?" And Jesus
replied, "You are a lawyer: What is written in the
Law? What do you read there?" He answered by
quoting the Law, " 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart and with aU thy soul and with all thy
mind and with aU thy strength'; and 'thy neighbor as
thyself.' " Then Jesus said, "You have answered cor
rectly; do this and you shall hve."
But the lawyer was anxious to "justify himself" — he
wanted Jesus to decide whether or not he was good
enough to enter God's Kingdom. And so he asked,
"Who is my neighbor?" This question must have in
terested the disciples, for they had not long before been
trying to get Jesus to decide what place they had in
the Kingdom. And Jesus replied by telling the man a
story. The Good Samaritan. —
"A certain man was going down from Jerusalem
to Jericho; and he fell among robbers who stripped
and beat him and departed, leaving him half-dead.
And by chance a certain priest was going down that
way, and when he saw the man he passed by on the
other side. And likewise a Levite, when he came to
the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came
where he was. And when he saw him he was moved
with compassion, and came to him, and bound up

JOURNEYING TO JERUSALEM 173
his wounds, pouring in oil and wine. Then he set
him upon his own beast and brought him to an inn
and took care of him. And the next day, as he was
leaving, he took out two pieces of money and gave
them to the inn-keeper and said, 'Take care of him.
And whatever more you spend, when I. come back
this way I will repay you.' " — Luke 10: 30-35.
Then Jesus asked the lawyer, "Which of these three
do you think was a good neighbor to the man who fell
among the thieves?" He replied, "He that showed
mercy on him." "Then," said Jesus, "go and do like
wise." Whose neighbor am I? — Do you notice something
about Jesus' answer? The man asked Jesus to say
just who were his neighbors, whether Jews or Gentiles,
whether rich or poor, whether people hving next door
or somewhere else. For the lawyer did not wish to
waste his kindness. If there were any persons to whom
God did not require him to be generous he wanted to
know it.
Jesus did not answer by saying, "The man who was
robbed and beaten is your neighbor." Instead, he
asked, "Who was it that acted the part of a neighbor
to him?" That makes aU the difference in the world.
If you merely wish to be good to others because the
Law requhes it, or because you wish to be well thought
of, you wiU not be very good. God wants you to be
good to others because they need your help, and be
cause you love them as much as you do yourself.
"Who gives himself with his gift feeds three,
Himself, his hungering neighbor, and Me."
This lesson the disciples needed to learn just as much
as the lawyer. I wonder if we also need to learn it?

174 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
STUDY TOPICS
i. What was the origin of the Passover? Why was it
kept? See Chapter 4.
2. When missionaries laid down their lives has their sac
rifice seemed fruitless? Was their work wasted?
Jesus left no message written by himself. How
then did he expect his gospel to be spread?
3. What was Jesus' answer to the question, "Who is
greatest in the Kingdom?" Has this a present-day
application ?
4. TeU the story of the request of James and John.
5. Tell the story of the Good Samaritan, and show how
it answered the lawyer's question.
6. When Jesus went up to Jerusalem, facing the death
which his enemies were plotting against him, do you
think he was like the Good Samaritan? Remember
that in getting off his beast and ministering to the
injured man, the Samaritan was running the risk of
himself being robbed and beaten by the robbers.
But he did not hesitate, for he was brave as weU as
loving.

CHAPTER XXVI
IN JUD^A
As they journeyed on, Jesus sent out his disciples
to the villages which he himself had not been able to
visit. Here they laid their hands on the sick, just as
Jesus did, and cast out the evil spirits and preached,
saying that the Kingdom of God was nigh at hand.
This was Jesus' final appeal to the people of Gahlee,
calUng them to repent and prepare for the coming of
the Kingdom.
Every day as the Passover drew nearer the crowds
continued to increase. Great multitudes were now fol
lowing Jesus and accompanying him to the Holy City,
for the feast. They were glad to be in his company,
for they had heard him teach and seen him heal, and
they expected the Kingdom to be set up at once. Of
course, they, like the twelve disciples, expected the
Kingdom to be an earthly one. Jesus, they thought,
was going to Jerusalem to be crowned as king!
FAREWELL TO GALILEE
Some of the villages which the disciples visited wel
comed them. Others refused to receive them or their
message. It was just as it had been all along in Jesus'
ministry. There were those who heard and heeded the
message; others turned away.
Jesus rejected. — As they were leaving Galilee Jesus
thought about his work there; how he had healed the
sick; how he had taught the people in the synagogues;
175

176 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
how only a few had responded to his teaching, while
most of the people had rejected his message. And he
said, "Woe to thee, Chorazin ! Woe to thee, Bethsaida !
For if the mighty works done in you had been done
in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long
ago in sackcloth and ashes! They shall be far bet
ter off in the day of judgment than you !
"And thou, Capernaum — shalt thou be exalted to
heaven? Thou shalt be brought down to destruc
tion!" — Luke 10 : 13-15-
Jesus' disappointment. — The cities of Galilee had
had their day of opportunity, and they had let it slip
by. They were full of people, happy and sad, rich and
poor, the honored and the despised. The greatest thing
in the world, which they lacked, was repentance and
righteousness: they needed to accept Jesus' teaching
and follow it in their hves. But their business came
first and their pleasures. And they were afraid to dis
agree with the scribes and Pharisees. They might have
become the greatest cities in the world. To-day they
do not even exist: only scattered stones mark the places
where once they stood.
Jesus had expected greater things of them; his rejec
tion was a heartbreaking disappointment.
AT JERICHO
Leaving Galilee, they followed the road down along
the Jordan; near Jericho it turned westward, and they
began the ascent to Jerusalem.
Bartimaeus. — Just outside the city of Jericho a beg
gar sat beside the road. He was blind, and his name
was Bartimaeus. He had heard of Jesus and of his

IN JUD^A 177
power to heal; and he had for a long while been hoping
that some day Jesus would pass this way and heal
him too.
As he now heard the multitude passing by, he in
quired what it meant. They told him that Jesus of
Nazareth was passing by. Immediately he sprang up
and rushed out into the road, crying, "Jesus, Jesus,
Son of David, have mercy on me!" Some in the crowd
told him to be quiet, but he cried out more than ever,
"Have mercy on me!"
Jesus heard him and told the disciples to bring the
man before him. When he came, he asked, "What do
you wish me to do for you?" Bartimaeus rephed, "Lord,
that I may receive my sight!" Then Jesus said to him,
"Your faith has saved you; receive your sight." Im
mediately the blindness left him, he received his sight,
and followed Jesus. And the people, when they saw
what had taken place, praised God. And so they
passed on, glorifying God for what Jesus had done.
Zacchaeus. — In Jericho there hved a man named
Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax-gatherer, or publican,
and he was very rich. For there were great palm groves
north of the city, and the taxes which Zacchaeus col
lected were large in amount. He had heard that Jesus
was coming and he was very anxious to see him. As he
was short in stature, he climbed into a sycamore tree,
hoping there to catch just a glimpse of Jesus.
When Jesus and his crowd of foUowers came near, the
Master looked up and saw Zacchaeus sitting in the tree,
and caUed out to him to come down. For he wished to
stay that night at his house.
Hearing this, Zacchaeus jumped down and ran to
Jesus. He had never expected this high honor, actuaUy
to entertain the great teacher in his own home! It

178 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
seemed to him that he must explain — perhaps Jesus did
not realize that he was a publican; if he knew, perhaps
he would not wish to stay with him. The crowd stand
ing by saved him this trouble, for they asked, "Is he
going to be the guest of a sinner?"
Zacchaeus did not deny that he was a sinner. His
conscience told him he had more than once de
frauded the taxpayers of Jericho. And Jesus surely
knew that he was a sinner, not that he looked upon him
as "defiled" and "unclean," as the Pharisees said (be
cause he did business with the Gentiles), but because
he had been mean and unfair, and cheated, and took
advantage of people in order to make more money.
Nevertheless, Jesus was willing to become his guest,
and spend the night at his house! Any Pharisee would
have scorned the invitation of such a man as Zacchaeus;
but Jesus, far differently, was honoring him with the
promise to come before Zacchaeus even asked him!
The rich publican was touched at the heart, And
so, as he stood before Jesus, he said, "Master, behold,
half of my goods I shall give to the poor; and what
ever I have taken wrongfully from others I shall restore
fourfold!" Jesus replied, "To-day has salvation come
to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham."
So Jesus went home with Zacchaeus and was his guest.
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS
It is very easy to judge people by what they seem to
be. Good, pious people in Jesus' time — like many of
the Pharisees — looked down upon the "sinners"; almost
everyone despised the "publicans"; and to call anyone
a "Gentile" was the most offensive name one could use.
When Jesus went to Zacchaeus' house, many persons
were utterly shocked and scandalized.

