Chapter XLI: Preface (1)

In this volume is told the story of the life of Jesus as it moves on steadily through the gospels. The story shows a life not simply "good," but heroic. A life with a mighty purpose, nobly planned, splendidly carried out. It is a life which appeals to the love of the heroic in character that exists in every child's mind. The second part is simply a continuation of the first. The heroic spirit, the love of humanity which was in Jesus was communicated to his disciples. These disciples went forth "into all the world," to teach men the gospel of the "man of Nazareth." The adventures they had, the sufferings they endured, the victories they won, are recorded here.

The book aims especially to show the development of the heroic life of Jesus through its different stages. The text is a reproduction of the New Testament accounts, being drawn from all the Gospels. Here and there, as in the other volumes, a sentence or two of introduction and connection has been prefixed to certain sections, to furnish needed information. It is hoped that the book may in some measure help its readers, whether young or old, to see more clearly the beauty and the heroism which these stories portray.

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CONTENTS.

THE LIFE OF THE LORD JESUS.

PALESTINE IN THE DAYS OF THE LORD JESUS 17

1 _How the Lord Jesus Spent His Boyhood_. 33

I The Nativity. 37
II The Wise Men. 41
III A Journey to the Land of the Pharaohs. 45
IV The Boyhood of Jesus. 49

2 _How the Lord Jesus began to win the love of many people_. 61

I The Baptism of Jesus. 65
II The Temptation in the Wilderness. 70
III The First Disciples. 74
IV The First Miracle. 78
V At the Passover. 79
VI Jesus at Jacob's Well. 82
VII The Good Samaritan. 88
VIII Jesus and the King's Officer. 92
IX The Choosing of the Twelve Disciples. 94

3 _How the Lord Jesus went about doing good, teaching and
healing, and how He grew in favor with the people_. 103

I The Sermon on the Mount 105
II The Roman Soldier's Faith. 121
III Days of Service. 125
IV The Miracle at Nain. 130
V The Great Teacher. 133
VI The Tempest. 136
VII The Little Girl Who Died. 141
VIII Learning to Serve. 143
IX The Feeding of the Multitude. 144
X Jesus and John the Baptist. 149 {10}

4 _How, while He was still teaching and healing, many began
to turn against Him, and how He, seeing that He must suffer
to save the people, took up the journey to the cross_. 159

I The Beginning of the End. 161
II The Enemies of Jesus. 167
III A Long Journey. 172
IV The Shadow of the Cross. 178
V The Transfiguration. 180
VI Teaching the Disciples. 185
VII Jesus and Little Children. 188
VIII Jesus at Jerusalem. 190
IX At the Feast of Dedication. 197
X Stories of the Divine Forgiveness. 202
XI The Rich Young Man. 211
XII The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead. 215
XIII Zacchaeus the Publican. 221

5 _How the Lord Jesus spent His last days in Jerusalem, how
He loved His friends unto the end, how He fell into the
hands of His enemies, and how He crowned a life of
service with an heroic death_. 227

I The Supper at Bethany. 229
II The Entry into Jerusalem. 233
III In the Temple. 237
IV Last Days at Jerusalem. 238
V The Last Supper. 248
VI The Betrayal. 264
VII The Trial. 268
VIII The Judgment. 272
IX The Crucifixion. 281
X The Burial. 286

6 _How the Lord Jesus rose again from the dead, how He
comforted His disciples, and how He sent them out, to
teach all men in His name_. 295
I The Resurrection. 297
II On the Way to Emmaus. 301 {11}
III Doubting Thomas. 305
IV "Feed My Sheep". 307
V The Ascension. 310

LEADERS AND VICTORIES OF THE NEW FAITH.

1 _How the new faith spread from Jerusalem_. 323
I The Day of Pentecost. 325
II A Miracle of the New Faith. 330
III Ananias and Sapphira. 335
IV The First Martyr. 339
V Simon the Sorcerer. 346
VI Philip and the Queen's Officer. 348
VII Peter and Dorcas. 350
VIII Peter and the Roman Captains. 353
IX The First Missionary Journeys. 357
X Peter in Prison. 359

MISSIONARY JOURNEYS AND ADVENTURES OF PAUL.

