University of California, , 
 
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> AMERICAN 
 UNITARIAN 
 ASSOCIATION 
 
 LIFE OF THEAVIOUR. 
 
 BT 
 
 HENRY WARE, JB, 
 
 SEVENTH EDITION. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 AMERICAN UNITARIAN ASSOCIATION. 
 
 1873. 
 
t 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by th 
 
 AMERICAN UNITARIAN ASSOCIATION, 
 in the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
 UNIVERSITY PRESS: WELCH, BIGELOW, & Co., 
 CAMBRIDGE. 
 
THE 
 
 EDITORIAL NOTE 
 
 TO THE SIXTH EDITION. 
 
 THIS volume is reprinted at the request of the 
 Ladies Commission on Sunday-School Books, after 
 an interval of more than twenty years since the 
 last (the 5th) edition was issued, during most 
 of which period it has been out of print. These 
 twenty years have been marked by more than 
 usual activity of thought upon this great subject, 
 and it was at first proposed to have the book 
 revised, so that it might be enriched and perhaps 
 amended by what later scholarship has contrib 
 uted towards the better understanding of the 
 Life of Christ. But it has seemed on the whole 
 unnecessary to do this. The volume is the in 
 terpretation of the lessons of our Saviour s life 
 and teachings, given by one who eminently pos 
 sessed the qualifications for such a task ; and the 
 repeated call for it has sufficiently proved that 
 
IV EDITORIAL NOTE. 
 
 it has earned a permanent place among the many 
 similar works to which such study has led, and 
 which the Christian faith accepts as helps and 
 guides. 
 
 BOSTON, JAN. 1, 1868. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGl 
 
 THE PARENTAGE AND DESCENT OF JESUS .... 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 His BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD 9 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 STATE OF JUD^A. EXPECTATION OF THE MESSIAH. SIGNS 
 OF HIS COMING. His FORERUNNER </(,/ j -^31 ft in * 25 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. His TEMPTATION .... 36 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 GENERAL OUTLINE OF OUR LORD S MINISTRY. CALLING OF 
 THE FIRST FIVE DISCIPLES AT BETHABARA. THE FIRST 
 MIRACLE . . . . .*. ... auoooy.^ 42 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE FIRST PASSOVER. THE VISIT OF NICODEMUS. THE 
 RETURN THROUGH SAMARIA TO GALILEE. THE WOMAN 
 AT JACOB S WELL 52 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE FEAST OF PENTECOST. THE SUMMER SPENT IN GAL 
 ILEE. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. CONVERSATION 
 WITH THE JEWS AT JERUSALEM . 67 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. JESUS BEGINS HIS 
 PUBLIC MINISTRY IN GALILEE. SERMON ON THE MOUNT 83 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 JESUS RETURNS TO CAPERNAUM. PERFORMS VARIOUS MlR- 
 
 ACLES. CALLS MATTHEW 97 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE OPPOSITION OF THE PHARISEES TO JESUS. His TREAT 
 MENT OF THEM 115 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 SECOND TOUR THROUGH GALILEE. THE TWELVE APOSTLES 
 APPOINTED. JOHN S MESSAGE TO JESUS. JESUS GOES 
 UP TO THE FEAST OF DEDICATION AT JERUSALEM . . 126 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 JESUS RETIRES BEYOND THE JORDAN. RAISES LAZARUS. 
 
 RETURNS TO GALILEE. His PARABLES. HE VISITS 
 NAZARETH AGAIN 137 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. JESUS FEEDS THE MULTI 
 TUDES. RETURNS TO CAPERNAUM. CONVERSES IN THE 
 SYNAGOGUE 151 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 JESUS MAKES EXCURSIONS TO TYRE AND SIDON. To DAL- 
 
 MANUTHA. TO CESAREA PHILIPPI. HE SPEAKS OF HIS 
 
 DEATH 160 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE TRANSFIGURATION. JESUS RETURNS TO CAPERNAUM. 
 
 PASSES THROUGH PER.EA TOWARD JERUSALEM , 171 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM IN TRIUMPH. EVENTS OF THE 
 FIRST DAY. THE GREEKS DESIRE TO SEE HIM. HE 
 RETIRES TO BETHANY .... ... 187 
 
 CHAPTER XVH. 
 
 EVENTS OF THE SECOND AND THIRD DAYS. VARIOUS DIS 
 COURSES OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE. HlS PROPHECY OF 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM . . . . . 195 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE PASSOVER. THE LORD S SUPPER INSTITUTED. JESUS 
 CONVERSES AND PRAYS WITH THE APOSTLES . . . 212 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 JESUS RETIRES TO GETHSEMANE. Is APPREHENDED. Is 
 
 CONDEMNED BY THE SANHEDRIM. PETER DENIES HIM . 225 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 JESUS IS BROUGHT BEFORE PlLATE, AND CONDEMNED . . 235 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 THE CRUCIFIXION 242 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION 251 
 
 CHAPTER XXm. 
 CONCLUSION . . .262 
 
THE 
 
 LIFE OF THE SAYIQUE. 
 
 -^V OF THE 
 
 ((UNIVERSITY 
 
 CHAPTE 
 
 THE PARENTAGE AND DESC 
 
 IT is usual to begin the life of a distinguished 
 person with an account of his family and parents. 
 Sometimes the line of descent is traced back gen 
 eration after generation, and it is boasted from 
 what celebrated ancestors he sprung. Sometimes 
 it is acknowledged that he was of obscure origin, 
 and has been the founder of his own fame and 
 family. In either case it is thought that the cir 
 cumstance is honorable to him. In the first, he 
 derives splendor and dignity from the great men 
 from whom he descended. In the second, what 
 can be more creditable than to have risen from 
 nothing, by his own industry and talents, to an 
 equality with those whose natural advantages were 
 superior ? 
 
 Two of the Evangelists who have written the 
 history of our Saviour begin their account of him 
 in this way. They give the genealogy of his 
 
2 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 family, and show his descent from the kings of 
 Judah. His immediate parentage was obscure. 
 Joseph and Mary were persons of no note, and 
 he was born to the condition of humble life. 
 But his remote ancestors were of the royal fami 
 ly, and through them his lineage went back to the 
 distinguished fathers and founders of the nation ; 
 through David, the great king, to Abraham, the 
 chief progenitor, and to Seth, the son of Adam, 
 the first man, who was the son of God. Thus, 
 regarded only in a human point of view, this won 
 derful person united in himself the two circum 
 stances mentioned above, to which biographers 
 draw attention, that they may exalt the persons 
 they celebrate. He was of poor and humble 
 parents, yet rose to eminence above all persons 
 of his age and country. He was also of honor 
 able ancestors, belonging to the chief family of 
 the nation, ennobled by descent from the greatest 
 names in human history, and able to trace his 
 lineage up to the first man, w r ho was the imme 
 diate creation of God. 
 
 The Evangelists point out another remarkable 
 distinction of our Lord s descent. It is capable 
 of being traced to its original stock through both 
 parents. The family of Joseph and the family of 
 Mary both run back till they meet in David, and 
 thence proceed in a common line to Abraham. 
 
 Matthew i. 1. Luke iii. 13. 
 
HIS PARENTAGE AND DESCENT. d 
 
 This renders his descent doubly illustrious. The 
 genealogy of Joseph is given by Matthew, and 
 that of Mary by Luke. 
 
 Besides the circumstances already mentioned, 
 which give an interest to this subject, it is to be 
 considered, that this was amongst the Jews a 
 matter of extreme importance. Every family kept 
 its genealogical register, and knew the list of its 
 ancestry from the earliest day. This was neces 
 sary on account of some peculiar requisitions in 
 their law respecting property and inheritance; 
 which required evidence of the tribe and family to 
 which every individual belonged. There was a 
 further reason which made it a matter of interest. 
 The promised and expected Messiah that great 
 prince and deliverer, of whom the prophets had 
 so rapturously spoken, and on whose coming the 
 hopes and glory of the nation were suspended 
 was to be of the tribe of Judah and the family of 
 David. It was important therefore to be able to 
 trace the descent of every individual who should 
 claim to be this person. Hence the records of 
 that family, and of every branch of that family, 
 would be kept with the most jealous care, in order 
 that it might be proved, when the Messiah came, 
 that he was in truth of the right stock. There 
 can be no doubt that the descent of Jesus was 
 carefully, searched into by those who questioned 
 or opposed his claims ; and as they do not appear 
 
4 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 to have objected to him on this ground, there can 
 be no doubt that the tables of his genealogy, pub 
 lished by his disciples, were faithful copies from 
 the family and public registers ; though we know 
 too little of the Jewish method of keeping those 
 tables to be able to clear away all difficulty from 
 the subject. 
 
 We must not be surprised, then, that the Evan 
 gelists have given so much room to this subject. 
 It was necessary to prove that their Master was 
 the son of David ; for otherwise he could not be 
 the Messiah. And it is curious to observe how, 
 even on a point in which worldly ambition so often 
 boasts of superiority, our blessed Lord is placed 
 far above the illustrious names of human histo 
 ry. Where are the potentates, lords, and princes, 
 in all their pride of birth, who can look back on 
 so honorable and ancient a line of progenitors ; 
 passing on, through nobles and kings, lawgivers 
 and prophets, beyond the date of all other records, 
 till it ends in the name of the first man, and God 
 the Universal Parent ? 
 
 Of Joseph, the husband of our Lord s mother, 
 and his reputed father, we know very little. He 
 is said to have been an upright and just man ; and 
 the little which is told of him in the New Testa 
 ment proves him to have been such. There is 
 a tradition that ho was married to Mary when 
 quite advanced in life, while she was but fourteen 
 
HIS PARENTAGE AND DESCENT. 5 
 
 years of age. Hence it is, that in all the pictures 
 of the holy family he is painted as an aged man, 
 while the Virgin is represented as young enough 
 to be his granddaughter. But there is no good 
 reason for supposing the tradition to be true. We 
 can only say, that we know nothing of his age, 
 and that it is a matter of no consequence. It is 
 more important to remember, that he exercised a 
 mechanical trade, and depended on the work of 
 his hands for a livelihood. He was a carpenter ; 
 and it is extremely probable, as the Jews called 
 Jesus also a carpenter, that he, together with 
 the sons of Joseph, learned that trade and 
 worked at it. This will explain liow it happened 
 that his brothers did not believe on him. They 
 had always seen him living amongst them like 
 one of themselves, and they could not readily un 
 derstand how their companion and equal in 
 sports and labors should be the Son of God. 
 
 Of Mary, our Lord s mother, we know some 
 thing more, though much less than we should be 
 glad to know of so interesting a being. It is not 
 strange that men have been eager to learn all that 
 concerned her; that in superstitious ages they 
 have listened to any tales invented to her honor, 
 and have contrived how they might show her the 
 greatest respect. This has been carried so far 
 that multitudes of Christians have made her an 
 object of worship ; and by images and pictures, 
 
6 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 by processions and offerings and hymns, have 
 expressed their veneration for the mother of their 
 Lord, and the natural interest they feel in her 
 character and fortunes. In one gallery in Flor 
 ence there are two hundred and forty pictures of 
 the Virgin, mostly from the hands of the first 
 masters. Many churches have been erected to 
 her honor, and thousands of altars, at which she 
 is adored, are hung round with the offerings of 
 grateful and devoted worshippers. It is sad to 
 witness such a diversion of good feelings from 
 the homage of God to the adoration of a human 
 being. Yet, perhaps, it is true that we Protest 
 ants do not allow ourselves to indulge the feelings 
 which are rightfully due to the mother of Jesus, 
 because we have seen them perverted. We 
 should learn to be more just ; and this we may 
 be without becoming superstitious. 
 
 We know nothing certain of Mary, until an 
 angel appeared to her at Nazareth, and saluted 
 her with those memorable words, " Hail, thou 
 that art highly favored ! The Lord is with thee ! 
 Blessed art thou among women!" One may 
 easily imagine what her feelings of surprise and 
 wonder would be. The Evangelist tells us, that 
 she was troubled at the saying of the angel, and 
 waited anxiously to learn what might be his mes 
 sage. The angel went on ; told her that God had 
 
 Luke i. 26. 
 
HIS PARENTAGE AXD DESCENT. 7 
 
 designed for her the great honor of being mother 
 to the Messiah ; that she should call his name 
 Jesus (that is, Saviour), because he should " save 
 his people from their sins " ; and that, because of 
 his miraculous birth, he should be called the Son 
 of God. Mary received this astonishing message 
 with simplicity and meekness. " Behold," said 
 she, " the handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto me 
 according to thy word." 
 
 "We may imagine the agitation and ecstasy of 
 feeling which filled the breast of this poor and 
 humble maiden. At a time when all Israel was 
 looking out earnestly for the coming of the great 
 deliverer, and all the women of the land, the high 
 and the noble, were hoping that some son of theirs 
 should prove the Messiah, this obscure woman 
 is suddenly assured by a messenger from heaven 
 that she is to be the favored person, that the 
 honorable ladies of Jerusalem and the palaces of 
 the chief rulers have been passed by, and a low 
 ly dwelling of a distant country village is selected 
 as the home of the future prince. In the excite 
 ment of such a moment, overwhelmed by feelings 
 which are not to be described, and which yet 
 must long to find vent and sympathy, whither 
 should she go ? There was her cousin Elizabeth, 
 who a few months before had been visited with 
 a similar message, and whose son was to be an 
 extraordinary prophet. She, said Mary to her- 
 
8 THE LItE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 self, will sympathize with me. Accordingly, as 
 Luke tells us, she arose in haste, and went into 
 the city in which Elizabeth resided. What a 
 meeting was that, between two women who knew 
 themselves about to be the mothers of the great 
 prophets for whom the nation was anxiously look 
 ing ! No wonder that it has been a favorite sub 
 ject with religious painters. And what must have 
 been the delight of their intercourse during the 
 three months that Mary s visit continued ! Prob 
 ably they did not know, they could not know, 
 they could not guess, all the wonderful and gra 
 cious consequences to flow upon their nation and 
 on mankind from the ministry of their unborn 
 sons ; but they could gather enough from the 
 magnificent language of the Prophets, whose 
 writings they undoubtedly read and pondered to 
 gether, to excite the most exalted anticipations, 
 and cherish a spirit of the highest religious re 
 joicing. 
 
 Having made a visit of about three months, 
 Mary returned to her home, and shortly after 
 wards Elizabeth gave birth to a son. This was 
 John the Baptist. 
 
HIS BIRTH AXD CHILDHOOD. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD. 
 
 AT the time of which we are writing, the Jew 
 ish nation had fallen from its ancient power and 
 greatness. It was no longer the same prosperous 
 people that it had been in the days of David and 
 Solomon. Its independence was gone. The great 
 Roman nation, which had extended its wars and 
 conquests over a large portion of the known world, 
 had subdued Judaea also, and reduced it to the 
 condition of a dependent kingdom. Herod, a 
 native prince, was permitted to occupy the throne ; 
 but he was obliged to govern according to the 
 pleasure of the Roman Emperor, and the land 
 may be regarded as having become virtually a 
 province of Rome, though it was not yet such in 
 form. 
 
 It is a mark of this subjection to the Roman 
 power, that when Augustus issued his decree for 
 taking the census of the Empire, Judaea was in 
 cluded. In the common translation of Luke s 
 Gospel, this is spoken of as a taxation; but it was 
 properly only an enumeration of the inhabitants, 
 1* 
 
10 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 whose names were to be registered by proper 
 officers. It is said, too, to be the census of " all 
 the world " ; by which is to be understood the 
 Roman world, or empire ; though many suppose 
 that only the Jewish world or country is intended. 
 In executing this decree in Palestine, it was or 
 dered that the names of the people should be taken 
 according to their tribes and families, probably 
 because the Jews were accustomed to reckon by 
 families rather than by place of abode. Accord 
 ingly all went to be enrolled or registered, " every 
 one in his own city." Now Joseph and Mary, as 
 we have seen, were of the tribe of Judah and the 
 family of David. But they were residing at 
 Nazareth, in the tribe of Zebulon. They were 
 therefore compelled, in obedience to this law, to 
 travel from home, nearly a hundred miles, to the 
 town of Bethlehem. This town was called the 
 city of David, because David and his ancestors 
 were born there. Hence Boaz, David s great 
 grandfather, called it the " city of his people." 
 It was the ancestral home of both Joseph and 
 Mary. Thither therefore they repaired. At the 
 same time, all descendants of the same family, in 
 whatever part of the country they might reside, 
 collected together in the same city. It was not 
 a large town, and was soon filled to overflowing 
 by the people who were thus brought together. 
 
 Luke ii. 2. 
 
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD. 11 
 
 It is not therefore surprising, that, when Joseph 
 and Mary arrived from Galilee, they found all the 
 rooms at the inn occupied, and were obliged to 
 take up with a lodging in the stable. The inhab 
 itants of Bethlehem to the present day point out a 
 cave as the place in which the Saviour was born. 
 It has been so regarded from time immemorial, 
 and a church has stood over it for ages to mark 
 the spot. Many, however, think the supposition 
 absurd. But, whether it be so or not, into a sta 
 ble were these weary travellers obliged to go for 
 lodging; and there was born the King of the 
 Jews, the Saviour of the world. Little did the 
 multitude assembled there think, when they heard 
 that a poor woman in the stable had given birth 
 to a son, that that son was to be the most illus 
 trious of all that were born of woman. Little 
 did the pious men and women who were waiting 
 for the salvation of Israel, and the ambitious and 
 impatient rulers and people whose eyes were 
 straining after their promised prince, little did 
 they fancy that he was already among them in 
 that humble place. They were looking for him 
 in the high places of the earth, and in the families 
 of the great. They thought he would come with 
 a sign from heaven, with pomp and power. But 
 there he was, lying in a manger, unnoticed as any 
 common child. 
 
 The superstitious of later times have delighted 
 
12 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 to connect marvels with this event, as if not sat 
 isfied with the simple and unostentatious manner 
 in which Providence had been pleased to con 
 duct it. They have given a celestial lustre to the 
 body of the new-born babe, and represented it, 
 in their pictures, as splendidly shining by its own 
 light. They have said that the very cattle which 
 stood by fell upon their knees to acknowledge 
 the heaven-descended child ; and multitudes still 
 believe, that at midnight, on the anniversary of 
 the nativity, the cattle everywhere kneel in their 
 stalls to commemorate the Redeemer s birth. 
 But all this is the imagination of man. In no 
 such puerile way did Providence testify to the 
 greatness of the infant prophet. The wonders 
 which God wrought were of a higher and more 
 significant character. 
 
 It is customary among men to announce the 
 birth of a prince by formal messages to other 
 princes, in order to receive their congratulations, 
 and to proclaim it in form to the people over 
 whom he is to reign. The Evangelist has re 
 corded something of this kind on the present 
 occasion. Not indeed a message to princes, or 
 a proclamation to the nation ; but something far 
 more beautiful, and more consonant to the nature 
 of the new kingdom of the Messiah. In the still 
 midnight, while the shepherds of Bethlehem were 
 watching their flocks in the fields, a light burst 
 
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD. 13 
 
 upon them from the heavens, and the angel of 
 the Lord, as an ambassador from God, appeared 
 before them. He announced to them the birth 
 of the Messiah, and was immediately joined by 
 a multitude of voices, singing that delightful 
 anthem, " Glory to God in the highest, and on 
 earth peace, good-will towards men." The shep 
 herds went to Bethlehem, and found the child as 
 the angel had said ; and Mary, strongly aifected 
 by this new proof that she was mother of the 
 Messiah, " kept all these things and pondered 
 them in her heart." 
 
 After forty days had passed, the time arrived 
 when she must present herself with her child at 
 the temple, and make the offerings which the law 
 required. It being her first child, there was a 
 double ceremony to be performed Forty days 
 after the birth of all children, the mother was 
 bound to appear at the temple with the sacrifice 
 of a lamb for a burnt-offering, and a turtle dove 
 or a young pigeon for a sin-offering. Those who 
 could not afford to bring a lamb were allowed to 
 offer a pigeon or turtle dove as a substitute ; and 
 it is an evidence of the humble station of Mary, 
 that she brought two turtle doves, the offering 
 which was permitted to the poor. Besides this, 
 which was required at the birth of every child, in 
 the case of the first-born son there was an ex 
 traordinary ceremony to be passed through. In 
 
14 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 order to keep alive a solemn memory of the provi 
 dence which delivered the nation from Egypt by 
 the death of the Egyptian first-born, the law re 
 quired that every first-born male, of man and of 
 beast, should be sacred to the Lord ; the beast 
 to be sacrificed, and the child to be redeemed. 
 This redemption consisted in paying to the priest, 
 for the service of the temple, five shekels ; * a 
 sum equal to about two dollars seventy - eight 
 cents. Mary therefore must redeem her child. 
 Accordingly, having presented her humble sacri 
 fice, she proceeded " to do for him," as the Evan 
 gelist says, "after the custom of the law"; that 
 is, to present him to the Lord, and pay the price 
 of his redemption. Here she was called to an 
 other scene which honored her son, and tried and 
 delighted her own feelings. 
 
 There was an aged man in Jerusalem by the 
 name of Simeon, a devout and religious person, 
 whose mind was filled with an earnest longing for 
 the coming of the Messiah find the consolation 
 of Israel. And he ha,d been favored with the 
 assurance that he should not die until his desire 
 had been accomplished. This venerable saint 
 had come into the temple just at the moment 
 when the parents of Jesus had brought their first- 
 born to the altar; and, being assured that this was 
 the child for whose coming he had been waiting, 
 
 * Numbers xviii. 15, 16. 
 
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD. 15 
 
 he took it in his arms, and. giving utterance to his 
 holy delight, blessed God and said : " Lord, now 
 lettest thou thy servant depart in peace ! for 
 mine eyes have seen thy salvation." He added a 
 prophecy of the greatness and the offices of the 
 child. This was not all. Scarcely had he ended, 
 when the wondering parents were astonished by 
 the entrance of another ancient person, a proph 
 etess named Anna, who dwelt continually in the 
 temple, occupied in offices of religion. On seeing 
 the child, she broke out in thanksgiving to God, 
 and spake of him to all who looked for redemp 
 tion in Jerusalem. By such circumstances was 
 the faith of the parents confirmed. 
 
 Another event is recorded by Matthew, by 
 which the nativity was honored and proclaimed. 
 Certain Magi, philosophers from some Eastern 
 country (he does not say what), having seen an 
 unusual star, and believing, as was a common 
 idea in ancient times, that it intimated the birth 
 of an extraordinary person, followed it till they 
 arrived at Jerusalem. There had long prevailed 
 an expectation in that part of the world, that a 
 great prince should arise in Juda3a and obtain 
 the empire of the world. These philosophers did 
 not doubt that this star was sent to proclaim his 
 coming. And they accordingly inquired on their 
 arrival, " Where is he that is born king of the 
 
 Matthew ii. 
 
16 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 Jews ? for we have seen his star in the east, and 
 are come to worship him." In former days the 
 word worship expressed the homage paid to prin 
 ces and great men, as well as that paid to God. 
 They seem to have made this inquiry of King 
 Herod himself ; as was very natural they should 
 do, for they would readily suppose that the new 
 born prince would be one of the royal family. 
 But no ; Herod knew nothing of it ; and not only 
 so, but he was greatly troubled to hear it. He 
 w r as aware that the Messiah was expected ; he 
 thought that this might be he, and he feared 
 therefore for his own power and authority. He 
 seems to have resolved at once on the course to 
 be taken. He accordingly summoned a meeting 
 of the chief priests and scribes. This was prob 
 ably the great council of the Sanhedrim. He in 
 quired of them at what place the Messiah was to 
 be born. They referred him to a passage of the 
 prophet Micah [v. 2.], in proof that he would be 
 born at Bethlehem of Judaea. To Bethlehem 
 therefore he sent the inquiring strangers ; direct 
 ing them to return to him when they had found 
 the child, that he too might go and show him 
 honor. 
 
 To Bethlehem accordingly they went. There 
 they prostrated themselves in the Oriental fashion 
 before the infant, and, agreeably to the customs 
 of the world, laid before him their presents of 
 
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD. 17 
 
 gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But they were 
 not permitted to return to Herod, for that crafty 
 tyrant meditated the death of the infant. They 
 were directed in a dream to avoid Jerusalem, and 
 return to their country by another route. At the 
 same time Joseph was warned in a dream of the 
 danger to which the infant was exposed, and 
 directed to quit the country, and take refuge in 
 Egypt. Thus he escaped the murderous jealousy 
 of the king. But Herod was exceedingly exas 
 perated ; and, resolving to be sure that the dread 
 ed infant did not escape, caused all the infant 
 children of about the age of Jesus, in Bethlehem 
 and its neighborhood, to be put to death. This 
 cruel act has seemed to some persons too savage 
 to be true. But Herod was a monster of cruelty, 
 and is well known to have done other acts as hor 
 rible as this. 
 
 But it was in vain that the angry king raged 
 against the anointed of the Lord. He could not 
 thwart the purposes of God. The infant whom 
 he thought to destroy was destined to accomplish 
 great purposes in the kingdom of Divine grace, 
 and therefore a way was made for his escape 
 from the danger which threatened him. AVhile 
 Herod pleased himself with thinking him slain, he 
 was safely conveyed into Egypt. His parents 
 departed with him by night, and travelled over 
 a portion of the desert which the Israelites crossed 
 
18 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 under the guidance of Moses. The distance was 
 not far from two hundred miles, a weary and 
 painful journey for a young mother with an in 
 fant babe. It must have been, also, no small 
 trial to her faith. Is it thus, she might say, that 
 the visions of the night, the promise of the angel, 
 and the prophecies in the temple, are to be accom 
 plished ? Are we thus to be compelled to flee 
 for our lives, to endure the perils of the desert, 
 and the want and anxiety of a strange land ? 
 Would God thus deal with his Messiah ? Is it 
 not possible that, after all, I have been deceived ? 
 We may conceive that moments of despondency 
 like this must have sometimes beset her. Her 
 case was not unlike that of Abraham, when trav 
 elling for three days to sacrifice his only son 
 Isaac, that son to whom God had made great 
 promises, which it seemed as if his death must 
 defeat. But as Abraham, though he might have 
 been amazed and have experienced momentary 
 misgivings, yet went steadfastly on, unshaken in 
 his faith ; so Mary, however strange she might 
 think this dispensation, and however inconsistent 
 with the promises made to the young Messiah, 
 undoubtedly kept her faith strong, and trusted in 
 the Lord. 
 
 Of their residence in Egypt we know nothing, 
 except that it continued till the death of Herod, 
 which took place within three years. Upon the 
 
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD. 19 
 
 tidings of that event reaching him, Joseph felt 
 that all danger was over. He therefore returned 
 to his own country, and took up his abode once 
 more at Nazareth. This was a small town in 
 Galilee, about seventy-five miles north of Jeru 
 salem. Its inhabitants were not in very good re 
 pute through the country, and such a prejudice 
 existed against the place, that " a Nazarene " had 
 become a term of contempt. It is important to 
 remark this, because we see frequent intimations 
 of it in the course of our Lord s subsequent life ; 
 and the Evangelist Matthew, when he would say 
 that the prophecies concerning the Messiah s hu 
 miliation were fulfilled, sums them all up in one 
 word, " He shall be called a Nazarene." We 
 know too that when Nathaniel first heard of 
 Jesus, he thought it impossible he should be the 
 Messiah, because he came from this despised 
 place. " Can any good thing," said he, " come out 
 of Nazareth ? " 
 
 It was undoubtedly a part of the plan of Provi 
 dence to draw the Saviour from humble human 
 circumstances, in order to render his Divine au 
 thority the more conspicuous and unquestionable. 
 It was thus made to appear that his words of wis 
 dom could not have been learned from man, and 
 that he must have been from God. He probably 
 received little or no education during his early 
 r^ars ; for the Jews asked, " How knoweth this 
 
20 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 man letters, having never learned ? " Schools and 
 instruction were not then universal as they are 
 now, and Joseph was probably too poor to afford 
 to his children a privilege which could be pur 
 chased only by the rich. 
 
 This however is not stated in the New Testa 
 ment. There is far less there respecting his early 
 years than we should be glad to find. We only 
 read in general terms, that " the child grew and 
 waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom ; and 
 the grace of God was upon him. He increased 
 in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and 
 man." Of particular incidents only one is re 
 corded. When he was twelve years of age, he 
 accompanied his parents to Jerusalem, when they 
 went up, in obedience to the law, to keep the 
 passover. The seven days of the feast were over, 
 and they set out on their return. They had pro 
 ceeded a whole day s journey before they discov 
 ered that Jesus was not accompanying them. We 
 may easily understand how this could happen, 
 when we remember, that the law commanded all 
 the men, from all parts of the land, to go up and 
 keep this feast at Jerusalem. Consequently, there 
 must have been great throngs on the road, both in 
 going and returning. The people naturally trav 
 elled in parties. The inhabitants of a village made 
 one company. Families, in all their branches, 
 
 Luke ii. 40. 
 
HIS BIRTH AND 
 
 \\ & . O-F 
 
 went together. The 
 being in company with a vast munlterijf T^ferEives 
 and neighbors, did not think it strange that they 
 did not see him during the day s march. They 
 " supposed him to have been in the company," 
 says Luke ; and it was only after seeking for him 
 " among their kinsfolk and their acquaintance," 
 that they discovered he had been left behind. 
 They returned to Jerusalem, and found him in the 
 temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both 
 hearing them and asking them questions. And all 
 that heard him were astonished at his understand 
 ing and his answers. So absorbed was he in this 
 employment, as if it were his proper concern, that, 
 when his mother complained of the uneasiness 
 they had suffered on his account, he expressed 
 surprise that they should have spent any time in 
 searching for him ; they should have come direct 
 ly to the temple ; for they might know that he 
 would be engaged in his Father s business. Yet 
 at their command he immediately left the place, 
 and went with them to Galilee, and there re 
 mained subject to them as a dutiful son. 
 
 We are often reminded that Jesus set an ex 
 ample for our imitation. This is true of his child 
 hood as well as of his age. He seems to have 
 been conscious of his greatness, yet he did not 
 presume upon it. He was docile and humble, 
 reverent and obedient to his parents. It would 
 
2^ THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 be well if many young persons, who treat their 
 parents with disrespect, and show that they feel 
 themselves superior to their authority, would copy 
 the meekness and submission which Jesus exhib 
 ited. They might learn from him how becoming 
 in the young is respect to their elders, and that 
 true greatness is not inconsistent with humility. 
 How many there are who feel above the business 
 which their fathers follow, and would think them 
 selves demeaned by engaging in it ! Yet Jesus 
 wrought in the workshop with Joseph and his 
 sons, made himself of no reputation, took the form 
 of a servant, and thought it not at all inconsistent 
 with the honors to which he was appointed. 
 