IN JUD^A 179
But Jesus knew that what a person really is, in God's
sight, is often very different from what he appears to be
in the eyes of others. That is why he said, "Judge not,
that you may not be judged." As one of the ancient
prophets had taught, "Man looks on the outward ap
pearance, but God looks on the heart."
Real religion. — What makes a man pleasing to God
is not his outward appearance of goodness, his prayers
in the synagogue, or his fasting twice a week. What
matters is his real rehgion, down in his heart, and what
he does when no one is watching him.
Possessing great advantages in the world does not
mean that a person is therefore going to be saved.
People thought that being a Jew, "a child of Abra
ham," was enough to entitle anyone to enter the
Kingdom of God. But Jesus taught that this was a
great mistake. It is not the possession of advantages,
it is the use we make of them that matters in the sight
of God.
The Three Servants. — Jesus made this clear by
another story — perhaps he told it to the people that
day in Jericho when they saw him go to the house of
Zacchaeus: "A certain man, going into another country, called
his servants, and gave them charge of his property.
To one he intrusted five talents (about $5,000), to
another two, to another one, according to their abil
ity. Then he went on his journey.
"Straightway the man who received five talents
went and traded with them and made five more.
So did he who received two talents; he doubled his
capital. But the servant who received one talent
went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his lord's
money.

i8o THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"After a long time the master of those servants
returned and called for an account of his money.
He who received the five talents came and brought
five other talents, saying, 'Sir, you delivered to me
five talents; I have gained five talents more.' The
master said to him, 'WeU done, good and faithful
servant; you have been faithful over a few things —
I wiU set you over many. Enter into the joy of your
lord!' "He also who received the two talents came and
said, 'Sir, you intrusted me with two talents; I
have gained two others.' The master said to him,
'WeU done, good and faithful servant; you have
been faithful over a few things — I wiU set you over
many. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
"Then he who received the one talent came and
said, 'Sir, I knew that you are a hard man to deal
with; you reap where you have not sowed, and
gather where you have not scattered. I was afraid,
therefore, and went and hid your talent in the earth.
Here it is.'
"But the master answered, 'You wicked and sloth
ful servant ! You knew that I reap where I have not
sowed, and gather where I have not scattered. Ypu
should therefore have given my money to the bank
ers; then at my coming I should at least have re
ceived back my own with interest! . . . Take away
the talent from him and give it to the one with ten
talents.' " — Matthew 25 : 14-28.
It is not the possession but the use we make of our
talents, our gifts, our privileges — whatever they are —
that makes us pleasing to our Father in heaven. The
publican Zacchaeus, now that he had repented and was
trying to do the wUl of God, was a better man than
the proudest Pharisee in Jericho, who looked down
on him.

IN JUD.EA 181
STUDY TOPICS
i. Did many people go to the Passover each year in Jeru
salem?
2. What did the disciples expect Jesus to do when he
reached Jerusalem?
3. Why was Jesus sad as he left Galilee?
4. TeU the story of Bartimaeus. 1
5. Who was Zacchaeus? Tell the story. Was he a good
or a bad man? Why did the Pharisees look down
on him?
6. How did the Parable of the Talents show what God
expects of people who possess advantages over their
neighbors?
7. God "expects much from the one to whom much is
given." Some of the advantages people enjoy, as
gifts from Him, are education, money, good homes,
citizenship, special talents like musical abUity or
mechanical skUl, and so on. Show how these ought
to be used for God.

CHAPTER XXVII
ENTERING JERUSALEM
It was spring once more, and toward the end of
March. The days were growing longer, for the sun now
rose earlier in the morning and set later in the evening.
The hills were turning green again, even in rocky Judaea.
The air was fresh and sweet, and along the roadside
the birds were building their nests in the trees and
bushes. The days were warm, but the nights were still raw
and chill. A glorious paschal moon lighted up the dark
ness; night by night it grew more full and round. The
Passover would be kept the day after the full moon
appeared. Out on the meadows, outside the city of
Jericho, the Passover pilgrims camped for the night.
Theh tents, gay with color in the daytime, looked
brown and gray in the moonlight. To-morrow night
they would be camping outside the walls of Jerusalem.
But none of those happy people, who had followed Jesus
up from Galilee to keep the Passover, dreamed of what
would take place before the Passover arrived.
THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY
Jesus knew what might happen, but he had no inten
tion of swerving from his course. It was his plan to
set forth once and for aU, before the assembled nation
at the Passover, his teaching regarding the Kingdom of
God, and likewise his own Messiahship. At last the
time had come to tell his secret. The Messiah, whose
coming John the Baptist had announced and whom
182

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fOAOTO
JOPP*

FORE CITY

WEST
HILL

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\ court
lOtWTIUtt '

V

-72

i

5* I — -

JERUSALEM HI THE TIME OF JESUS
i Castle of Antonia: Roman garrison
2 Temple
3 Herod's Palace, now occupied by the Roman
governor
4 Home of the high priest
The Temple stood on the eastern hiU, called
Zion. The saborb to the north (The New Citri
had no wall in the time of Jesus. "

0*

40

*A

ENTERING JERUSALEM 183
everyone was now expecting, was here! Jesus himself
was the Messiah.
The ancient prophecy. — There was an old prophecy
(.see Zechariah 9) which said that the Messiah was to
come as a king, but in a very humble guise. Instead of
being carried at the head of an army of soldiers, he was
to enter Jerusalem riding on an ass— just like any
ordinary traveler.
People knew of this prophecy because it was in the
Bible. They did not pay much attention to it, how
ever, for their idea of the Messiah was so entirely dif
ferent from that. But Jesus, in telling his secret and
setting forth before the whole Jewish people the fact
that he himseK was the Messiah, chose to do so sym-
boUcaUy. That is, he would not make the claim in
just so many words and say, "I am the Messiah." For
"Messiah" still meant to the people a great warrior-
king. Instead, he would act the part of the lowly king
in the prophecy and let the people draw their own
conclusion as to what it meant.
Riding an ass. — The next morning they set out from
Jericho for Jerusalem. It was only fifteen miles or so
and took but four or five hours. At last they reached
Bethany, near the Mount of OUves. Just west of them,
beyond the hill, lay the city of Jerusalem. Jesus now
sent two of his disciples into Bethany to bring an ass
for him to ride. They soon found an animal and led it
to Jesus. Spreading garments on its back, they helped
Jesus to mount it. Then the disciples and the crowd of
other pilgrims spread more garments in the road and
cut down branches from palm trees, likewise scattering
them before him. This was just what was always done
in honor of a king when he entered a city in triumph
And the multitudes going before and foUowing after

184 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna to
the Son of David! Blessed is the king who comes in
the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
So, singing and shouting and waving palms, they
crossed the hUl by the road just north of the Mount of
Olives, where they could see in plain view the city lying
before them. Then down the hill and across the Kidron
valley they went and up to the gates of the city.
The objection of the Pharisees. — Certain Pharisees
joined the crowd to see what was taking place. They
understood at once, and thought the shouts and cries of
the multitude were mistaken. If Jesus knew they were
actuaUy calling him the Messiah he would surely com
mand them to stop! So they said to Jesus, "Do you
hear what your disciples are saying? Rebuke them!"
But he answered, "I tell you, if they should hold their
peace, the stones would cry out!"
IN THE TEMPLE
Through the great northeast gate of the city they
passed, Jesus stiU riding and the crowd stiU crying
"Hosanna." He now dismounted. Accompanied by
his disciples and the crowd, he went up the hill of Zion
to the temple (see the diagram).
The traders in the temple. — Here, in the outer
court, the wide "Court of the Gentiles," were booths
where doves were sold for sacrifice. There were also
tables, where sat money-changers ready to exchange
sacred temple coins for the Roman currency used by
the people.
The traders were busy, and their business was lucra
tive. It was sacrilege to buy or sell in the temple, of
course; but the traders paid well for their "concession,"
and the easy-going Sadducees (the high priests) were