PAUL THE APOSTLE. 367

1 _How Paul the Persecutor laid aside the
old life and took up the new_. 371

2 _The First Missionary Journey_. 376
I Paul and Barnabas Sail for Cyprus. 376
II From Cyprus to Antioch. 380
III Through the Towns of Galatia. 385
IV A Disturbance in the Church. 388

3 _The Second Missionary Journey_. 392
I Revisiting the Scenes of Former Victories. 395
II "The Macedonian Cry". 396
III Preaching in the Macedonian Cities. 403 {12}
IV Paul at Athens. 404
V Tentmaking in Corinth. 408

4 _The Third Missionary Journey_. 417
I Far and Wide by Land and Sea. 418
II A Riot in Ephesus. 418
III Farewells to the Churches. 422

5 The Captain of the New Faith in the Hands of His Foes. 433
I The Jews Stir Up a Riot. 433
II On the Castle Stairs. 434
III A Citizen of the Empire. 441
IV Paul Before the Council. 442
V A Conspiracy Against Paul. 445
VI The Accusation of the Jews. 448
VII A New Examination Before Governor Festus. 452
VIII Paul Makes His Defense Before King Agrippa and
Queen Bernice. 455

6 _The Captain of the New Faith in the Capital of the Caesars_ 462
I Paul's Voyage to Rome. 462
II A Winter's Storm on the Mediterranean. 469
III At Malta. 474
IV Paul at the City on the Tiber. 478

NOTES. 483

MEMORY VERSES. 499

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The Life of the Lord Jesus

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THE NATIVITY.
By Lerolle.

"O blessed day which giv'st the eternal lie
To self, and sense, and all the brute within;
Oh! come to us amid the war of life;
To hall and hovel come! to all who toil
In senate, shop, or study! and to those
Ill-warmed and sorely tempted--
Come to them, blest and blessing, Christmas Day!
Tell them once more the tale of Bethlehem,
The kneeling shepherds and the babe divine;
And keep them men indeed, fair Christmas Day!"
--_Charles Kingsley_.

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PALESTINE IN THE DAYS OF THE LORD JESUS

Palestine was a busy country in the days when the Lord Jesus lived in it. Hundreds of little villages were scattered all over its hills, with here and there a great town, where all day long crowds of people passed in and out the gates of the gray stone walls. Greatest of all the cities, loved by every Jew in the world, was Jerusalem, but more trade flowed in and out of some other cities. All over the country were roads running from city to city. He who traveled on a great road saw much of the world. There were the country people going into the city to sell fruit and firewood, merchants riding past on asses, patient pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem, trains of mules and long caravans of slow-moving camels loaded with the goods of distant countries, crossing Palestine to the ports of the Mediterranean Sea, and here and there a Roman officer hurrying past on some grave business of the empire. All this made the roads, even to a boy shut in by the hills of Galilee, a series of pictures that waked his imagination of the great world beyond the mountains. This was even more the case in Galilee, where Jesus lived when a boy, than it was in the southern part of the land, in Judaea. In Judaea nearly all the people were Jews, and very proud they {18} were of the fact. In Galilee many belonged to other nations, and the Judaeans looked down on Galilee and thought it was half heathen. But even in Galilee there were many earnest Jews, and it may be doubted if, after all, half-heathen Galilee was not a better place for a boy to grow up in than was proud Jerusalem. It is better for a boy to be able to sympathize with those who do not belong to his set, than to look down on other people because they are somehow different from him.

And then the schools and the churches! Every village in Palestine had them, and the school was in the church. The beginning of the training was at home. There is little doubt, however, that in the time of Jesus, Nazareth had a school, and that Jesus with the other boys was taught to read the Old Testament in Hebrew. The people no longer spoke the language in their homes, but it was always read in the services on the Sabbath, and the teaching of the schools was in it, as in the olden time the teaching of the schools in Europe was in Latin. On the Sabbath all the people came to these places of worship, which were called synagogues, and read the Old Testament and prayed to God and sometimes heard a sermon from some wise man who had something he wished to say to the people. Sometimes the man who preached was an old rabbi, who had thought about the great things of his religion for many years, until all the people had come to look with great respect on so wise and venerable a man. Sometimes it was a younger man, but with the fire of youth, and then when the people went home their hearts burned with a great {19} longing that their God would show himself to them in some wonderful deed of power. But the years passed on and the divine deed of power never came. So some of the people became disheartened and almost ceased to care what happened to their religion, except that if anyone insulted it, their anger burned up very quickly, and their hands reached for sticks and stones to throw at the man who dared to say a word against their faith. But others studied their old books with still more diligence, and strove so hard to keep all the laws they found, that almost no time was left to do anything else. Very much above the common people they felt themselves in their religious pride, and religious pride is the very worst pride in all the world. Such were the Pharisees, of whom the New Testament tells so much. But all over the country, both among the Pharisees and among the other people, were many patiently waiting and earnestly praying that God would show himself to his people.