 How interesting to think of him during those 
 years of his childhood and youth ! What must 
 have been his thoughts and emotions, the visions 
 that occupied his young mind, the contemplations 
 and anticipations that filled and agitated his 
 bosom, as he quietly moved on like other men, and 
 yet knew himself to be so different from them ; 
 among them, but not of them ; not understood by 
 them, nor enjoying any sympathy with them on the 
 great subject that occupied his whole soul. Even 
 his brethren did not feel with him, nor perceive in 
 him anything uncommon. They did not believe 
 in him. Perhaps with his mother he communed 
 of all that was within him ; but excepting her, 
 who was there to share or comprehend his feel- 
 
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD. 23 
 
 ings, except his Father in heaven ? With him his 
 communion must have been near and precious ; 
 and he undoubtedly felt then, what he afterwards 
 expressed, " I am not alone, for the Father is with 
 me." 
 
 But we cannot hope to enter fully into this por 
 tion of our Lord s life, because no trustworthy 
 history of it remains to us. The evangelists tell 
 us nothing concerning it ; and the book called The 
 Infancy of Jesus, which pretends to instruct on this 
 subject, is without authority, and altogether unde 
 serving of credit. It was written by some super 
 stitious person of an early age, who thought to 
 gratify the natural curiosity of Christians respect 
 ing their Master, by recording wonderful stories 
 of his childhood. But nothing can be more puerile 
 and worthless than most of them are. It is amaz 
 ing that they could have been for a moment cred 
 ited. The person who invented or recorded them 
 had no true understanding of what constitutes the 
 glory and beauty of our Lord s character, and did 
 not perceive how totally inconsistent with it are 
 the foolish tales he recited. They are wanton 
 and useless ; they have nothing of dignity or di 
 vinity in them. When we turn from them to the 
 narratives of the Scripture history, we find our 
 selves in a different world ; we feel that all is di 
 vine and worthy the Son of God ; we are sure that 
 no man could have done his works except God 
 
24 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 were with him, and no man could have imagined 
 them except they were really done. Amongst all 
 the books in the world we can find no such strik 
 ing instance of the difference between truth and 
 falsehood as we find here. And Providence 
 seems to have permitted those miserable fables 
 to descend to our time, for the purpose of show 
 ing us this difference, and convincing us more 
 satisfactorily of the absolute divinity and truth 
 of the real Gospels. 
 
STATE OF JUIXEA. 25 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 STATE OF JUDJEA. EXPECTATION OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 SIGNS OF HIS COMING. HIS FORERUNNER. 
 
 IN order to understand aright the circumstances 
 and spirit of our Saviour s ministry, it is necessary 
 to know many things respecting the state of the 
 country and the history of the times in which he 
 lived. There was much in them that was pecu 
 liar, and the knowledge of which will aid us to 
 interpret our Lord s character, works, and manner 
 of teaching, as well as his reception and success. 
 
 I have already said that the Jewish nation was 
 in a state of degeneracy and decay. It was now 
 just about a thousand years since it was at its 
 height of prosperity, in the glorious reign of Solo 
 mon. The period of its greatness had been brief, 
 for it was abused. Corruption of morals and of 
 religion came in with prosperity. Immediately 
 upon Solomon s death, ten of the tribes revolted, 
 and set up a separate government under a sepa 
 rate king. From that day we read of two king 
 doms, that of Judah, comprehending only the 
 two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, whose capital 
 
26 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 was Jerusalem ; and that of Israel, which com 
 prised the other ten tribes, and whose capital was 
 Samaria. These two nations continued to exist 
 by the side of each other, sometimes at war, some 
 times at peace, for two hundred and fifty-four 
 years. The kingdom of the ten tribes was then 
 conquered by Shalmanezer, king of Assyria, and 
 the people were carried into captivity. Here their 
 history ends. What became of them never has 
 been discovered. Some suppose that they were 
 utterly destroyed, some that they were scattered 
 over the various countries of Assyria, and many 
 have fancied that their descendants still exist in 
 Asia, Africa, or America. But this is all uncer 
 tain. It is more important to observe that their 
 country was not wholly depopulated ; some of the 
 people were left in the land ; and Shalmanezer 
 planted among them colonies of idolaters, who 
 mixed with them, and formed a new nation. This 
 was the nation of the Samaritans, of which we 
 read in the New Testament, a nation hateful to 
 the Jews, because it was descended in part from 
 heathen ancestors, and yet professed to hold the 
 law of Moses in a purer form than the Jews. 
 Such was the fate of the kingdom of Israel. 
 
 The kingdom of Judah continued to flourish for 
 one hundred and thirty-four years after the cap 
 tivity of Israel. It was then overthrown by Neb 
 uchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and the people 
 
STATE OF JUD^A. 27 
 
 were carried into captivity for seventy years. At 
 the end of this period they were restored to their 
 country ; but they never recovered their former 
 greatness. They were sometimes tributary to 
 other nations, and sometimes governed by their 
 own rulers ; sometimes favored and sometimes 
 oppressed by the powerful princes around them. 
 On the whole, their condition was far from pros 
 perous. Even the voice of prophecy ceased to be 
 heard, and God withdrew the signs of his special 
 interposition. No prophet appeared among them 
 after they had been one hundred years returned 
 from Babylon. They seemed to be given up to 
 darkness, both political and religious. The family 
 of the Maccabees at one period arose, and by its 
 patriotism and talents cast a temporary brightness 
 on the condition of the country. But this soon 
 passed away. The people were too corrupt and 
 too weak to maintain their rights against other 
 nations, or to remain united among themselves. 
 They divided into parties under two brothers, Aris- 
 tobulus and Hyrcanus, who contended for the 
 power. The quarrel was decided by an appeal to 
 Pompey, the Roman general, who espoused the 
 party of Hyrcanus, marched his legions to Jeru 
 salem, besieged and took it, and subjected the 
 whole country to the Roman government. This 
 was sixty-three years before the birth of our Sav 
 iour. 
 
28 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 But though the independence of the country 
 was gone, the people were still allowed the exer 
 cise of their former customs and of their peculiar 
 religious institutions and laws. The government 
 was for a long time unsettled, until Herod, sur- 
 named the Great, was made king by the Romans 
 about thirty years before Christ. He was a cour 
 ageous and cunning man ; a brave soldier, a good 
 general, a lover of magnificence and pomp, but 
 ambitious, deceitful, and cruel. He did much 
 for the prosperity of the nation, ornamented Je 
 rusalem in various ways, and rebuilt the tem 
 ple at great expense and with great splendor. 
 But his jealousy and cruelty caused him to be 
 detested by the people. He put to death his own 
 wife and children, and many other members of 
 his family. No one could feel safe from his 
 capricious cruelty. When about to die, he as 
 sembled the chief men of the nation at Jericho, 
 and shut them up in the circus. Then he gave 
 orders, that, at the moment of his death, the sol 
 diers should be let in upon them, and put them 
 all to the sword. For, he said, he knew that the 
 Jews would rejoice at his death, and he was re 
 solved to make them mourn. Happily these hor 
 rible orders were not executed, and there was 
 probably unmixed joy at the tyrant s death. 
 After knowing this, which is related by Joseplms, 
 the Jewish historian, we cannot think it incrcdi- 
 
STATE OF JUDJ1A. 29 
 
 ble that lie should put to death the infants of 
 Bethlehem, for fear the new-born Saviour should 
 escape. We understand, too, why all Jerusalem 
 was troubled when the Magi inquired for the 
 young king. They knew well enough that it 
 would exasperate the jealous Herod, and lead to 
 some deed of cruelty and blood. It has even 
 been thought by some that he pretended to be 
 himself the Messiah, and therefore would allow 
 no one else to be so. Their reason for this is, 
 that we read in the Evangelist of a sect of the 
 Herodians, who are supposed to have favored his 
 claims, and been his followers. If it were so, it 
 might help to account yet more perfectly for his 
 desire to slay the infant Christ. But it is alto 
 gether uncertain. 
 
 At the death of Herod, he divided his domin 
 ions between his three sons, Archelaus, Antipas, 
 and Philip. 
 
 Archelaus had Judaea, Samaria, and Idumea. 
 He reigned less than ten years, and, having been 
 guilty of great injustice, was then deposed, and 
 banished to Gaul, where he died. At his death 
 his dominions became a province of the Roman 
 Empire, of which, during our Saviour s ministry, 
 Pontius Pilate was governor. 
 
 Herod Antipas possessed Galilee and Peraea. 
 He is the Herod spoken of in the Gospels during 
 
 Luke iii. 
 
30 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 our Lord s ministry. It was he who put John the 
 Baptist to death, and to whom Pilate sent Jesus, 
 that he might be tried, because he was a Galilean. 
 
 Herod Philip was tetrarch of Ituraea and Tra- 
 chonitis, which lie opposite Galilee, on the other 
 side of the Jordan. He is barely mentioned in 
 the New Testament. He was a mild and just 
 prince, and into his dominions Jesus retreated 
 when he desired to avoid the plots of Herod Au- 
 tipas. 
 
 It appears, then, that the country in which Je 
 sus exercised his ministry was divided into three 
 governments, Galilee and Pera3a under Herod, 
 Juda3a and Samaria under Pilate, and Traclio- 
 nitis and Iturasa under Philip. Herod was styled 
 tetrarch, and sometimes, though not rightfully, 
 king. Pilate was simply governor, or, to use the 
 Roman title, Procurator. Herod was tyrannical 
 and cunning, well deserving the name, which our 
 Lord gave him, of the Fox. Pilate was weak, 
 cruel, rash, and obstinate. Both of them were at 
 last banished by the Emperor for misgovernment, 
 and Pilate in consequence destroyed himself. 
 Philip was a good and just prince, and died quiet 
 ly after a reign of thirty-seven years. 
 
 Such was the government of the country. It 
 was no longer in the hands of the Jews, but of 
 foreigners. The sceptre had departed from Ju- 
 iali, and the lawgiver from between her feet. It 
 
STATE OF JUO32A. 31 
 
 was, therefore, time to. look for the Messiah ; for 
 the prophet had said that these things should not 
 be until Shiloh come ; which the Jews understood 
 to mean the Messiah. Accordingly at this time 
 they were eagerly looking out for him. When 
 they saw the Roman soldiers garrisoned in their 
 towns, and the Roman tax-gatherers collecting 
 their money, and felt every day the wretchedness 
 of their enslaved and impoverished condition, 
 their hearts burned with impatience. They 
 longed to throw off the yoke, to drive out the 
 oppressors, and be free. They had read in the 
 Prophets, that God would send them a mighty 
 deliverer, the son of David, who should come 
 amongst them in power and glory, and set up a 
 kingdom over the whole earth. He was known 
 among them by the name of the Messiah, or the 
 Christ ; that is, the Anointed. They thought it 
 time for him to appear, for the signs spoken of by 
 Moses and Daniel seemed to be fulfilled. They 
 were waiting for him with eagerness. They 
 trusted that he would free them from their bond 
 age. They did not think of him as a religious 
 teacher, coming to establish a spiritual kingdom. 
 No ; they were satisfied with their religion, and 
 proud of their goodness. They wanted nothing 
 but to be rid of the Romans, and have their 
 country restored to the power and greatness of 
 the days of David and Solomon. This they ex- 
 
32 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 pected to be done. They were ready to rise in 
 arms, and fight for it. And it was because Jesus 
 would not do this for them, that they pronounced 
 him a deceiver, and put him to death. 
 
 We shall find, as we proceed, a great many 
 proofs that this was the state of mind among the 
 people, and shall have frequent occasion to refer 
 to it. 
 
 It is remarkable, that this expectation of some 
 extraordinary person being about to appear was 
 not confined to the Jews, but existed in other na 
 tions. Perhaps they had learned it of the Jews, 
 who were to be found in every part of the world, 
 and who everywhere carried their Scriptures with 
 them. Hence we see how it happened, that, when 
 the star appeared in the East, the Magi at once 
 knew its meaning. And when they came to Je 
 rusalem, inquiring for the new-born king, Herod, 
 though troubled, was not surprised at it ; but 
 simply asked, Where is the Christ to be born ? 
 He and the people were evidently expecting his 
 birth. Simeon, too, was waiting for him in the 
 temple. 
 
 In this state of mind the people continued, and 
 undoubtedly grew more and more impatient, the 
 longer his coming was delayed. Their oppres 
 sion was more and more intolerable, and they 
 were ready to seize upon every incident which 
 gave the slightest prospect of relief. Thus, at the 
 
JOHN THE BAPTIST. 33 
 
 enrolment and taxation under Cyrenius, they flew 
 to arms, and made resistance under many leaders ; 
 among whom was probably Theudas, mentioned 
 by Gamaliel in the sixth chapter of Acts. A 
 few years afterwards, another similar insurrection 
 took place in Galilee, on occasion of a second 
 taxation. We do not know that any of the lead 
 ers in either instance pretended to be the Mes 
 siah ; but it is not improbable that they did so, as 
 such pretensions were very common afterwards. 
 What is to be remarked is the restless condition 
 of the people, and their readiness to follow any 
 leader who promised them relief. 
 
 At this moment there appeared in the midst 
 of them, in the desert country of Judaea, and not 
 thirty miles from Jerusalem, an austere man, 
 clothed like a hermit, and denouncing sin like 
 one of the ancient Prophets. The attention of 
 the people was turned to him at once. Perhaps, 
 said they, this is he whom we are expecting. 
 There was much in his appearance to favor the 
 idea. Refusing the delicacies of cultivated life, 
 he lived frugally on locusts, which are freely 
 used as food in that part of the world, and wild 
 honey. He was coarsely clothed in a garment 
 of camel s hair, with a leathern girdle about his 
 loins. He preached boldly to the people, like 
 another Elijah, and cried, " Repent, for the king- 
 Matthew iii. Mark i. Luke iii. 
 2* C 
 
34 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 dom of heaven is at hand." He also did what 
 was a new and striking thing, he baptized those 
 who followed him. It was an old custom to bap 
 tize heathen persons when they became converts 
 to Judaism ; but it was a new thing to baptize 
 Jews. He declared it to be in preparation for 
 the " kingdom of God," that is, the reign of the 
 Messiah. The people therefore, as Luke says, 
 " were in expectation, and all men mused in their 
 hearts whether he were the Christ or not." They 
 thronged to him from Jerusalem, and all Judaea, 
 and were baptized of him in the Jordan, confess 
 ing their sins, and anxiously inquiring for the 
 Messiah. Even the chief men of the nation 
 were excited ; and a formal deputation of priests 
 and Levites was sent out to him from Jerusalem, 
 while he was at Bethabara beyond Jordan, about 
 thirty-five miles distant, to inquire of him whether 
 he were the Christ, or whether they must wait yet 
 longer for his appearance. John acknowledged 
 to them that he was not ; that he was only come 
 to prepare the way for the Christ, agreeably to 
 the prediction of Isaiah, " I am the voice of one 
 crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of 
 the Lord, make his paths straight." 
 
 The people were therefore satisfied that he was 
 not the Messiah ; but they honored him as a great 
 prophet, and he preached to them with boldness 
 
 John i. 
 
JOHN THE BAPTIST. 85 
 
 and severity. When he saw Pharisees and Sad- 
 ducees coming to his baptism, whom he knew to 
 be hypocritical and worldly, he cried out to them : 
 " generation of vipers, who hath warned you 
 to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth fruit 
 meet for repentance." He did not spare them, 
 though they were members of the most powerful 
 sects in the land. To the publicans also, and 
 soldiers, who came to him, he gave appropriate 
 warning and instruction. And, in a word, he did 
 what he could to rouse the nation from its sinful 
 condition, and prepare it to receive in a right spirit 
 the great messenger who was to succeed him. 
 He undoubtedly produced some effect; but the 
 people were too corrupt to be easily reformed. 
 Indeed, they were so intent on having a Messiah 
 who should lead them to political freedom and 
 glory, that they had little relish for moral exhor 
 tation and religious duty. 
 
THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 CHAPTER IY. 
 
 THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. HIS TEMPTATION. 
 
 THE time at length arrived when Jesus should 
 enter on his public work. He had reached the 
 age of thirty years, the period prescribed in the 
 law for the induction of the priests into their of 
 fice. Hitherto he had lived in retirement, undis 
 tinguished from the men about him. He had 
 been making no visible preparation for the great 
 duties he was to perform. He attended no dis 
 tinguished school ; he was brought up at the feet 
 of no learned Rabbi or eminent philosopher ; it is 
 not certain that he had learned, as men learn, the 
 very elements of knowledge. Having, therefore, 
 no human attainments to fit him for his arduous 
 office, he must be qualified for it by supernatural 
 endowments. Nothing but the consciousness of 
 possessing these could embolden and enable the 
 lowly Galilean to undertake the religious reforma 
 tion of his country and of the world. 
 
 The time being arrived, he left Nazareth, and 
 went to the place where John was preaching and 
 
 Matthew iii. 13. Mark I 9. Luke iii. 21. 
 
THE BAPTISM. 37 
 
 baptizing on the banks of the Jordan. He went, 
 like the rest of the people, to be baptized. Now 
 John and Jesus, being related to each other 
 through their mothers, who were cousins, were 
 probably well acquainted, though they did not 
 dwell in the same place ; but John did not know 
 that Jesus was the Messiah. So well, however, did 
 he know the purity of his character, that when he 
 saw him coming to be baptized, he was unwilling 
 to allow it. It is more fit, said he, that you 
 should baptize me, and do you come to me ? But 
 Jesus answered, that it was a duty to observe all 
 religious ordinances, and this one ought not to be 
 neglected. He did not need it as a sign of his 
 sinfulness and repentance ; but he wished to con 
 form to it, because it was appointed of God. 
 " Thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness," 
 he said. John was satisfied with this explanation, 
 and baptized him. Then came the moment for 
 announcing the Messiah to the world. The heav 
 ens opened, and the spirit descended in visible 
 form like a dove, and alighted on him ; and at the 
 same moment a voice was heard from heaven, 
 saying, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
 well pleased." 
 
 This was the first public attestation to the Mes- 
 siahship of Jesus. The arrival of the long-ex 
 pected prophet was thus proclaimed. John, the 
 forerunner, who had been waiting for him, and 
 
88 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 the people who were impatient to see him, were 
 made certain that this was he ; and he himself 
 was both assured that he was not under a delu 
 sion, in supposing himself the chosen one of God, 
 and received that gift of the spirit, " without 
 measure," which was to fit him for his great 
 work. 
 
 Under the influence of this spirit he immedi 
 ately went up from the Jordan, and retired into 
 the heart of the desert. His mind was full of the 
 thoughts which the greatness of the occasion ex 
 cited. He went by himself, away from human 
 society, to meditate on the wonders of his con 
 dition, to contemplate the labors before him, and 
 to commune with God. From the humble village 
 of Nazareth, from the obscurity of cottage life, 
 he was to go forth as a prophet and preacher, to 
 stand in the city of his people, and amongst the 
 powerful and learned men of his time. He was 
 to leave the labors of the artisan for the toils of a 
 religious ministry, to bear the last messages of 
 God to Judah, and to change the religion of the 
 world. What a moment was this ! What won 
 der that he felt inclined, that he felt it necessary, 
 to seclude himself! He could have no thought 
 for anything but the toils and trials before him, 
 and for communion with his own soul and his 
 Father. 
 
 He wandered into the desert. It does not fol- 
 
THE TEMPTATION. 39 
 
 low, because a place is called desert in the Scrip 
 tures, that it is therefore wholly wild and savage. 
 It may mean any uninhabited and uncultivated 
 place, even though it were fruitful. The unin 
 habited places adjoining the towns were called 
 deserts, yet they were frequently excellent pastur 
 age. But the vast wilderness of Judasa, stretch 
 ing along the Dead Sea to the south of Jerusa 
 lem, was, in some parts, extremely desolate. It 
 was barren, rocky, and mountainous. And as 
 Mark says that Jesus was with the "wild beasts," 
 he probably retreated into the wildest of these 
 places, where even fruits and berries could not be 
 found sufficient to satisfy his hunger. 
 
 At length he felt the consequences of so long 
 fasting. He was weary and weak. He was hun 
 gry, and craved food. And then it was, when 
 thus worn with the fatigue of much watching and 
 abstinence, that he was exposed to the temptations 
 so fearfully described by the Evangelists. The 
 history of those temptations has exercised the 
 minds of learned men, who have explained them 
 in many different ways. It is not necessary here 
 to enter into the discussion of what is difficult. 
 There is enough that is plain. We read, in the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews, that Jesus was " tempted 
 in all points like as we are, yet without sin." So 
 it was in these temptations in the wilderness. 
 
 Matthew iv. Mark i. 12. Luke iv. 
 
40 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 They came upon him when hungry and faint, and 
 when it might seem a small thing to use his power 
 of working miracles, in order to change stones in 
 to bread, and satisfy his exhausted nature. But 
 he would not do it, for he felt that the Divine 
 power had been imparted to him for no such self 
 ish purposes. Neither would he yield to the 
 temptation to make himself such a Messiah as the 
 Jews were expecting, and seize upon the king 
 doms and glory of the world. This he could eas 
 ily have accomplished ; but it would have been 
 unfaithfulness to God and duty. Neither would 
 he draw on himself the admiration and easy re 
 ception of the people, by descending into the 
 midst of them, as if borne on angels wings, from 
 the pinnacle of the temple. He resisted every 
 suggestion to gratify and aggrandize himself. 
 Neither bodily suffering, nor the offers of worldly 
 greatness, nor the desire of human applause, could 
 divert him from what he knew to be his duty. In 
 these things he was tempted as we are (and they 
 are the temptations to which men most frequently 
 yield), yet it was without sin. He came from 
 them untouched ; and he has thus taught us, that 
 true greatness consists in resisting evil, and ad 
 hering steadfastly to duty. 
 
 There is much in this incident particularly 
 suited to impress and instruct the young. They 
 are just entering on the work of life, as Jesus was 
 
THE TEMPTATION. 41 
 
 just entering on his ministry. They are beset 
 with temptations which would turn them aside 
 from duty. They are tempted by sensual and 
 worldly gratifications, by appetite and passion, by 
 wealth and pleasure, by honor and applause. 
 They are tempted to sacrifice principle to policy, 
 to abandon duty for interest, to forget their re 
 sponsibility to God in their desire to secure the 
 favor of man. Let them learn of Jesus. His ex 
 ample will teach them to encounter and resist. 
 Let them do as he did, promptly silence the 
 tempter, refuse to hear the evil suggestion, and 
 summon up to their aid the strong power of God s 
 holy word. If they thus resist, they will over 
 come. The great conflict of virtue will be 
 achieved in the beginning of their course, and 
 their subsequent path will be comparatively plain 
 and easy. 
 
42 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 GENERAL OUTLINE OF OUR LORD S MINISTRY. 
 CALLING OF THE FIRST FIVE DISCIPLES AT BETH- 
 ABARA. THE FIRST MIRACLE. 
 
 IT would greatly aid to the clear understanding 
 of the course of our Saviour s life, if we were able 
 to give dates to the several events. This, how 
 ever, with regard to the greater part of them, is 
 impossible. The Evangelists have marked very 
 few of them in such a way that we can determine 
 the precise time at which they took place. They 
 do not even pretend to relate them all in the order 
 in which they occurred. So far were they from 
 thinking this a matter of great importance, that 
 they have not so much as informed us ho\v long 
 the ministry of Christ lasted. Consequently there 
 have been very various opinions on this point. 
 Many persons suppose it to have continued about 
 three years. Some think it could have been no 
 longer than about a year. And others have fan 
 cied it to have been extended through many years. 
 
 It is not possible to examine here the reasons 
 rMi which these several opinions are founded. I 
 
OUTLINE OF HIS MINISTRY. 43 
 
 can only say, that, on the whole, I believe the sec 
 ond to be the most probable. It was the opinion 
 entertained by the early Christians ; and it is fa 
 vored by the general course and character of the 
 Gospel narratives. There were three great annual 
 festivals in the Jewish Church, at which all the 
 men were expected to appear at Jerusalem, and 
 at which, therefore, we must suppose Jesus to have 
 faithfully attended. The Evangelist John has re 
 corded his visits to Jerusalem ; and we find that 
 he makes mention of a Passover, of a feast of 
 Tabernacles, of a feast between them, which must 
 have been that of the Pentecost, and of another 
 Passover. This exactly makes out the festivals in 
 their proper order, for a little more than one year. 
 The other three Evangelists relate what took place 
 in the country, and omit his visits to the city. 
 We thus have, in John s Gospel, the regular ac 
 count of what our Lord did in Jerusalem at four 
 several festivals, and, in the other Evangelists, a 
 relation of what he did at other times and places. 
 The present history is arranged on this principle. 
 The Passover mentioned in the sixth chapter of 
 John being regarded as that at which our Lord 
 suffered, the events of that chapter are transposed 
 accordingly. The whole scheme thus becomes 
 simple and probable, and is attended with fewer 
 difficulties than perhaps any other.* 
 
 * This is the plan proposed by Dr. Carpenter, in his Geogra- 
 
44 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 A brief preliminary survey of the order and 
 connection of events will facilitate a clear appre 
 hension of the history. It may be observed, then, 
 that our Saviour s ministry naturally divides itself 
 into five parts, corresponding to the several visits 
 which he made to Jerusalem. His home was in 
 Galilee ; and thence he travelled to Jerusalem 
 five times, on occasion of five several festivals, 
 the Passover, the feast of Pentecost, the feast of 
 Tabernacles, the feast of Dedication, and the 
 Passover a second time. 
 
 1. At what time of year his baptism took place, 
 we have no means of ascertaining ; perhaps in 
 January. He then spent forty days in the desert, 
 returned to Galilee, wrought his first miracle at 
 Cana, and went up to attend the Passover at Jeru 
 salem. In the year A. D. 29, this festival oc 
 curred on the 19th of March. This date is 
 certain, for it depends on astronomical calcula 
 tion. 
 
 phy of the New Testament, and illustrated in the Harmony recently 
 published in Boston, under the care of Professor Palfrey (by 
 Gray and Bowen). I have seen cause to vaiy from it very little. 
 It commends itself by its simplicity and ingenuity. In explana 
 tion of the transposition of the sixth chapter of John, it is to be 
 observed, that the feeding of the five thousand is there said to have 
 taken place when " the Passover was nigh." According to the 
 other Evangelists, it took place not long before the last Passover. 
 It seems proper to give to the event the same date in the narra 
 tive which the latter have given to it ; for they specify which Pass 
 over was nigh, which John does not. 
 
OUTLINE OF HIS MINISTRY. 45 
 
 . 2. From this Passover he abode in Galilee till 
 he returned to attend the feast of Pentecost in 
 Jerusalem, the 8th of May. 
 
 3. He spent the summer in Galilee, but we 
 have no particulars respecting his employment. 
 He returned to Jerusalem on the 16th of Septem 
 ber, the third day of the feast of Tabernacles. 
 
 4. At the close of the feast he returned home 
 to Galilee, and then began the most active portion 
 of his ministry. He travelled twice over Galilee, 
 and sent out the twelve apostles and the seventy 
 disciples. He came to Jerusalem to the feast of 
 Dedication on the 26th of November. 
 
 5. The next interval he spent partly in Galilee, 
 partly on the other side of the Jordan, partly in 
 journeying from place to place, and returned to 
 Jerusalem at the Passover in April. On Friday, 
 the 7th of April, he was crucified ; and the ascen 
 sion consequently took place on the llth of May. 
 
 On looking attentively at this statement, it will 
 be seen, that our Lord s ministry, from his bap 
 tism to his death, lasted about one year and three 
 months ; and that far the greater portion of the 
 records of the Evangelists relate to the last eight 
 months. Indeed, ten of the twenty-one chapters 
 of John are occupied with the narrative of the last 
 six days. It may be useful to bear in mind this 
 proportion between the several parts of his min 
 istry. 
 
46 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 As we cannot determine the precise date of the 
 baptism, we cannot tell on what day he returned 
 from his retirement of forty days in the wilderness. 
 It appears to have been on the day before his re 
 turn that the chief men of Jerusalem sent to John 
 the Baptist the messengers already mentioned, to 
 inquire whether he were the Christ. John denied 
 it, as we have seen ; but assured them, at the 
 same time, that the Messiah was standing amongst 
 them, though they knew him not. He then ex 
 pressed his sense of his own inferiority, by adding, 
 that he was not worthy to unloose the shoes latch- 
 et of that eminent person. The day after John s 
 interview with the deputation from Jerusalem, 
 Jesus, returning from his temptation, arrived at 
 the place where John was ; and John pointed to 
 him as the person of whom he had spoken. " Be 
 hold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin 
 of the world ! This is he of whom I said, After 
 me cometh a man who is preferred before me, for 
 he was before me." 
 
 This declaration of course excited the attention 
 of those who heard it. Many would not give it 
 credit, for they had no idea that the Messiah 
 could appear in a humble form. But others would 
 think differently ; and those who were most de 
 voted to John as his disciples would be most likely 
 to put trust in his assertion. When, therefore, lie 
 
 John i. 
 
THE FIRST FIVE DISCIPLES. 47 
 
 again, the next day, pointed to Jesus as he passed 
 by, it is not strange that two of them immediately 
 followed him, and sought to introduce themselves 
 to him. One of these was Andrew, and the other 
 is mentioned in such a way by the Evangelist 
 John, as to render it probable that it was himself. 
 Jesus, perceiving their intention, turned to them, 
 and kindly invited them to his lodgings. It was 
 " about the tenth hour," nearly evening ; and 
 they remained with him that day. We cannot 
 help wishing that we had an account of this inter 
 view. How interesting it would be to know what 
 passed between the young Messiah and the first 
 two persons who joined themselves to him ! The 
 consequence was, that they were persuaded that 
 this indeed was he ; and Andrew, desirous that his 
 brother Simon should partake of his own satisfac 
 tion, brought him at once and introduced him 
 to Jesus. Jesus immediately gave proof of his 
 wonderful knowledge of men, by saying to him, 
 " Thou art Simon ; thou shalt be called Cephas" 
 or Peter, that is, a rock; for he knew the ener 
 gy of his character, and that his labors would be 
 the foundation of the Church. 
 
 These three persons, all of the same place, 
 Bethsaida, a small town near the lake of Galilee, 
 were the first to whom was given the honor of 
 joining themselves to the new prophet. They, as 
 well as he, were at a distance from their homes. 
 