ENTERING JERUSALEM 185
willing to overlook the sacrilege. It must have shocked
the feelings of people who came long distances to wor
ship in the temple to see such desecration of the holy
place. Jesus determined to put an end to it.
Jesus drives them out. — He first seized a scourge
of knotted ropes, and drove out the traders. Then he
overthrew the tables of the money-changers and spilled
their coins on the ground. Sternly he commanded,
"Take these things out of here! Stop making my
Father's house a market-place! It is written, 'My
house shaU be caUed a house of prayer for all nations';
but you have made it a den of thieves!"
The priests angry at Jesus. — The traders fled. The
people applauded and gathered about Jesus. But the
chief priests and the scribes were angry over the dis
turbance which he had caused. They were now more
determined than ever that Jesus must be put to death.
He was leading the people away from them, and now
he had even interfered with their management of af
fairs in the temple. Unless he were stopped he would
soon put an end to their power and influence. The
wealth and the privileges which they enjoyed would be
taken away. And so, because they were bad men pre
tending to be good, because they were selfish men
jealous of their position and their privileges, they hated
Jesus and shut their eyes to the truth.
The plot against Jesus. — And so the plot was
formed to get Jesus into their hands somehow or other,
by fair means or foul, try him, have Pilate condemn
him and put him to death. Only they must act quickly.
There was no time to be lost. If they waited until the
feast the city would be full of people; the Galileans
would all be here; they were his admirers and followers,
and there would be a tumult. So in the next few days,

186 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
and as speedily as possible, they must take him and
put him to death.
But Jesus did not remain in the city overnight. That
evening he went out to Bethany and stayed at the home
of a friend. STUDY TOPICS
i . At what time of the year was the Passover held ? Why
was it held in Jerusalem?
2. Look up Zechariah 9:9. Why did Jesus choose to
enter Jerusalem in the way he did ?
3. Try to form a mental picture of the "triumphal entry."
TeU the story as vividly as you can. What does
"Hosanna" mean?
4. How did the sacrilege of buying and selling in the
temple court come to be allowed by the high priests?
5. Explain the plot of Jesus' enemies against him.

CHAPTER XXVHI
THE PLOT AGAINST JESUS
Each day, from now on, Jesus spent in the temple;
each night he remained outside the city, in Bethany or
on the Mount of OUves.
The scribes and high priests now took their first step
in carrying out the plot against him. They tried to
"trap him in his talk."
ENSNARLNG QUESTIONS
As he taught the people in the temple courts they
came to him with their questions. They pretended
simply to be seeking for information. In truth, they
were determined, if possible, to make him condemn
himself by some careless answer.
"By what authority?" — Their first question was
asked the day after Jesus drove the traders out of the
temple. They came up to him as he was teaching and
asked, "TeU us, by what authority are you doing these
things?" That seemed to them a question which Jesus
could not answer; and if he thus admitted that he had
no authority the people would see at once that he was
deceiving them.
But they were mistaken. It was not so easy to catch
Jesus in their trap. At once he answered, "I will also
ask you a question. Tell me this: Was John's baptism
from heaven, or from men? Did he have authority to
baptize, or not?"
They paused to reason among themselves over this
I87

188 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
question and said, "If we reply, 'From heaven,' he will
say, 'Why didn't you believe him then?' But if we say,
'From men,' — all the people will stone us, for they are
persuaded that John was a prophet." So they answered
him that they could not tell whether John's baptism
was from heaven or not.
Then said Jesus to them, "Neither do I tell you by
what authority I do these things."
Tribute to Caesar.— They saw that it was no use
trying to catch him in this way. Jesus was too clever
for them. They thought he would be an ignorant
country carpenter; and, like many proud persons who
look down on others, they were woefully mistaken!
Instead, he was more shrewd and quick than the smartest
lawyer among them.
Their next step was to send out spies — men who pre
tended to ask Jesus questions just for the sake of learn
ing the truth. They said to him, "Master, we know
that you are a true teacher. You do not accept the
opinion of others, but teach the way of God in truth.
Tell us, is it lawful or not to pay the tribute to Caesar?
For some say, 'Tribute should be given to God only
and not to a heathen emperor.' "
Jesus saw their hypocrisy at once. "Show me a
penny — whose image and superscription is on it?" They
handed him a denarius (worth twenty cents), and on it
were stamped the head and name of the emperor. And
so they replied, "Caesar's image and superscription."
Jesus then answered them and said, "Render to Caesar
the things that belong to Caesar; and to God the things
that are God's."
Failure of this scheme. — They expected that Jesus
would say, "It is wrong to pay tribute to Rome" — and
so they could accuse him before Pilate at once. But

THE PLOT AGAINST JESUS 189
his answer completely silenced them. There was noth
ing more to be said.
It was quite evident that asking questions was not
going to lead him into theh hands. Something more
must be done than this. And what they did must be
done at once— every hour was bringing fresh bands of
pUgrims to the city. Soon it would be too late; they
would not dare to seize him during the feast. Never
theless, they hardly knew what to do — for they dared
not take him openly. The people already in Jerusalem
would cause a riot. Their plot really looked as if it
would fail. JUDAS' TREACHERY
And then came the offer of Judas! Just as the plot
ters were at their wits' end, provoked to fury by Jesus'
cleverness in avoiding their traps, came the offer of one
of his own disciples to betray him into their hands.
This seemed to them the greatest piece of luck in the
world! The career of Judas. — Judas had been one of the
trusted, intimate disciples of Jesus. He was not so
close to our Lord as Peter or James or John, but he was
given a responsible position as treasurer of the band.
He bought their food, and gave alms to the poor from
the common fund. He is caUed Iscariot, and some per
sons think this means that he was a native of Kerioth,
a vUlage in Judaea. If so, he was the only Judaean
among the Twelve. AU the others were Gahleans.
His plans. — But Judas, though Jesus trusted him,
was not worthy to be a disciple. He had followed
Jesus from the first in the expectation that the King
dom of God would be an earthly kingdom. So the
other disciples thought also, as we have seen. But the

190 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
others had no such plans and schemes as Judas had.
He intended to be the treasurer, not only for Jesus and
the Twelve, but of the Kingdom of David, when Jesus
had restored it and was reigning in Jerusalem on his
throne. Immense wealth would come into his hands
for safe keeping. He would be Chancellor of the Ex
chequer, Secretary of the Treasury, in this new kingdom.
His disappointment. — But now it seemed that Jesus
had no intention of making himself a king; he simply
refused to take advantage of the great opportunity that
was his to start a revolution against Rome and set up
his kingdom at once. Here were followers by the thou
sands, ready to do his bidding instantly, seize the sword
and set up a free Israel; yet Jesus did nothing but teach.
Judas began to realize that he had made a mistake.
He had staked his whole future upon the success of
Jesus' kingdom. Now he saw the dream fading before
his eyes — there was to be no kingdom in Jerusalem, no
palace, no throne, no army, no treasury! Worse yet,
Jesus himself seemed to be expecting failure; he talked
about being put to death on the cross, cast out by the
scribes and elders and priests at Jerusalem. Judas had
no heart for such a collapse of his ambitions.
His temptation. — He knew that the high priests
and scribes were trying to get Jesus into their hands.
This was his opportunity.
His life seemed a faUure so far. He had staked
everything upon the Kingdom. And he saw the King
dom — as he had dreamed about it — vanishing away.
But suppose he were to teU the high priests some
thing about Jesus? — something that they were very
anxious to know — something which would enable them
to bring a charge against him? Perhaps they would pay
him well or confer some honor upon him. Thus he

THE PLOT AGAINST JESUS 191
would save at least something from the wreck of his
career. Of course, Jesus had loved and trusted him. For
months Judas had lived in his presence, day in, day out.
And to teU this secret which the high priests wanted to
know would be treachery to his Master. So Judas'
conscience told him. But yet — somehow or other, the
priests were sure to get hold of Jesus, since the Master
expected to die. And he might as well be the one to
profit by the transaction. In this way the temptation
came to him.
"Yes," he said to himself at last, "I will do it."
His agreement with the priests. — So he went to the
priests and said, "What are you wUling to give me, if
I deliver him unto you?" A bargain was quickly
made. The priests and scribes were prepared to pay
a large amount to make sure of Jesus' arrest, providing
it could be made quickly and without the knowledge of
the people. So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver.1
In return, Judas told the secret and promised to turn
over Jesus to them.
The secret was this: Jesus looked upon himseU as
the Messiah, the Son of God. The priests might have
guessed that this was what Jesus thought from the
manner of his entry into Jerusalem. But Jesus had not
said in so many words, "I am the Messiah." And they
supposed that the shouts and cries of the Gahleans had
been merely an outburst of momentary enthusiasm,
without any great importance. But if Jesus really
claimed that he himself was the coming Messiah, then
they already had him in their power! For they could
make this the charge against him and secure his con-
'Thirty shekels is only $22.50 in our money; but this amount was at that time
the equivalent of a laborer's wages fo- four months, and was therefore worth many
times its value to-day.