How did they want God to show himself? In some great act of relief for the nation. During these years Rome ruled over all the lands of western Asia. Now the rule of Rome was the wisest and best rule that these lands had ever known. Sometimes a selfish or a cruel officer appeared, who cared for nothing but the money he could get from the people, or who turned his soldiers into the streets to kill and plunder as they pleased, but generally the Romans made good and just governors. But the Jews were not content. They remembered the time when kings of their own nation had ruled over them, and they dreamed {20} dreams of a glorious future when God would free them from all foreign power, and Jerusalem should rule the world. They were very sure that this would come sometime. God would not always let a heathen army keep the castle which overlooked his own temple in Jerusalem. They read in the prophets of the Old Testament about a Prince and a Saviour whom God would send some day. This Prince was called the Messiah, and the hope of his coming was the Messianic hope. Every generation hoped that he would come in their day. Year by year they said, "It must be before long. God cannot wait much longer." Some of them thought that Israel itself was not pure enough, and that this kept back the Messiah. "If Israel kept the law perfectly for one day," so they said, "the Messiah would come." Others thought that they ought not to sit still and do nothing, but should be brave and strike a blow for their own liberty. Such men were looking for a leader, but no leader had yet been found. So all the people, with their various ways of thinking, were looking and longing and waiting for the Messiah. Is it any wonder that, when Jesus began to teach and do cures, the people asked one another if this might not be the Messiah, and that they sometimes tried to make him a leader to free them from the Romans? To understand what the people thought of Jesus and how Jesus talked to the people, one must know how this hope of the Messiah was all the time in the people's minds. They were ever saying, "Is not this the Messiah?" Jesus was ever answering, "Not the Messiah you expect." They were ever asking him, "Will you now found the kingdom?"

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GATHERING TARES IN THE STONY FIELDS NEAR BETHEL.
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.

This would look like a very scanty harvest to eyes accustomed to
fruitful fields. There are four species of tares in Palestine. The
seeds are poisonous to man and to beasts, producing serious sickness
and sometimes death. They are, however, harmless to fowls and are
sold as food for poultry. It is customary to gather out the tares
when the grain is nearly ready for harvest. Then the women and
children go into the fields and carefully remove not only the tares
but all the weeds as well.
[End illustration]

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Jesus was ever replying, "The kingdom of God is not outward, with courts and armies and a great parade. It is inward, and means obeying the will of God." So Jesus lived in that busy world of his day, but few understood him. At last, because he would not be the kind of a Messiah they wanted, they crucified him. About forty years after this, the busy, proud people attempted to fight the Romans. They were defeated, and Jerusalem was taken. The temple was burned, the stone walls were thrown down, and the Jews were killed or sent away. So the story of Palestine and of its great hope ends very sadly for the Jews, who so looked and longed for their freedom. But we shall always love the land where the Lord Jesus lived and the people among whom he worked, because he loved them so much himself.

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Map of Palestine at the time of the New Testament.
[End illustration]

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IT CAME UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold;
Peace on the earth, good-will to men.
From heaven's all-gracious King;
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled;
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world:
Above its sad and lonely plains
They bend on hovering wing.
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

O ye beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow!
Look now, for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing:
Oh, rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing.

For lo, the days are hastening on,
By prophets seen of old,
When with the ever-circling years,
Shall come the time foretold,
When the new heaven and earth shall own
The Prince of Peace their King,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.
--_Edmund H. Sears_.

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BRIGHTEST AND BEST

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid.
Star of the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.

Cold on His cradle the dew-drops are shining,
Low lies His head with the beasts of the stall;
Angels adore Him in slumber reclining,
Maker, and Monarch, and Saviour of all.