48 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 They had come to Bethabara, a distance of at 
 least seventy miles, on account of the baptism of 
 John. By his preaching, their minds had been in 
 some measure prepared to embrace the Saviour, 
 and they readily became his disciples. There 
 were others there also, from the same part of the 
 country. Philip, a townsman of Andrew and 
 Peter, was invited to joiftv them. No sooner had 
 he done this, than he sought to draw a friend of 
 his, Nathanael, into the company. Whether he too 
 was a townsman, we do not know ; but he was a 
 sincere man, who, with all his goodness of heart, 
 had much of the common prejudice against Naza 
 reth. And when he heard that the person whom 
 his friend was so anxious to have him see was 
 from that despised village, he asked, with a sneer, 
 u Can any good thing come out of Nazareth ? " 
 Philip, instead of reasoning with him, simply re 
 plied, " Come and see " ; the most sensible an 
 swer he could have given, and the best answer to 
 be given to all who pretend to doubt whether any 
 thing good can come from Christ s religion. Je 
 sus knew the character and heart of Nathanael, 
 and, as soon as he saw him, uttered the memorable 
 eulogiura, " Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom 
 is no guile." When Nathanael expressed sur 
 prise at finding himself known, Jesus astonished 
 him by still another proof of unexpected knowl 
 edge. By this he was convinced, and exclaimed, 
 
THE FIRST FIVE DISCIPLES. 49 
 
 " Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the 
 King of Israel." In this reply we have the ear 
 liest profession of faith in Christ which is recorded 
 in the Gospels. Jesus received it graciously, 
 and assured Nathanael, in reply, that he should 
 see greater things yet ; that he should witness 
 the most incontestable supernatural proofs of his 
 intercourse with heaven ; "Ye shall see the 
 heavens open, and the angels of God ascending 
 and descending on the Son of man." Here we 
 observe that our Lord, at the very beginning of 
 his ministry, used that striking figurative language 
 for which he was always remarkable. It had an 
 emphasis and grandeur suited to the greatness of 
 him who spake it ; it drew attention, and dwelt in 
 the memory of those who heard it ; and, though 
 sometimes hard to be understood, was yet accom 
 modated to the habits of the people whom he ad 
 dressed, and was venerable in their eyes from its 
 resemblance to the manner of their prophets. 
 
 Thus speedily did the Messiah collect the first 
 adherents to his cause, Andrew, John, Simon 
 Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, five honored and 
 immortal names. They united themselves to the 
 fortunes of Jesus of Nazareth, notwithstanding 
 their prejudices against his town, and the humble 
 ness of his appearance, because they had seen 
 him, conversed with him, and judged for them 
 selves of his pretensions. 
 
 3 D 
 
50 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 And now, accompanied by this little band of 
 friends, certainly by Philip, most probably by all, 
 he left the banks of the Jordan, and turned his 
 face homeward. We are left to imagine the 
 meeting between him and his mother, when she 
 saw the son of her hopes returned from his bap 
 tism, wearing at length the character she had so 
 long waited for him to assume, and accompanied 
 by followers who were pledged to him as their 
 Lord. 
 
 Three days after his return, there was a mar 
 riage at the neighboring village of Cana, three 
 miles distant, at which Jesus was present with his 
 mother and disciples. Here Mary was desirous 
 that he should make proof of his miraculous pow 
 er, which as yet he had never done, a power 
 which she, with a feeling very natural in a moth 
 er, was impatient to have exhibited. A Jewish 
 marriage was an occasion of great publicity and 
 pomp. It lasted seven days. Mary seems to 
 have had a peculiar interest in the present occa 
 sion, not improbably was occupied in superintend 
 ing the celebration. She perceived that the sup 
 ply of wine was insufficient. It seemed to her to 
 offer a fit occasion for the exercise of her son s 
 miraculous power. She suggested it to him. 
 His reply intimates that this was a matter in 
 which he could not allow her to interfere or ad- 
 John ii. 
 
THE FIRST MIRACLE. 51 
 
 vise ; that he should do miracles when the proper 
 time came, but that no one must presume to con 
 trol him. Yet, as he perceived it to be a case of 
 real embarrassment to the parties, who were prob 
 ably poor, and he was always ready, in his over 
 flowing good-will, to do any kindness which was 
 not inconsistent with his religious duty, he did 
 what his mother had suggested, and signalized 
 the festival by the first of those miracles whose 
 power has converted the world. With beautiful 
 simplicity the Evangelist relates all the particu 
 lars as they took place, and how the master of 
 the ceremonies praised the wine as better than 
 any that had been drunk before. Thus, he adds, 
 did Jesus manifest his glory, and his disciples be 
 lieved on him ; they were certain now, since they 
 were witnesses of the Divine power he possessed, 
 that he was indeed the long-expected prophet. 
 
 From Cana he went down, with his mother, 
 brothers, and disciples, to Capernaum, a village 
 about eighteen miles distant on the western bor 
 der of the lake. He remained there but a few 
 days. The Passover was near at hand, and they 
 were preparing to go, probably all in company, to 
 join in its celebration at Jerusalem. 
 
52 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE FIRST PASSOVER. THE VISIT OF NICODEMUS. 
 
 THE RETURN THROUGH SAMARIA TO GALILEE. 
 
 THE WOMAN AT JACOB S WELL. 
 
 THE Passover was the principal festival of the 
 Jewish nation. It was appointed to commemo 
 rate the deliverance of the people from their bond 
 age in Egypt, and received its name from the cir 
 cumstance that the destroying angel, who was 
 sent to slay the first-born of the Egyptians, passed 
 over the houses of the Israelites. It was also 
 called the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because no 
 leavened bread might be eaten during its contin 
 uance. It lasted for seven days, and was ob 
 served with many appropriate ceremonies and 
 sacrifices. The most remarkable was the sacri 
 ficing and eating of the paschal lamb, which took 
 place on the first night. Each family slew its 
 lamb, which was roasted whole, and eaten with 
 many significant forms. The next day was sig 
 nalized by the solemn offering in the temple of 
 the first fruits of the barley-harvest. Sacrifices 
 peculiar to the festival were offered every day, 
 and the first and the last were especially holy. 
 
THE TEMPLE. 53 
 
 This festival occurred in the spring, at the full 
 inoon of the vernal equinox. It was a festival for 
 the whole people ; and all the male inhabitants of 
 the land were obliged to go up and keep it at the 
 temple. At this time, therefore, Jesus, with his 
 disciples and friends, left Capernaum for Jerusa 
 lem. It was a journey of about ninety miles, un 
 doubtedly performed on foot; but evidently it 
 could not be lonely, for the roads must have been 
 thronged with the inhabitants pouring forth on 
 the same errand. No incidents which took place 
 on the journey are recorded. Our Lord was as 
 yet little known ; he travelled humbly and with 
 out observation. There were a few who knew 
 what he was, but to most persons he appeared in 
 no way distinguished from the other young men 
 of his company. 
 
 Immediately on his arrival at the holy city he 
 went up to the temple, that splendid structure, 
 which was the delight and boast of every Jewish 
 heart. It had been recently rebuilt with great 
 magnificence by King Herod the Great ; and was 
 now glorious in all the freshness of its spacious 
 porticos and marble pillars and costly ornaments. 
 It stood on the summit of a lofty hill, overlooking 
 the city, so that it was said, " Let us GO UP to the 
 house of the Lord." The house itself was not 
 larger than many of the ordinary churches of mod- 
 John ii. 13. 
 
54: THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 ern times. But it was surrounded by extensive 
 courts, which were also called the temple, and 
 are frequently meant when the temple is spoken 
 of in the New Testament. These courts were 
 one within the other, each surrounded by a wall, 
 and paved with marble. The outer enclosure was 
 called the court of the Gentiles, because it was 
 open to them, but they might proceed no farther. 
 The next enclosure was called the court of the 
 Israelites, because they might enter this, but could 
 proceed no farther. It was divided into two 
 apartments, the outer of which was the court of 
 the women. The third enclosure was called the 
 court of the priests. Into this the priests only and 
 Levites might enter. In this court stood THE 
 TEMPLE with the altar of burnt-offerings before 
 it. Here the sacrifices were offered. The peo 
 ple brought their offerings no farther than the 
 wall, of one cubit high, which separated this court 
 from that of the Israelites. The temple was 
 divided into two parts ; in the outermost of which 
 stood the altar of incense, the table of shew- 
 bread, and the golden candlestick. Into this only 
 the priests could enter. The inner apartment of 
 the temple, separated from the outer by a splen 
 did veil, was called the Holy of holies. Here 
 were the cherubim and the ark of the covenant. 
 No person could enter this but the high priest, 
 and he only once a year, on an occasion of spe 
 cial solemnity, called the day of atonement. 
 
THE FIRST PASSOVER. 55 
 
 Thus the several enclosures and apartments of 
 the temple grew more and more holy as you pro 
 ceeded. The outermost court was open to all 
 persons, while the innermost apartment was open 
 ouly to the highest religious minister on one sol 
 emn day. It is the outer court which is meant, 
 when we read of the conversations that took place 
 in the temple, and of children crying Hosanna 
 there. It was evidently a place of ordinary re 
 sort, where the people daily congregated for con 
 versation and business, and where multitudes 
 must have been daily passing and repassing at the 
 times of the sacrifices and the hours of prayer. 
 How commodious it must have been for all such 
 purposes of concourse may be perceived by re 
 membering that it was a space of more than four 
 teen acres in extent. It was of a square form, 
 each side a furlong in length, with a magnificent 
 covered portico, or piazza, all around, like the 
 cloisters of a monastery, supported by a hundred 
 and sixty-two marble pillars of great size. No 
 wonder that such a place was constantly frequent 
 ed, and that it became a resort for purposes of 
 business as well as religion. The offerings and 
 sacrifices of the temple demanded a continual sup 
 ply of cattle, lambs, and doves ; and it was very 
 convenient for the worshippers to find them ready 
 at hand. Those who had these animals for sale 
 were hence accustomed to sit with them in this 
 
56 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 court, and offer them for sale to the people as they 
 passed in to the sacrifice ; and for the accommo 
 dation of this traffic, money-changers set up their 
 tables by their side. 
 
 Such was the scene which met the view of Je 
 sus on his arrival at the sacred place. The peo 
 ple were so accustomed to the sight, that they did 
 not perceive anything wrong in it. But he felt 
 the profanation ; and, as if the spirit of the old 
 prophets had risen up within him, he took a whip 
 of small cords, and drove the sheep and the oxen 
 out of the court, and commanded the sellers of 
 doves to take them away, and overset the tables 
 of the money-changers. This bold act of relig 
 ious zeal created, of course, no little excitement. 
 His disciples, who were longing to see him take 
 the character which belonged to him, were grati 
 fied at this spirited assumption of authority, and 
 they applied to him the words used of the Psalm 
 ist, " The zeal of thy house hath consumed me." 
 The people were amazed at an act which implied 
 such consciousness of right and authority, and 
 thought it possible that he might be the expected 
 prophet. They accordingly came to him, and 
 asked him to show them some sign in proof of his 
 authority. As he knew what was in man and did 
 not choose to commit himself to them, he answered 
 them in a figurative expression, which could be 
 perfectly understood only after his resurrection. 
 
THE VISIT OF NICODEMUS. 57 
 
 He pointed to that great event as the proof that 
 he was from God. " Destroy this temple," said 
 he, meaning the temple of his body, "and in 
 three days I will raise it again." At that time 
 his words were not understood ; but after his 
 crucifixion they were remembered, and served to 
 confirm the truth of his pretensions to divine 
 knowledge. 
 
 While he remained at Jerusalem, he wrought 
 many miracles, which drew attention to him, and 
 augmented the number of those who believed in 
 him. He did not however disclose himself to 
 them, for he knew that the time had not yet ar 
 rived when he could advantageously do so. He 
 knew the nature of their expectations from him ; 
 therefore he would not trust them, nor commit 
 himself to them. 
 
 The most remarkable circumstance which oc 
 curred during this period was the visit which he 
 received from one of the rulers, whose name was 
 Nicodemus. This man, a person of some conse 
 quence in the nation, had become strongly inter 
 ested in what he had seen and heard of the won 
 derful young stranger from Galilee, and desired 
 to ascertain, by means of a personal interview, 
 whether he were the Messiah or not. According 
 ly he came to Jesus ; but by night, when he 
 would be least liable to be observed. "For ho 
 
 John iii. 
 3* 
 
58 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 chose to satisfy himself fully, before he would at 
 tract attention to his movements. He saluted our 
 Lord respectfully, and assured him that he be 
 lieved he came from God ; for, said he, " no man 
 can do these miracles which thou dost, except 
 God were with him." He thus evidently ex 
 pressed a readiness to join himself to the Saviour ; 
 but as our Lord knew that his views were not 
 right, that he was looking for a worldly Messiah 
 and hoping an earthly reward, he did not encour 
 age his advances, but immediately began to show 
 him his mistake, and explain the true nature of 
 the kingdom of the Messiah. He taught him that 
 it was not of this world, not temporal, but spir 
 itual ; that, in order to enter it, one must give up 
 all his worldly views and temporal expectations, 
 and fit himself, by spiritual-mindedness, for a 
 spiritual kingdom. These great truths he clothed, 
 according to his manner, in bold and strong, but 
 natural figures. But it was not easy for the Jew 
 ish ruler to understand them. They were not 
 consonant to his prejudices or his desires. And 
 he went away without openly attaching himself to 
 the cause of Jesus. Yet such an impression did 
 the conversation make on his mind, that he ap 
 pears ever to have regarded our Lord witli rever 
 ence and attachment. We find him, some time 
 afterward, one of the few who dared to speak in 
 his defence and who honored him in his death. 
 
THE PHARISEES. 59 
 
 "We may trust that the memorable interview of 
 that night produced its true effects on his soul ; 
 that the solemn words of Jesus taught him, as 
 they have taught multitudes since, the superiority 
 and necessity of a spiritual life, and roused him 
 from his vain passions and worldly ambition to 
 the sense of a higher existence. 
 
 The Passover being ended, Jesus and his dis 
 ciples left Jerusalem, and took up their abode for 
 a time somewhere near the river Jordan, in Ju- 
 da?a. Here he gained many followers, who were 
 baptized into his faith ; not however by his own 
 hand, but by that of the disciples. John also was 
 still baptizing, but had removed from Bethabara 
 to ^Enon, near Salim, in Samaria. This circum 
 stance of two prophets being engaged in collect 
 ing and baptizing followers at the same time nat 
 urally excited some speculation among the people. 
 Some of John s disciples fell into an argument 
 respecting it with a Jew, and they referred the 
 question to John himself for his decision. These 
 disciples appear to have been jealous for their 
 master s honor, and could not well bear that an 
 other should attract more followers than he. But 
 John had nothing of this feeling, and he endeav 
 ored to remove it from the mind of his disciples. 
 He reminded them that he had always asserted 
 that he was not himself the Christ, but greatly in 
 ferior to him. He now repeated his assertions, 
 
60 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 and went on to declare to them, in the strongest 
 terms, the necessity of believing in the Son of God. 
 In this way John quieted the minds of his disci 
 ples. 
 
 But there were others who were not so easily 
 satisfied, and who loudly expressed their displeas 
 ure. These were the Pharisees, the leading sect 
 amongst the Jews, the sect which comprised prob 
 ably the principal part of the learned and in 
 fluential men. The Pharisees professed to be 
 more strictly and zealously devoted to the law 
 than any others, and by their severe external 
 sanctity and punctilious attention to the forms of 
 religion, they secured the veneration of the mul 
 titude. They were scrupulous observers of the 
 Sabbath, they kept frequent fasts, were exact in 
 all washings, ostentatious in paying tithes, in re 
 peating prayers, and in giving alms, professed 
 great abhorrence at sinners, and even carried the 
 show of sanctity into the phylacteries and fringes 
 of their garments. Thus their appearance cor 
 responded with their name, which meant separat 
 ed^ or set apart, from other men in holiness and 
 piety ; and their haughty treatment of all whom 
 they considered sinners was of a piece with their 
 high pretensions. 
 
 Such was the popular and predominant sect. 
 Of course they were jealous to maintain their in 
 fluence, and unfriendly to all persons and parties 
 
THE PHARISEES. 61 
 
 who would either rival them in the estimation of 
 the people, or expose their true character. It 
 could not but happen, that they would look with 
 ill-will on any one who should assume to be a re 
 ligious teacher, and not consult them and forward 
 their purposes. It is plain, that, with their prin 
 ciples and character, no one could be received by 
 them as the Messiah, unless he corresponded to 
 their expectations, and in fact were one of the 
 Pharisees. When therefore they heard of the 
 bold procedure of a young man from Galilee, who 
 had gone about cleansing the temple, and teach 
 ing the people, and baptizing followers indepen 
 dently of them, they were naturally displeased. 
 His tone of instruction, too, was very unlike 
 theirs, and tended to bring them into discredit. 
 His simplicity and purity were disagreeable to 
 their artifice and hypocrisy. They felt themselves 
 rebuked by his modest but severe virtue. They 
 therefore felt ill-disposed toward him. They 
 could not listen to the idea that he was the Mes 
 siah. Surely the Messiah would be sent to the 
 chiefs of the church, and not spring up from 
 the dregs of the people. " Search and look," 
 said they, " for out of Galilee ariseth no proph 
 et." 
 
 On hearing that this new teacher was success 
 ful in gaining adherents, and that he baptized 
 even greater numbers than John had done, they 
 
62 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 did not conceal their displeasure. In what man 
 ner they expressed it, we are not told; but we 
 read that when Jesus heard of this, he left the 
 place where he was, for he knew that it was not 
 his duty to provoke opposition unnecessarily ; and 
 in order to avoid every occasion of complaint for 
 the present, he quitted Juda3a altogether, and re 
 turned to his own country of Galilee. 
 
 On his way to Galilee he necessarily passed 
 through Samaria, which lies between that prov 
 ince and Judaaa. At least this was the nearest 
 and most convenient route, though the Jews 
 sometimes took a more circuitous course ; as we 
 shall find that our Lord did on another occasion, 
 in order to avoid the enmity of the Samaritans. 
 It was on this journey that occurred one of the 
 most interesting incidents of his ministry. At 
 about the distance of forty miles from Jerusalem, 
 just before reaching the famous mountains of Ebal 
 and Gerizim, is the well which Jacob dug. It is 
 to be seen there even to the present day ; for in 
 that country wells of water are so precious, that 
 they are kept with the greatest care generation 
 after generation. At about midday, our Saviour 
 reached this well, and sat down to rest himself, 
 while his disciples went forward to Sychar to pur 
 chase provisions for their refreshment. This town 
 lay at nearly a mile s distance. It is the same 
 
 John iv. 
 
THE SAMARITAN WOMAN. 63 
 
 which is called Shechem in the Old Testament. 
 It stands in a beautiful, romantic, and fertile spot 
 between the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim, and 
 is to this day one of the most flourishing towns in 
 Palestine. It was for a long time the capital of 
 Samaria. 
 
 While Jesus sat waiting at the well, a woman 
 came from the city to draw water. He immedi 
 ately entered into conversation with her. This is 
 a circumstance which marks his character. A 
 common Jew would not have done so. A scribe, 
 a priest, or a pharisee would have esteemed him 
 self dishonored by so doing. Not only was it 
 considered improper to converse with a woman 
 publicly, but the Jews and Samaritans were in 
 veterate enemies. They had no intercourse with 
 each other; and it shows something in Jesus 
 greatly superior to the prejudices of the times and 
 the people, that he so readily conversed, not only 
 with a woman, but with a Samaritan. 
 
 The woman herself was astonished at his ad 
 dressing her. " How is it that thou," she ex 
 claimed, " being a Jew, dost ask drink of me, 
 who am a Samaritan ? " She must have been 
 still more astonished at his reply, and the turn 
 which he gave to the conversation. For our 
 Lord, agreeably to his uniform custom of drawing 
 religious instruction from every incident, imme 
 diately took occasion to speak of that living water. 
 
64 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 of which if a man drink, he shall never thirst 
 again. He awakened her curiosity, he excited 
 her desire to know more, he alluded to some pri 
 vate circumstances in her life, and she saw that 
 he was no common person, but a prophet. She 
 therefore seized the opportunity to ask his judg 
 ment respecting that great question which divided 
 the Jews and Samaritans, namely, whether the 
 temple at Jerusalem or the mount of Gerizim was 
 the true place of worship. Jesus replied, that 
 this was no longer a question of any consequence ; 
 that a new order of things was about to be intro 
 duced ; that all merely local worship and all lim 
 ited service was to cease. " Woman, believe me, 
 the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this 
 mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Fa 
 ther. But the hour cometh, and now is, when 
 the true worshippers shall worship the Father in 
 spirit and in truth : for the Father seeketh such 
 to worship him. God is a spirit : and they that 
 worship him must worship him in spirit and in 
 truth." 
 
 This doctrine was as new to the woman as it 
 was grand and glorious. But she did not appear 
 fully to enter into the meaning of it ; it was too 
 great for her to take in at once ; and she an 
 swered our Lord by observing, that, when the 
 Messiah should come, they undoubtedly should be 
 fully instructed in this matter. Jesus at once, in 
 
THE SAMARITAN WOMAN. 65 
 
 the simplest manner, discovered himself to her. 
 u I that speak unto thee am he." The woman, 
 struck with astonishment, answered not a word, 
 but put down her water-pot, and w r ent back to the 
 city to tell what she had seen and heard. " Come, 
 see a man who told me all things that ever I did ; 
 is not this the Messiah ? " The people were easi 
 ly excited by such a report, and returned with 
 her to see the wonderful stranger. 
 
 Meantime the disciples carne back to their Mas 
 ter, whom they had left hungry and weary ; but 
 he was too much engaged in the feelings and 
 hopes to which this incident had given rise, to 
 care for the food which they brought. His mind 
 was full of the excitement of a benevolent hope, 
 that here he had done some good, here he might 
 make some converts. He pointed to the crowd 
 of people coming from the city, and bade his fol 
 lowers observe how the fields were already ripe 
 for the harvest, that they only needed to go forth 
 and reap, and they should gather fruit unto life 
 eternal. And when the Samaritans entreated him 
 to abide with them, he gladly accepted the invita 
 tion, and remained there two days. The conse 
 quence was, that many believed on him. They 
 heard him speak, and were convinced, as their 
 country-woman had been at the well. And they 
 said to her, " Now we believe, not because of 
 thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and 
 
 E 
 
66 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour 
 of the world." 
 
 Having spent two days at Sychar, he proceeded 
 on his journey into Galilee. Here he was re 
 ceived by the people with great respect, for they 
 had known the things which he did in Jerusalem 
 at the feast. Of the events which occurred during 
 his visit, nothing is related, excepting the cure of 
 a nobleman s son at Capernaum, which was the 
 second miracle performed in Galilee. It was 
 while our Lord was at Cana, that this nobleman, 
 as he is called, (that is, probably, some officer in 
 the employment of the government,) came from 
 Capernaum, a distance of nearly twenty miles, 
 entreating Jesus to heal his son. This seems to 
 show confidence in his power to work miracles ; 
 but it appears from our Lord s reply, that it was 
 mingled with a good deal of doubt and distrust ; 
 for, said he, " Except ye see signs and wonders, 
 ye will not believe." But when the anxious father 
 urgently repeated his request, and thus evinced 
 a strong faith, Jesus granted more than he asked. 
 He assured him of the immediate safety of his 
 son, without departing from the spot. " Go thy 
 way," said he ; " thy son liveth." And the father 
 found it so on his return. 
 
 Our Lord s residence in Galilee at this time 
 must have been short ; for on the occurrence of 
 the feast of Pentecost, fifty days after that of the 
 Passover, he again went up to Jerusalem. 
 
THE FEAST OF PENTECOST. 67 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE FEAST OF PENTECOST. THE SUMMER SPENT IN 
 GALILEE. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. CON 
 VERSATION WITH THE JEWS AT JERUSALEM. 
 
 THE Pentecost was a festival in commemora 
 tion of the giving of the law from Mount Sinai. 
 This event took place fifty days after the depart 
 ure of the Israelites from Egypt; consequently 
 the Pentecost occurred fifty days after the Pass 
 over, and because it thus took place at the inter 
 val of seven weeks, it was called the feast of weeks. 
 It was celebrated by the offering of the first fruits 
 of the wheat-harvest, which at that time was 
 gathered in, and by various additional sacrifices 
 at the temple. It was one of the three great 
 occasions on which all the males of the land were 
 required to present themselves in religious solem 
 nity before the Lord. Our Saviour, therefore, 
 whose rule it was " to fulfil all righteousness," 
 again went up to Jerusalem. 
 
 This visit to the city was signalized by the cure 
 ^f an "impotent man," as he is styled in our 
 
 John v. 
 
68 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 translation ; one who had been disabled by 
 disease for thirty-eight years. Jesus found him 
 lying with a multitude of blind, lame, and crippled 
 persons near a pool called Bethesda, whose wa 
 ters at certain seasons were thought to possess 
 a miraculous power of healing. As he had no 
 friend to lift him into the water, Jesus took pity 
 on him and healed him by his word. 
 
 This happened on the Sabbath day. When the 
 strict and superstitious Jews saw the poor man 
 walking away with his couch on his shoulders, 
 they cried out against him for breaking the Sab 
 bath. He defended himself by answering, that the 
 person who healed him had said to him, " Take 
 up thy bed and walk." Their displeasure was 
 thus turned against Jesus, and they persecuted 
 him for this profanation of the holy day. This 
 gave rise to one of those striking conversations 
 recorded by John, in which our Lord vindicated 
 himself against the charge of irreligion and blas 
 phemy, asserted his authority and dignity as the 
 Son of God, warned his countrymen against the 
 rejection of his claims, and reminded them of 
 three proofs which they possessed that he came 
 from God; namely, the testimony of John the 
 Baptist, the miraculous works he performed, and 
 the voice from heaven which was heard at his 
 baptism. It was in this discourse that occurred 
 that solemn and sublime passage respecting a 
 
THE FEAST OF PENTECOST. .69 
 
 future state of retribution, of which Paley has 
 said : * " Had Jesus Christ delivered no other dec 
 laration, he had pronounced a message of inesti 
 mable importance, and well worthy of that splen 
 did apparatus of prophecy and miracles with 
 which his mission was introduced and attested." 
 This declaration was : " The hour is coming, in 
 which all that are in the graves shall hear his 
 voice, and shall come forth ; they that have done 
 good unto the resurrection of life, and they that 
 have done evil unto the resurrection of condemna 
 tion." 
 
 But it was in vain that he addressed his holy 
 doctrine and earnest warnings to the prejudiced 
 minds of his countrymen. They would not hear 
 him. They persecuted and sought to kill him. 
 And therefore, says the Evangelist, he did not 
 continue in Judaea, but retired again to Galilee. 
 
 It was now the opening of the summer. The 
 feast of Pentecost occurred in May, and we hear 
 nothing more of him until the feast of Tabernacles 
 in September. As the summer in that climate is 
 intensely hot and enervating, and consequently 
 unfavorable to exertion, it seems probable that he 
 spent it in comparative retirement. No record 
 of any of his acts during this time has come down 
 to us. We are left to fancy him passing his time 
 in holy contemplation and devotion, occupied in 
 
 * Moral Philosophy, Book v. ch. ix. John vii. 1. 
 
70 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 teaching and blessing the circle with which he 
 was immediately connected, and preparing him 
 self for the severe trials and toils of the more ac 
 tive months which were to follow. 
 
 The feast of Tabernacles, the third of the three 
 great solemnities at which the men were obliged 
 to go up to the temple, was instituted in com 
 memoration of the sojourn of the Israelites in the 
 wilderness, where for so many years they dwelt in 
 tents or tabernacles. It occurred in the beginning 
 of autumn, and lasted seven days, or, as some 
 think, eight ; the first and last being the most 
 solemn. The manner of its celebration was pecu 
 liar. During its whole continuance, the people 
 resided in tents, or arbors, constructed of the 
 boughs of trees, and placed in the streets, in the 
 outer court of the temple, and on the tops of the 
 houses. On the first day, they gathered branches 
 of the finest trees, willow and palm trees especially, 
 and went with them in procession to the temple, 
 and encompassed the altar of burnt-offerings, 
 singing certain songs, and crying, " Hosanna ! " 
 Hence these branches were called Hosanna; and 
 the last day was called the Great Hosanna, be 
 cause on that day this ceremony was performed 
 seven times. They also brought as offerings to the 
 temple the first fruits of their second harvest, and 
 consecrated the occasion by a great variety of 
 sacrifices, as well as by dancing, music, and illu- 
 
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 71 
 
 urinations. In fact, this feast may be considered 
 as the great Thanksgiving of the Jewish people. 
 It was kept by joyous religious feasting, like the 
 autumnal festival of New England, and, like that, 
 occurred just Avhen the fruits of the earth had 
 been gathered in. 
 
 On the approach of this feast, when all men 
 were preparing to go to Jerusalem, the brothers 
 of Jesus urged him to accompany them. They 
 had no belief in his Messiahship, and they pre 
 tended to accuse him of hiding himself from ob 
 servation, because he had passed the summer 
 quietly in Galilee. "For," said they, "no man 
 doeth anything in secret, and yet seeketh himself 
 to be known openly. If thou do these things, 
 show thyself to the world." But he replied to 
 them, that his time was not yet come ; they could 
 go at any time ; he was not yet ready. They ac 
 cordingly departed without him ; and he afterwards 
 followed them, privately, and apparently alone. 
 He knew the jealousies and enmities which had 
 already been excited, and he thought it prudent 
 to avoid the occasions of offence which might 
 arise from his travelling through the land when 
 the ways were thronged with people. We shall 
 have occasion to notice many remarkable instan 
 ces, -of this reserve. 
 
 When the people were collected at the feast, 
 
 John vii. 
 
72 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 there was immediately great inquiry made for him. 
 They longed again to see the remarkable person, 
 who, at the two preceding festivals, had done such 
 wonderful works, and spoken such extraordinary 
 doctrine, and who perhaps might prove to be 
 the Messiah. " Where is he ? " said they. His 
 character and claims became the subject of eager 
 discussion. Some took his part, and vindicated 
 him. "He is a good man," they said, and by all 
 means to be trusted. Others opposed him, and 
 contended that he was deceiving the people. On 
 the whole, the public sentiment was divided ; but 
 all these opinions were expressed in private con 
 versation, for it had been decreed that all who 
 acknowledged his Messiahship should suffer ex 
 communication, and nothing came to an open 
 result, "through fear of the Jews," says the 
 Evangelist. 
 
 In the midst of all this, when the festival was 
 about half over, Jesus arrived, and went directly 
 up to the temple. In its sacred and crowded 
 courts, he felt himself safe, and spoke freely as 
 he had done before. What a sensation must his 
 arrival have occasioned ! How eagerly must the 
 curious crowds have thronged about him ! Some 
 anxious to drink in the words of his divine wisdom ; 
 some solicitous to entrap him; all burning with 
 vehement feeling, because they hoped, or feared, 
 that he might prove their long-desired prophet. 
 
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 73 
 
 Nothing seems to have surprised them more than 
 the dignity and wisdom of his discourse. They 
 knew where he had been bred, and what his edu 
 cation had been ; and they could not guess how 
 he should be so superior to other men. " How 
 knoweth this man letters," said they, " having 
 never learned ? " Jesus gave them the only reply 
 which could be given, the only explanation which 
 was or could be satisfactory, "My doctrine is 
 not mine, but His that sent me." He then went 
 on to expostulate with them on their injustice and 
 wickedness toward him at his last visit ; defended 
 the act which had displeased them as a breach 
 of the Sabbath ; and ended with the exhortation, 
 "Judge not according to appearance, but judge 
 righteous judgment." 
 