r92 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
demnation. And since Judas was a member of the
Twelve, he could easily tell them where Jesus was at
any time of the day or night — they could now arrest
him quietly, without any danger of a riot.
From that time on Judas sought a convenient op
portunity for delivering Jesus over to the priests. He
had sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver; and into
the bargain he had sold himself, his honor, his con
science, his very soul! The world still looks upon him
as the most cowardly traitor who ever lived, and his
name is a byword for treachery.
STUDY TOPICS
i. Where did Jesus stay each night from now on? Why?
But where was he in the daytime?
2. What was the first question of the scribes and priests,
after Jesus drove out the traders? Give Jesus'
answer.
3. Why was Jesus asked to decide whether tribute should
be paid to the Roman government? How did he
decide the question?
4. Describe the result of the scribes' effort to "ensnare
Jesus in his words."
5. Describe the character and career of Judas as given in
this chapter. Why was he tempted to betray his
Master?
6. How did Judas agree to betray Jesus? What was the
secret he told the high priests?
7. How much money did Judas receive for his treachery?
What did he do when he realized that he was a
traitor? See Matthew 27 : 3-5.

THE TEMPLE IN THE TIME OF JESUS

A Altar
BG Beautiful Gate

CL Chamber of Lepers
CN Chamber of Nazirites
G Gates

CO Chamber of Oil
CW Chamber of Wood

Holy of Holies, shut off by a curtain,
the "Veil."
Sanctuary, containing Altar of Incense,
Table of Showbread, and Golden
Candlestick.
SC Sanhedrin's Council Chamber (?)
A terrace surrounded the temple, raising
the three inner courts above the level of
the Court of the Gentiles. This is shown
here by the close parallel lines.

CHAPTER XXLX
THE LAST DAYS IN JERUSALEM
Jesus came into the city early each day when the
morning sacrifice was offered. Throngs of people fiUed
the courts of the temple. After the service they re
mained to Usten to Jesus.
JESUS TEACHING LN THE TEMPLE
They were eager to hear him and welcomed his mes
sage. The people were sincere and humble, and gave
freely of theh wealth to support the temple and the
priests. They believed that the scribes were their ap
pointed teachers, even while the scribes made religion
too hard for any but themselves to practice it.
Warning against the scribes. — The greatest fault of
the nation, Jesus saw, was the pride and arrogance of the
scribes and the selfishness and avarice of the priests.
They had refused to listen to him, just as they had
refused to hear John the Baptist. They had prevented
the people from accepting the gospel; and so his call
to repent and make ready for the Kingdom of God had
not been heeded. A terrible judgment was sure to fall
upon the nation, more terrible than any in the past.
The city of Jerusalem, sooner or later, would be de
stroyed, and with it the beautiful temple and its build
ings. For the scribes were stifling the very souls of
men. If their oppression continued the nation would
surely be destroyed.
Jesus solemnly warned his hearers against these false
teachers. 193

194 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long
robes, and to be saluted in the market-places, and to
sit in the chief seats in the synagogues! They de
vour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long
prayers. They bind upon men's shoulders burdens
hard to bear, but wiU not lift a finger to lighten them.
"The outside of the cup and platter they carefully
cleanse, while the inside remains unclean, full of
extortion and excess.
"They compass sea and land to make one pros
elyte; but when they have got him they make him
two-fold more the child of Gehenna than themselves.
"They shut men out of the Kingdom of God ; they
refuse to enter, themselves, and prevent others from
entering." — See Matthew 23.
The widow's mites. — As he sat there teaching, op
posite the temple treasury, he saw certain rich men
offering their gifts. There were trumpet-shaped tubes
into which the money was dropped, and it slid down
into the chests within the temple.
A poor widow came up and dropped in two mites —
less than a cent of our money — which was all that she
had. Seeing this, Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you,
this poor widow has cast in more than all the others.
For they, out of their wealth, gave only what they do
not need; while she has given all she had, even her
whole hving." n
On the Mount of Olives. — Towards evening Jesus
and his disciples went out to, the Mount of Olives, where
they spent the night.
As they were walking along the disciples pointed out
the magnificence of the temple and the other buildings,
the arcades about the courts, the walls and stairways,
and the Castle of Antonia. There were no buUdings like
these in Gahlee — not even in the forbidden city of

THE LAST DAYS IN JERUSALEM 195
Tiberias. So they said, "Master, see what wonderful
stone-work, and what beautiful buildings these are!"
But he only rephed, "Not one of these stones shall be left
upon another: every one of these buildings shall be
destroyed." Jesus' heart was neavy with sorrow for his people;
terrible as was their fate, they were surely bringing it
upon themselves. When Jesus and his disciples reached
the Mount of Olives they looked back over the city,
with its glorious temple shining in the setting sun. All
this was to be destroyed!
Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. — He himself was to
die. He now knew this to be certain. For the authori
ties had not only rejected his teaching, they had met
him with scorn and hatred when he came to Jerusalem
to present himself as the Messiah — though he was a
different Messiah than they expected, a better Messiah
than anyone had ever dreamed about. And now they
were plotting his death.
But it was not for himself that he was sorrowful. It
was for his country, for Jerusalem, the city of God,
for his Father's house, and the people whom he loved
and whom he yearned to save, but who had refused to
hear him. His own death was to be the final weight
in the balance which would bring down the judgment
of destruction upon an unrepentant nation. "AU the
righteous blood shed from the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel" to his own, was to be "required
of this generation." If only they had accepted him and
hearkened to his teaching! Instead, they were destroy
ing themselves.
As he looked out over the city, and thought of all that
was then taking place and was still to take place after
his death, he wept.

196 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that kulest the
prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee!
How oft would I have gathered thy chUdren together,
even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings,
and you would notl Behold, your house is left unto
you desolate. — If you had but known, in this your
day, the things that belong unto peace! But now
they are hid from your eyes." — Luke 13:34-35;
19:42. IN THE UPPER ROOM
It was now the day before the Passover. The dis
ciples wished to know where Jesus would keep the
feast. They needed a room where they could gather
and eat the supper which all Jews kept as a memorial
of the Deliverance from Egypt. A lamb must be
bought and arrangements made for roasting it. Un
leavened bread and bitter herbs and wine must be pur
chased at one of the shops.
So they came to Jesus and asked him where they
should make ready. He directed them to the house of a
friend in Jerusalem who had an upper room which he
would let them use. Then Peter and John went into
the city and made ready.
And here, since the Passover began that evening,
Jesus and the Twelve gathered to eat their supper and
observe the feast.
At the supper. — As they sat down Jesus said to
them, "I have greatly deshed to eat the Passover with
you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I wUl never
eat it again until I eat it with you in the Kingdom of
God." Jesus' thoughts were still on the future. He knew,
that the hour was at hand when he should be seized and
put to death. "The Son of Man goes," he said, "as it is

THE LAST DAYS IN JERUSALEM 197
written of him: but woe to the one by whom the Son of
Man is betrayed!"
These words gave a shock to the disciples — most of
all to Judas: for he had not the slightest idea that Jesus
knew of his treachery. They began to ask Jesus who it
was who should betray him, saying, one by one, "Is it
I?" And he rephed, "It is one of the Twelve, lying
here at the table with me."
Confused and embarrassed, Judas got up and. went
out. Then Peter said, "Master, I wiU never desert
you. I am ready to go to prison and to death with you
if necessary." But Jesus rephed, "Peter, Satan is going
to sift you like wheat. Before the cock crows, to
morrow morning, you wiU deny that you ever knew
me! You wiU aU desert me, just as it is said, 'I will
smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered
abroad.' The prophecy is about to be fulfilled, 'He
was reckoned with the transgressors.' "
But Peter rephed, "Though everyone else deserts
you, I wiU not."
Why Jesus was to die. — The disciples could not
understand why Jesus was so sad, and why he kept
referring to the prophecies, which he said were about
to be fulfiUed. Even though Judas was plotting to
betray him, what real harm could Judas do? There
was stiU plenty of time to get away and start for home.
They had theh swords.1 Eleven men armed with swords
could easUy get out of Jerusalem. It was hght enough
in the streets to see, with the bright moon shining; and
the priests would hardly dare to attack them and so
rouse the Roman garrison.
But Jesus would not hsten to such a plan. He re-

¦Theee were the long knives used by farmers and fishermen.