Say, shall we yield Him, in costly devotion,
Odors of Edam, and offerings divine,
Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean,
Myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?

Vainly we offer each ample oblation;
Vainly with gifts would His favor secure:
Richer by far is the heart's adoration;
Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid.
Star of the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.
--_Reginald Heber_.

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BETHLEHEM.

From a picture owned by the Detroit Photograph Company,
and used by its kind permission.

This picture shows the town, looking in
from the Church of the Nativity.
[End illustration]

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THE THREE KINGS.

There came three kings, ere break of day,
All on Epiphanie;
Their gifts they bare all rich and rare,
All, all, Lord Christ, for Thee:
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are there,
Where is the King? O where? O where?

The star shone brightly overhead,
The air was calm and still,
O'er Bethlehem fields its rays were shed,
The dew lay on the hill:
We see no throne, no palace fair,
Where is the King? O where? O where?

An old man knelt at a manger low,
A Babe lay in the stall;
The starlight played on the infant brow,
Deep silence lay o'er all.
A maiden bent o'er the Babe in prayer:--
There is the King! O there! O there!
--_Christmas Hymn of the 16th Century_.

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JOY TO THE WORLD

Joy to the world, the Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns:
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground:
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.
--_Isaac Watts_.

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BETHLEHEM.

The large building to the left is the Church of the Nativity.

"See how far upon the Eastern road
The star-led wizards haste with odours sweet.
O run, present them with thy humle ode,
And lay it lowly at his blessed feet;
Have thou the honour first thy Lord to greet,
And join thy voices with the angel quire
From out his secret altar touched with hallow'd fire."
--_John Milton_

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How the Lord Jesus Spent His Boyhood.

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PERSONS OF THE STORY.

_The CHILD JESUS_.
_Joseph_.
_Mary_.
_King Herod_.
_Angels, wise men, shepherds, soldiers, teachers in the temple_.

PLACES OF THE STORY.

_Bethlehem of Judaea_.
_Jerusalem_.
_Egypt_.
_The village of Nazareth in Galilee_.

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THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY AT BETHLEHEM.
Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.

This marble star marks the place of Jesus' birth according to the
belief of many.
[End illustration]

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I

THE NATIVITY

_How the Lord Jesus Was Born in a Stable_.

(In the days of the Roman Emperor Augustus, a census of all the people of the empire was taken. Everyone went to his own city to be counted in the census. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of 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; to enroll himself with Mary.)

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 in the inn.

And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were much afraid.

And the angel said unto 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 Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign unto you; Ye 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,-- {38}

"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased."

And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see what has come to pass, which the Lord hath 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 made public the saying which was spoken to them 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, and pondered 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.

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THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.

By W. A. Bouguereau (1825-1905)

"Thou wayfaring Jesus, a pilgrim and stranger,
Exiled from heaven by love at thy birth,
Exiled again from thy rest in the manger,
A fugitive child 'mid the perils of earth.

"Cheer with thy fellowship all who are weary,
Wandering far from the land that they love;
Guide every heart that is homeless and dreary
Safe to thy home in thy presence above."
--_Van Dyke_

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II

THE WISE MEN

_How They Came from Afar to See the Lord Jesus_.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him."

And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born.

And they said unto him, "In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,--

'And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah:
For out of thee shall come forth a governor,
Which shall be shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and inquired of them carefully what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and search out carefully concerning the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word, that I also may come and worship him."

And they, having heard the king, went their way; and {42} lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshiped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts; gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

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THE REPOSE IN EGYPT.
This picture shows the Holy Family resting on the long journey to Egypt.

They are within the borders of the land of the Pharaohs, and are
passing the night in the shadow of one of the great sphinxes
[End illustration]

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III

A JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS.

_How the Lord Jesus Was Taken to Egypt, How He Was Brought Back, and How He Lived in Nazareth_.

Now when the wise men had departed behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,--

"Out of Egypt did I call my son."

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had carefully learned of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,--

"A voice was heard in Ramah,
Weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
And she would not be comforted, because they are not."

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But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead that sought the young child's life."

And he arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judaea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither; and being warned of God in a dream, he withdrew into Galilee, and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth.