 It is evident from the account of the Evangelist, 
 that our Lord s address created a strong sensation 
 among the people. They began to debate whether 
 this were not the Messiah. Many believed on 
 him ; for, said they, very justly, can we suppose 
 that the Messiah, when he comes, could do more 
 miracles than this man has done ? But others 
 doubted and denied, and said this could not be 
 he, because they knew whence he came, and no 
 one was to know whence the Christ should come. 
 For it seems to have been a common notion 
 among the Jews of that period that the origin of 
 the Messiah would be unknown. 
 
 4 
 
74 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 This agitation among the people made the lead 
 ers and the Pharisees uneasy, and they thought it 
 best to put an end to it hy seizing Jesus. It ap 
 pears to have continued day after day, and they 
 could not tell what it might lead to. Therefore 
 they sent officers to apprehend him. But the re 
 sult was very different from what they had antici 
 pated. 
 
 The last day of the feast was a great day. It 
 was kept with extraordinary pomp and solemnity. 
 Besides the additional processions, already men 
 tioned, another was formed of yet greater signifi 
 cance. The people went out of the gate of the 
 city to the fountain of Siloam, and, drawing its 
 waters, bore them to the temple. Part of this wa 
 ter they there drank with loud acclamations, and, 
 mingling the rest of it with wine, poured it out at 
 the foot of the altar of burnt* offerings ; singing 
 meanwhile in loud chorus those words of Isaiah, 
 " With joy shall ye draw water from the wells of 
 salvation." The ceremony was in the highest de 
 gree animating and impressive. At the present 
 time it must have been more than ever striking. 
 For it was broken in upon by the voice of Jesus, 
 who stood and cried, " If any man thirst, let him 
 come to me and drink. He that believeth on me, 
 as the Scripture hath said, there shall flow from 
 him rivers of living water" ; he shall be filled 
 with the spirit of holiness and truth, and from 
 
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 76 
 
 him, like a fountain of pure waters, it shall flow 
 forth upon all around him. The consequence 
 of this address was a new movement among 
 the people. Many were confirmed in the belief 
 that this was the Messiah. " Of a truth," they 
 cried, " this is the Prophet ; this is the Christ." 
 But others insisted that the Christ could not 
 be a Galilean ; and thus opinions were still di 
 vided. 
 
 In the mean time, the officers who had been 
 sent to seize him were overcome with admiration 
 at what they saw and heard, and returned to 
 their employers without even making the attempt 
 to take him. u Why have ye not brought 
 him ? " asked the Pharisees. The officers could 
 only reply, " Never man spake like this man." 
 The reply contains volumes. But it only irritated 
 the Pharisees, who gave vent to their feelings in 
 violent language. " Are ye also deceived ? " said 
 they. " Have any of the rulers or of the Phari 
 sees believed on him ? But this people, this rab 
 ble, that knoweth not the law, is accursed." 
 Here Nicodemus ventured gently to interfere, and 
 remind them that no man was to be condemned 
 without a trial. But he only drew the storm 
 upon himself. What, said they, " art thou also 
 of Galilee ? Search and look ; for out of Galilee 
 ariseth no prophet." Here the matter ended, and 
 the council broke up. Jesus retired from the 
 
76 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 city, and passed the night on the Mount of 
 Olives. 
 
 In the morning he returned to the temple. 
 The people again collected around him, and he 
 sat down beneath the portico, and taught. While 
 he was thus engaged, the scribes and Pharisees, 
 who had been defeated in their attack upon him 
 the day before, planned a new assault, and in 
 stead of an open attack attempted to surprise him 
 by artifice. They brought to him a woman who 
 had been detected in a crime ; and, addressing 
 him in very respectful language, asked him his 
 opinion whether she ought to be stoned agreeably 
 to the law of Moses. This they did, says the 
 Evangelist, " tempting him, that they might have 
 whereof to accuse him." For if he should say, 
 Yes, then they hoped the people would do ac 
 cording to his word and stone her ; in which case 
 he could be brought before the Roman power as 
 inciting to tumult and sedition ; for the Romans 
 did not allow the Jews the right to put any one to 
 death. And on the other hand, if he should say, 
 No, they could exhibit him to the people as one 
 who set aside the law of Moses, and who therefore 
 deserved no respect. Thus they thought them 
 selves sure of entangling him. But his divine 
 sagacity enabled him to escape the snare. Instead 
 of a direct answer, he stooped down, and wrote 
 
 John viii. 
 
THE ACCUSED WOMAN. 77 
 
 upon the pavement with his finger, as if he either 
 did not hear them, or was engaged in considering 
 what they had said. When they urged him for a 
 reply, he lifted up his head, and said, " He that is 
 without sin among you, let him first cast a stone 
 at her." He then returned to his employment. 
 The accusers were confounded. They felt con 
 science-stricken. And, having nothing to say, 
 they stole away one after another, and left the 
 woman alone. When our Lord perceived this, 
 his gentleness and compassion were displayed in 
 his treatment of the woman as remarkably as his 
 skill had been in baffling her accusers. He would 
 not assume the authority of the law to condemn 
 her, and dismissed her with an admonition to sin 
 no more. " Hath no man condemned thee ? " he 
 asked. " No man, Lord." "Neither do I 
 condemn thee. Go, and sin no more." 
 
 He then continued his conversation in the tem 
 ple with the Pharisees and other Jews ; replying 
 to their questions, vindicating his character, ex 
 postulating with them because of their sins, and 
 asserting his own high dignity and authority. 
 Some believed on him ; many cavilled ; and final 
 ly, on their threatening to stone him, he hid him 
 self and went out of the temple, and escaped from 
 their hands. 
 
 It is not perfectly clear whether the incident 
 next recorded by the Evangelist occurred on the 
 
78 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 same day with what we have just related. It prob 
 ably did. As he passed through the streets of 
 the city after leaving the temple, he fell in with a 
 man blind from his birth ; and, nothing deterred 
 by the dangers he had just escaped, he exerted 
 his miraculous power to give him sight. This 
 was a miracle particularly adapted to excite atten 
 tion, because none similar had ever been wrought. 
 It was without example in the whole history of 
 the nation. From this circumstance, as well as 
 from its taking place just at this time, it immedi 
 ately underwent a strict scrutiny. It was an 
 open, wonderful, unexampled display of power. 
 The enemies of Jesus saw that it was likely to 
 produce a great effect. They therefore made it 
 their object to discredit it, if possible. 
 
 They first tried to make it appear that no mira 
 cle had been wrought. But the neighbors of the 
 man testified that he had been blind, and his par 
 ents confirmed the testimony. " We know," said 
 they, " that this is our son, and that he was born 
 blind ; but by what means he now seeth, we know 
 not, or who hath opened his eyes, we know not ; 
 he is of age, ask him." Thus there was no doubt 
 of the fact, though the parents dared not say, as 
 their son boldly did, that Jesus was a prophet. 
 
 The Pharisees next tried to prove that, not 
 withstanding this miracle, he was no prophet. 
 
 John ix. 
 
THE BLIND MAN HEALED. 79 
 
 He had broken the Sabbath. He was a sinner. 
 They knew nothing about him ; they knew that 
 God spoke by Moses, but as for this man, they 
 knew not whence he was. It was a bold and gen 
 erous reply of the poor man who had been healed : 
 " Why, herein is a marvellous thing, that ye 
 know not whence he is, and yet he hath opened 
 mine eyes. If this man were not of God, he 
 could do nothing." At this the Pharisees were 
 irritated ; " Thou wast altogether born in sin, and 
 dost thou teach us ? " And then, finding that 
 they could neither prove the falsehood of the mir 
 acle, nor persuade the people that it was not done 
 by divine power, they cast him out of the syna 
 gogue ; that is, they excommunicated him, a 
 severe punishment, and the highest in their pow 
 er to inflict. They had already threatened it to 
 all who should confess Jesus to be the Messiah, 
 and it was the only answer they could make to 
 the reasoning of this poor beggar. 
 
 But the blind man was not wholly forsaken. 
 Jesus sought him in his trouble, and cheered him 
 by a kind word, nay, did him the honor of ac 
 knowledging to him, as he had yet done only to 
 the Samaritan woman, that he was truly the 
 Christ. So condescending and kind was our gra 
 cious Master; and so, to the present day, does his 
 Gospel stoop to the forsaken and lowly, and whis 
 per words of cheerful peace to their spirits. 
 
80 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 From speaking to this humble and grateful in 
 dividual, our Lord turned to address a word of 
 admonition to the people who stood by. " For 
 judgment I am come into this world," said he, 
 " that they which see not might see, and that they 
 which see might be made blind." This brought 
 him once more into collision with the Pharisees, 
 who ceased not to follow and persecute him. He 
 still answered them as before, boldly yet prudent 
 ly, and closed his address with the beautiful and 
 affecting parable, in which he speaks of himself 
 as the good shepherd, who lays down his life for 
 the sheep. This parable, it is said, was not fully 
 comprehended by those who heard it ; but it has 
 been full of a delightful meaning to believers in 
 all ages since, and, like several of our Lord s dis 
 courses, was designed less for those around him 
 than for those who should afterward believe in 
 him. As regards the immediate effect, St. John 
 says again, as he had said on other occasions, that 
 there was a division among the hearers. Some 
 cried out, " He has a demon and is mad ; why do 
 you listen to him ? " Others insisted that his giv 
 ing sight to the blind was a proof to the contrary, 
 for demons could not cure blindness. 
 
 Here closes the account of those memorable 
 scenes which took place at Jerusalem during his 
 visit at the feast of Tabernacles. They are full 
 of the deepest interest and instruction, and should 
 
REMARKS. 81 
 
 be studied diligently in the chapters of John s 
 Gospel, in which they are recorded at length. It 
 is impossible, in a work like the present, to eluci 
 date them more particularly. I have only been 
 able to go into them so far as might disclose the 
 exact posture of affairs, the state of the public 
 mind respecting our Lord s character and claims, 
 the increasing interest with which his teaching 
 was attended, the industry and malice of his ene 
 mies, and the way which was thus opened for the 
 greater activity of his ministry in time to come, 
 as well as the sufferings and violence with which 
 it closed. 
 
 It will be perceived that, thus far, the history 
 has been drawn almost exclusively from the Gos 
 pel of John. We find nothing, since the baptism 
 and temptation, recorded by the other Evangelists. 
 The cause is plain. John was attached to our 
 Saviour from the first ; he probably accompanied 
 him on his visits to Jerusalem at the several festi 
 vals, and was personally knowing to the scenes 
 which he describes there. Matthew was called 
 later ; and he, therefore, as well as Luke and 
 Mark, relates little till after the appointment of 
 the twelve apostles, because until about that time 
 he was not an eyewitness. We learn, also, why 
 John relates little except what occurred at the 
 festivals. During those periods he was in his 
 Master s company ; but in the intervals he re- 
 
 4* F 
 
82 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 turned to his employment on the lake of Galilee, 
 and did not become a constant companion of Jesus 
 until some time after the feast of Tabernacles. 
 If it be asked why, in the subsequent narrative, 
 he continued to confine himself to what occurred 
 at the festivals, the answer is obvious. The other 
 Evangelists, who wrote before he did, had related 
 all else that was important, and it was apparently 
 his plan to tell chiefly what they had omitted. Or 
 perhaps, as they had given chiefly their Lord s 
 ministry in the provinces, it was his plan to record 
 his ministry in the city. The circumstances here 
 mentioned are interesting in themselves, and they 
 tend strongly to prove the probable correctness of 
 the arrangement followed in the present work. 
 
IMPRISONMENT OF JOHN. 83 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. JESUS BE 
 GINS HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY IN GALILEE. SERMON 
 
 ON THE MOUNT. 
 
 IT was about this time that John the Baptist 
 gave that offence to Herod, the tetrarch of Gali 
 lee, which occasioned his imprisonment, and final 
 ly led to his death. Herod had married Herodias, 
 the wife of his brother Philip. John censured 
 this as a sin ; and Herodias, angry at his boldness 
 and rebuke, instigated Herod to cast him into 
 prison. Herod himself, we are told by Mark, 
 had a great respect for John, and would willingly 
 have spared him. 
 
 When Jesus heard of this, he left Jerusalem, 
 and returned to Galilee. The ministry of his 
 Forerunner was finished ; and it was therefore 
 time to commence his own in a more public and 
 active form. Hitherto he had confined himself to 
 a few places. His labor thus far seems to have 
 been preliminary, a gradual preparation for that 
 
 Matthew xiv. 3, ir. 12. Mark vi. 17, i. 14. 
 
 Luke iv. 14, iii. 19. 
 
84 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 zealous action which was to distinguish the later 
 months of his life. Hitherto his forerunner, John 
 had been occupied in preaching and preparing the 
 way before him. But his mission was now ended ; 
 and therefore, as Mark declares, Jesus came into 
 Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of 
 God, and saying, " The time is fulfilled, and the 
 kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye, and be 
 lieve the Gospel." 
 
 Thus he passed on preaching in the syna 
 gogues, till he reached Nazareth, his own town. 
 Here too he went into the synagogue on the Sab 
 bath day, according to his custom. It proved to 
 be a memorable visit. He had been for some time 
 absent, and the report of what had taken place 
 during his visit at Jerusalem had undoubtedly 
 reached the ears of his townsmen. They were 
 naturally curious to see him on his return. 
 They were very incredulous that this humble me 
 chanic, whom they had known from his childhood 
 as one of themselves, should turn out a prophet, 
 and excite the wonder and attention of the whole 
 people at the feast. They were eager to have the 
 matter explained. 
 
 The synagogue was the Jewish place of worship, 
 answering to our churches. The desk, or pulpit, 
 from which the law was read and explained, stood 
 in the centre of the building. The hook of the 
 law was kept in an ark, or chest, at one end 
 
HE VISITS NAZARETH. 85 
 
 (either the eastern end, or that which faced the 
 temple), and was brought from it, at the time of 
 worship, with great form. In front of this ark 
 were placed the seats for the elders, called by our 
 Saviour " the chief seats " ; and facing them were 
 the seats for the congregation. The women sat 
 in a gallery apart, concealed from view by a lattice. 
 The service of the synagogue, like that of the 
 Christian Church, consisted of prayers, the read 
 ing of the law, and the expounding it, or preach 
 ing. It was the custom to read through their 
 sacred books once every year, a certain portion 
 being allotted to every Sabbath. The Scriptures, 
 like all ancient books, were written throughout 
 on long strips of parchment, like long pieces 
 of narrow cloth. These were rolled upon round 
 pieces of wood, as ribbons are at the present day. 
 When a person read the book, he unrolled it as 
 he went on, and wound it up again on another 
 roller. So that when he stopped reading, and 
 laid down the book, it was partly on one roller 
 and partly on another ; and when he took it up 
 again, and opened it, his eye fell at once on the 
 place where he had left off. Whoever therefore 
 was appointed to read the portion of the law on 
 the Sabbath found the place, without difficulty, by 
 merely opening the roll. There were no regularly 
 appointed readers, but the rulers of the synagogue 
 called upon any competent person to read the 
 portion for the day. 
 
86 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 When the rulers of the synagogue in Nazareth 
 saw Jesus come in, they gave the book to him, 
 and requested him to read. Jesus took the 
 volume, and stood up. It opened, of course, at 
 the stated place. It was that celebrated pas 
 sage in Isaiah (chapter Ixi.) in which the offices 
 of the Messiah are described. We may imagine 
 with what breathless silence he was listened to, as 
 lie read : " The spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
 for he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to 
 the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken 
 hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives 
 and recovering of sight to the blind ; to set at lib 
 erty them that were bruised ; to preach the accept 
 able year of the Lord." And he closed the book, 
 and gave it to the minister, that is, the attendant 
 who brought it to him, and sat down. His sitting 
 down was a signal that he intended to speak. 
 And the eyes of all that were in the synagogue 
 were fastened on him, eager to know what lie 
 had to say respecting this prophecy. His first 
 words were : " This day is this scripture fulfilled 
 in your ears." And he went on to prove and illus 
 trate this in such a manner, that he excited their 
 admiration at the gracious words which he uttered, 
 and they expressed their amazement at hear 
 ing such things from " Joseph s son." " Is not 
 this the carpenter," said they, " the son of Mary, 
 the brother of James and Joses and Juda and 
 
HE EEMOVES TO CAPERNAUM. 87 
 
 Simon ? and are not his sisters with us ? " There 
 fore they were offended at him, says Mark. And 
 when he went on to explain why he did not work 
 miracles there, as well as in other places, telling 
 them that their prejudices were such that it would 
 be of no use, that now, as well as in the days of 
 Elijah, there was more hope of the Gentiles than 
 of persons like them, they became greatly ex 
 asperated. They rose up, Sabbath as it was, and 
 thrust him from the city, intending to cast him 
 down from the brow of the hill on which the city 
 was built. But he passed through the midst of 
 them, and departed in safety. 
 
 Having thus escaped the violence of the popu 
 lace, he proceeded to Capernaum, and took up his 
 abode there. This place became henceforth his 
 principal residence. Its precise situation is not 
 known ; but it was on the western bank of the sea 
 or lake of Galilee, not far from the northern cor 
 ner. It appears to have been at this time the 
 home of Andrew and Peter, who had formerly 
 resided in the neighboring town of Bethsaida. 
 These men had not yet permanently attached 
 themselves to his company. They were still oc 
 cupied at their own business, which was that of 
 fishermen on the lake. 
 
 It was while thus engaged casting their nets 
 into the water, that they were called away by Je- 
 
 Matthew iv. 13. Mark i. 16. 
 
00 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 sus to be his attendants and ministers. They 
 were already well known to him, being two of the 
 five who had followed him from Bethabara to 
 Galilee. And now that he had arrived at the 
 important period of his ministry, when it was 
 necessary that he should be attended by persons 
 who might aid him, and be competent witnesses 
 to the world of his life and teaching, these two 
 were the first that he selected for that purpose. 
 They readily left their business to devote them 
 selves to him ; and their partners, James and 
 John, sons of Zebedee, did the same. 
 
 Thus provided with four permanent attendants, 
 our Lord prepared for the more vigorous promul 
 gation of his religion. He returned with them 
 to Capernaum, and taught in the synagogue on 
 the Sabbath. On that occasion, he for the first 
 time performed the miracle of casting out an un 
 clean spirit. This excited the strong amazement 
 of the people, and helped greatly to extend his 
 fame. On leaving the synagogue, he retired to 
 the house of Peter, whose wife s mother lay ill of 
 a fever, and he healed her by a word. The report 
 of these two miracles being spread through the 
 town, as soon as the day was ended, the people 
 thronged to the house, bringing with them the 
 sick of every disease ; and he laid his hands on 
 them and healed them. 
 
 Luke v. 1. 
 
HIS MINISTRY IN GALILEE. 89 
 
 In this remarkable manner did he signalize this 
 first Sabbath of his abode in Capernaum. It was 
 the beginning of that conspicuous manifestation 
 of himself by which the remainder of his life was 
 marked. It formed an important era in his min 
 istry. He seems to have regarded it as such. 
 And therefore, rising early in the morning, he 
 departed into a solitary place for the purpose of 
 prayer to God. This was his custom when about 
 to undertake an action of special importance ; and 
 he was now designing to follow up the work he 
 had begun in Capernaum by an immediate visit 
 to other places in Galilee. While thus engaged, 
 his disciples sought him out, and entreated him to 
 return to the town ; for, said they, " all men seek 
 thee " ; so strong was the sensation produced by the 
 deeds of the preceding day. He however declined 
 to return, saying, " Let us go into the next towns, 
 that I may preach there also ; for therefore came 
 I forth." Accordingly they proceeded on a cir 
 cuit through the country, going from town to 
 town, teaching in the synagogues, and working 
 miracles. His fame rapidly spread as he went, 
 and numbers constantly attended him. The 
 crowd appears to have increased daily ; and it was 
 made up, not only of inhabitants of the towns 
 through which he passed, but of persons who 
 came from great distances, some from Jerusalem, 
 and some from beyond the Jordan. 
 
90 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 It is easy to understand the motives which 
 brought them together. The appearance of a per 
 son so like the ancient prophets in his wisdom 
 and miraculous gifts would at any time have at 
 tracted attention. But now there was something 
 more ; there was the hope of finding their prom 
 ised deliverer. When they heard how Jesus 
 spoke as possessing authority from heaven, and 
 did the works of God, and proclaimed that the 
 kingdom of God was nigh at hand, they hoped 
 and believed that this was HE. As his miracles 
 were multiplied, their hopes increased ; and they 
 crowded about him, that they might be ready for 
 the disclosure of his designs, and seize at once the 
 advantages of his new reign. 
 
 Jesus well knew the mistaken feelings and ex 
 pectations with which their hearts were filled. 
 He desired to correct them by preaching to them 
 the real truths and objects of his mission, yet so 
 as not to excite a violent opposition. Ascending 
 therefore a mountain, he sat down for the purpose 
 of teaching, and his disciples gathered round him. 
 They hoped to hear him speak of his kingdom ; 
 they perhaps expected that he was about to as 
 sume to himself its dignities, and raise the stand 
 ard of deliverance. He did speak to them of his 
 kingdom ; but it was a spiritual, not a temporal 
 kingdom. He did proclaim deliverance ; not, 
 however, from the Roman yoke, as they were de- 
 
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 91 
 
 siring, but from superstition, false doctrine, and 
 sin. Who are they, said he, that shall inherit this 
 new kingdom of God ? The great men of the 
 land ? the prosperous, the proud, the aspiring, 
 those that are thirsty for revenge, those that are 
 girding on the armor for battle ? I tell you No ! 
 It is the poor in spirit, the humble, the merciful, 
 the meek, the peace-makers, the pure in heart ; 
 it is these for whom this kingdom is designed. 
 Such is the doctrine with which he opened his 
 discourse to the listening multitudes ; a doctrine 
 calculated to crush their hopes, to disappoint their 
 ambition, to mortify their favorite desires. It was 
 assuring them that they could not find in him 
 such a Messiah as the nation was looking for. It 
 was turning them away from all outward objects 
 of gratification, to find the sources of greatness 
 and happiness in their own souls. 
 
 This opening of our Lord s Sermon on the 
 Mount exhibits in its perfection the genius of his 
 religion. It embodies the whole practical spirit 
 of his Gospel. It discloses the real sources of 
 human happiness, the real elements of true virtue. 
 It was uttered with an especial view to the pecu 
 liar errors of those whom he addressed ; but it 
 equally attacks the most prevalent errors of all 
 periods. It unveils to all men of all times the 
 great Vit slighted truth, that it is the humble and 
 
 Matthew v. vi. vii. 
 
92 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 unassuming, rather than the aspiring and haughty, 
 who enjoy most really the happiness of this world, 
 while they insure that of the world to come. 
 
 All the false Messiahs that have ever appeared 
 flattered the prejudices and passions of the peo 
 ple, and exhibited the sort of character which 
 they expected and desired. This is what im 
 postors would naturally attempt to do. Only one 
 that truly came from God would have the wisdom 
 and courage to oppose himself to the favorite 
 opinions of the people, and to claim their alle 
 giance while he was contradicting their cherished 
 notions of what the Christ should be. It is only 
 because Jesus was truly from God, that he was 
 able to rise so wonderfully above all his nation, 
 to extend his views so widely beyond them, and, 
 without any aid from human power, to devise a 
 plan for the moral instruction and religious re 
 generation of the world, which none of those 
 around him were able fully to comprehend. 
 
 The whole discourse, from beginning to end, 
 bore a similar character. It was taken up with 
 correcting the erroneous interpretations of the 
 moral law which prevailed among the people, 
 and in setting forth a higher and purer standard 
 of principle and duty than the scribes and Phari 
 sees taught. Pie warned his hearers how insuf 
 ficient is all external form, that the seat of all 
 goodness is the heart, and that no true or accept- 
 
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 93 
 
 able virtue can exist except it originate there. 
 He corrected the errors of their present practice 
 respecting alms-giving, prayer, and fasting. He 
 taught them how to purify these acts from wrong 
 motives, and make them available by simplicity 
 and sincerity. He then taught them how worth 
 less is all worldly and temporal good in compari 
 son of the treasures of a future life ; and how 
 unavailing is all anxiety about the prosperity of 
 this world ; since there is a kind Providence over 
 all, which, as it forgets not the lily of the field or 
 the sparrow of the air, certainly will not forsake 
 man. He then teaches them the duty of candor 
 and mutual kindness ; directs them to cherish a 
 spirit of devout dependence on God, and en 
 courages them to it by the most cheerful promises 
 of his paternal love ; admonishes them of the 
 necessity of adhering to the strait and narrow 
 path of duty, and the danger of straying from it ; 
 and warns them against the artifices of false 
 teachers, who were likely to appear among them, 
 and lead them astray. He teaches them that 
 such deceivers should be known by their fruits, 
 like evil trees ; and concludes with depicting to 
 them, in the strongest terms, the security of those 
 who would adhere to the principles he had been 
 inculcating, and the ruin that must befall those 
 who should despise and neglect them. 
 
 When he had finished this discourse, St. Mat- 
 
94 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 thew tells us, that " the people were astonished at 
 his doctrine, for he taught them as one having 
 authority, and not as the scribes." Both the sub 
 stance and the manner of his teaching were new 
 to them. But what particularly struck them was 
 the air of AUTHORITY with which he uttered his 
 great truths, as if he had a right from heaven to 
 dictate and decide. And this circumstance, so 
 full of dignity and power, when considered in 
 connection with his humble origin and appear 
 ance, and the intrinsic beauty and excellence of 
 his doctrine, drew toward him their respect and 
 reverence, though his doctrine was so different 
 from what they had been hoping to hear. Yet it 
 is evident, from what afterwards took place, that 
 he had by no means succeeded in correcting their 
 erroneous notions respecting the nature of his 
 office and kingdom. 
 
 As he came down from the mountain, he was 
 met by a man diseased with leprosy, an odious 
 disease, unknown in our country, but common in 
 the East, and an object of great horror. It af 
 fects the skin with violent swellings and blotches, 
 and spreads till it corrupts the whole body, and 
 renders the patient an object of disgust to all who 
 behold him. The suffering it occasions is in 
 tense. It is also contagious ; and therefore the 
 law of Moses separated lepers from all intercourse 
 
 Matthew viii. 2. Mark i. 40. Luke v. 12. 
 
HE HEALS A LEPER. 95 
 
 with other men. Hence, in cases which were 
 incurable, and such were most cases of long stand 
 ing, the sufferings and privations of those affected 
 by it were most pitiable. Cut off from society, 
 shunned by all they met, they dragged out a mis 
 erable existence, without alleviation and without 
 hope. 
 
 It was one of these wretched beings who now 
 threw himself in our Lord s way. Confident that 
 he had power to restore him, he fell on his face, 
 and besought him, " Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst 
 make me clean." The strong faith which was 
 evinced in these words pleased our Lord, and he 
 immediately put forth his hand, and touched him, 
 saying, " I will ; be thou clean." And it was so. 
 He stood up a sound and healthy man. Jesus 
 then desired him not to stay and publish the news 
 of his cure, but to go immediately to the priest. 
 For the law respecting the treatment of the lepro 
 sy was very particular and rigid [Leviticus xiv.], 
 and required of every one who had been cleansed 
 that he should offer a certain sacrifice at the tem 
 ple. Jesus did not choose to interfere with the 
 execution of this law ; and therefore directed this 
 man to go without delay, and show himself to 
 the priest, and make the offering which Moses 
 commanded. 
 
 There is another thing to be observed of this 
 miracle. Jesus commanded the man not to noise 
 
96 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 it abroad. Now it probably had not been per 
 formed in the presence of the multitude ; for as a 
 leper was always avoided, no one would choose to 
 be present where he appeared ; and it is a proof 
 of the man s earnest faith, that he was able to 
 make his way to our Lord s presence, as well as 
 of our Lord s benevolence, that he would receive 
 and touch a person so odious to all. Being done 
 therefore in private, the cure was not known to 
 the multitude, and Jesus forbade it to be pub 
 lished, because he was already in some degree 
 incommoded by the crowds that followed him, 
 and it was very important that he should not 
 create such a degree of excitement as might give 
 occasion to his enemies to complain of him to the 
 government, and thus shorten the period of his 
 ministry. We read that on several occasions he 
 expressed this desire to conceal his miracles. He 
 wished to avoid all unnecessary occasion of offence, 
 and to complete, without premature interruption, 
 the work given him to do. 
 
 Having dismissed the leper, Jesus left the mul 
 titude, and retired to a desert place and prayed. 
 His object probably was, both to avoid the throngs 
 of people and give them an opportunity to dis 
 perse, and to gain for himself strength and enjoy 
 ment from the exercises of devotion. His example 
 teaches us true wisdom, to retire at times from 
 the excitement of the world, and seek light and 
 truth in communion with our hearts and with (Jod. 
 
RETURNS TO CAPERNAUM. 97 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TESUS RETURNS TO CAPERNAUM. PERFORMS VARIOUS 
 MIRACLES. CALLS MATTHEW. 
 
 How long our Lord had now been absent from 
 Capernaum we cannot tell, nor to what distance 
 he had extended his travels. The account given 
 by the Evangelists is very general, and such as 
 does not render it necessary to suppose the time 
 very long, nor the circuit very great. Caper 
 naum was still his head-quarters; and- having 
 escaped from the crowds, who, as Mark intimates, 
 had prevented his entering the city, he returned 
 thither to his home. 
 
 As soon as his arrival was known, a Roman 
 centurion, that is, captain of a company of a 
 hundred soldiers, sent to him a message, through 
 the Jewish elders of the city, entreating him to 
 visit and heal a favorite servant of his who was 
 ill of the palsy. The elders seconded the mes 
 sage by giving a high character of this Roman 
 officer, who had gained the good-will of the citi 
 zens by his acts of kindness, and especially by 
 
 Matthew viii. 6. Marki. 45. Luke vii. 1. 
 
 5 G 
 
98 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 his munificence in building them a synagogue. 
 Jesus accompanied them ; but it shows the mod 
 esty and faith of the centurion, that he sent other 
 messengers to meet our Lord and save him the 
 trouble of coming to his house ; for I know, said 
 he, that this great prophet, wherever he may be, 
 can as easily command diseases to go and come 
 as I can command my soldiers. Jesus was struck 
 by this union of humility and faith ; and, turning 
 to the people who followed, expressed his appro 
 bation by declaring, " I say unto you, I have not 
 found so great faith, no, not in Israel." The 
 messengers, on their return to the house, found 
 the servant well. 
 
 The next day he went to the city of Nain, 
 accompanied, as Luke says, by his disciples and 
 much people. The distance could not have been 
 far from twenty miles ; and as he seems to have 
 returned very shortly to Capernaum, it is not 
 improbable that he made this excursion for the 
 very purpose of working the miracle which he 
 did there. He may have had a particular friend 
 ship for the family of the young man who died, 
 as he had for that of Lazarus. However this 
 may have been, he reached Nain just as a funeral 
 procession came out of the gate. It was the 
 funeral of a young man, the only son of a widow, 
 and attended by a great company of people. It 
 
 Luke vii. 11. 
 