198 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
fused to flee like a coward. If it was necessary for him
to die, he would die bravely for the truth. His hfe was
still in God's hands, just as it had always been. And if
it was the wiU of his Father that he should now lay
down his hfe — and the prophecies in the Bible seemed
to make this clear— then he was fully prepared to lay
it down. He had never set his own safety above the
will of God. He "pleased not himself."
If now he must really die, his death would surely be
for the salvation of his people. For God can use a man's
death as well as his life in working out His high purposes.
There was something mysterious about the death of
the Messiah. The Suffering Servant of the Lord, in the
prophecy of Isaiah, had to lay down his Ufe in order to
take away the sins of men.
All afternoon, the Passover sacrifices had been offered
in the temple for the sins of the people. So, too, must
he now offer himself as a sacrifice for their sins. Even
while they rejected and crucified him he would be bear
ing their sins and making atonement for them.
The disciples could not understand this. They vaguely
felt that somehow things must turn out differently than
Jesus expected. They still clung to the idea of a king
dom which should be set up in Jerusalem, an earthly
kingdom, with Jesus as king. Why, then, should he
be thinking of death if his kingdom was about to be
established? Dying was the very last thing in the
world they expected of their Messiah.
The Breaking of the Bread.—
"And as they were eating, he took a loaf of bread;
and when he had blessed it, he broke it and gave it
to them and said, 'Take this. It is my body, which
is broken for you.' And he took a cup of wine ; and

THE LAST DAYS IN JERUSALEM i99
when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and
said, 'Drink of it, all of you. This is my blood of the
covenant, which is shed for you and for many for
the remission of sins.' " — Mark 14: 22-24; Luke 22:
19-20; Matthew 26: 26-28.
It was clear to them at last. Jesus' mind was fully
made up; it was useless to try to dissuade him. He was
to die, and in some mysterious way his death was to be
"for the remission of sins."
By giving them this bread and wine he had bound
them together, and "to himself, in a solemn covenant.
They were compelled now to go with him wherever he
went. They had not chosen him, but he had chosen
them; and they were sharers, by this bond, in his very
life, his body and his blood.
It was clear to them now that whatever took place
Jesus knew perfectly well what he was doing. If he
died it was not because he could not help himself, but
because of his own free wiU he was laying down his life
for others. For a long time they had expected that
Jesus would become a king — their kind of a king. And
a king he was now, indeed, their ruler and -lord. They
had never so fuUy realized his power before, or seen
such majesty as this. For he had the supremest power
in the world — not only to command others, but to lay
down his own Ufe for their good.
A great sUence fell over them. They were now
sharers in a solemn sacrament, they were bound to
gether in a sacred covenant; and they were bound to
obey Jesus now no matter what he commanded them
to do. They were pledged to him for hfe or death.
They had given allegiance to their king.
After a little they sang a hymn and went out to the
Mount of Olives.

200 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
STUDY TOPICS
i. Do you think the people who heard Jesus teaching in
the temple suspected that the priests were plotting
against him? If they had, what do you think they
would have done? This explains why the priests
were in a great hurry and why they kept their plot
a secret.
2. What was the great fault of the scribes and Pharisees?
Of the nation?
3. What did Jesus foresee as the fate of the city of Jeru
salem? Give Jesus' words as he wept over the city.
4. Tell the story of the Widow's Mites, and give Jesus'
words on the occasion.
5. Where did Jesus eat the Passover supper with his
disciples?
6. TeU the story of the Last Supper, stating what Jesus
did and giving his own words as far as possible.
Who were present? Give their names from memory.
What is a covenant?
7. What were the disciples to do, now that they under
stood that Jesus was to die instead of ascending a
throne and becoming king in Jerusalem?

CHAPTER XXX
JESUS IN THE HANDS OF THE PRIESTS
Crossing the httle vaUey of the Kidron, Jesus and
the eleven faithful disciples went up the Mount of
Ohves. There was a garden on the hiUside caUed
Gethsemane. Into this they entered.
in gethsemane
Leaving the others near the entrance, Jesus took with
him Peter and James and John and went farther into
the garden. Peter and the two brothers began to be
amazed; they could not realize where Jesus was taking
them at this hour. "My soul is exceeding sorrowful,"
he said, "even unto death. Stay here and watch."
Jesus' agony of prayer. — Going forward a httle way,
about a stone's throw, Jesus fell down upon his knees
and prayed. And in his agony great drops of sweat
rolled down hke blood from his face.
Such was the anguish of his soul as he faced death.
He had done no wrong; yet he was about to suffer the
most horrible of deaths. He had given his whole hfe to
serve and to save his people because he loved them.
And this was the end — to be rejected and crucified.
For he knew full well what the priests and elders would
do with him once they had him in their power. "Father,"
he cried, "all things are possible with Thee. If Thou be
wUling, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not
my will but Thine be done."
The sleeping disciples. — After a while he rose and
came back to the disciples. They were sleeping, for

202 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
their "eyes were heavy." He roused them, and bade
them pray. "Watch and pray, that you enter not into
temptation. The spirit indeed is wilhng, but the flesh
is weak." Ashamed of themselves, they determined to
remain awake now and watch, even as he had told them.
Jesus went back and prayed once more. "O my
Father, if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, Thy
will be done." Again he came back, and again, as the
long hours dragged by, and found them, even for the
second and third times, sleeping. But instead of re
buking them further, he said simply, "Arise, let us be
going: behold, the betrayer is at hand."
The arrest. — It was about midnight. The moon
which had risen full that evening was now high over
head. The cool stillness of the garden was undisturbed.
Jesus' own agony of soul was past. He had met temp
tation, he had conquered it. There had come to him
strength from heaven to endure his sufferings. All was
calm and peaceful in that lovely olive grove, and be
neath them lay the sleeping city, serene and beautiful
in the moonlight.
Suddenly, through the stillness came the sound of
many persons walking. They were coming nearer.
Then through the shadows came the flicker of torches,
and there could be seen dark, silent figures approaching.
Now a face could be made out, now the glint of a sword.
A man was leading them. Evidently they were search
ing for someone, a thief, it might be, or an escaped
prisoner; possibly, this was itself a band of thieves —
though thieves would scarcely carry torches, even in
the garden.
The disciples drew their swords and waited, standing
back in the shadows.
Nearer and nearer they came. Their leader appar-

JESUS IN THE HANDS OF THE PRIESTS 203
ently knew just where to take them. — Ah, it was Judas !
He now approached nearer to Jesus as if to greet him.
He had given his followers this sign: whoever he em
braced and kissed was the one they were to seize and
carry off. As he drew near, Jesus spoke to him and
said, "Judas, will you betray me with a kiss?" But
Judas did not answer. Some of the men with him
stepped forward, ready to seize Jesus.
The disciples saw what was about to happen and
cried out, "Master, shall we strike with our swords?"
Without waiting for an answer, Peter drove straight
for the nearest man — it happened to be one of the high
priest's slaves. But his stroke missed; instead of be
heading the man, he merely struck off his ear. Then
Jesus said to Peter, "Put up your sword. All those
who take the sword perish by the sword."
What could they do? Jesus himself forbade them to
fight. He was actuaUy giving himself up to Judas and
his band ! There was nothing to do but flee for their lives.
AU — even Peter and John— now forsook him and fled.
JESUS A PRISONER
Jesus said to his captors, "Why have you come out,
as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I sat
daily in the temple, teaching, you did not stretch forth
your hands to take me ! But this is your hour, and the
power of darkness."
Jesus led before the high priest. — They led him to
the high priest's house — it was in the southwest corner
of the city, high on the western hill (see the map of
Jerusalem). Peter foUowed afar off. He had thrown away his
sword, but came back to see what was done with Jesus.
He had promised to go with Jesus to prison and death,