And the child grew, and waxed strong, becoming full of wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

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THE BOY JESUS ON HIS WAY TO JERUSALEM.
By O. Mengelberg

"Oh! say not, dream not, heavenly notes
To childish ears are vain,
That the young mind at random floats
And cannot reach the strain.

"Was not our Lord a little child,
Taught by degrees to pray,
By father dear and mother mild
Instructed day by day?"
--_John Keble_
[End illustration]

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IV

THE BOYHOOD OF JESUS

_How the Lord Jesus Went to a Feast at Jerusalem for the First Time_.

And his parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up after the custom of the feast; and when the feast was over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not; but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day's journey; and they sought for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance: and when they found him not, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him.

And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions: and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

And when they saw him, they were astonished: and his mother said unto him, "Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing."

And he said unto them, "How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must be in my Father's house?"

And they understood not the saying which he spoke unto them. And he went down with them, and came to {50} Nazareth; and he was subject unto them: and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

The New Testament tells us very little about the boyhood of Jesus,
but fortunately we know from other sources much of the life of
children in Palestine in those days. Among the earliest memories of
the boy Jesus must have been the tender voice of his mother, as she
sang or repeated to him the beautiful songs which we call psalms,
and told him those wonderful stories of the heroism and faith of his
ancestors, of which we read in the Old Testament. When he was five
or six years old, he began to go to school. There he sat on the
floor with the other little children of the village, forming a
semicircle about their master. He was taught at school to read and
write, and to repeat from memory large portions of the Old
Testament. He no doubt had a boy's gladness in freedom and play when
school was out. It must have been very pleasant to sit in Joseph's
shop, and watch the shavings curl from the plane, to see the wood
fashioned into various shapes of usefulness. When he grew older he
learned the carpenter's trade in this shop. Every Jewish boy had to
learn a trade. The home life was very simple. The family was poor,
and it was not always easy to make both ends meet. Jesus no doubt
helped his mother about her work, especially in drawing water from
the village well. Every Sabbath he went to the village church, or
synagogue, as it was called, and listened attentively to the
service. In the village he often caught glimpses of the outside
world, for Nazareth was on one of the main caravan routes. Here he
would see merchants from the far East, strange, bearded, swarthy men
with trains of camels, laden with bundles of precious merchandise,
rugs, and gems, and sweet smelling sandal wood. Here he might see a
company of Roman soldiers, marching under command of a centurion,
short, stern men, helmeted, with shining armor, sword, and spear, in
perfect discipline, showing the pride of the race which had
conquered the world by force of arms. Here he saw, too, the poor and
the suffering, the beggar, the outcast.

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FINDING OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE.
Holman Hunt (1821-1910)

From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton,
Mass., and used by special permission.
[End illustration]

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He began to see, no doubt, as a boy, how much the world needed a
saviour, and he began to form his resolution to be a hero, not a
hero like the Roman soldier, but a hero of peace, one who should
help and uplift humanity. So the days of his boyhood passed, in
study, and work, and play, as he steadily grew toward manhood.

Every year three great feasts were kept by the Jews. The greatest of
these was the Passover. People who could do so, left their homes,
and journeyed to Jerusalem, the great sacred city of the Jews, to
keep this feast; so that all the houses of the city were full of
guests, all the villages near by were crowded with people, and the
hills about were covered with the tents of those who could find no
shelter in the houses. Women and little children were not required
to take the hard journey, though they sometimes went. The journey
had to be made on foot, or on the backs of horses or mules, the men
carrying their food with them, and stopping at night where the dark
found them. When they could arrange it, groups of friends and
neighbors liked to go together, for company and safety. It was then
often a happy journey, though it was never easy, and much as the
boys looked forward to it, they often found that it was tiresome to
tramp all day over the hills, and that they did not sleep as well at
night on the open ground, with the cold stars looking down at them,
as they did in their own beds at home. Yet the boys liked to go.
Boys no doubt liked to "camp out" then, as they do now, and there
was always a touch of adventure; the possibility of meeting robbers,
or wild beasts. Besides, it was taking a part in man's work; for
they were sometimes allowed to go when they were twelve years old.
When they reached this age, they were to "keep the law," as their
fathers did, and that made them feel like men. So it must have been
a great day for Jesus, when he, now twelve years old, was allowed
for the first time to start by his father's side, while his mother
rode on an ass beside them, for the long walk of sixty miles in the
soft spring air, over the hills to the city and the temple of which
he had heard so much.