HE RAISES A WIDOW S SON. 99 
 
 was a scene to call forth our Lord s sympathy, 
 and he at once approached the weeping mother 
 with a word of consolation. " Weep not," said 
 he ; and laying his hand on the bier to arrest the 
 bearers, while the attending multitude stood won 
 dering at the strange interruption, he raised his 
 voice in a few words of authority and power, 
 " Young man, I say unto thee, arise ! " In the 
 sight of all the people the dead arose, and was 
 restored to the arms of his mother. This was 
 done in the presence of hundreds at the city gate, 
 who expressed their admiration by loudly glorify 
 ing God, and saying, " A great prophet hath risen 
 up among us, and God hath visited his people." 
 St. Luke remarks, that this event did much to 
 extend his celebrity throughout Judasa. It is the 
 first miracle of the kind recorded. Like the other 
 two instances which afterward occurred, it was 
 accompanied by circumstances of peculiar interest, 
 and such as render it a touching proof of the 
 benevolence of our Saviour s disposition. 
 
 After returning to Capernaum, he proposed 
 one evening, in order to escape the multitudes 
 which had collected, to sail over to the other side 
 of the lake. The breadth of this lake is about 
 six miles, and the length nearly eighteen. Much 
 of the scenery about it is beautiful and striking. 
 It is surrounded for the most part by high hills, 
 
 Matthew viii. 23. Mark iv. 35. Luke viii. 22. 
 
100 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 and in fact lies in a sort of basin formed by two 
 ranges of mountains, which enclose it, except at 
 the northern and southern extremities, where the 
 river Jordan enters and departs. It is, by this 
 means, protected in general from the winds, and 
 rendered for the most part a placid and tranquil 
 sheet of water. Yet it is subject to occasional 
 blasts coming suddenly from the hills, which blow 
 with the fury of a hurricane, and endanger all 
 that is floating on its waves. Such a tempest 
 arose on the night that our Saviour went -upon 
 the water. As Luke expresses it, there came 
 down a storm of wind from the mountains, and 
 they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 
 The affrighted disciples rushed to their master, 
 who was quietly asleep, crying, " Lord, save us ; 
 we are perishing! " " Why are you fearful?" said 
 he; "where is your faith?" He arose, and re 
 buked the wind and the waters, and there was a 
 calm. Much as they had known of his supernatu 
 ral power, this new exhibition of it occasioned new 
 amazement in the minds of his followers. It filled 
 them with fresh awe, and they expressed their 
 astonishment one to another. " What manner of 
 man is this, that even the winds and the seas obey 
 him!" 
 
 They landed on the opposite shore, in the conn 
 try of Gadara. Gadara was the capital of Persea, 
 
 Matthew viii. 28. Mark v. 1. Luke vii. 26. 
 

 THE DEMONIACS OF GADARA. 101 
 
 as the region on the other side of the Jordan was 
 called, and gave its name to the surrounding 
 country. It was a place of considerable impor 
 tance in its day, having been rebuilt by Pompey 
 the Great, and being one of the five cities in which 
 the Romans established courts of justice. In the 
 neighborhood was Gergesa, also a considerable 
 city, with an extensive surrounding region at 
 tached to it. The lands belonging to the one city 
 were in part included in those of the other, so 
 that they went indifferently by the name of either ; 
 which accounts for the circumstance, that Matthew 
 speaks of the Gergesenes, while Mark and Luke 
 speak of the Gadarenes. 
 
 On arriving on this coast, and proceeding to 
 ward the city, there came out from the tombs, 
 which in that part of the world are generally built 
 outside of the city walls, two demoniacs, or men 
 possessed with demons. These persons, like rav 
 ing and unmanageable madmen, lived among the 
 tombs. One of them was so fierce and danger 
 ous, that it had been found impossible to keep 
 him confined ; he broke away from the chains in 
 which he was bound, and raged wildly abroad, 
 being night and day in the mountains and among 
 the tombs, howling, and cutting himself with stones. 
 The description answers precisely to that of a 
 raving maniac ; and, indeed, many learned men 
 are of opinion that to be " possessed with a de- 
 
102 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 mon " is only another mode of expressing the loss 
 of reason, and other deplorable disorders. When 
 the ancients, the heathens as well as the Jews, 
 witnessed the wild conduct and speech of men 
 who were beside themselves, they attributed it 
 to some evil spirit, or demon, which had taken 
 possession of their bodies. When they met a 
 person crazed, or lunatic, or subject to epileptic 
 attacks, they accounted for the disorder by say 
 ing that a demon had possessed him. Just as 
 when the Jews at Jerusalem heard Jesus accuse 
 them of a purpose to put him to death, and use 
 language which they did not comprehend, they 
 said, " Thou hast a demon, and art mad." It is 
 probable that this is the truth in regard to the 
 demoniacs mentioned in the New Testament. 
 Many learned men, however, think otherwise, and 
 suppose that the persons spoken of were really 
 possessed by unclean spirits. This is not the 
 place to decide the question. Whichever opinion 
 we may adopt, the miracles which Jesus so often 
 wrought for their relief and cure were among the 
 most signal and beneficent of his ministry, and 
 seem to have been esteemed by the people of that 
 day as among the most decisive proofs of super 
 natural power. They are equally so, whether 
 we regard them as driving froin the body a foul 
 spirit which had usurped a lodging there, or re 
 storing to it the understanding which had depart- 
 
THE DEMONIACS OF GADARA. 103 
 
 ed. None but a power which came from God 
 could be equal to either. 
 
 The other of the two demoniacs who met Jesus 
 was probably of a milder character, and therefore 
 is overlooked in the account given by Mark and 
 Luke. Matthew mentions both. And all three 
 alike give the particulars of the miracle which our 
 Saviour wrought for their cure. It is one of the 
 most remarkable in its circumstances of any that 
 are recorded in the New Testament. The poor 
 maniac, who fancied himself possessed by a legion 
 of foul spirits, and sometimes spake in their name 
 and sometimes in his own, entreated Jesus to send 
 them out into a herd of swine that was feeding 
 hard by. It has been thought difficult to explain 
 why our Lord should give assent to so mad a re 
 quest ; for the consequence was, that the whole 
 herd rushed precipitately down the banks of the 
 lake and were destroyed. This fearful exhibition 
 of power struck awe into the beholders, and satis 
 fied both them and the patient himself, beyond 
 doubt, that he was thoroughly cured of his dis 
 ease, which was probably the object our Lord 
 had in view. The inhabitants of the country seem 
 to have been filled with consternation at the occur 
 rence. They crowded about him, entreating him 
 to leave their coasts, and. he accordingly departed. 
 The man whom he had restored to his right mind 
 begged to accompany him, in testimony of his 
 
104 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 gratitude and devotion. But Jesus would not 
 permit it. He enjoined on him to remain in his 
 own land, and publish there the goodness of God. 
 He accordingly did so ; and was the means of 
 spreading the knowledge of Jesus on that side 
 the Jordan. This circumstance proves that when 
 our Saviour forbade any one to publish his mir 
 acles, it was for some peculiar local or temporary 
 reasons. 
 
 Our Lord s return to Capernaum was welcomed 
 by the people, who were waiting for him, and who 
 immediately thronged about him as before. They 
 followed him to his house, and assembled there in 
 such numbers that there was no room to receive 
 them, no, not so much as about the door. Luke 
 observes, that at this time there were present 
 ^harisees and doctors of the law from all parts of 
 Galilee and Judaea, and even from Jerusalem. It 
 is not improbable, that they had arrived at Ca 
 pernaum, during his absence, and that this was 
 in part the occasion of the great pressure at this 
 time. They sat with him in the court, or central 
 square of the house, while the people stood crowd 
 ing around, and filled the adjoining apartments 
 as well as the passage-way from the street. The 
 Jewish houses were built in the form of a hollow 
 square ; the court in the middle was the usual 
 place of sitting and receiving company, and the 
 
 Matthew ix. 1. Mark ii. 1. Luke v. 17. 
 
HE HEALS A PARALYTIC. 105 
 
 various apartments for the use of the family 
 opened into it on every side. The square was 
 usually paved with stone or marble, on which 
 were laid mats or carpeting, and an awning 
 was stretched overhead, as a protection from the 
 weather. 
 
 While Jesus was thus sitting in the court, dis 
 coursing with the Pharisees, the doctors, and the 
 people, a company arrived at the street door 
 bringing a man sick of the palsy. But they 
 found it impossible to get near. Even the passage 
 way and the space about the street door were 
 thronged. They were not, however, discouraged ; 
 and as they could not gain admittance in the 
 usual way, they resolved to try another. They 
 carried the poor man up to the roof of the house. 
 This might have been done by means of the 
 stairs which are placed in the entrance from the 
 street, except that the crowd seems to have been 
 too great to allow of access to them. They there 
 fore probably entered a neighboring house, as 
 cended the stairway, and walked from house to 
 house along the roofs, which in the East are flat, 
 and generally communicate with one another. 
 Having thus reached the spot over the head of 
 our Lord, they took away a portion of the balus 
 trade, and the awning which covered the court, 
 and let down the bed of the invalid directly at the 
 Saviour s side. 
 
 5* 
 
106 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 He perceived at once the earnest faith which 
 had prompted such an extraordinary act, and in a 
 tone of kindness said, " Son, be of good cheer ; 
 thy sins be forgiven thee." It was a prevalent 
 opinion among the Jews that bodily disorders 
 were the consequences of sin. Perhaps Jesus 
 knew that such was the fact in the present in 
 stance, and intended to remind the sick man of 
 his faults, while he gave assurance of compassion. 
 His words were indeed equivalent to an assurance 
 that he should be healed. But it was a new mode 
 of expression. The people had not heard it from 
 him before ; and some of the scribes and Phari 
 sees who were present murmured at it. They 
 thought it blasphemous. Jesus, perceiving what 
 passed in their minds, answered them aloud. He 
 told them, that whether he pronounced the for 
 giveness of sin, or wrought a miracle, it was all 
 one ; both alike were demonstrations of his divine 
 mission, and the one as easy as the other; but, 
 that they might know that he had this authority to 
 forgive, he would remove the disease, and thus 
 prove that the sin was forgiven. He accordingly 
 commanded the sick man to rise and walk. He 
 immediately did so, to the discomfiture of these 
 cavillers, and to the great admiration and joy of 
 the people, who glorified God and were filled 
 with fear, saying, " We never saw it on this 
 fashion." 
 
HE HEALS A PARALYTIC. 107 
 
 When we thus repeatedly read of the excla 
 mations of astonishment uttered by those who 
 witnessed our Lord s wonderful works, we must 
 remember that they are not the same company of 
 persons in all cases. Every miracle was doubt 
 less performed in the presence of many who had 
 not witnessed one before. Jesus had now been 
 for some time resident at Capernaum ; the inhab 
 itants were familiar with him, and it is not they 
 who would thus throng his house and be amazed 
 at his works. They were undoubtedly strangers, 
 who had come from other places to see with their 
 own eyes the wonders of which they had heard. 
 It is such that were impatiently waiting for him 
 on his return from Gadara, and formed the com 
 pany that crowded his dwelling ; as we have al 
 ready remarked concerning the Pharisees and 
 doctors from Jerusalem. It is probable, also, 
 that the paralytic was brought from some other 
 place. All the circumstances indicate that he 
 and his friends were strangers at Capernaum. 
 Their impatience and eagerness are not like those 
 of persons dwelling in the same town, who could 
 have access to Jesus every day ; but rather of 
 persons who have just arrived from a distance, and 
 cannot rest until their errand is accomplished. 
 This being so, we understand fully the feelings 
 with which the witnesses exclaimed, " We never 
 saw it on this fashion ! " If they had been citi- 
 
108 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 zens of Capernaum, it would not have been 
 true. 
 
 Shortly after this, Jesus went forth again to the 
 side of the lake, and addressed the people there ; 
 as he did in several instances. At this time, in 
 passing by the receipt of customs (the booth or 
 office at which the taxes were collected, probably 
 from the vessels which traded at Capernaum), he 
 saw Levi, the publican, who was also named 
 Matthew, sitting there upon duty, and called 
 upon him to follow him. Matthew accordingly 
 did so. As he resided in the same town, he was 
 undoubtedly already well known to our Lord ; it 
 is not probable that Jesus would in this way sum 
 mon any one whom he had not previously known. 
 So it had been in the instances of Andrew and 
 Peter. The Evangelist does not state that Jesus 
 had met them before he saw them at the lake ; 
 yet we learn from John s Gospel, that he had pre 
 viously known them in Judaea. So also he had 
 undoubtedly been acquainted with Matthew, and 
 at this moment only intimated to him that the 
 time was come when he must be devoted exclu 
 sively to his service. Matthew accordingly aban 
 doned his office. On occasion of doing so, he 
 made a great feast at his own house, which shows 
 him to have been a man of some considera 
 tion and property, to which he invited Jesus, 
 
 Matthew ix. 9. Mark ii. 13. Luke v. 27. 
 
A DINNER AT MATTHEW S HOUSE. 109 
 
 and many of his brother publicans, and other 
 guests. 
 
 The publicans were officers employed by the 
 Romans for the purpose of collecting the revenues 
 and taxes. They were more odious than tax-gath 
 erers ordinarily are, because they were mostly 
 underlings in office, and the oppressive extortions 
 of underlings are proverbial. There was another 
 reason for the dislike borne them by the Jews, 
 namely, that they were, for the most part, their 
 own countrymen, who were thought to be aiding 
 foreigners in the oppression of their native land. 
 Some upright and honorable men there undoubt 
 edly were among them. Such was Zacchasus, of 
 whom we shall read by and by ; and such was 
 Matthew ; and we are informed that there was a 
 greater readiness among men of this class to re 
 ceive the teachings of Jesus than among the 
 higher and more favored classes. Matthew prob 
 ably invited them to meet Jesus at his table, in 
 order that they might have an opportunity to con 
 verse with him, and thus perhaps be brought, like 
 himself, to acknowledge him. It was evidently in 
 the hope that he might benefit them, that Jesus 
 accepted the invitation, as appears by the answer 
 which he made to the Pharisees. These trouble 
 some spies, who seem at this time to have come 
 up from Jerusalem on purpose to watch him, 
 complained of him for eating with publicans and 
 
110 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR, 
 
 sinners. They intended thus to excite the preju 
 dices of the people. Jesus answered them, that 
 he associated with them in order to do them good. 
 The more they were sinners, the more they needed 
 to be called to repentance. The righteous had no 
 need of him ; it was these very sinners that re 
 quired him. " They that are whole need not a 
 physician, but they that are sick." 
 
 When he had justified himself on this point, he 
 was immediately assailed on another. In that 
 age, as in all others, but perhaps in that more 
 than in others, great stress was laid on the exter 
 nal forms of religion, on observances and ceremo 
 nies. The Pharisees, who were a leading sect, 
 distinguished themselves by their strictness in 
 these particulars. They were strict in their fasts 
 and solemn in their demeanor, and contrived to 
 impress on the people an idea of their superior 
 sanctity. John the Baptist, also, had practised, 
 and had taught his disciples to practise, severe 
 mortification of body. Jesus encouraged in his 
 followers none of this external austerity. He 
 taught them that religion is an inward affection 
 and a principle of holy living; he required of them 
 to regulate their hearts and their lives, but im 
 posed on them no mere forms. This afforded an 
 obvious objection to his doctrine ; and some of 
 John s followers took the present occasion to ask 
 him how it happened, that, while they observed 
 
HE EAISES THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS. Ill 
 
 frequent occasions of fasting and solemn prayer, 
 he and his disciples observed none. Jesus an 
 swered them, that he regarded fasting as an ex 
 pression of sadness and mourning ; that it would 
 be an unbecoming thing in his disciples, who had 
 no reason to mourn so long as he, their Master, 
 was with them ; it would be time enough for them 
 to fast when he should be withdrawn from them. 
 Besides, it would be as incongruous to annex such 
 a mere form to a religious system like his, as it 
 would be to put new wine into old leathern bottles, 
 or to piece an old garment with new cloth. An 
 tiquated forms in a new religion would be only 
 injurious. The bottle must be adapted to the 
 wine, and the form to the system, or they cannot 
 endure. 
 
 While thus engaged, one of the rulers of the 
 synagogue, named Jairus, came to him, and, fall 
 ing down at his feet, entreated him to come and 
 save his dying daughter. The confidence which 
 was felt in his power is very strongly evinced by 
 the manner in which this respectable man ad 
 dressed him : " Come, and lay thy hand on her, 
 and she shall live." Jesus immediately arose, 
 and proceeded toward the house, followed by a 
 multitude of the people. 
 
 As he passed through the streets, another ex 
 ample occurred of the extraordinary confidence 
 of the people in his divine power. A poor woman, 
 
112 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 who for twelve years had been grievously diseased, 
 and had tried every remedy in vain, said to her 
 self, " If I can but touch his garment, I shall 
 be whole." She did so, and was healed ; and 
 Jesus commended her faith in presence of the 
 multitude. 
 
 On arriving at the house of Jairus, he was met 
 by all the demonstrations of mourning which cus 
 tomarily attended a Jewish death. He found a 
 crowd of people lamenting, and the hired minstrels 
 bewailing, and altogether what Mark calls a " tu 
 mult." He immediately put them all out, and 
 suffered none others to enter with him the dwell 
 ing of affliction and death but Peter, James, and 
 John, who on this, as on certain other occasions, 
 were selected as the witnesses of his more private 
 hours. With them and the parents of the de 
 ceased child, he proceeded to the room where she 
 lay, spoke the word, and she returned to life. 
 
 This is the second miracle of raising the dead 
 recorded by the Evangelists. It is remarkable 
 that, out of the multitudes thus restored, only three 
 instances are specified in the history ; and it is 
 pleasing to find in each of them a circumstance 
 of peculiarly tender interest, which may help to 
 explain the reason of their selection. By the first, 
 an only son was restored to the arms of a widowed 
 mother ; by the second, an only daughter was 
 
 Matthew ix. 18. Mark v. 22. Luke viii. 41. 
 
REMARKS. 113 
 
 given back to her disconsolate parents ; and by 
 the third, a brother, an only brother there is rea 
 son to believe, was restored to his fond and con 
 fiding sisters. It is delightful thus to see our 
 affectionate Lord carry his divine power into the 
 circles of private and domestic life, and in a man 
 ner consecrate the pure relationship of home. A 
 prophet might have displayed his power in a thou 
 sand ways even more striking than these ; but 
 what sympathy and kind-heartedness must have 
 belonged to him who chose occasions on which 
 he could most signally bless the children while he 
 glorified the Father ! 
 
 On the same day, Jesus gave sight to two blind 
 men, who came to him in the street as he returned 
 from the house of Jairus, and restored speech 
 to a dumb man who was thought to be possessed 
 of a demon. The Pharisees, meantime, still hung 
 around his path. They would probably have in 
 terfered at the raising of the young girl, if they 
 had been admitted to the house. They now cav 
 illed again, and suggested for the first time an 
 explanation of the miracles they witnessed, of 
 which they afterwards made great use. " He 
 casteth out demons," they said, " through the 
 prince of the demons." 
 
 It is apparent that the events of this day are 
 recorded with unusual minuteness. There is no 
 good reason, however, for supposing it any other 
 
 H 
 
114 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 than a fair example of the manner in which the 
 days of Jesus were usually spent. It is possible 
 that the great dinner given by Matthew on re 
 signing his office as publican may have caused 
 the several events connected with it to leave a 
 more distinct impression, and to be therefore more 
 particularly recorded. But what an idea does it 
 give of the activity and benevolence of our Lord s 
 ministry, to remember that such a day, thus 
 crowded with acts of kindness and wisdom, was 
 not remarkable above other days for the works it 
 contained ! 
 
THE OPPOSITION OF THE PHARISEES. 115 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE OPPOSITION OP THE PHARISEES TO JESUS. HIS 
 TREATMENT OF THEM. 
 
 IN the last chapter we had occasion to notice 
 the circumstance that many Pharisees and doc 
 tors of the law had visited Capernaum for the 
 purpose of conversing with and watching Jesus. 
 The instances there given of the vexatious spy 
 ing and cavilling by which they endeavored to 
 perplex and thwart him are but specimens of 
 what was frequently occurring. It may help us 
 to understand the opposition with which our Sav 
 iour had to contend, and exalt our idea of the 
 magnanimity and meekness with which he en 
 dured it, to collect under one view the various in 
 cidents of this nature which are recorded by the 
 Evangelists. To many of them no definite 
 mark is affixed by which we may ascertain when 
 or where they occurred. They are principally 
 related by Luke, whose Gospel, through a large 
 part of it, is a collection of discourses and inci 
 dents, thrown together without any pretence of 
 
116 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 chronological arrangement.* The present is a 
 fitting place for noticing several of these portions 
 of history. 
 
 From the time that the Pharisees first took 
 offence at our Lord s teaching and baptizing in 
 Judsea, they pursued him with unremitting hostil 
 ity. It was probably owing to their influence at 
 Jerusalem that he was prevented from exercising 
 his ministry in that city. Even at the festivals, 
 his visits had been interrupted and cut short by 
 opposition and open assault. They pursued him 
 into the country. Wherever he was, there were 
 scribes and Pharisees ; wherever he went, they 
 followed him. And we are reconciled to the petty 
 persecution and unprincipled calumny with which 
 they harassed him, only by observing that they 
 thus furnished opportunities for some of his most 
 delightful instructions, and served to display in 
 constantly new forms the wisdom and loveliness 
 of his character. 
 
 In several instances he was invited to dine at 
 the houses of these arrogant but distinguished 
 men. It is reasonable to suppose that this was 
 sometimes done from motives of real respect ; but 
 sometimes, also, from very different motives. It 
 seems rarely to have happened that some one pres- 
 
 * Chapters xi. - xviii. The " order " spoken of in Ch. i. 3, is 
 not the order of time. 
 
 Luke vii. 36. 
 
THE OPPOSITION OF THE PHARISEES. 117 
 
 ent at such seasons did not take the occasion to 
 cavil or insult ; and the issue always was to bring 
 forth a new illustration of his doctrines and char 
 acter. 
 
 One of the most affecting incidents of his life 
 occurred on one of these occasions. As he was 
 dining with a Pharisee, a woman of the city, 
 whose name is not given, and of whom nothing is 
 told except that she was a sinner, entered the 
 apartment where they sat, for the purpose of doing 
 him an act of honor. She brought with her an 
 alabaster box of precious ointment, such, proba 
 bly, as it was customary to use for the purpose of 
 anointing the head on occasions of special cere 
 mony. She went behind the guests, who, instead 
 of sitting at the table as we do, were reclined at 
 full length on couches, leaning on their left arms. 
 She thus approached the extended feet of Jesus, 
 intending to pour upon them this costly perfume. 
 So profusely did she weep from the fulness of her 
 feelings, that Luke expresses it by saying, " she 
 bathed his feet with her tears." She wiped them 
 with the hair of her head, kissed them, and poured 
 on them the fragrant preparation. 
 
 The Pharisee was scandalized at the scene, 
 and said within himself, " If this man were a 
 prophet, he would have known that this woman is 
 a sinner." It was not in the heart of the Pharisees 
 to have sympathy or forbearance for those whom 
 
118 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 they regarded as sinners. They esteemed them 
 selves to be righteous, and despised others. But 
 Jesus was full of compassion for them, espe 
 cially in their penitence ; and he never appears 
 more amiable and heavenly than in the reply 
 which he made at this time to the thought of tin 
 Pharisee. He gently, but pungently, reproved tin 
 spirit which actuated him, and vindicated the claim 
 of the sinful to compassionate regard. "Her 
 sins, which are many, are forgiven," said he, 
 " for she hath loved much." And then turning 
 to the weeping woman, he said, " Thy sins an) 
 forgiven." Some of the company began to mur 
 mur at this ; but, without taking notice of it, ho 
 added, " Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace." 
 We remark here, by the way, that this differ 
 ence between the manner in which Jesus, and 
 that in which the Jewish leaders, felt toward sin 
 ners and treated them, illustrates one of the char 
 acteristic distinctions of his life. Without any 
 greater lenity toward crime, and with unspeak 
 ably higher notions of moral purity, he united a 
 sympathy for the unhappy delinquents, and a com 
 passionate tenderness towards them, altogether 
 foreign from the supercilious hardness of the self- 
 righteous Pharisees. He was touched with a 
 feeling of their infirmities, and never shunned them 
 when he could be in the way of doing them good. 
 Yet this beautiful circumstance was perverted 
 
THE OPPOSITION OF THE PHARISEES. 119 
 
 into a ground of accusation against him. " He 
 eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners," 
 it was said ; "he receiveth sinners, and eateth 
 with them " ; "he is a friend of publicans and 
 sinners." To these accusations, which were in 
 tended to cast obloquy on him in the minds of the 
 people, he replied, that his very object was to 
 seek and save that which was lost ; to call, not the 
 righteous, but sinners to repentance. And on one 
 occasion he enlarged on this thought, and went 
 on, in several parables of most affecting beauty, 
 to picture forth the unchanging and impartial love 
 of the God who had sent him, and the inexhaust 
 ible fulness of his mercy. One of these was the 
 parable of the Prodigal Son, so familiarly known, 
 so universally admired, so full of delightful con 
 solation and encouragement to the humble and 
 fearful penitent. Nothing could be more opposed 
 to the principles of the proud Pharisee, and noth 
 ing more characteristic of the spirit of Christ and 
 his Gospel. 
 
 On another occasion a Pharisee, with whom 
 he was dining, expressed surprise that he had not 
 washed before sitting down, a negligence which 
 he, with his scrupulous observance of forms and 
 ablutions, accounted as nothing less than a sin. 
 This led Jesus to remark on the folly of laying so 
 much stress on outward appearances and merely 
 
 Luke xi. 37, xv. 
 
120 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 mechanical observances, to the neglect of inward 
 purity and important duties. And when a law 
 yer in the company interrupted him, he extended 
 his reproof to that class of men also. This brought 
 upon him a general attack from the scribes and 
 Pharisees present, who urged him vehemently, 
 and incited him to speak on many subjects ; lying 
 in wait for him, says Luke, and hoping that he 
 would let something fall which might be matter 
 of accusation against him. It excites our admi 
 ration of his wisdom, that he was always able to 
 avoid the snares which they thus laid for him. 
 
 On a certain Sabbath he dined with one of the 
 chief Pharisees, when the very purpose seemed to 
 be to watch him. This he perceived, but would 
 not let it stand in the way of his benevolence. 
 There was in the company a dropsical person, 
 whom he desired to restore to health. And as he 
 had had experience of the malicious construction 
 which these men put on his Sabbath-day charities, 
 he turned to them, and asked, " Is it lawful to 
 heal on the Sabbath day ? " They did not choose 
 to answer the question, but it prevented their op 
 position at the time. It was on this same occa 
 sion, that, unappalled by the presence of a com 
 pany assembled around him as spies, lie remarked 
 freely on the ambitious spirit displayed by many 
 among them, and gave one of his most striking 
 
 Luke xiv. 1. 
 
THE OPPOSITION OF THE PHARISEES. 121 
 
 lessons on humility. He then turned to the mas 
 ter of the house, and with the greatest freedom 
 and plainness instructed him concerning real char 
 ity and the duty of disinterested kindness ; advis 
 ing him to spread his table, not for his equals and 
 superiors who could honor him in return, but for 
 the friendless and suffering. This would be true 
 happiness ; for though they could not reward their 
 benefactor, he should be recompensed at the res 
 urrection of the just. So impossible was it for 
 Jesus to regard man as any other than an immor 
 tal being! One of the company, affected by his 
 holy words, remarked, in a tone different from that 
 in which the feast began, " Happy are they that 
 shall eat bread in the kingdom of God ! " Upon 
 this hint, our Lord proceeded to recite that para 
 ble, so full of direct and solemn admonition, which 
 describes those who would not come to the offered 
 supper, and whose places were therefore filled 
 by persons whom they despised. The tone and 
 purpose of the parable are such as to indicate 
 that this scene took place toward the close of his 
 ministry. 
 
 The Sabbath was one of those subjects to which 
 these rigid formalists often recurred in their ac 
 cusations of Jesus. The liberty which he allowed 
 to himself and his followers on that day seemed 
 to them profane. He was obliged to defend him- 
 
 Matthew xii. 1. Mark ii. 23. Luke vi. 1. 
 
122 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 self and his disciples for plucking and eating a 
 few ears of corn as they passed through the fields. 
 On this occasion it was that he stated his doc 
 trine on the subject in these emphatic words : 
 "The Sahbath was made for man, and not man 
 for the Sabbath ; therefore the Son of man is Lord 
 also of the Sabbath." 
 
 But what is yet more remarkable, and shows 
 strikingly both their superstition and their enmi 
 ty, he was obliged to defend even his miracles 
 against this charge of Sabbath-breaking. It was 
 his healing a man on the Sabbath which formed 
 the pretence for the first violent assault on him in 
 Jerusalem. The same circumstance was alleged 
 against him when he healed the man born blind, 
 at the feast of Pentecost. So far was this irra 
 tional opposition carried, that when he had done 
 an act of benevolence in the synagogue on that 
 day, the ruler of the synagogue cried out to the 
 people, with great displeasure : " There are six 
 days in which men ought to work ; in these, 
 therefore, come and be healed, and not on the 
 Sabbath day." " Thou hypocrite," said Jesus ; 
 " doth not each of you on the Sabbath loose his 
 ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away 
 to water? And ought not this woman, being a 
 daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, 
 
 Jchn v. 9, ix. Luke xiii. 10. Matthew xii. 9. 
 Mark iii. 1 . Luke vi. 6. 
 
THE OPPOSITION OF THE PHARISEES. 123 
 
 lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond 
 on the Sabbath day?" At this reply, all his ad 
 versaries were ashamed, says Luke; as well they 
 might be. On another occasion, when he knew 
 that the Pharisees were watching him, he put 
 the same question before doing the miracle ; and 
 when they made him no reply, it is not strange that 
 "he looked round on them with indignation, being 
 grieved at the hardness of their hearts." What 
 more likely to give indignant grief to a pure and 
 benevolent mind, than to perceive the best actions 
 misconstrued and perverted by bitter and malig 
 nant prejudice? Instead of allowing themselves 
 to be convinced, the Pharisees thought only of 
 revenge ; and went out and held a council against 
 him. 
 
 It was through such opposition as this, gratui 
 tous and unprincipled, that our Lord was com 
 pelled to pursue his trying way. Perhaps it was 
 never more disheartening than when these men 
 attributed his miracles to Beelzebub, the prince 
 of the demons. That he wrought the miracles, 
 they could not deny ; but, instead of allowing in 
 them the hand of God, they chose to explain them 
 away by attributing them to demoniacal power. 
 This argued an obstinacy in unbelief, a deter 
 mined hardness of heart, which must render them 
 incapable of being convinced. It was the highest 
 
 Matthew xii. 22. Mark iii. 19. Luke xi. 14. 
 