204 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
he was still bound to his Lord by the sacrament of the
supper. At the critical moment he had lost his nerve
and fled. He was now ashamed of his loss of courage.
He could not leave his Master and go home, or go any
where else — there was nowhere else for him to go. So
he followed at a distance.
Up in the house, Judas and the slaves handed over
Jesus to the priests and scribes assembled there. While
they kept him bound, the slaves taunted and mocked
him. They blindfolded him and struck him and said
to him, "Prophesy, you prophet: tell who it was that
struck you then!"
Peter's denial. — Down in the court Peter stood be
side the brazier of coals which had been lighted, warm
ing himself. One of the women servants, seeing him,
said, "This fellow was^also with them." Fearing he too
might be seized, Peter denied it — "Woman, I don't even
know him." A Uttle while after this another made the
same remark, and again he denied. An hour or so later,
as they were standing there, one of the men said, "This
fellow certainly was with him! His speech betrays him
— he is a Galilean!"
Peter was thoroughly alarmed. There was no way
out of the court except through the door, and that was
well barred and guarded. So he denied even this:
"Man, I don't know what you're talking about." Just
then the cock crew. Peter remembered what Jesus had
said, "Before cock-crowing, you will deny that you ever
knew me." Looking up to the gaUery where Jesus
stood, with his hands bound behind him and the brutal
slaves standing around him, Peter saw Jesus look down
at him.
It was more than Peter could bear. He was a coward ;
he had fled in fear and left Jesus; he had even denied

JESUS IN THE HANDS OF THE PRIESTS 205
that he knew him. And yet he knew that Jesus loved
him; and, in his weak way, he loved Jesus, and was
ashamed of his disloyalty. He made his way out, some
how or other got past the door, and went into the street.
Here he broke down and cried bitterly.
JESUS CONDEMNED
The "trial" of Jesus before the priests was a farce.
He was aUowed no witnesses. There was no jury. The
time was dead of night. The "trial" foUowed imme
diately after his arrest. He was condemned within a
few minutes of the first hearing of the charge. And the
court was not the regular Sanhedrin court, but only a
self-appointed group of the enemies of the accused. AU
this was contrary to the Jewish law. And yet the very
ones who did it were the scribes and priests, the teachers
and upholders of the Law. In their anxiety to get rid
of Jesus at once, they utterly disregarded aU law and
justice. The examination. — After questioning Jesus for some
time and receiving no answer, they tried to get wit
nesses who would say that he had threatened to de
stroy the temple; but the "witnesses" did not agree.
They then tried once more to make him convict him
self, but he said nothing. ,
Then they determined to use the testimony of Judas
— "He claims to be the Messiah." And so they asked
him, "Are you the Messiah?" To this he replied, "If
I teU you, you wiU not beheve; and if I ask you, you
wiU not answer. But from henceforth the Son of Man
shaU be seated at the right hand of the Power of God."
The high priest's question. — This was what they
wanted! With a solemn oath, the high priest adjured
him, "TeU us, are you then the Messiah, the Son of the

206 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Blessed One?" Jesus rephed, "You have said it. That
is who I am." They rose up in excitement, shouting,
"We have no need of witnesses! — He has condemned
himseK! — You have heard the blasphemy. — Is he guilty?
— Yes, and worthy of death!"
Now they could go to Pilate with a charge which
would secure his crucifixion.
Jesus' innocence. — Did any of them pause to ask
if Jesus' claim could possibly be true? Did they think
for a moment that, after all, their idea of the Messiah
might be false, and Jesus' idea the true one? Did it
once occur to them that Jesus might be innocent? Or
that their judgment might be mistaken? Or that their
whole view of rehgion, and of the. Law, and of God,
might be false, and Jesus be in the right?
No. — In their foUy they undertook to put to death
the Prince of Life, as one of the apostles afterwards said,
and whUe unjustly condemning Jesus they were also
condemning themselves. Instead of saving themselves
and their city, their wealth, and their privileges, they
only brought on destruction the more swiftly. Forty
years after Jesus' death Jerusalem was destroyed, the
temple sacked, and its golden treasures carried off to
Rome. The judgment came, and the Kingdom of God.
They had their share in the one, but not in the other.
And to this day the world remembers the condemnation
of Jesus as its darkest hour of oppression.
STUDY TOPICS
i. Where was the Garden of Gethsemane?
2. TeU what Jesus did after leaving the upper room.
3. What was Jesus' prayer in the garden?
4. What might Jesus have done had he been afraid to
die? Why did he refuse to escape?

JESUS IN THE HANDS OF THE PRIESTS 207
5. Give the story of the arrest of Jesus by Judas and his
band.
6. Where was Jesus led by his captors : TeU what took
place there.
7. Tell what Peter did and said as he stood in the court
yard. Where were the other disciples at the time?

CHAPTER XXXI
THE CRUCIFIXION
Early the next morning the priests and scribes led
Jesus to Pilate. For they themselves had no authority
to put him to death. The Romans forbade even the
Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court, to carry out the
sentence of death — and Jesus' "judges" in the high
priest's house were by no means the Sanhedrin. All
such cases had to be tried again before a Roman officer.
BEFORE PILATE
Pilate was very anxious to keep peace and order in
Jerusalem during the feast. The Jews, he thought, were
an unruly race. Riots were frequent during the festi
vals, when great crowds of pilgrims filled the capital.
He kept his soldiers ready at a moment's notice to march
down into the city and restore order.
The chief priests and scribes knew that if they rep
resented Jesus as a dangerous agitator, one who claimed
to be the Messiah, that is, the king of Jerusalem, then
Pilate would be more wUhng to put him to death. —
And if PUate hesitated they could threaten to start
a riot during the Passover. That would be enough to
persuade him!
The charge against Jesus. — So they led Jesus to the
Praetorium, which was in the old palace of Herod in
the northwest corner of the Old City (see the map).
The chief priests did not go in, since they were strictly
observing the Passover, and to go into the Gentile
208

THE CRUCIFIXION 209
court-room would be defiling. So Pilate came out to
them, and they stated the charge against Jesus: "We
found this man (1) perverting the nation, forbidding to
give tribute to Caesar; and (2) saying that he himself
has been anointed king."
This charge, in both clauses, was a direct falsehood.
Jesus did not forbid the payment of tribute (see Chap
ter 28). Nor did he claim to be the king of the Jews:
his idea of the Messiah was spiritual, just as his idea of
the Kingdom of God was spiritual.
Pilate's examination. — Pilate turned to Jesus. "Are
you king of the Jews?" He asked the question almost
in derision — the prisoner before him looked anything
but like a king, with no crown, no scepter, no purple
robes of royalty: the clothes he wore were torn and
dirty from the abuse of the high priest's slaves the
night before.,
Jesus had kept sUence while the high priests, amid the
general clamor, stated the accusation. Now, in re
sponse to PUate's question, "Are you a king?" he only
rephed, "So you say."
The answer was non-committal. Pilate knew no more
than before. Perhaps he thought the prisoner was
overcome with fright, and afraid to speak in his own
defense; so he led Jesus inside and questioned him pri
vately. But Jesus, of course, was not afraid. He knew
himself to be a "king" — but a king in no sense that
Pilate could understand. So he had answered in this
unusual manner.
Jesus had no trial. — To speak of the "trial" before
Pilate is just as much a mistake as to call the night
session in the high priest's house a trial. The action of
the scribes and priests was only a plot, thinly disguised.
The examination by Pilate was not a trial — for Jesus

2io. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
had no witnesses, and the governor was in a hurry and
anxious to dismiss the case. Anything but the trial of
a popular leader on the very morning of the Passover!
"These crazy priests!" he said to himself, "to be bring
ing a mob here at such a time as this!"
Yet he knew that Jesus was not guilty. So he brought
him back to the porch outside the palace and said to
the chief priests and the multitude, "I find no fault in
this man." "You're no friend of Caesar," the priests
shouted back, "if you let this man go. He stirs up the
people continually, teaching throughout the nation,
beginning in Gahlee, and now coming here."
Led before Herod. — When Pilate heard Galilee men
tioned he thought at once of a plan. He really did not
know what to do with Jesus, but wanted to get rid of
him. If he was a Galilean he could say that he had no
jurisdiction in the case and hand him over to Herod
Antipas. ' Herod was even then in Jerusalem, having
come up for the feast, and to Herod Jesus was sent.
PUate thought that this was the solution of his diffi
culty. „ Herod had wanted for a long time to see Jesus, ex
pecting to witness some miracle done by him. When
Jesus was led before him the tetrarch asked him many
questions. The scribes and elders grew vehement in
their accusations, but Jesus answered them never a
word. At last Herod and his soldiers began to mock
Jesus, put a purple robe on him, and sent him back to
Pilate. Before Pilate once more. — When Pilate saw the
rabble returning with the angry priests and their pris
oner, he knew that he would have to act quickly to
save the man and prevent a tumult. He went out and
spoke to them. "You have brought me this man as