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IMMORTAL LOVE

Immortal love, forever full,
Forever flowing free,
Forever shared, forever whole,
A never-ebbing sea.

Blow, winds of God, awake and blow
The mists of earth away!
Shine out, O Light Divine, and show
How wide and far we stray!

We may not climb the heavenly steeps
To bring the Lord Christ down:
In vain we search the lowest deeps,
For Him no depths can drown.

But warm, sweet, tender, even yet
A present help is He;
And faith has still its Olivet,
And love its Galilee.

The healing of His seamless dress
Is by our beds of pain;
We touch Him in life's throng and press,
And we are whole again.

Through Him the first fond prayers are said
Our lips of childhood frame,
The last low whispers of our dead
Are burdened with His name.

O Lord and Master of us all!
Whate'er our name or sign,
We own Thy sway, we hear Thy call,
We test our lives by Thine.
--_John Greenleaf Whittier_.

{55}{56}

A CARPENTER SHOP.

From a photograph taken by Prof. Lewis Bayles Paton of Hartford
Theological Seminary, and used by his kind permission.

This is a most interesting picture of an Eastern carpenter's shop.
Some of the young workmen look very keen and intelligent. So the boy
Jesus must have looked in the little shop of Joseph at Nazareth.
[End illustration]

{57}

JESUS, I MY CROSS HAVE TAKEN

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shalt be:
Perish every fond ambition,
All I've sought and hoped and known;
Yet how rich is my condition,
God and heaven are still my own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Saviour, too;
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like man, untrue;
And while Thou shalt smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate, and friends may shun me,
Show Thy face, and all is bright.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure;
Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure;
With Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee, Abba, Father;
I have stayed my heart on Thee:
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather,
All must work for good to me.

Man may trouble and distress me,
'Twill but drive me to Thy breast;
Life with trials hard may press me,
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
O 'tis not in grief to harm me,
While Thy love is left to me;
O 'twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.
--_Henry Francis Lyte_.

{58}

AM I A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS

Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight, if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord;
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.

Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
Shall conquer, though they die;
They view the triumph from afar,
And seize it with their eye.

When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all Thine armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.
--_Isaac Watts_.

{59}{60}

NAZARETH.

The village of Nazareth itself lies in a basin, but from the hills
all about it the most extended view can be obtained. The scenes of
many of the most thrilling episodes in the history of Israel are in
sight. In Jesus' time it was near the great caravan roads, and the
center of a busy civilization.

"It was not as a rustic preaching to rustics that our Lord went
about. He went forth in a part of the Roman empire full of Roman
civilization, busy and populous."--_Walter Besant_
[End illustration]

{61}

How the Lord Jesus Began to Win the Love of Many People.

{62}

PERSONS OF THE STORY.

_The LORD JESUS_.
_John the Baptist_.
_The Disciples of Jesus_.
_Mary, the Mother of Jesus_.
_Nicodemus, a great teacher at Jerusalem_.
_A woman of Samaria_.
_A king's officer_.
_The Evil One_.
_Pharisees, Sadducees_.
_Soldiers, a wedding party, money changers, priests, Samaritans_.

PLACES OF THE STORY.

_The Jordan River. The Wilderness_.
_Cana in Galilee. Jerusalem. Samaria_.
_Galilee_.

{63}{64}

THE LOWER FORDS OF THE JORDAN.
Photograph taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed of Springfield, Mass.,
and used by her kind permission.

This fine picture shows the traditional place of the baptism of
Jesus. The river has been at flood, as often happens in its
impetuous torrent, and quantities of driftwood are shown along
its banks.
[End illustration]

{65}

I

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

_How John Preached to the People, and How the Lord Jesus Was Baptized by Him in the River Jordan_.

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying, "Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,--

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make ye ready the way of the Lord,
Make his paths straight.'"

Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out unto him the people of Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, "Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham to our father': for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

{66}

"And even now is the axe laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he who cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."

And the multitudes asked him, saying, "What then must we do?"

And he answered and said unto them, "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him do likewise."

And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him, "Master, what must we do?"

And he said unto them, "Extort no more than that which is appointed you."

And soldiers also asked him, saying, "And we, what must we do?"