124 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 degree of wilful blindness and depravity. There 
 fore, after showing how absurd it was to suppose 
 that the evil spirits would furnish him with power 
 to destroy themselves, he went on to show the 
 hopelessness of that mind which could make such 
 a suggestion. If they had spoken against him 
 self, he said, it would have been pardonable ; but 
 to ascribe his miraculous works to evil spirits, and 
 thus despise the Divine agency which was manifest 
 in them, was an offence which could not be for 
 given. 
 
 It aggravated the sin, and rendered it a greater 
 grief to the feeling mind of Jesus, that these men 
 were at the same time calling upon him to show 
 them some sign. " Master, we would see a sign 
 from thee." As if all his wonderful works had 
 not been sign enough ; as if they were willing to 
 believe, provided he would only give them suffi 
 cient evidence. To such calls for evidence, made 
 in such a spirit, he had but one reply. It was 
 such a reply as their pcrvcrsencss and hypocrisy 
 deserved. He referred them, darkly, under the 
 image of Jonah in the fish, to his future burial 
 and resurrection ; and proceeded to upbraid in 
 severe terms their incredulity and impenitence. 
 
 When we thus observe the manner and spirit 
 in which these men set themselves in opposition 
 to our Lord, we are not surprised that he often 
 spoke of them with severity, and took pains to 
 
THE OPPOSITION OF THE PHARISEES. 125 
 
 unmask them to the people. He did this even at 
 their own tables. He rebuked them and expostu 
 lated with them to their faces. He exposed them 
 in their true character to the people. He direct 
 ed against them many of his most solemn para 
 bles. And in expressing his abhorrence of their 
 hollow-heartedness, pride, and oppression, all in 
 dulged under the sanctimonious appearance of 
 religion, he used words of indignation which on 
 no other occasion escaped his gentle lips. 
 
126 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 SECOND TOUR THROUGH GALILEE. THE TWELVE 
 
 APOSTLES APPOINTED. JOHN S MESSAGE TO JESUS. 
 
 JESUS GOES UP TO THE FEAST OF DEDICATION 
 AT JERUSALEM. 
 
 WE return to the regular train of the narrative. 
 Jesus had passed but few days in Capernaum and 
 its vicinity, when he left it for the purpose of mak 
 ing another circuit among the towns and villages 
 of Galilee. This was probably in a different di 
 rection from the former, and he was differently 
 accompanied. With the increased attention which 
 had been drawn to his ministry, the number of 
 his devoted friends and permanent attendants had 
 been constantly augmenting ; and when he now 
 started forth on an excursion through the country, 
 we find him not only accompanied, as before, by 
 a promiscuous crowd, but by persons of rank and 
 name. Among these were several female friends, 
 who, it is said, " ministered to him of their sub 
 stance," and through whose kind attentions and 
 charities he and his disciples were enabled to 
 
 Matthew ix. 35. Luke viii. 1. 
 
THE TWELVE APOSTLES. 127 
 
 devote themselves to their work without anxiety. 
 On the part of these ladies, this seems to have 
 been the offering of gratitude for the exercise of 
 his miraculous power in their behalf. They had 
 been " healed by him of evil spirits and infirmi 
 ties." To Mary Magdalene he had been a pecu 
 liar benefactor. Joanna was the wife of Herod s 
 steward ; probably, therefore, a person of some 
 consequence. Of Susanna and the others noth 
 ing special is known. But the names of these 
 faithful friends, who sought to promote the com 
 fort of their benefactor during his laborious life, 
 who forsook him not when in shame and suffering, 
 and who affectionately watched at his tomb, 
 deserve to be recorded to their everlasting honor. 
 They could not go abroad and preach his Gospel, 
 like Peter and James ; but they did what they 
 could, while he lived and when he died, with 
 tender and persevering fidelity. They gave him 
 their time, their property, their affections, and 
 their tears ; and they have put to shame the cold 
 ness of many among his modern followers, who 
 know more of his real glory than they did, and 
 yet are backward to sacrifice anything in his 
 cause. 
 
 It was about this time, either just before com 
 mencing this new journey, or soon after its com 
 mencement, that he selected from among his dis- 
 
 Matthew x. 1. Mark iii. 13. Luke vi 12. 
 
128 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 ciples the twelve apostles. This was a great and 
 important step. He needed assistants in his min 
 istry, for he was unable to go everywhere himself, 
 and yet it was important that many places should 
 be visited. He knew, too, that he should continue 
 to labor but a short time, and that it was neces 
 sary to make provision for carrying on and com 
 pleting his work after he should be taken away. 
 Having this object in view, Luke tells us that he 
 retired to a mountain to pray, and continued all 
 night in prayer to God. When it was morning, 
 he called together the disciples, and from among 
 them chose twelve, undoubtedly men who had 
 been acquainted with him, and whom he thorough 
 ly knew. Four of them Andrew, Peter, John, 
 and Philip had been attached to him from the 
 very beginning of his ministry, and the first James 
 from an early period. Matthew was, like himself, 
 a citizen of Capernaum. The other six are not 
 named in the Gospels until now. Two of them, 
 Thomas the incredulous and Judas the traitor, 
 became conspicuous in the history of their Mas 
 ter s life. James, the son of Alpheus, and Thad- 
 deus, or Judas, his brother, were afterwards dis 
 tinguished as writers of Epistles. The other two 
 are less known. Their names were Bartholomew 
 and Simon. 
 
 These are the men who devoted their lives to 
 Christ, and through whom his religion was pro- 
 
THE TWELVE APOSTLES. 129 
 
 served and spread. Doubtless they felt them 
 selves honored by the distinction conferred upon 
 them ; but they little understood its true nature. 
 It is evident that at this time, and long after, in 
 stead of comprehending that Jesus was only a 
 religious teacher, establishing a religious empire, 
 they thought him preparing the way for a secular 
 kingdom. It was nothing strange, in their view, 
 that he should devote himself to religious teach 
 ing ; for the whole history of their people was 
 religious. David had been at once a prophet and 
 a warrior. There was no distinction in their minds 
 between the church and the commonwealth ; and 
 the Messiah, who was to renew the one, would 
 necessarily plead for the other. It did not help, 
 therefore, to undeceive the people or the disciples, 
 that Jesus was occupied as a religious teacher. 
 They perhaps thought it the most politic course to 
 be pursued, until he should have collected adher 
 ents in sufficient numbers to maintain his ground 
 steadfastly. When we read the instructions given 
 to the Twelve as they went forth, we can hardly 
 realize that they should not have perceived their 
 error. Yet their subsequent history abundantly 
 proves that they did not. It happened with them 
 as has often happened with others, their state 
 of mind colored what they heard, and enabled 
 them to put upon it such an interpretation as they 
 liked. And it is no more strange that they found 
 6* i 
 
130 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 their own notions favored by their Lord s teach 
 ings, than that Christians of every variety of 
 faith have found their own peculiar views written 
 in the Scriptures. 
 
 In giving them their commission, our Lord, 
 first of all, endowed them with the power of 
 working miracles, that it might be known at once, 
 wherever they went, that they were sent out by 
 him, and that the kingdom of God was at hand. 
 Their mighty works were to be their credentials. 
 He commanded them to limit their visit to their 
 own countrymen, to carry nothing with them on 
 their journey, to use conciliating manners to all, 
 yet to be prepared for opposition, persecution, and 
 even death. The closing passages of his charge 
 were impressive and awful in the highest degree, 
 and must have made those humble men feel that 
 they were accepting a mission of the most fearful 
 responsibility, for which their lives a^id habits 
 had ill prepared them, and which they could hope 
 to sustain only by a reliance on the Divine power 
 which Jesus promised for their aid. What must 
 have been the emotions of that moment, when 
 they found themselves removed from their obscure 
 occupations and mechanical employments, to take 
 up the sacred office of prophet, to go out as mes 
 sengers of the glorious Messiah, and, amid oblo 
 quy and peril, summon the nation to its alle 
 giance ! Clothed with the power of miracles, 
 
THE SECOND TOUK THROUGH GALILEE. 131 
 
 commanded to do good and to proclaim repent 
 ance and the coming of the Messiah, they departed 
 to begin their work, a work whose true object 
 they knew not, which is still going on, and 
 which is to cease only when all men in all lands 
 have received the tidings which they spread. 
 
 To the mind of Jesus only was the full gran 
 deur of this undertaking known. He alone knew 
 that he was commencing an enterprise never be 
 fore imagined by man, the regeneration and sal 
 vation of the human race. It was the conscious 
 ness of this, and his knowledge of the resolu 
 tion, faith, and self-sacrifice requisite for the task, 
 which imparted such solemn earnestness to the 
 warnings and appeals with which he introduced 
 the Twelve to their share of the work; and which, 
 we may believe, had led him to consecrate the 
 previous night to solitary prayer on the mountain. 
 
 This important step having been taken, Jesus 
 proceeded on his second tour through Galilee. 
 In what direction he went, through what places 
 he passed, how long he was thus occupied, and 
 what were the works he did, are matters which 
 have not been recorded by the Evangelists. 
 
 It seems to have been during this tour that he 
 received a message from John the Baptist. John 
 had been now for some time in prison ; and, hear 
 ing there a report of the wonderful things done 
 
 Matthew xi. 2. Luke vii. 18. 
 
132 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 by Jesus, seems to have thought it strange that 
 he, the Messiah, should not do something for his 
 deliverance. He not improbably expected that 
 he would come and rescue him. Perhaps, too, 
 he wondered that he continued peaceably to 
 preach, without assuming the state and power of 
 his office. As he brooded over these thoughts in 
 the confinement of his dungeon, he might even 
 come to doubt whether after all this was the real 
 Messiah. At any rate, he wished to convey to 
 him a rebuke for leaving his forerunner to suffer, 
 when he could so easily deliver him. He there 
 fore sent to him two of his disciples to put the 
 question to him plainly, " Art thou he that 
 should come, or do we look for another ? " 
 
 The two disciples came, and delivered their 
 message. It happened that at that time Jesus 
 was occupied with the people who attended him, 
 and he went on doing his mighty works without 
 replying to what had been said. When he had 
 finished, he turned to the messengers, and bade 
 them go back and tell John what they had seen 
 him do ; this would be a sufficient answer to 
 his inquiry ; and he added, with something of 
 reproof, that it would be happy for him if he did 
 not allow his own personal feelings of disappoint 
 ment to create doubt in his mind concerning him. 
 
 But though he thought it necessary to send 
 to John a message somewhat severe, no sooner 
 
THE FEAST OF DEDICATION. 133 
 
 had the disciples departed, than he turned to the 
 people, and in earnest language pronounced a 
 eulogy upon him ; praising his firmness and self- 
 denial, and declaring him the greatest of the 
 prophets. From this, he passed to censure the 
 inconsistency of the people, who rejected John for 
 his austerity, and yet condemned himself for his 
 indulgence. He then uttered his severe and thrill 
 ing denunciation against Chorazin, Bethsaida, 
 and Capernaum, because, having witnessed so 
 much of his miracles and his ministry, they yet 
 had not repented and reformed. But his compas 
 sionate mind could not pause here. He burst 
 forth in loud praise to God for the gracious wis 
 dom with which he had revealed himself, not to 
 the wise of this world, but to the simple ; and he 
 ended with that affectionate invitation to receive 
 him and his doctrine, which it is impossible in 
 certain states of mind to read without tears. 
 " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy 
 laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke 
 upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and 
 lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your 
 souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is 
 light." 
 
 In these labors and excursions, the autumn was 
 now far advanced, and the feast of Dedication 
 was approaching. This was not an appointed 
 festival of the law, and therefore it was not bind- 
 
134 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 ing on the people to attend it. Our Lord, how 
 ever, proposed to be present at its celebration ; 
 and therefore, instead of returning home to Ca 
 pernaum, he took the road to Jerusalem. At this 
 time it probably was that he went through Sama 
 ria, and fell in with the ten lepers near a certain 
 town, who besought him to heal them, and only 
 one of whom, a Samaritan, returned to express 
 his gratitude. The exclamation which Jesus 
 made on the occasion is eminently characteristic 
 and touching. " Were there not ten cleansed ? " 
 said he ; " but where are the nine ? There are 
 none returned to give glory to God, save this 
 stranger." The nine Jews made no acknowl 
 edgment for the blessing. 
 
 Now also it probably was, that, when arrived at 
 Bethany, within about two miles of Jerusalem, he 
 visited the family of Martha and Mary. Martha, 
 little understanding his true character, made great 
 exertions to provide an entertainment for the dis 
 tinguished guest ; and when she found Mary 
 wholly taken up with listening to his conversation, 
 she went so far as even to complain to him, that 
 she was left to attend to the family concerns alone, 
 and begged him to direct her sister to help her. 
 Our Lord replied in those memorable words, so 
 often quoted since, " Martha, Martha, thou art 
 careful and troubled about many things; but one 
 
 Luke xvii. 11. Luke x. 38. 
 
THE FEAST OF DEDICATION. 135 
 
 thing is needful ; and Mary hath chosen that good 
 part which shall not be taken away from her." It 
 was attention to his instructions, not to himself, 
 which he desired. 
 
 From Bethany he proceeded to Jerusalem, and 
 arrived there in the midst of the feast of the 
 Dedication. This festival occurred in the begin 
 ning of winter. It was instituted by Judas Mac- 
 cabaeus in commemoration of the cleansing of the 
 temple, after it had been profaned by Antiochus 
 Epiphanes. It seems to have become one of the 
 favorite solemnities of the nation ; being kept with 
 great pomp for eight days, during which time the 
 sacrifices were multiplied, the houses were illumi 
 nated, and the rejoicing of the people was testified 
 by a variety of diversions and music. It was 
 sometimes called the feast of Lights. 
 
 The people thronged the courts of the temple, 
 as at the other festivals ; and there Jesus appeared 
 amongst them, walking in Solomon s porch, the 
 piazza, it is thought, which extended along the 
 eastern side of the Court of the Gentiles. It was 
 about ten weeks since he had last been seen there. 
 Then he had been beset by enemies, and driven 
 from the temple in fear of his life. Since that 
 time he had been in a distant part of the country, 
 active in teaching the people, gathering his follow 
 ers, appointing his assistants, seeming to claim the 
 
 John x. 22. 
 
136 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 Messiahship, yet not openly declaring himself, 
 and by no means assuming the appearance which 
 the Messiah was expected to assume. Therefore 
 the opinions of men were still divided about him, 
 as they had been at his former visits. And when 
 he now returned to them, they immediately came 
 round him, to gain satisfaction to their minds. 
 " How long," said they, " dost thou keep us in 
 doubt ? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly." 
 Now it is clear, that if they had been disposed to 
 believe, the evidence which he had laid before 
 them in his doctrine and miracles was ample. 
 It was because they did not like the character in 
 which he appeared, that they doubted. If he had 
 come in majesty and power, like the princes of 
 the world, denouncing woes on the oppressors of 
 the nation, like Jeremiah, and like the Mac 
 cabees, sounding the trumpet and lifting the stand 
 ard, then they would have believed. It was in 
 vain, therefore, that he attempted to explain him 
 self to them. They were wedded to their own 
 notions ; they were fixed in their own prejudices ; 
 they would not understand him. They carped 
 at his words; they perverted his meaning; they 
 took up stones once more to stone him ; they 
 sought to seize his person. But he again escaped 
 from them ; and after having passed, as it appears, 
 less than a day in the city, he quitted it, as if 
 hopeless of doing any good to so conceited and 
 prejudiced a people. 
 
THE RETURN OF THE SEVENTY. 137 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 JESUS RETIRES BEYOND THE JORDAN. RAISES LAZA 
 RUS. RETURNS TO GALILEE. HIS PARABLES. 
 HE VISITS NAZARETH AGAIN. 
 
 HAVING thus quitted Jerusalem, our Lord passed 
 over the Jordan, and took up his abode for a time 
 at Bethabara, where John had formerly baptized. 
 Many resorted to him there, and he increased the 
 number of his disciples. It is thought that it 
 was during his residence here that the seventy 
 disciples returned to him. He had sent them out, 
 soon after the twelve apostles and with similar 
 instructions, to preach in the villages. The re 
 turn of the twelve is nowhere recorded, nor is 
 anything related of the course or effects of their 
 ministry. Some of them at least, perhaps all of 
 them, were witli him at the present time ; but 
 when they joined him is not said. The return of 
 the seventy is particularly mentioned by Luke, 
 but he gives no history of what they had done, or 
 where they had been. He simply states, that 
 they came to their Master " with joy," especially 
 
 John x. 40. Luke x. 17. 
 
138 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 exulting that the demons were subject to them in 
 his name. Jesus sympathized in their feeling, 
 and cried out, " I beheld Satan as lightning fall 
 from heaven" ; thus expressing the rapidity with 
 which the dominion of evil and sin was falling 
 before the spread of his truth. He added, that 
 he had given them power to effect this great 
 work, in spite of all opposition, and to triumph 
 over all enemies. Then, knowing how easily their 
 pride might be excited by this distinction, he cau 
 tioned them not to boast themselves in the posses 
 sion of miraculous power, but to count it their 
 true cause of joy, that their names were written 
 in heaven. 
 
 "In that hour," says Luke, "Jesus rejoiced in 
 spirit," and broke out into a loud thanksgiving. 
 It is the only instance in which he is said to have 
 exhibited an emotion of this nature. It is a 
 solitary example, in the midst of a life of anxiety 
 and toil, of his giving way to a feeling of gladness 
 and exultation. The story of his humble follow 
 ers, recounting their labors and animated by suc 
 cess, seems to have brought up to his mind a vis 
 ion of the great and joyful triumph which should 
 hereafter attend the preaching of his truth. He 
 caught a glimpse of that glorious result, which 
 was to compensate all his toil. It cheered him 
 under the recollection of his late rejection at 
 
 John xi. 
 
THE DEATH OF. LAZARUS. 139 
 
 Jerusalem, and led him to congratulate his disci 
 ples, saying, " Blessed are the eyes which see the 
 things which ye see." 
 
 While Jesus remained at Bethabara, he received 
 a message from the sisters in Bethany, inform 
 ing him of the illness of his friend Lazarus. The 
 affectionate intimacy existing between the Saviour 
 and this family is touchingly indicated in the 
 words of the message he received, "Lord, be 
 hold, lie whom thou lovest is sick." And the 
 Evangelist John, who was doubtless with his Mas 
 ter at this time, adds, that " Jesus loved Martha, 
 and her sister, and Lazarus." Still, though he 
 knew that they had sent to him with the desire 
 that he should come to them, he for two days re 
 mained where he was, and left them to their anxi 
 ety. He would willingly do anything for them, 
 but he meditated some greater good than their 
 immediate relief. It is often the order of Provi 
 dence to inflict suffering for a time, in order to 
 prepare the way for blessing. So these sisters 
 were left to mourn, that they might the more 
 rejoice. 
 
 To the great surprise of his disciples, our Lord 
 at length proposed to go back to Juda3a. What, 
 said they, when the Jews so lately attempted 
 your life, will you unwisely return and put your 
 self in their power ? But when they learned that 
 Lazarus was dead, they readily consented to ac- 
 
140 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 company him ; and it is worth remarking, that it 
 was Thomas, the disciple afterwards so slow to 
 credit his resurrection, who now expressed in 
 strong terms the devoted affection they bore their 
 Master. " Let us go too," said he, " that we may 
 die with him." If the Jews stone him, we will 
 share his fate. 
 
 They left Bethabara, crossed the Jordan, and 
 proceeded toward Bethany. He might have raised 
 Lazarus while at a distance, as he had healed the 
 centurion s son at Capernaum. But he preferred 
 to take the long journey (the distance was about 
 thirty miles), because he designed to glorify God 
 and establish his own claims by a signal work ; 
 and he would have all its attendant circumstances 
 solemn and striking. 
 
 Lazarus had been four days buried when they 
 reached Bethany. It was therefore in the midst 
 of the seven days of mourning, and the friends of 
 the family, from Jerusalem and elsewhere, were 
 with the sisters, making the customary visits of 
 condolence. On hearing of his arrival, Martha 
 rushed out to meet him ; but, though overjoyed at 
 his coming, she showed how disappointed and hurt 
 sho had been at his neglecting to come sooner. 
 " If tliou hadst been here," said she, " my brother 
 had not died." Yet she ventured to hint a hope 
 that he would do something for them. But that 
 she little expected it is evident ; for when Jesus 
 
THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 141 
 
 kindly hastened to assure her that her brother 
 should rise again, she answered, as if that did not 
 satisfy her, " I know that he will rise again in the 
 resurrection at the last day." Jesus answered 
 her in those sublime and glorious words which 
 are so familiar to our ears, and which must have 
 been wonderful to those who heard them : " I am 
 the resurrection and the life ; he that believeth in 
 me, though he were dead, yet shall he live ; and 
 whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never 
 die." Martha evidently felt these words to the 
 bottom of her soul. She could only reply, that 
 she believed him to be the Messiah ; that one 
 word comprehended everything ; and then, as if 
 she had gained all she desired, she went back to 
 the house, and whispered to Mary that the Master 
 had arrived and was waiting for her. 
 
 Mary immediately left the house, and accom 
 panied her sister. The friends who were with 
 her followed, thinking that she was going to visit 
 the grave, and all arrived together at the place 
 where Jesus was. Mary threw herself in tears 
 at his feet, and reproached him, as Martha had 
 done, for his tardiness in coming to them. " If 
 thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." 
 The scene was a moving one. When Jesus beheld 
 the two sisters, distressed and in tears, the friends 
 weeping around them, and appealing to him as 
 one who might have helped them, and did not, 
 
142 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 he could not repress his feelings. He groaned in 
 spirit, and was troubled. He wept, and asked to 
 be conducted to the tomb. The Jews were struck 
 with his sensibility, and said, " Behold how he 
 loved him ! " Yet at the same time some of them 
 cavilled, and wondered why, if he could heal a 
 poor blind beggar, he had not saved his friend 
 from death. 
 
 The company arrived at the tomb. It was a 
 cave, having the mouth closed with a stone. Our 
 Lord directed that the stone should be removed. 
 Martha, who seems not yet to have suspected 
 what was to take place, objected to this, because 
 it would be offensive. Jesus quietly rebuked her 
 interference : " Said I not, that, if thou wouldst 
 believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God ? " 
 The stone was removed. The multitude stood 
 around, looking on, in wondering and silent ex 
 pectation. And Jesus, whose feelings of sympa 
 thy with the mourners had now given way to the 
 joyful confidence that he should at once relieve 
 them, and display the power of God, lifted up his 
 eyes, and uttered a brief thanksgiving, " Father, 
 I thank thee that thou hast heard me ! " This he 
 did that the by-standers might hear him, and bo 
 persuaded of his divine mission. Then, with a 
 loud voice, he cried out, " Lazarus, come forth." 
 This was all ; these three simple words ; with 
 out parade, without pretension, in the simple tone 
 
THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 143 
 
 of unquestionable power, he spoke, and the dead 
 man heard him. Enveloped as he was in the gar 
 ments of death, which were wound close around 
 his body and limbs, he raised himself up from the 
 niche where he was lying in the side of the cave, 
 and stood down upon the floor. Jesus gave di 
 rections to loose the raiment which bound him, 
 and he walked out of the cave. We may conjec 
 ture the rapture with which the brother and sisters 
 embraced each other, and returned thanks to their 
 friendly deliverer, while they hailed him, with new 
 faith, as the Son of God. Many of the attendant 
 multitude joined them in their acknowledgments, 
 not doubting that he, who had thus raised the 
 dead before their eyes, was indeed the promised 
 and expected one. 
 
 Some, however, were of so prejudiced and per 
 verse a mind as to be proof even against this evi 
 dence. They went away to inform the Pharisees 
 of what had taken place. A meeting of the San 
 hedrim was summoned to discuss the matter. 
 They acknowledged his miracles ; indeed, they 
 never had pretended to deny what was so unques 
 tionable ; but they reasoned, that this was not the 
 sort of Messiah whom they expected or desired ; 
 and that if the people should be brought to main 
 tain his pretensions, it would subject them to the 
 charge of sedition and expose them to the dis- 
 
 John xi. 47. 
 
144 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 pleasure of the government : " The Romans will 
 come and take away hoth our place and nation." 
 It was time, therefore, that they should take reso 
 lute measures to put a stop to his further progress. 
 And the high priest, Caiaphas, urged them to their 
 bloody purpose, by declaring that it was far bet 
 ter to put one man to death than to run the haz 
 ard of this evil to the whole nation. He spoke, 
 says the Evangelist, as high priest, under a divine 
 influence. Little did he imagine that he was 
 urging what, in the mysterious counsels of God, 
 was to promote the glory of the man he strove to 
 destroy, and to hasten the overthrow of the nation 
 he was anxious to save. His counsel prevailed ; 
 and from that hour it was resolved that the be 
 nevolent prophet of Galilee should die. 
 
 Jesus had more than once been exposed to the 
 loss of life from his enemies at Jerusalem, and 
 for that reason had avoided the city, except when 
 called thither by his duty to attend the religious 
 festivals. But now his danger took a new and 
 more formidable aspect. Formerly, it was the 
 Pharisees, the scribes, the populace, who threat 
 ened him ; now, it was the leading men assembled 
 in solemn council. The sacred Sanhedrim, the 
 venerable Council of Seventy, had decided that lie 
 must be put to death. There was no longer any 
 hope that he could escape. But to avoid imme- 
 
 Jolm xi. 54. 
 
HE RETURNS TO GALILEE. 145 
 
 diate apprehension, and to reserve himself for the 
 Passover when the appointed time for his death 
 would arrive, he immediately withdrew from the 
 vicinity of the city, to a place called Ephraim. 
 How far distant this was, or how large a town, we 
 do not know. It is only said that it was near 
 the wilderness, probably between Jericho and 
 Bethel, and that he resided there some time with 
 his disciples. 
 
 From Ephraim he appears to have returned to 
 Galilee ; where we again find him, as before, fol 
 lowed by multitudes, as he went about doing 
 good. On one occasion, they so pressed upon 
 him, as he sat in the house, that he was unable 
 even to take his food. The crowd at this time 
 may have been occasioned, in part at least, by an 
 eagerness to hear a discussion relative to his mir 
 acles, which was going on between him and some 
 scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem. The na 
 ture of their objection, and the character of his 
 reply, were well adapted to excite the most ear 
 nest attention. They have been related in another 
 connection,* and therefore need not be noticed 
 here. But an incident occurred in the midst of 
 the conversation which must not be passed over 
 in silence. 
 
 A report of what was going on at the house 
 
 Matthew xii. 22. Mark iii. 19. Luke xi. 14. 
 
 * Page 123. 
 7 j 
 
146 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 reached the ears of the inoujer and brothers of 
 Jesus, who, it is reasonable to believe, had, like 
 him, left Nazareth and taken up their abode in 
 Capernaum. They anxiously hastened to him ; 
 for it was said, " He is beside himself." Finding 
 the crowd so great that they could not gain en 
 trance, they sent in word that they desired to 
 speak with him ; hoping in this way to release 
 him from a situation apparently uncomfortable 
 and perhaps perilous. As the word was passed in 
 through the crowd, a woman in the company, 
 hearing his mother named,* cried out, " Blessed 
 is the womb that bare thee ! " Happy is the 
 mother of such a son ! It was a sudden expres 
 sion of a natural feeling. But Jesus, who did not 
 wish to have the minds of his hearers diverted 
 from the great subjects on which he was speaking, 
 replied, " Yea, rather blessed are they who hear 
 the word of God and keep it ! " Then, stretch 
 ing out his hand toward his disciples, he added, 
 " Behold my mother and my brothers ! For 
 whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is 
 my brother and sister and mother." When this 
 was repeated to his waiting relatives, it must have 
 relieved them from all apprehension. It possibly 
 conveyed to their minds something of a reproof 
 for having allowed themselves to be uneasy about 
 him, and to interrupt him in his duties, when 
 
 * [A friend will perceive his own suggestion here.] 
 
HIS PARABLES. 147 
 
 they well knew that it was his meat to do his 
 Father s will. 
 
 The same day he went out to the side of the 
 lake, accompanied still by a great throng of peo 
 ple. That he might the more advantageously ad 
 dress them, he went on board one of the vessels 
 which lay there, and spoke to them from thence. 
 His discourse at this time was wholly made up of 
 parables ; and, if we are right in the arrangement 
 which we have given to the history, it is a curious 
 question, why he commenced this mode of preach 
 ing at so late a period of his ministry, and from 
 this time used it so much. For not only the 
 place here assigned to these parables indicates 
 that they were probably the first which he de 
 livered, but the language of the disciples who 
 heard them confirms the supposition. They 
 asked him, " Why speakest thou to them in para 
 bles? " as if it were a new thing, a mode of teach 
 ing to which they were not accustomed. Does it 
 not seem as if he had become satisfied that the 
 plain, proverbial, perceptive method of instruction 
 hitherto adopted was ineffectual to move and 
 persuade the gross minds of the people ? They 
 did not, they would not, understand him. They 
 closed their minds against his true meaning, and 
 avoided the spiritual inferences and applications? 
 which he intended they should make. It was iD 
 
 Matthe v xiii. 1. Mark iv. 1. Luke viii. 4. 
 
148 THE LIFE OP THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 vain to deal plainly with men pertinaciously re 
 solved against every view but that sensual one 
 of temporal power which engrossed their whole 
 souls. He would therefore change his mode of 
 address. He would speak to the ears they had 
 closed in a corresponding style ; he would employ 
 a hidden sense, which would be fully intelligible 
 only to those who came to him with fair and teach 
 able dispositions. To his disciples, therefore, he 
 explained his parables, because they were willing 
 and desirous to learn ; to the multitude who would 
 not learn, who cared for nothing but the outward 
 kingdom, he left them unexplained. This is in 
 deed the reason for using parables which he him 
 self assigned in his reply to the disciples. 
 
 On the present occasion he delivered the fine 
 and instructive parable of the Sower, a very 
 suitable one to form the beginning of this mode 
 of teaching ; for it described, in a striking manner, 
 the different characters of those by whom his doc 
 trine had been hitherto heard, and the various ef 
 fects it had had on various dispositions. To many 
 he had preached in vain, for their minds were 
 preoccupied with prejudices, pleasures, or cares. 
 Some had been affected for a time, but had taken 
 offence and deserted him. Some had been de 
 coyed away by a too great love of the world, and 
 some by fear of unpopularity and persecution. 
 Some had remained faithful and steadfast. All 
 
HE VISITS NAZARETH. 149 
 
 these characters are exhibited in the parable ; and 
 we may suppose that it was this observation of 
 the manner in which his own preaching had been 
 received that led him to choose for his first lesson, 
 on changing his mode of instruction, a subject so 
 striking in itself, and so applicable as well as use 
 ful to all times and communities. 
 