THE CRUCIFIXION an
one who misguides the people," he said. "But, after
examining him in your presence, I find no fault in him
touching those things you have charged against him.
Nor has Herod found him guilty, for he has sent him
back to me. It is evident that nothing worthy of death
has been done by the prisoner."
Then Pilate continued: "It is the custom to release a
prisoner at the Passover, whoever you ask. Whom shall
I release, this man or Barabbas?" — Barabbas was a
Zealot who had started an insurrection in the city and
had committed murder. — They cried out, "Release
Barabbas!" "What then shall I do with this man,
who is caUed 'King of the Jews'?" "Crucify him, crucify
him!" they shouted.
Jesus condemned. — And so Pilate, afraid to be un
popular or to gain the enmity of the chief priests, and
wishing to avoid a tumult at the Passover, gave in to
them. He released Barabbas, and sentenced Jesus to
death. And at the same time he ordered two thieves
crucified with him.
THE DEATH ON THE CROSS
Crucifixion was one of the most terrible means of
death ever inflicted upon criminals.
The custom of crucifixion. — It was not a Jewish
penalty, but was practiced by the Romans. Yet so
horrible was it that no Roman citizen was ever given
this punishment. Only slaves were crucified in Italy.
But in the provinces, as in Syria, where the people were
ruled by Roman mihtary governors, crucifixion was the
punishment for brigands, murderers, and insurrection
ists (that is, rebels against the Roman government).
The two thieves were crucified as brigands; Jesus was
crucified as an insurrectionist.

212 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
Golgotha. — The priests, with a small company of
soldiers, led Jesus and the thieves outside the city to a
place called Golgotha, "The Skull." We do not know
where this was, but it was near Jerusalem. Here they
stripped the three victims and nailed them to their
crosses. As they did so they offered them wine mingled
with myrrh in order to deaden their pain. But Jesus
refused to drink it — he would die with his mind un
clouded by any drug.
At the top of his cross was placed an inscription
which said,

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS

The crowd standing by began to mock him, saying,
" 'The King of the Jews'? — Come down from the cross,
then, and save yourself first of all!" Others said, "Aha!
you temple-destroyer, on the cross is where you belong!"
— "He saved others, but he cannot save himself!" —
"Let this Messiah come down from the cross and we will
beheve him!" Even one of the thieves, hanging nearby,
mocked and cursed him. Jesus heard what they said,
but he only murmured — the gentlest words ever uttered
— "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they
do." Then the other thief rebuked the one who cursed
Jesus. "Isn't there any fear of God left in you, even
when you're in the same place as this man? We deserve
what we're getting. But he doesn't." Then turning his
head toward our Lord he said, "Jesus, remember me
when you come into your kingdom!" And the Lord
replied, "Yes; to-day you wiU be with me in Paradise."
Jesus dies. — After a while the priests went home,
and the crowd began to disperse. The soldiers on guard

THE CRUCIFIXION 213
were throwing dice for the clothes of the three victims.
Some of Jesus' disciples had come near, and with them
came Mary, his mother, and two or three other women
from Gahlee.
As he hung there, repeating over to himself some of
the Psalms, Jesus grew thirsty and asked for a drink.
One of the soldiers, feeling pity for him, took a reed,
put a sponge on one end, dipped this in vinegar and
moistened Jesus' lips.
Towards noon the heat became intense. And then,
as if the very skies would have mercy upon the one
whom his people had unjustly cast out, the sun was
clouded over and darkness came on. This lasted until
after Jesus died, three hours later.
The crucified usually fingered for two or three days
before they died from the heat and hunger and exhaus
tion. But it was evident that Jesus' strength was fast
faiUng. He was worn with fatigue from his months
of travel and teaching, and the awful strain of the past
twenty-four hours was teUing upon him. At last, about
three in the afternoon, he rallied for a moment, gave a
loud cry, and said, "Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit." — He was dead.
The centurion in command of the guard, when he
saw how Jesus died, remarked, "Certainly, this was a
righteous man." He had seen crucifixions before, but
never had he seen anyone give up his Ufe so nobly, like
a true hero, a Son of God.
THE TOMB IN THE GARDEN
There was a man in Jerusalem who came from the
viUage of Arimathea. His name was Joseph; he was a
member of the Sanhedrin and very wealthy. He had
been looking for the coming of the Kingdom of God; he

214 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
was a good man, and secretly an admirer of Jesus. Of
course, he had nothing to do with the plot against Jesus
which the high priests had formed and carried out.
Permission from Pilate. — He now went boldly to
Pilate and asked permission to bury the body of Jesus.
He had a new tomb in his garden, hewn out of stone,
like a shelf in the rock. Here he could place Jesus' body
until after the Sabbath, when the burial should take
place. Pilate was surprised at his request, but readUy granted
it. Then Joseph took down the body from the cross,
wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in the tomb.
A stone was rolled against the opening, and Joseph
went home about the time when the Sabbath lamps
were being Ughted.
The faithful women from Galilee had f oUowed Joseph
and had seen where he placed the body of Jesus. AU
day they had stood near the cross — as near as they dared
to come — and now they prepared to do a last kind service
to theh Master: they got ready the spices and oint
ments for his burial.
STUDY TOPICS
i. Did Jesus have a fair trial, either before the priests or
before PUate? Give reasons for your answer.
2. What was PUate most anxious to do when Jesus was
brought before him?
3. Where was the Praetorium? What was it?
4. TeU what took place when Jesus was led before PUate.
Why did he send him to Herod?
5. Who was Barabbas? Why do you suppose the priests
preferred his release to that of Jesus?
6. Tell the story of the crucifixion.
7. Was Jesus buried on the day of his death? Where was
his body placed?

CHAPTER XXXII
THE RESURRECTION
Jesus' body was taken down from the cross late in
the afternoon of Friday. The next day, Saturday, was
the Sabbath. The disciples, like aU other Jews, rested
on this day. Where they were we cannot teU. No doubt
they were in hiding, for fear of the high priests and
scribes who had just put their master to death.
It was the saddest Sabbath they had ever known.
Jesus was dead, their beloved teacher; theh hope of the
Kingdom of God had been dashed to ruin; and their
own Hves were in danger. To-morrow they would start
for home. Theh loss and disappointment were over-
whehning. THE EMPTY TOMB
Early the next morning, at dawn, the women went to
the garden to prepare Jesus' body for burial. They
brought with them spices and ointments and linen
cloth. For that was the custom — the body was an
ointed and covered with sweet spices, and then wrapped
tightly in linen. Where they intended to bury Jesus
we do not know; probably it was right in the tomb in
Joseph's garden, where the body now lay.
"He is not here; he is risen!" — As they went
along they wondered if they would be able to pry the
stone away from the tomb, for it was very heavy. But
when they got there, behold, it was aheady roUed away!
They entered the Uttie cavern, with its shelves cut in
the rock. But the body of Jesus was not there! They
215

216 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
were greatly perplexed and alarmed, and did not
know what to make of it. Could someone have
taken away the body — some friend, removing it else
where for burial? Or might some enemy have stolen it
in the night?
As they stood there, wondering at what had taken
place, they saw a vision. Two men stood beside them
in dazzling apparel. The women were frightened and
bowed their faces to the earth. The men said to them,
"Why do you look here for one who is living? He is not
here; he is risen. Remember the words that he said to
you, even in Galilee, 'The Son of Man must be crucified,
and rise again.' Go now and tell Peter and the other
disciples that he goes before you into GalUee. There
you shah see him, even as he said."
Peter at the tomb. — The women went out with fear
and trembling, and returned to the city. When they
arrived they told the disciples what they had seen and
heard — the empty tomb, the vision, the words of the
two men. And it seemed hke a dream to the disciples.
But Peter and one of the others rose up and ran to the
tomb. Looking in, they saw the linen cloths lying there,
which the women had not noticed; but they saw no
vision, nor heard any words. So instead of returning to
Jerusalem, they set out at once for Galilee.
Back to Galilee. — The disciples were discouraged
and sick at heart. "The Kingdom of God" now seemed
an idle fancy — and the "rising from the dead" impos
sible. They had expected an earthly kingdom: Jesus'
crucifixion was the most terrible blow that kind of an
expectation could possibly receive. No wonder they
were now so discouraged! It seemed weeks ago, instead
of a few short days, when Jesus had come up with them
to Jerusalem, intending to keep the Passover. There