And he said unto them, "Do violence to no man, neither take anything wrongfully; and be content with your wages."

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized by him. But John would have hindered him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me?"

But Jesus answering said unto him, "Permit it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness."

{67}

JESUS TAKING LEAVE OF HIS MOTHER.
By Bernard Plockhorst

This picture shows Jesus taking leave of Mary before beginning his
ministry.
[End illustration]

{69}

Then he permitted him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying,--

"This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased."

{70}

II

THE TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS.

_How the Lord Jesus Fought with a Great Foe_.

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness during forty days, being tempted of the devil. And he ate nothing in those days: and when they were completed, he hungered.

And the devil said unto him, "If thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread."

And Jesus answered unto him, "It is written. 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'"

And he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And the devil said unto him, "To thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine."

And Jesus answered and said unto him, "It is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.'"

{71}{72}

THE WILDERNESS OF THE TEMPTATION.

This wild and desolate region accords very well with our ideas of
the place of the temptation of Jesus. The great cliff in the picture
faces a narrow ravine not far from Jericho
[End illustration]

{73}

And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, "If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written,--

'He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee:

and,

'On their hands they shall bear thee up,
Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.'"

And Jesus answering said unto him, "It is said, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'"

And he was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; and he was with wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

{74}

III

THE FIRST DISCIPLES.

_How the Lord Jesus Began to Win the Love of His Friends_.

One day after Jesus had returned from the wilderness, where he had met the temptation, John the Baptist saw him approaching, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me cometh a man which is become before me: for he was before me.' And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing with water."

Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples; and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, "What seek ye?"

And they said unto him, "Rabbi (that is, Master), where abidest thou?"

He saith unto them, "Come, and ye shall see."

They came therefore and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day: it was about the tenth hoar.

One of the two that heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, Christ).

{75}{76}

JESUS AND THE FISHERMEN.
By Zimmermann
[End illustration]

{77}

He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and said, "Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas" (that is, Peter).

On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, "We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

And Nathanael said unto him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip saith unto him, "Come and see."

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"

Nathanael saith unto him, "Whence knowest thou me?" Jesus answered and said unto him, "Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee."

Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King of Israel."

Jesus answered and said unto him, "Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

{78}

IV

THE FIRST MIRACLE.

_How the Lord Jesus Went to a Wedding_.

The third day after Jesus had started for Galilee with his new friends, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: and Jesus also was bidden, with his disciples, to the marriage.

And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said unto him, "They have no wine."

And Jesus said unto her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come."

His mother said unto the servants, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."

Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews' custom of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece.

Jesus said unto them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And he said unto them, "Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast."

And they bore it. And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants which had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom, and said unto him, "Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now."

This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

{79}

V

AT THE PASSOVER.

_How the Lord Jesus Went Again to Jerusalem, What He Did, and the Friends He Made There_.

And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money and overthrew their tables; and to them that sold the doves he said, "Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise."

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed on his name, beholding his signs which he did.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came unto him by night, and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him."

Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

{80}

Nicodemus said unto him, "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"

Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, 'Ye must be born anew.' The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus answered and said unto him, "How can these things be?" Jesus replied to him, "Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and bear witness of that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you heavenly things? And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life."

(This is the end of the story of the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus. What follows is added by the writer of the gospel.)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son {81} into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For every one that doeth ill hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved. But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.

{82}

VI

JESUS AT JACOB'S WELL.

_How the Lord Jesus Made Much of Two Days in Samaria_.

Afterward Jesus left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs pass through Samaria. So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph: and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat by the well.

It was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, "Give me to drink."

For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, "How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered and said unto her, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, 'Give me to drink'; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."

The woman saith unto him, "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?"

{83}{84}

JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.
By Heinrich Hofmann

"Sweet was the hour, O Lord! to thee
At Sychor's lonely well,
When a poor outcast heard thee there
Thy great salvation tell.
There Jacob's erring daughter found
Those streams unknown before,
The water brooks of life, that make
The weary thirst no more."
--_Sir Edward Demey_

{85}

Jesus answered and said unto her, "Everyone that drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water, springing up unto eternal life."

The woman saith unto him, "Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw."

Jesus saith unto her, "Go, call thy husband, and come hither."

The woman answered and said unto him, "I have no husband."