 He then recited several parables illustrative of 
 the character and progress of his kingdom. The 
 first was that of the tares of the field, which lie 
 afterward expounded in private to his disciples. 
 The others related to the growth and extension of 
 his doctrine, and strikingly manifest the confi 
 dence which he felt in its final prevalence and 
 triumph. After returning home, he added several 
 others for the instruction of his immediate follow 
 ers, designed to express the value of the object 
 to which they had devoted themselves, and to 
 teach the certainty of a future retribution. 
 
 After this, Jesus left Capernaum, and made 
 another visit to his own town of Nazareth. It was 
 about five months since he had there been assault 
 ed and expelled by the citizens. It was now to 
 be seen whether the increase of his reputation 
 through the land might not have prepared their 
 minds to receive him more favorably. But their 
 prejudices had not been removed. They could 
 not forget that he was one of themselves, and they 
 would not believe that their humble townsman 
 
150 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 could be a prophet. " Is not this the carpenter ? " 
 said they. " Are not his brothers and sisters with 
 us ? " A few only brought their sick to him ; and 
 thus, because of their obstinate unbelief, at which 
 he is said to have wondered, he could do but few 
 miracles there. Thus he proved the truth of his 
 own saying, A prophet is everywhere honored, 
 except in his own country. 
 
 Matthew xiii. 53. Mark vi. L 
 
DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 151 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. JESUS FEEDS THE 
 MULTITUDES. RETURNS TO CAPERNAUM. CON 
 VERSES IN THE SYNAGOGUE. 
 
 ABOUT this time took place the death of John 
 the Baptist. Her odias, wife of Herod, at whose 
 instigation he had been imprisoned, would will 
 ingly have put him to death in the beginning; 
 but Herod, who had a great respect for him, and 
 moreover knew how the people honored him, 
 would consent to do no more than imprison him. 
 
 Herodias was resolved to accomplish her pur 
 pose at the first convenient opportunity. Such 
 an one presented itself on the birthday of Herod, 
 when he gave a great entertainment to his lords, 
 and high captains, and the chief estates of Galilee. 
 She then sent in her daughter, Salome, to dance 
 before the king and his guests. This was a great 
 condescension on the part of this young lady, be 
 cause public dancing was not considered becom 
 ing in persons of rank. Hence it was the greater 
 compliment to the occasion ; and Herod, in the 
 
 Matthew xiv. i. Mark vi. 14. Luke ix. 7. 
 
152 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 excitement of the moment, took an oath that lie 
 would grant her any favor that she should ask. 
 She consulted her mother ; and that cunning and 
 revengeful woman bade her ask the head of John 
 the Baptist. Herod perceived the snare in which 
 he had been taken, and would gladly have retract 
 ed. But he had bound himself by an oath, and 
 was urged on by those who sat with him at table, 
 and he therefore commanded it to be done. John 
 was beheaded in prison, and his head given to 
 Salome, who carried it to her infamous mother. 
 The crime did not go unpunished. In the first 
 place, Herod was defeated in battle by Aretas, king 
 of Arabia, whose daughter he had set aside in 
 order to marry Herodias. Josephus declares that 
 all the people regarded this as a judgment from 
 heaven for his treatment of John. Afterwards, 
 Herodias, being ambitious that her husband should 
 enjoy as high a title as her brother Agrippa, the 
 king, persuaded him to go to Rome and seek it 
 of the Emperor. But the Emperor, having rea 
 son to doubt his loyalty, instead of advancing 
 him to dignity, banished him to Lyons, and then 
 to Spain. Such was the punishment which Provi 
 dence brought upon the complicated wickedness 
 of this petty prince. 
 
 Herod appears to have been haunted and made 
 miserable by the consciousness of his guilt. We 
 read that when he heard the reports of the won- 
 
DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 153 
 
 derful works of Jesus, he thought it must be John 
 risen from the dead ; and though his courtiers 
 endeavored to persuade him that it was rather 
 Elias, or some other of the ancient prophets, his 
 disturbed fancy still represented him as the man 
 whom he had so unjustly destroyed. 
 
 It seems at first view strange that Herod should 
 now hear of Jesus for the first time, when he had 
 been for so long a period active in the province. 
 Tiberias, the seat of government, was not far 
 from Capernaum ; and although it does not appear 
 that Jesus had visited that city, yet it is evident 
 that the reports concerning him must have reached 
 it. It is probable, therefore, that during our 
 Lord s ministry thus far Herod had been absent 
 from Galilee. It has been supposed by some 
 that this was the season of his war with Aretas ; 
 that it was his soldiers, marching toward Arabia, 
 who some months before had inquired their duty 
 of John the Baptist ; and that it was immediately 
 on his return from that war, that he made his 
 birthday feast, and put the Baptist to death. If 
 so, then he had been absent from Galilee during 
 the whole of our Lord s ministry thus far; and 
 this explains why he has never been mentioned 
 in the course of the history, and why the fame 
 of Jesus was new to him. Others suppose that 
 this must have been the year when he made a 
 journey to Rome. In either case the difficulty is 
 
 7* 
 
154 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 removed. But if we should suppose that Jesus 
 had been preaching in Galilee two or three years, 
 instead of a few months, the difficulty would be 
 insuperable. 
 
 When Jesus heard of the death of John, he 
 immediately retired across the lake with his apos 
 tles. Herod had expressed a desire to see him ; 
 but he did not choose to put himself in the power 
 of that cunning man, and therefore from this time 
 forward spent very little time in Galilee, or indeed 
 in any one place. He now retreated to a desert 
 spot in the neighborhood of Bethsaida, in the 
 dominions of Philip. The people soon discovered 
 whither he had gone, and went by land to the 
 same place " from all the cities." It was impossi 
 ble to avoid them, and he went upon a hill and 
 taught them, and healed their sick. 
 
 When the day drew toward a close, the disciples 
 suggested that the multitudes must be wearied 
 and faint, and that it would be well to send them 
 away to the villages for refreshment. But Jesus 
 chose the opportunity for a new display of his 
 power, such as had not yet been made, and such 
 as was likely to appeal to the minds of many who 
 had been little affected by his other works. It 
 is well worthy of observation, how lie varied the 
 character of his miracles, that he might suit them 
 to every variety of disposition, and give to all ca- 
 
 Matthew xiv. 13. Mark vi. 35. Luke ix. 10. John vi. 1. 
 
THE FIVE THOUSAND FED. 155 
 
 pacities the opportunity to be convinced. On the 
 present occasion, he resolved to feed the multi 
 tude himself, instead of sending them away. He 
 accordingly directed his disciples to arrange them 
 in companies of fifty persons, and make them sit 
 down on the grass. It was thus ascertained that 
 the number of people was about five thousand ; 
 which gives us some idea of the magnitude of the 
 crowds which usually attended our Lord. It is 
 possible that his being in a new place may have 
 called together many who had no previous oppor 
 tunity of seeing the celebrated prophet ; but other 
 wise there is no reason to suppose that this was 
 a larger number than frequently assembled round 
 him. 
 
 However this may be, their astonishment and 
 admiration may well have been extreme, when 
 they found that they were thus seated on the hill 
 side for the purpose of being fed by two fishes 
 and five loaves of bread ; when they saw this 
 scanty pittance multiply as it passed through their 
 ranks ; and, after their hunger was fully satisfied, 
 saw the apostles gather up twelve baskets full 
 of the uneaten remnants. This new and signal 
 wonder excited them to a high pitcli of enthusi 
 asm. They were now sure that this was the Mes 
 siah. They were sure there could be no risk in 
 proclaiming him such, for he would be able to 
 support any number of followers at his pleasure. 
 
156 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 Perhaps they even fancied that he designed in 
 this act to intimate his readiness to provide for 
 those who would adhere to him. At any rate, 
 they thought that now the hour was come, the 
 long-desired hour. With one voice they declared 
 he should be King, and were ready to use violence 
 to compel him. When Jesus perceived this, he 
 immediately constrained his disciples, as Mark ex 
 presses it (thereby intimating that they were dis 
 posed to join the multitude), to get into the boat, 
 and commanded them to go to Bethsaida ; not 
 the town in whose neighborhood they were, but 
 another village " on the other side," just south 
 of Capernaum, called Bethsaida in Galilee. He 
 himself remained behind, and persuaded the mul 
 titude to disperse. Then, it being one of the 
 extraordinary and trying moments of his life, he 
 returned to the mountain and prayed. 
 
 Meanwhile the night came on, and the disci 
 ples, in their little boat, being detained by a con 
 trary wind, had not reached the place they had 
 designed. The whole night was passed in a vain 
 attempt to resist the wind. At the fourth watch, 
 that is, about three o clock in the morning, as 
 they were still toiling at the oars, Jesus, who had 
 seen their distress from the land, approached them, 
 walking on the water. At fust they thought it 
 an apparition, and cried out ic/ fear. But his 
 well-known voice reached them, saying, " It is I, 
 
HE RETURNS TO CAPERNAUM. 157 
 
 be not afraid." The ardent Peter, delighted to 
 behold his Master and eager to embrace him, 
 asked leave to go to him on the waves. Jesus 
 said, " Come." But when Peter found himself 
 actually on the water, his courage failed, and he 
 would have sunk if his Master had not stretched 
 forth his hand and caught him. " thou of lit 
 tle faith," said he, " wherefore didst thou doubt? " 
 When they arrived on board, the wind ceased, 
 and they easily reached their haven. 
 
 They went ashore in the land of Gennesaret, 
 which was the name of a considerable tract of fer 
 tile, populous country bordering the west side of 
 the lake. The tidings of his arrival spread rap 
 idly among the people, and it seemed as if they 
 could not do enough to testify their joy. They 
 sent out into all the country round about, and 
 brought to him in beds those that were diseased. 
 And wherever he moved, whether to cities, or vil 
 lages, or the country, his way was thronged with 
 objects on which to exert his benevolent power. 
 They laid the sigk in the streets, and, remem 
 bering the woman who had been healed in the 
 streets of Capernaum, besought him that they 
 might touch if it were only the hern of his gar 
 ment ; and as many as touched him were made 
 whole. There is no more lively description of 
 the sensation his appearance created and of the 
 
 Matthew xiv. 34. Mark vi. 54. 
 
158 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 wonderful works he did, than is found in this ac 
 count of his visit to Gennesaret. In this manner 
 he proceeded through the country till he reached 
 Capernaum. 
 
 Here he was met by some persons whom he 
 had left the preceding day on the opposite side of 
 the water. They had been surprised not to find 
 him in the morning ; for they had seen the disci 
 ples go away without him, and there was no other 
 boat at the place ; they could not conjecture 
 how he could have departed. But, not finding 
 him, they went on board some vessels just arrived 
 from Tiberias, and sailed over to Capernaum to 
 inquire for him. They found him, to their no 
 small amazement, in the synagogue. He received 
 them coldly ; he told them, that it was not in a 
 right spirit that they sought him, but merely be 
 cause they had seen the miracle of the loaves, and 
 therefore trusted that he would support his fol 
 lowers. He endeavored to lead them away from 
 their wrong notions respecting the Messiah. Some 
 of them asked of him a sufficient proof that he 
 was he, pretending that his miracle of the preced 
 ing day was nothing in comparison with that of 
 the manna given by Moses. Others seemed more 
 docile, and begged him to give them the true 
 bread of which he spoke. But, on the whole, 
 they manifested so unteachable, prejudiced, and 
 
 John vi. 22. 
 
HE CONVERSES IN THE SYNAGOGUE. 159 
 
 worldly a state of mind, they so carped and cav 
 illed at his expressions, that he did as he had 
 before done, clothed his ideas in strong figures. 
 These they chose to interpret literally, and took 
 great offence at them. Insomuch that many who 
 had been accounted his disciples, being now satis 
 fied that his character and purposes were wholly 
 different from what they had hoped, that he would 
 not be their king and was very rigid in his relig 
 ious requisitions, deserted him and went away. 
 Their desertion evidently affected him ; and he 
 turned to the twelve with something like strong 
 feeling, and said, " Will ye also go away ? " But 
 they knew him too intimately to leave him. 
 Though they did not fully comprehend, they 
 deeply reverenced and loved him, and entirely 
 believed in him. Peter answered for them all, 
 without hesitation, " Lord, to whom should we 
 go ? thou hast the words of eternal life ; and we 
 believe and are sure that thou art the Holy One 
 of God." Doubtless this ready and hearty reply 
 was soothing to his Master s wounded feelings. 
 But still there was sadness in the thought that 
 even of these twelve all were not to be trusted. 
 True, said he, you believe in me ; I have chosen 
 you ; and yet one even of you will be false to 
 me ; " One of you is a devil," a false accuser, 
 a traitor. 
 
160 THE LIFE OF TIIE SAVIOUR. 
 
 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 JESUS MAKES EXCURSIONS TO TYRE AND SIDON. 
 
 TO DALMANUTHA. TO CESAREA PHILIPPI. HE 
 
 SPEAKS OF HIS DEATH. 
 
 THE desire, already mentioned, to avoid the 
 snares of Herod, who had now returned to his 
 province, and whose capital was not far distant 
 from Capernaum, appears to have been the rea 
 son why Jesus, immediately after the conversa 
 tions just related, left his own town again, and 
 made a distant excursion, in a northerly direction, 
 to the borders of Tyre and Sidon. These were 
 places of great celebrity, lying on the shore of 
 the Mediterranean Sea, near the extreme corner 
 of Palestine. They had been assigned, in the 
 original distribution of the country, to the tribe of 
 Ashur ; but as the ancient inhabitants were never 
 dispossessed, they did not properly become Jewish 
 cities. It was not therefore for the purpose of 
 preaching the Gospel that our Lord went thither, 
 for his ministry was confined to the Jews. It 
 must have been for some such cause as that which 
 has just been mentioned. 
 
 Matthew xv. 21. Mark vii. 24. 
 
HE VISITS TYRE AND SIDON. 101 
 
 For the same reason it was, that, as Mark tells 
 us, he desired that no one might know he was 
 there. However, it was not possible that he 
 should be concealed ; and a woman, whose daugh 
 ter was suffering in a peculiarly distressful man 
 ner, learning that he was there, made her way 
 to him, and earnestly entreated his compassionate 
 aid. He at first refused, because she was a Gen 
 tile, and he was sent to the Jews only. When 
 she still insisted, and would not be denied, he re 
 fused her yet more strongly, saying that his bread 
 was for the children, and he could not give it 
 to dogs, a term by which we may suppose the 
 Jews were accustomed to designate the Gentiles. 
 Even this reply, harsh as it seemed, did not dis 
 courage the persevering mother. It was not in 
 tended to do so, but to draw forth and display 
 her faith. This it effected ; and she made that 
 respectful and beautiful answer, which has always 
 been admired, and which won our Saviour s 
 admiration. True, Lord, said she ; the bread 
 is for the children ; but the dogs may have 
 the crumbs which fall from the table. Jesus 
 immediately answered, " For this saying, go 
 thy way ; great is thy faith." And, for the 
 reward of her faith, she found her daughter 
 healed. 
 
 No other incident during this excursion is re 
 corded, nor are we informed how long a period 
 
 K 
 
162 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 was consumed in it. And we have no ground on 
 -yhich to build a conjecture. 
 
 Returning from the neighborhood of Tyre and 
 Sidon, he passed through parts of Decapolis, still 
 out of the jurisdiction of Herod, and came to 
 the sea of Galilee. Here again crowds collected 
 about him, and he did many miracles among 
 them ; one of which, the cure of a person deaf 
 and dumb, is particularly recorded by Mark. 
 After being with them three days, he took com 
 passion on them, as it was an uninhabited place, 
 and did for them as he had, under similar cir 
 cumstances, done for the people in the vicinity 
 of Bethsaida, he distributed among them the 
 little food which his disciples had with them, 
 and, by miraculously multiplying it, satisfied the 
 hunger of more than four thousand persons. He 
 then dismissed them ; and, taking ship, sailed to 
 Dalmanutha and Magdala. These places, of 
 which nothing very material is known, were situ 
 ated toward the southern extremity of the lake, 
 on the eastern side, nearly opposite to Tiberias. 
 Here those perpetual cavillers, the Pharisees, as 
 sailed him, asking him for a sign from heaven. 
 This was their old refuge, to pretend that they 
 would believe on him, if they could but see a sign 
 from heaven, while yet they were disbelieving 
 disparaging all the wonderful things he was 
 
 Matthew xv. 29, xvi. 1. Mark vii. 31, viii. 1. 
 
HE VISITS DALMANUTHA. 163 
 
 daily doing. What would such men believe? 
 Evidently nothing ; and therefore, aware of their 
 unfairness and weary with their hypocritical im 
 portunities, Jesus refused to gratify them ; told 
 them that any man with his eyes open might 
 discern the signs of the times ; and that no sign 
 should be given to so evil a generation, but that 
 of the prophet Jonah. 
 
 Leaving this place, he again took ship for the 
 purpose of crossing the lake. While on the pas 
 sage, he alluded to what had just passed, and bade 
 his disciples beware of the leaven of the Pharisees 
 and Sadducees. And here he was obliged to ob 
 serve, as was often the case, how slow even his 
 devoted friends were to comprehend his meaning. 
 Much as they were accustomed to his mode of 
 speaking, they yet stupidly supposed, that, in this 
 remark, he meant to blame them for forgetting to 
 put bread on board the boat. He was obliged to 
 explain to them, that he meant the doctrine, and 
 not the bread, of the Pharisees. This is a little 
 thing perhaps ; but we may easily see how his 
 spirit must have been sometimes tried and his 
 hopes damped by dulness and want of faith in 
 those whom he taught. It must have been no 
 small trial, when about to commit his religion to 
 the care of these men, to find that they did not 
 comprehend it, and to be obliged to complain of 
 them as of " little faith," " slow of heart to under 
 stand." 
 
164 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 They landed at Bethsaida, on the upper end of 
 the lake. Here he restored sight to a blind man, 
 in a very private way, as if he desired to avoid 
 notice, and then proceeded with his disciples to 
 Cesarea Philippi. This city was about forty miles 
 directly north of Bethsaida. It stood near to the 
 ancient Laish, or possibly on the same site. It 
 had been rebuilt by Philip, the present tetrarch 
 of the province, and was named by him Cesarea, 
 in honor of the Emperor. His own name was 
 added, in order to distinguish it from another 
 Cesarea on the coast. It was a place of some 
 note. What was the object of our Lord s visit 
 there is not stated. As far as can be judged from 
 circumstances, he was simply seeking to avoid 
 Herod, until the time when he should go up to 
 Jerusalem. Hence his journey was private, with 
 out crowds, miracles, or discourses ; at least 
 none are recorded. 
 
 One circumstance, however, is related, which 
 serves to show the state of his mind, and formed 
 the beginning of a new era in his history. He 
 knew that his ministry was soon to end, and that 
 he must leave his great plans to be carried on by 
 the few affectionate men that were with him. He 
 knew that they were devoted to him witli zealous 
 hearts, yet he had seen something of their dul- 
 ness, and was aware that they did not fully un- 
 
 Mark viii. 22. 
 
HE SPEAKS OF HIS DEATH. 165 
 
 derstand him. Would they have strength to bear 
 the disappointment of their hopes, and adhere to 
 him faithfully, when they should find that the loss 
 of all earthly honors awaited them ? As yet he 
 had not spoken to them directly on this subject. 
 He had not revealed to them, that he was to be 
 taken from them by a violent and disgraceful 
 death. It was necessary to break to them the 
 truth. 
 
 The" present seemed to be the suitable time for 
 doing it. He was at a distance from the ordinary 
 sphere of his labors, and the scene of his recent 
 triumphs. Instead of being accompanied by 
 thousands of grateful and admiring men, who 
 hung on his lips, rejoiced in his benevolent power, 
 and longed to proclaim him king, he was hurrying 
 privately from place to place, attended only by a 
 few tried friends, seeking concealment from the ty 
 rant who had just put his harbinger to death. All 
 this must have perplexed his disciples. How is 
 it, they would say, that just as all seemed ripe for 
 the explosion, instead of availing himself of the 
 advantageous crisis, he shuns it ; avoids the peo 
 ple, seeks retirement, does few miracles, and 
 those almost by stealth ? Jesus felt that such 
 thoughts must be passing through the minds of 
 his followers, and must severely perplex them. 
 What wonder if they should even waver in their 
 
 Matthew xvi. 13. Mark viii. 27. Luke ix. 18. 
 
166 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 opinion, and doubt whether, after all, he were tin) 
 Messiah ? He might be only a forerunner, as 
 many men supposed him. 
 
 In order therefore to ascertain the state of thei : 
 minds, and prepare the way for the yet more fear 
 ful disclosures that must soon be made, he speaks 
 to them on the subject. He asks them, first, wha; 
 is the general opinion of men respecting himself. 
 They tell him that opinions are various. Sonio 
 think him to be John the Baptist, some Elijah, 
 and others say that one of the old prophets is 
 risen again. That is, his course had been so dif 
 ferent from what they anticipated in the Messiah, 
 that men generally did not believe him to be he, 
 though they were willing to think him a great 
 prophet sent to prepare the way. Jesus then 
 asked their own opinion ; had they also been so 
 disappointed at this change in his affairs as to 
 doubt respecting him ? " Whom say ye that I 
 am?" Peter immediately replied, "Thou art 
 the Christ." There was no hesitation. The an 
 swer was direct, frank, hearty. It proved that 
 nothing had occurred to shake their confidence, 
 or cause a serious doubt. Jesus rewarded the 
 heartiness of the confession by a strong expres 
 sion of pleasure and approbation. " Blessed art 
 thou, Simon, son of Jonas," he exclaimed ; " for 
 flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thce, 
 but my Father who is in heaven." And then 
 
HE INSTRUCTS THE DISCIPLES. 167 
 
 added that distinguished promise, " I say unto 
 thee, thou art Peter," - a rock indeed, "and 
 on this rock I will build my church ; and the gates 
 of hell shall not prevail against it." 
 
 Thus it was evident that the minds of the 
 twelve did not waver ; and this emphatic promise 
 to Peter was eminently adapted to encourage and 
 confirm them. But there was more yet to be 
 done. He had now at length, for the first time 
 as it would seem, solemnly and formally recog 
 nized the title of Messiah, in the presence of his 
 followers. They might think themselves at liberty 
 immediately to act upon it, and proclaim him to 
 the people. But this would be inconsistent with 
 the designs of Providence. He therefore strictly 
 forbade it. " He charged them straitly, that they 
 should tell no man of him." He would not have 
 them publish his titles and office until they rightly 
 understood them ; and he went on to explain to 
 them that they did not rightly understand them. 
 He told them that, instead of a triumphant, he was 
 to be a suffering leader ; instead of an army and 
 a throne, the homage of the people and the do 
 minion of the nations, he must go to Jerusalem, 
 "and suffer many things from the elders, chief 
 priests, and scribes, and be put to death, and rise 
 again the third day." 
 
 They heard these words with dismay. How 
 contrary to their expectations, how opposed to all 
 
168 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 their notions of their Messiah s fortunes ! Peter, 
 with his usual ardor and boldness, loudly ex 
 pressed his feelings. He expostulated with his 
 Master, insisted that it must not, and should not, 
 be as he had said. He not improbably went fur 
 ther, and attempted to persuade him to resist 
 forcibly the oppression of which he had spoken. 
 Jesus, whose meekness and gentleness formed a 
 strong contrast to the vehemence of his disciple, 
 was hurt at this violent outbreak of zeal, and saw 
 the necessity of checking it at once ; it might 
 easily lead to most disastrous consequences. 
 Therefore " he turned and looked on his disci 
 ples," says Mark, that they might observe how 
 positive and resolved he was, and loudly rebuked 
 Peter as influenced by a worldly ambition and a 
 regard to human honors, rather than by a relig 
 ious regard to the will and purposes of God. 
 Then turning to all his disciples, in the hearing 
 of the people, he with great solemnity urged on 
 them the duty of adhering to their profession at 
 every risk, and through all hardships of self- 
 denial. If they would have the advantages and 
 glories of his kingdom, they must be ready to 
 relinquish their selfish hopes, to take up the cross, 
 and even surrender their lives. They were pledged 
 to a suffering and despised Master, they must not 
 be ashamed of him, they must acknowledge him 
 before man ; otherwise, he would not acknowl- 
 
HE INSTRUCTS THE DISCIPLES. 169 
 
 edge and honor them in the great day of his real 
 glory. For, he assured them, he should come in 
 the glory of his Father and of the angels, and 
 bring to every one a reward according to his 
 character and fidelity. Thus he encouraged them 
 by the solemn and magnificent promise of a final 
 triumph, notwithstanding what he had just taught 
 them of his approaching sufferings and disgrace. 
 And that this might the more forcibly impress 
 them, he ended with saying, that there were some 
 present among them who should not taste of 
 death till they had seen the kingdom of God 
 coming with power. Thus mingling the new 
 vision of evil he had just opened to them with a 
 stern precept of duty and an animating prospect 
 of glory, he sought to make on them that pro 
 found impression which would prepare them to 
 meet with firmness and constancy the trials be 
 fore them. 
 
 The lesson was not lost on them. Oftentimes, 
 doubtless, in after days, when they were preaching 
 the doctrines of their despised master in the midst 
 of obloquy and scorn, of peril, privation, and death, 
 they recalled to mind the powerful words in 
 which he had first taught them, that they must 
 endure suffering for his sake, and follow in the 
 bloody path of his cross to their reward ; and 
 when they did so, and then remembered how ho 
 had suffered and was now glorified, they felt 
 8 
 
170 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 themselves armed to endure all things for his 
 sake ; they braved persecution and torture ; they 
 confessed him before men in prison and amid 
 flames, and died rejoicing in the confidence that 
 he would confess them before his Father in 
 heaven. 
 
 It is not they only to whom those precepts re 
 specting self-denial and the necessity of owning 
 our holy Master were addressed. To none are 
 they inapplicable, who hope to enter on the future 
 life which he has revealed. 
 
THE TRANSFIGURATION. 171 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 THE TRANSFIGURATION. JESUS RETURNS TO CAPER 
 NAUM. PASSES THROUGH PER^A TOWARD JERU 
 SALEM. 
 
 WHILE the minds of the disciples were in a 
 state of amazement at the new prospect opened 
 before them, an event took place calculated to 
 enlighten and instruct them, as well as to prepare 
 them for their coming trials. Six days after the 
 scene recorded at the close of the last chapter, 
 Jesus took his three confidential apostles, Peter, 
 James, and John, and retired with them to a 
 mountain for purposes of devotion ; another 
 example of his custom to devote a s.eason to spe 
 cial prayer at every important crisis of his life. 
 While he prayed, his appearance became changed, 
 his countenance shone with a lustre like that of 
 the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 
 At the same time Moses and Elijah, the two great 
 names of the ancient dispensation, appeared to 
 him, and conversed with him respecting his ap 
 proaching death at Jerusalem. Perhaps they 
 
 Matthew xvii. 1. Mark ix. 2. Luke ix. 28. 
 
172 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 were sent to reveal to him fully all its purposes 
 and necessity. Perhaps, as, when he afterward 
 prayed earnestly in the garden, an angel was sent 
 to strengthen him, so now, as he prayed on the 
 mountain, these holy prophets were sent to cheer 
 him and help him to meet his fearful trials. This 
 however we do not know, and there is no room 
 to enter into a discussion of all the questions to 
 which this remarkable event has given rise. One 
 thing is clear. It was designed to give a Divine 
 testimony to the character and authority of Jesus ; 
 for, as the prophets departed and the bright cloud 
 moved away, a voice was heard saying, " This is 
 my beloved Son ; hear him." Peter afterwards, 
 in one of his Epistles, refers to this voice " from 
 the excellent glory " as one of the evidences of his 
 Master s truth. As they went down from the 
 mountain, Jesus forbade the three witnesses to 
 speak of it until he had risen from the dead. 
 Mark tells us that they observed the injunction, 
 but were greatly perplexed to understand what 
 was meant by the rising from the dead. None 
 of the apostles seem to have arrived at any right 
 apprehension on this subject during their Lord s 
 life : and we shall find, as we go on, that his va 
 rious attempts to explain it were lost upon them. 
 There is reason to suppose that they thought it. 
 not a recovery from actual death, for it was a 
 current opinion among the Jews that the Messiah 
 
THE TRANSFIGURATION. 173 
 
 should never die, but a rising to the power and 
 office of his kingdom. 
 
 But if they could not understand what was 
 meant by the resurrection, neither could they 
 comprehend why they should conceal what they 
 had seen. There was a tradition, derived from 
 the prophet Malachi, that Elijah should appear 
 before the coming of the Messiah. Why should 
 they not proclaim that they had seen him on the 
 mountain ? They asked an explanation ; and 
 Jesus informed them that Elijah had already ap 
 peared, and been put to death. The office de 
 scribed by Malachi had been performed by John 
 the Baptist. 
 
 On reaching the plain, they found the other dis 
 ciples surrounded by a crowd, and among them 
 a man with a lunatic son, whom the disciples had 
 in vain striven to heal. Jesus reproved them for 
 their want of faith, and healed the unfortunate 
 boy. When questioned by the apostles why they 
 had not been able to do it, he answered, " Because 
 of your unbelief " ; and assured them that if their 
 faith were but strong, no miracle would be im 
 possible to them. And their faith was to be ren 
 dered thus strong, he added, by prayer and fast 
 ing, by faithful use of the means of devotion 
 and spiritual strength. 
 
 It has been thought that the beautiful and pic- 
 Matthew xvii. 14. Mark ix. 14. Luke ix. 37. 
 
174 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 turesque mountain of Tabor was that on which 
 the transfiguration took place. But the summit 
 of Tabor was far too public a spot for a transac 
 tion of this nature ; and besides, the course of the 
 history shows that it could not have occurred in 
 Galilee, and that it probably took place in the 
 neighborhood of Cesarea Philippi. 
 
 Shortly after this event, they directed their way 
 to Galilee, and returned to Capernaum, from which 
 they had been for some time absent. Their re 
 turn was private, for Jesus was desirous of con 
 cealing his movements as far as possible ; "he 
 would not that any one should know it." Perhaps 
 he would not have returned home at all, except 
 that it might be necessary for some purposes pre 
 vious to his final departure for Jerusalem. As 
 they journeyed, the subject of his approaching 
 end appears to have occupied their minds ; indeed 
 how could it be otherwise ? " Let these sayings 
 sink deep into your ears," said he ; " the Son of 
 man shall be delivered into the hands of men, and 
 they will kill him. But he will rise again the third 
 day." But they understood not this saying, says 
 the Evangelist, and were afraid to ask him. Hence 
 it remained without explanation, and they put upon 
 it that construction which was most consonant to 
 their prejudices and wishes, a construction which 
 afterwards entirely misled them. 
 