THE RESURRECTION 217
was nothing to do now but go home, get out their nets,
and start fishing once more. Theh dream had vanished.
It had aU been a vast mistake, and it had ended in
dismal faUure. Jesus of Nazareth was dead, and his
cause was lost. *f-
ON THE WAY TO EMMAUS
And so, as Peter and the others set out for Galilee,
twa of Jesus' foUowers who hved at Emmaus, just west
of Jerusalem, set forth for home. It was the afternoon
of that same day, Sunday.
"And as they walked along, they were talking
about aU that had happened. And it came to pass
as they talked with each other and questioned,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them.
But theh eyes were holden, so that they did not
recognize him.
"He said to them, 'What are you talking about so
earnestly as you walk along?'
"They stopped and stood stiU, looking at him with
sadness in theh gaze. One of them, Cleopas, an
swered and said to him, 'Are you only a stranger
in Jerusalem, and do you not know what has taken
place there in the last few days?'
"He asked, 'What things?'
"They rephed, 'About Jesus of Nazareth, who was
a prophet mighty in word and deed before God and
all the people; how the chief priests and rulers de
livered him up to death and crucified him. But we
hoped that he was the one who should redeem
Israel. Yes; and besides aU this, it is now the third
day since he was crucified. Early this morning,
certain women who belonged to our company went
to the tomb, and found that his body was not there.
Instead, they returned, saying they had seen a
vision of angels, who told them that he was still

218 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
alive. Some of us then went to the tomb, and found
it empty, just as the women had said; but Jesus
himself has not been seen.'
"Then he said to them, 'O foolish men, and slow
to believe, after all that the prophets have said!
Was it not right for the Messiah to suffer these
things and so to enter his glory?' Then beginning
with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to
them throughout the scriptures the references to
himself as the Messiah.
"They now drew near to the viUage where Cleopas
and his friend Uved; but Jesus seemed to be going
further. And so they urged him, saying, 'Come in
and stay with us; it is nearly evening, and the day
is almost gone.' So he went in as if to spend the
night with them.
"And it came to pass, when he had sat down with
them at the table, he took the loaf of bread and
blessed it. Then breaking it, he gave it to them.
And lo, theh eyes were opened and they knew him:
and immediately he vanished out of theh sight.
And they said to each other, 'Did not our hearts
burn within us as he talked to us on the way, and
explained to us the scriptures?'
"So they rose up at that very hour and returned
to Jerusalem. They found the eleven gathered to
gether, and the others with them, saying, 'The Master
has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon.' Then
they told what had happened on their way home, and
how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking
of the bread." — Luke 24 :i4-35.
WHAT BECAME OE THE DISCTPLES?
Just as Cleopas and his friend returned to Jerusalem
"at that very hour" and told all that had happened, so
the other disciples returned, after seeing Jesus risen

THE RESURRECTION 219
from the dead. Some saw him in Gahlee and came
back. Others, like Mary of Magdala, saw him the
very day the tomb was found empty. Only one thing
drew them together again, and that was their faith
that Jesus was still living, still their Master and the
Messiah. Tarrying in Jerusalem.— Here they remained, in the
upper room of the house in Jerusalem where they had
eaten the Passover with Jesus. From time to time Jesus
came into their midst and talked with them. At last one
day he led them out to Bethany, lifted up his hands
and blessed them, and vanished from their sight. A
cloud received him — He had ascended into heaven; he
had returned to his Father.
Preaching the Gospel. — A few days later, on
the Day of Pentecost, the disciples began to preach.
They were not in Galilee, but right in Jerusalem, where
Jesus had been put to death, and where their own lives
were stUl in danger. It was a wonderful change in the
disciplps, and only one thing could have made them so
brave and fearless. It was theh faith in Jesus, once
their Master and Teacher, now their Messiah and Lord.
For they had actually seen him and been with him
since his resurrection from the dead. They beUeved
that he was now in heaven, seated at the right hand of
God. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, saw him
there in a vision as he was dying. And they expected
that Jesus would soon return to set up the Kingdom
of God in Jerusalem. For stiU, in spite of aU that Jesus
had said, they looked for an earthly kingdom, with a
palace and a throne in Jerusalem, and armies and tribute
and courts of law. It was a long whUe before this idea
disappeared and the Christian Church began to realize
the spiritual truth of Jesus' teaching.

220 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
The growth of the Church. — The story of the bold
preaching of the disciples, of their persecution by the
Pharisees and priests, of the gradual rise and growth of
the Church — all this is written in the Acts of the Apos
tles, and in the few other books which have come down
to us from those long-ago days. Peter and James and
John were the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem. The
others, tradition tells us, went elsewhere to preach the
gospel. Judas, the traitor, had killed himself when he
realized what he had done, and Matthias was chosen
to fill his place and be one of the Twelve.
This long story of the spread of Christianity; the
rise and growth of the Church; its wonderful history
through nearly nineteen centuries down to our own days
— this you must read some time. For, next to the Life
of Jesus, it is the most wonderful story in the world.
JESUS OUR MASTER tO-DAY
And aU through the history of the Christian Church
the memory of Jesus, the records of his life and teaching
in the gospels, and the sacraments by which his dis
ciples hve in communion with him, have been preserved
and treasured. He is still our Master and Teacher,
just as he was the Teacher of his little band of disciples
in Galilee. And still he says to us, as he said to them,
"Why do you call me Master, unless you do what I
say?" Still he says to us, "Blessed are the poor in
spirit, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the
peacemakers — for they are the true children of God and
theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
The Savior of the World. — And not only is he our
Master and Teacher, he is also our Savior and Re
deemer. By his life and teachings he reveals to us our
Father in heaven, helps us to know Him and love Him,

THE RESURRECTION 221
as His loyal and faithful children. Of Jesus it was truly
said, "In him was life; and the Ufe was the Ught of
men" (John 1:4). For his life was the hfe of God
HimseU, hved among men, God in man, "incarnate."
And also, by his perfect obedience, even through
suffering and death, he saved us, and all who beUeve
in him, from sin and eternal death. He laid down his
life, as" he said, "a ransom for many"; his blood was
shed "for the remission of sins."
And by his resurrection, he "conquered death for
every man." In him, — that is, by receiving him, by
Uving in communion with him, by accepting his help
or "grace," by loving and obeying him, — we are able
to conquer sin, overcome our faults, grow more hke
him, and fit for God's Kingdom and eternal Ufe.
The secret of true happiness. — One day, thirty
years after the death of Jesus, a man lay chained in a
dingy prison in the far-away city of Rome. He was
there, not because he had committed any crime, but
because, like his Master, he had offended the Jewish
high priests. His name was Paul. •
He is writing a letter to some Christians in distant
PhiUppi, in Macedonia, to thank them for a httle gift of
money which they had sent him. He expects to be put
to death, 'sooner or later, perhaps in a very few days.
Do you know what he writes to his friends in this
letter? It is one of the most joyful letters anyone ever
wrote. "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say it,
Rejoice!" Then he teUs them what is the greatest
thing in the world to him, and the secret of his happi
ness in spite of suffering and danger. It is this: "To
know Christ, and the power of his resurrection."
This was the secret of Paul's happiness in spite of
suffering, h> spite of imprisonment, in spite of approach-

222 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS
ing death. "To know Jesus" — this was the most won
derful thing in the world.
To know Jesus is still the secret of true happiness.
It is still the most wonderful thing in the world.
STUDY TOPICS
i. Make an outline of the events of Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday, as told in the last three
chapters.
2. What did the women from Galilee arrange to do on
Sunday morning?
3. Describe the tomb in the garden. To whom did it
belong?
4. Give the story of the visit of the women to the tomb.
5. Where did some of the disciples go after Jesus' cruci
fixion?
6. Give the story of the Walk to Emmaus.
7. What became of the disciples after Jesus' resurrec
tion? Where in the Bible would you look to find
something about this?
8. Jesus is our Master to-day, just as he was in the days
of his earthly life. Show how this is true, how we
can foUow him, learn from his teaching, love and
obey and honor him as did his disciples long ago in
Palestine.
9. Explain what Saint Paul and the other early Chris
tians found to be the secret of true happiness.
10. Turn to page 7 and memorize the poem, How He
Came, by W. J. Dawson.

Dear Lord Jesus, our Teacher and Savior, we
thank thee for thy coming to save the world ;
for thy holy life of courage and self-sacrifice ;
for thy divine teaching, and for thy death upon
the cross.
Help us day by day to follow thy teaching, to
do thy will as faithful disciples ; to be thought
ful and humble and courageous, gentle and
generous in thought and 'word and deed ; to
help others, and hasten the coming of God s
Kingdom. Amen.

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