 On arriving at Capernaum, the officers whose 
 
HE PAYS THE TAX. 175 
 
 duty it was to collect a certain tax inquired of 
 Peter whether his Master did not pay it. Peter, 
 aware that Jesus had resided long enough in Ca 
 pernaum to have it considered his lawful home, 
 replied that he did. It is not perfectly clear what 
 this tax was. It was perhaps the poll-tax levied 
 by the Romans ; but more probably it was the tax 
 of half a shekel required to be paid by all Jews of 
 twenty years old and upward for the use of the 
 temple. When Peter went into the house to 
 speak of the subject to Jesus, his Lord immedi 
 ately explained to him that, as the princes of the 
 earth do not assess their own children, he, as the 
 Son of God, would be rightfully excused from the 
 payment of a tax to the temple, which was his 
 Father s house. He probably said this because 
 he desired at this critical period to impress on 
 his followers, by every possible means, the assur 
 ance of his authority and dignity. For now the 
 season was coming in which their steadfastness 
 would be tried. Yet, that he might give no un 
 necessary offence, he paid the tax ; and, what is 
 very remarkable, by performing a miracle, the 
 only instance in which he wrought a miracle for 
 his own convenience. 
 
 Immediately after this an incident occurred 
 which shows the extreme difficulty in which he 
 was placed in relation to the disciples. If he 
 
 Matthew xvii. 24. 
 
176 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 spoke of his sufferings and death, they were in 
 sorrow and despair. If to cheer them he spoke 
 of his resurrection, or asserted his dignity, as he 
 had just done when speaking of the tax, they im 
 mediately misunderstood him, and indulged erro 
 neous expectations. Such, it now appeared, had 
 been the result of his recent communications. 
 They contrived to satisfy themselves, that, what 
 ever their Lord might mean, he could not mean 
 to give up the kingdom of Israel and the throne 
 of David ; and as the time seemed to be drawing 
 nigh, they began to be desirous of knowing what 
 offices they should possess and what privileges 
 enjoy. This had been a topic of speculation with 
 them on their journey from Cesarea Philippi, and 
 was carried so far as to occasion some dispute. 
 They could not agree which of them ought to 
 hold the highest offices, or be " the greatest," as 
 they expressed it. Now nothing could be less 
 agreeable to the mind of their Master than such 
 a strife as this. It showed not only a spirit of 
 ambition and rivalry, but a desire of worldly dis 
 tinction. Jesus, therefore, took an early opportu 
 nity to rebuke it ; and he did it in that impressive 
 way which was so characteristic of him. He 
 called the twelve together to him in the house, 
 and placed a little child before them. There, 
 said he, is your example. Unless you give up this 
 
 Matthew xviii. Mark ix. 33. Luke ix. 46. 
 
THE AMBITION OF THE DISCIPLES. 177 
 
 ambitious desire of personal distinction, and hum 
 ble yourselves like children, instead of attaining 
 high places in my kingdom, you will not even 
 have any place in it. If any of you insist on be 
 ing first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. 
 And thus he went on, warning them against am 
 bition, urging them to severe and self-denying 
 virtue, and to mutual kindness, forbearance, and 
 forgiveness, in a discourse at once the most solemn 
 and affectionate. They could not have heard it 
 without strong emotion. It seems as if it must 
 have removed from their hearts forever all am 
 bitious rivalry and unkind feeling. For he illus 
 trated it by parables, setting forth the infinite grace 
 and long-suffering of God in representations so 
 wonderfully affecting, that all selfish pride and 
 unrelenting hardness of disposition are made to 
 seem despicable. 
 
 With this conversation our Lord closed his 
 ministry in Galilee. It began, as we may judge 
 from the first public discourse upon record, with 
 benedictions on the meek, the humble, the for 
 giving, as if he thus would paint the character 
 and display the genius of his religion. And we 
 have just seen that it closed with pathetically im 
 pressing on his chosen twelve the same great 
 lessons, lessons difficult to be learned, but 
 which form the loveliness of the Christian char 
 acter. 
 
 8* L 
 
178 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 And now, says the Evangelist, " when the time 
 was come that he should be received up, he stead 
 fastly set his face to go to Jerusalem." He knew 
 what awaited him, but he would not shrink from 
 it. The great work for which he had been sent 
 into the world, and which he had devoted himself 
 to accomplish, could not be complete except 
 through his death. And he went steadfastly for 
 ward to meet it. He went, in one sense, alone. 
 His nearest friends did not comprehend his situa 
 tion. From them, therefore, he had no true sym 
 pathy. If he talked with them, they misunder 
 stood his words. None but God knew what was 
 before him ; with none but God could he commune 
 on the dreadful and mysterious fate which was 
 approaching. But he felt that he heard him al 
 ways ; and he was not alone, for his Father was 
 with him. 
 
 On leaving Capernaum, he at first attempted 
 to pass by the direct route to Judrea, which Ijes 
 through Samaria. But he was refused admittance 
 into one of the towns, because he was going up 
 to the great feast at Jerusalem. Such was the 
 religious bigotry of that people against the Jews. 
 The disciples, who not only had a strong attach 
 ment to their Lord, but who were expecting him 
 soon to appear in his glory as the Messiah, 
 were highly indignant at so insulting treatment ; 
 
 Matthew xix. 1. Mark x. 1. Luke ix. 51. 
 
HE GOES TO JERUSALEM. 179 
 
 and James and John carried the feeling so far, 
 that they proposed to him to call down fire from 
 heaven upon them, as Elijah had once done. But 
 Jesus had no sympathy with such feelings or 
 measures. He turned and rebuked them, saying, 
 " Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of." 
 And then, to avoid all contention, he gave up his 
 original plan, crossed the Jordan, and proceeded 
 on his way through the country which lies on the 
 other side of the river. 
 
 His journey thus lay through Pera3a, a region 
 which he had once or twice before visited, but 
 where probably he was in general known only by 
 reputation. The people resorted to him as he 
 passed, and he taught and healed them. He was 
 still in Herod s dominions ; but his reasons for 
 privacy seem to have existed no longer, now that 
 he was secure of reaching Jerusalem in season 
 for the feast. He went publicly, in company 
 doubtless with the people who at this time must 
 have been thronging the roads on the way to the 
 city. He was one day warned by some Pharisees, 
 that Herod was in pursuit of him, and advised 
 to flee : " Get thee out, and depart hence ; for 
 Herod will kill thee." But he replied, that he 
 feared him not ; that he should proceed on his 
 way, teaching and working miracles, for two days ; 
 and on the third should finish his errand and be 
 out of the reach of the crafty prince. No one 
 
180 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 could now hinder him from completing his work ; 
 for it was not possible for a prophet to perish out 
 of Jerusalem. And when he had said this, being 
 deeply affected at the thought of the guilt and the 
 wretchedness of that devoted city, he burst out 
 in the pathetic exclamation : " Jerusalem, Je 
 rusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest 
 them that are sent unto thee, how often would I 
 have gathered thy children together, as a hen 
 gathereth her brood under her wings ! and ye 
 would not. Behold, your house is left unto you 
 desolate." 
 
 This last journey to Jerusalem was signalized 
 by many incidents and discourses. It was at this 
 time that the Pharisees came to him, and attempt 
 ed to ensnare him by subtile questions about the 
 law of marriage and divorce ; whom he silenced 
 by the clearness and wisdom of his replies. Now 
 it was, too, that certain parents brought to him 
 their little children, that they might share the at 
 tention and receive the blessing of the benevolent 
 teacher. The disciples did not understand how 
 suitable this was to their Master s character, and 
 they rebuked those who brought them. But 
 Jesus, who had so lately recommended the exam 
 ple of a child to his ambitious followers, was 
 pleased to show his affection and honor for the 
 little innocents. He therefore encouraged the 
 
 Luke xiii. 31. Matthew xix. 3. 
 
HE BLESSES THE CHILDItt^ ? . 181 
 
 parents whom the apostles had refused, and took 
 their children to his arms and blessed them ; say 
 ing, " Suffer the children to come to me, and 
 forbid them not ; for of such is the kingdom of 
 God." He then reminded his mistaken friends 
 of what he had so recently taught them, that it 
 was only by being like these children that they 
 could enter into his kingdom, or be partakers of 
 the real blessings he had come to dispense. 
 
 It was during this journey also, that a rich 
 young man came to him, earnestly inquiring 
 what he should do to inherit eternal life. There 
 was something so prepossessing in his appearance 
 of amiableness and sincerity, that Jesus is said 
 to have looked on him with peculiar complacency. 
 But amiable dispositions, and sincerity of purpose, 
 are of themselves insufficient ; and he required 
 him to give proof of his attachment to principle 
 and to himself, by distributing his property in 
 charity, and devoting himself to his ministry. 
 This was more than the ardent young man could 
 bring himself to do ; and he departed, " sorrow 
 ing," it is said ; for he would have been glad to 
 attach himself to the Messiah, if he could have 
 done it without a sacrifice. His riches were the 
 obstacle ; and our Lord took occasion to remark 
 how dangerous a possession is wealth, and how 
 likely to deter men from the reception of his Gos- 
 
 Matthew xix. 13. Mark x. 13. Luke xviii. 15. 
 
182 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 pel. They would be slow to give up for its sake 
 their worldly enjoyments and luxuries. 
 
 On hearing this, Peter reminded his Master 
 that he and his companions had given up every 
 thing for the sake of following him, and asked 
 what reward they were to have. Jesus answered 
 him in terms adapted to encourage and satisfy him 
 in the highest degree. He assured him that those 
 who suffered loss and sacrifice for him and his 
 Gospel should receive abundant recompense even 
 in this world, meaning, doubtless, in those solid 
 satisfactions and pleasures which attend the per 
 formance of duty, and in the world to come 
 everlasting life. In this connection he recited the 
 parable of the laborers in the vineyard ; and about 
 the same time, probably, delivered some other of 
 his recorded instructions. 
 
 Thus they proceeded towards Jerusalem ; and 
 " as they were in the way," says the Evangelist, 
 " Jesus went before them ; and they were amazed, 
 and as they followed they were sore afraid." 
 These words express the perplexity and apprehen 
 sion of mind with which they looked forward to 
 the result of their journey. He again spoke to 
 them on the subject, endeavoring to explain to 
 them what it was that was to happen. But they 
 still understood none of these things. So far 
 indeed were they from any just idea of what lie 
 meant, that James and John, at this very time, 
 
HE AGAIN SPEAKS OF HIS DEATH. 183 
 
 came to him with their mother, to obtain from him 
 a promise that they should have the first offices 
 of honor in his kingdom ; that they should sit, the 
 one at his right hand, and the other at his left. 
 Whether this request originated with these disci 
 ples, or was wholly the suggestion of their mother, 
 who was certainly very forward in it, does not 
 appear. It is in either case wonderful that, so 
 soon after the rebuke which had been given to 
 their ambitious projects, they should have been 
 so infatuated as to present this demand. The 
 other ten were not a little displeased ; and their 
 Master took the opportunity to reprove once more, 
 and in the plainest terms, this love of superiority 
 and power ; declaring, that, however it might be 
 among the leading men of the world, greatness 
 among his followers was to be attained only by 
 services and toils ; " even as the Son of man," 
 he added, " came not to be ministered unto, but 
 to minister, and to give his life a ransom for 
 many." 
 
 At length having arrived at the point in the 
 road where it crosses the Jordan, in order to go to 
 Jerusalem, he passed over. Jericho lies on the 
 road from the river, and must be traversed. This 
 was an ancient and populous city, celebrated as 
 the first place taken by Joshua, when the armies 
 of Israel entered Canaan. It was situated in a 
 
 Matthew xx. 17. Mark x. 32. Luke xviii. 31. 
 
184 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 spacious plain, abounding in palm-trees, and 
 often styled the City of Palms. In the time of 
 our Saviour it was a place of considerable wealth 
 and splendor, having been adorned by Herod with 
 a palace and other public buildings, in the mag 
 nificent spirit of that prince. As our Lord, with 
 his numerous attendants, approached this busy 
 and populous town, the rumor of his coming went 
 before him, and the citizens poured out from the 
 gates to meet him, eager to behold the venerable 
 prophet of whom report had told such wonders. 
 One or two blind men, hearing the noise of the 
 multitude passing, asked what it meant ; and be 
 ing answered that it was Jesus of Nazareth, they 
 called out to him in earnest and confident faith, as 
 the son of David, that is, the Messiah, to have 
 pity on them. Jesus did not refuse the title, and 
 restored them to sight, to the great admiration of 
 the crowds who witnessed the miracle. 
 
 Amongst those whom the fame of his coming 
 had brought out to the highway was Zaccha3us, 
 chief of the publicans, a man of distinction and 
 property. In his eagerness to catch a sight of the 
 distinguished stranger, he climbed into a sycamore- 
 tree by the way-side, and waited his arrival at the 
 spot. Jesus drew nigh ; and, to the great amaze 
 ment of Zacchasus, who could not hope that so 
 despised a person as an unpopular publican would 
 
 Luke xix. 1. 
 
ZACCPLEUS. 185 
 
 be thought worthy the notice of a great prophet, 
 looked up into the tree, and hade him hasten down, 
 for he intended to honor his house with his pres 
 ence. Thus did our Lord delight to show regard 
 to the unpretending ; thus did he often verify his 
 words, that they who humble themselves shall be 
 exalted. 
 
 As might have been expected, this distinction 
 given a man of odious profession, " a sinner " as 
 he was styled, gave offence to the people, and 
 they did not hesitate to express their displeasure. 
 But Zacchagus defended himself against the im 
 putations they would cast on his character, and 
 Jesus boldly vindicated the cause he had taken. 
 He told the murmurers, that, though they might 
 regard this man as a sinner, he looked upon him 
 as a son of Abraham ; he approved the disposi 
 tions he had manifested ; he proclaimed salvation 
 to his house ; for, in truth, he added in the words 
 of his favorite expression, he had come to seek 
 and to save those that were lost, not to join in 
 depressing and condemning them. 
 
 Jesus passed the day at the house of Zaccha3us. 
 There was an evident expectation in the company 
 assembled with him there that he was about to 
 assume the kingdom, and they thought his ap 
 proach to Jerusalem a sign of it. This led him 
 to recite the parable of the ten pounds ; in which 
 he represented to them the true character of his 
 
186 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 kingdom, taught them how solemn would be the 
 responsibility of those who should enter it, in 
 structed them in the use they should make of their 
 opportunities and advantages, and admonished 
 them of the fearful account to be rendered by the 
 unfaithful. 
 
 He then left Jericho, and proceeded toward 
 Jerusalem, distant about twenty miles. On the 
 sixth day before the Passover he reached Beth 
 any. As this was only two miles from Jerusalem, 
 a large part of the concourse of people who at 
 tended him probably went forward to the city, 
 and spread the report of his approach. Many of 
 the Jews, on hearing it, went out to see him, not 
 only on his own account, but for the sake of see 
 ing at the same time Lazarus, whom he had raised 
 from the grave. The chief priests, who had al 
 ready adopted measures for the apprehension of 
 Jesus, took it seriously into consideration whether 
 Lazarus also should not be put to death ; because, 
 as long as he should live, he would be the means 
 of inducing many to believe in him who had re 
 stored him to life. 
 
 John xii. 1 . 
 
HE ESTERS JERUSALEM. 187 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM IN TRIUMPH. EVENTS 
 OF THE FIRST DAY. THE GREEKS DESIRE TO 
 SEE HIM. HE RETIRES TO BETHANY. 
 
 ALTHOUGH it was yet six days before the Pass 
 over, the people had already collected in great 
 numbers at Jerusalem. There were certain legal 
 defilements which required purification, some of 
 them for seven days, before the feast could be 
 partaken. This obliged many to resort early to 
 the city ; and it is reasonable to suppose that, in 
 many instances, they were accompanied by their 
 friends. Hence it is easy to see that the crowd 
 must have been gathering for several days ; and 
 St. John informs us, that, as they met and talked 
 in the courts of the temple, there was a general 
 inquiry for Jesus. " What think ye ? " said they, 
 " will he not come to the feast ? " They remem 
 bered how he had been treated at his former visits 
 to the city ; how he had been harassed and stoned ; 
 and how but four months ago, at the feast of Ded 
 ication, he had been obliged to fly for his life, be- 
 
 John xi. 55. 
 
188 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 fore he had been there a day. They knew, too, 
 that there was a proclamation abroad against him, 
 and that the chief council had given command 
 ment, that, if any man knew where he was, he 
 should inform of it, that he might be seized. It 
 was therefore a great matter of inquiry among 
 the people, whether he would venture, at this 
 obvious risk of his life, to show himself at the 
 feast. They did not know, as he did, that his 
 time was come, and he would shun danger no 
 longer. 
 
 It must have been with no little surprise that 
 they heard, on Saturday evening, the report of his 
 arrival at Bethany. On former occasions he had 
 come late and privately. But now he was among 
 the first to arrive, and was coming publicly. The 
 strong sentiment of grateful admiration prevailed ; 
 and, in spite of the decrees of the ruling powers, 
 there was a spontaneous movement in the multi 
 tude to do honor to the benevolent prophet. The 
 next morning, therefore, they went out to meet 
 him, and conduct him into the city. All history 
 does not record a more genuine instance of en 
 thusiastic public homage. It was the more strik 
 ing in this case because so transient. 
 
 Meantime Jesus had left Bethany ; and as he 
 went toward Jerusalem he sent two of his disci 
 ples into the village of Bethphage, which lay just 
 
 Matthew xxi. 1. Mark xi. 1. Luke xix. 29. John xii. 12. 
 
HE ENTERS JERUSALEM. 189 
 
 off the highway, with directions to bring to him 
 a young ass, which they should find tied with its 
 dam at the entrance of the village. It undoubt 
 edly belonged to one of his friends and followers, 
 as the owner at once allowed it to be taken, on 
 being told, "the Lord hath need of him." Some 
 of the disciples placed their garments on the 
 beast, and Jesus sat upon him. This seemed to 
 the attending multitude a signal that he was now 
 to assume the rank and title which they believed 
 to be his, and they set no limits to their expres 
 sions of delight and transport. They took off 
 their garments, and laid them in the path ; they 
 cut down branches from the trees, and strewed 
 them in the way. They thus proceeded till they 
 were met, probably as they descended the Mount 
 of Olives toward the city, by the people coming 
 from Jerusalem. They too were bearing branches 
 of palm-trees, and they fell in with the procession. 
 And the whole multitude of the disciples began 
 to rejoice and to praise God for all the mighty 
 works which they had seen. And they that went 
 before, and they that followed, cried, " Hosanna 
 to the Son of David ! Blessed is he that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord ! Blessed be the com 
 ing kingdom of our father David ! Hosanna in 
 the highest ! " Thus they went forward to Jeru 
 salem. 
 
 Little did the multitude know what was pass- 
 
190 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 ing in the thoughts of him whom they were thus 
 honoring. Little did they understand how far lie 
 was from sharing the feelings and purposes by 
 which they were impelled. In the midst of the 
 triumph, the central figure of the whole, to whom 
 all eyes and hearts turned, he was borne alo.ig 
 passively, taking no part in the scene of which lie 
 was chief part. There was nothing to him exhila 
 rating in the shouts or the gladness of the people ; 
 there was nothing to him glorious in this princely 
 approach to the capital of the nation. He looked 
 far beyond it all. He saw the truth and knew 
 the future. And as the procession rolled on frcm 
 the Mount of Olives and across the valley, he fix- id 
 his eyes on the guilty city, and wept at tie 
 ruin which was about to overtake it. U that 
 thou hadst known," he exclaimed, " even thou, 
 at least in this thy day, the things that belong to 
 thy peace ! But now they are hidden from thine 
 eyes." 
 
 As this remarkable assemblage drew near, it is 
 no wonder that, as Matthew expresses it, all the 
 city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" And 
 the people answered, " This is Jesus of Nazareth, 
 the Prophet of Galilee." Thus they proceeded 
 into the gate, and wound up the steep ascent, and 
 conducted Jesus to the temple. 
 
 The Pharisees and priests could ill bear this out 
 break of popular enthusiasm. They said among 
 
THE GREEKS DESIRE TO SEE HIM. 191 
 
 themselves, " Ye perceive how we prevail nolhing; 
 the world is gone out after him." Some of them 
 went to Jesus on the road, and attempted to per 
 suade him to put an end to the commotion. But 
 he replied, " I tell you if these should hold their 
 peace, the stones would immediately cry out." 
 After he had arrived in the temple, and the very 
 children, seeing his miracles and catching the 
 feeling of the crowd, shouted, " Hosanna to the 
 son of David," the priests and scribes could not 
 conceal their displeasure, and expressed it to him. 
 " Hearest thou what these say ? " " Yea," an 
 swered he, "have ye never read, Out of the 
 mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected 
 praise?" Thus on all sides his malicious ene 
 mies were baffled. It was impossible for them, 
 at such a moment, to execute their purpose. 
 
 Another occurrence was adapted still further to 
 mortify them. Some Greeks, who, being probably 
 proselytes to the Jewish faith, had come up to the 
 festival, expressed to Philip a desire to be intro 
 duced to Jesus. They entertained the common 
 expectations respecting the Messiah, and probably 
 hoped, by attaching themselves to him, to share 
 in the advantages of the kingdom, which, they 
 judged from the events of the morning, was about 
 being set up. Philip and Andrew made known 
 to Jesus their request. Whether he granted it, 
 and had an interview with the Greeks, is not said. 
 
192 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 But their request excited in his mind a strong 
 image of the glory to which he was appointed, 
 and the sufferings through which he must reach 
 it. The hour is come, said he, that the Son of 
 man should be glorified. Not, however, by such 
 glory as these Greeks expect, and which they de 
 sire to share. It is only through death that he is 
 to obtain it, as the grain must perish in the earth, 
 before it can bear fruit. And those who would 
 share it must be ready like him to give up life. 
 
 As he thus spoke, he became agitated with 
 the thoughts of dreadful suffering which rushed 
 upon his mind. The Evangelist has not concealed 
 it, for he would have the disciples in all ages 
 know that their Master felt his own trials, and 
 could therefore sympathize with them in theirs. 
 He gave utterance to his feelings. " Now is my 
 soul troubled ; and what shall I say ? Father, 
 save me from this hour ! " It is uncertain whether 
 these last words are to be considered as actually 
 expressing a prayer, or whether they are simply 
 a question ; Shall I say, Father, save me from 
 this hour ? In either case they strongly indicate 
 the trouble of his soul. It was but momentary. 
 He immediately checked it, and added, " But for 
 this cause came I to this hour. Father, glorify 
 thy name ! " A voice from heaven immediately 
 replied, "I have both glorified it, and will glorily 
 it again." The by-standers were struck with sur- 
 
CLOSE OF THE FIRST DAY. 193 
 
 prise. Some thought it the voice of an angel, 
 some said it only thundered. Jesus warned them 
 that it was a voice intended for them ; that now 
 all unbelief was inexcusable, and judgment would 
 overtake those who should reject him. He was 
 about to triumph over the powers of the world, 
 and his very death should give him universal do 
 minion. So naturally did his mind rise to mag 
 nificent thoughts, even when the image of his 
 sufferings pressed upon him most heavily ! But 
 the people, who were wedded to their old notions 
 and would not open their minds to any change, 
 asked him how he could talk of dying if he were 
 the Messiah ; for they had been taught to believe 
 that that person would abide forever. Jesus re 
 plied, that this was no moment for captious cavil 
 ling ; they yet had the light and might use it ; it 
 would soon be withdrawn, and darkness and ruin 
 might overtake them. He entreated them to walk 
 by it while they possessed it. 
 
 Thus passed the first day of his final visit to 
 Jerusalem. It began in acclamation and triumph. 
 It saw him hailed by the multitudes of the people, 
 and led in honor to the city and the temple. To 
 the hopes of his followers, all was bright and 
 prosperous. His enemies were silenced, the peo 
 ple were full of enthusiasm in his favor, the tem 
 ple was ringing with their hosannas, and even 
 the Gentiles were crowding to do him homage. 
 
194 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 Whatever then he might have meant when he 
 talked of suffering and death, it was plain to his 
 friends now that no such evils were to be feared ; 
 and they were ready to congratulate themselves 
 on the close of their toils and the fulfilment of 
 their hopes. But the Messiah himself knew bet 
 ter. He saw that all this show of honor was 
 founded in mistake, and that as soon as the actual 
 truth should be known, it would be withdrawn. 
 There was very little faith among the people, 
 which would survive the disappointment of their 
 present excited expectations. Many, it is true, 
 even among the chief priests, secretly believed in 
 him ; but they would not acknowledge it, because 
 they would then be excommunicated. All this he 
 knew ; therefore the delusive promises of the day 
 did not move him. Above all, he knew that the 
 great work of benevolence which he was sent by 
 the Father to perform could be accomplished only 
 through his death. He had neither the thought 
 nor the wish to shun it. 
 
 When the evening approached, he withdrew 
 from the city with his disciples, and retired to 
 Bethany. John says, " he did hide himself from 
 them " ; and we may suppose that his object was 
 to escape, for the present, both the pursuit of his 
 enemies, and the unreasonable excitement of the 
 people. He continued to seek this retirement 
 every evening to the close of his life. 
 
 John xii. 37. 
 
EVENTS OF THE SECOND DAY. 195 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 EVENTS OF THE SECOND AND THIRD DAYS. VARIOUS 
 
 DISCOURSES OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE. HIS 
 
 PROPHECY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 
 
 THE next day was Monday, and our Lord re 
 turned in the morning to Jerusalem. On his way 
 thither occurred one of the striking incidents 
 which contributed to give the present week so 
 fearful a solemnity. Seeing a fig-tree at some 
 distance, which had an appearance of bearing 
 fruit, he went to it, but found none. In the hear 
 ing of his disciples, he commanded it to continue 
 barren forever; and it withered away, so that the 
 next morning it was observed by those who passed 
 by it. This was a significant act, like some of 
 those of the ancient prophets, designed as an 
 emblematical representation of the decay which 
 awaited the Jewish state in consequence of its 
 unfaithfulness. It was putting in a visible form, 
 if we may so say, tlw parable which he had before 
 spoken, of the husbandman who had long looked 
 in vain for fruit upon his tree, and therefore com 
 manded it to be cut down. 
 
 Matthew xxi. 18. Mark xi. 12. 
 
196 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 On reaching the temple, lie now, as he had 
 done at the last Passover, cleared its courts of the 
 buyers and sellers, and reproved those who thus 
 turned the house of prayer into a den of thieves. 
 At the intermediate festivals, he had left them 
 undisturbed ; probably because his enemies were 
 too active and powerful, and he could scarcely, 
 with all his caution, escape them. But now his 
 time was come, he was ready to end his work, 
 and the present feeling of the people was such as 
 to screen him from all ill consequences. So that 
 although, when the rulers heard of this act, they 
 thought to seize him, they found the state of the 
 popular mind such that they dared not attempt it. 
 They could not find what they might do, says 
 Luke, for all the people were very attentive to 
 hear him. 
 
 At evening he again left the city, and spent the 
 night at some retired place in the neighborhood. 
 
 On Tuesday morning he returned to Jerusalem. 
 On the way they passed by the withered fig-tree ; 
 and our Lord took the opportunity of impressing 
 the twelve with the importance and worth of that 
 undoubting faith, on which the power of working 
 miracles depended. No work, lie assured them, 
 would be impossible to them who would ask in 
 faith, and nothing would be denied them; an as 
 surance of great importance to them in the ardu 
 ous and discouraging labors on which they were 
 
EVENTS OF THE THIRD DAY. 197 
 
 entering. They needed it ; and in the miraculous 
 powers which attended them wherever they went, 
 their Lord s remarkable promise was literally ful 
 filled. To his disciples of the present day it does 
 not literally apply ; but in its spirit it holds good. 
 Every one who prays in humble and hearty faith 
 receives an inward spiritual blessing, worth as 
 much to his soul as an outward miracle. 
 
 On arriving at the temple, as he walked among 
 the porticos, conversing and teaching, he was ad 
 dressed by certain of the chief priests and elders, 
 who came to him, probably, as a deputation from 
 the Sanhedrim. They had been prevented from 
 executing their decree against him, by the strong 
 feeling in his favor which existed among the peo 
 ple. It became necessary, therefore, to have some 
 plausible pretext for an accusation, or their design 
 would be defeated. With this view, they ap 
 pointed deputies to put to him the question, in 
 the hearing of the people in the temple, " By what 
 authority doest thou these things, and who gave 
 thee this authority ? " They hoped to make use 
 of his answer to entangle him with the Roman 
 power. Jesus perceived their design, and foiled 
 it by his reply. He said that he would tell them, 
 if they would tell him their opinion of John s 
 baptism; was it from heaven, or of men? This 
 question they declined answering, because they 
 
 Matthew xxi. 23. Mark xi. 27. Lukexx. 1. 
 
198 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 could not do it without committing themselves. 
 He consequently refused to answer their insidious 
 interrogation. He did not stop there. In the 
 presence of the people to whom they had hoped 
 to expose him, he pronounced a severe censure 
 of their inconsistent disregard of the Baptist s 
 instructions. He then recited that solemn para 
 ble in which he describes the various dispensa 
 tions of God which had been abused by the 
 Jewish people, the sending of his Son in hope 
 that he would be reverenced, and the doom that 
 awaited his rejection. They could not fail to 
 perceive that he had aimed this parable against 
 them, and they would gladly have seized him. 
 But such was the crowd of people who were 
 eagerly listening to him, that they dared not make 
 the attempt. 
 
 They still, however, did not desist from their 
 design of entangling him in his talk, that they 
 might find whereof to accuse him. They accord 
 ingly, in the course of the day, sent to him an 
 other deputation, consisting of Pharisees and 
 Herodians. These were to "feign themselves 
 just men," says Luke, " and take hold of his 
 words, that so they might deliver him to the pow 
 er and authority of the governor." They accord 
 ingly addressed him with apparent respect, and in 
 very complimentary terms asked his judgment on 
 
 Matthew xxii. 15. Mark xii. 12. Luke xx. 20. 
 
HE REPLIES TO THE PHARISEES. 199 
 
 the question, whether it were lawful to pay tribute 
 to the Roman Emperor. Who the Herodians 
 were, is not certainly known. Various opinions 
 have existed in regard to them. They probably 
 derived their name from Herod the Great, and 
 were a sect partly religious and partly political. 
 They probably advocated the cause of the Ro 
 mans, and were averse to all opposition to their 
 authority. The question which they put to Jesus 
 was one from which it was difficult to escape ; and 
 although they had had many proofs of his wisdom 
 and caution, they fancied that now they should 
 successfully entrap him. They did not consider 
 his power of penetrating beyond the appearance, 
 and discerning the motives and thoughts of men. 
 He perceived their hypocrisy, and foiled their 
 cunning. " Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites ? " 
 he said ; " show me the tribute-money." They 
 brought him a piece. " Whose image and super 
 scription are these ? " he asked. " Caesar s," 
 they replied. Then, said he, " Render unto 
 Caesar the things that are Caesar s, and unto God 
 the things that are God s." This admirable an 
 swer has passed into a proverb. When the ques 
 tioners heard it, they marvelled at it, say the 
 Evangelists ; and, finding that they could not take 
 hold of his words before the people, they held 
 their peace and departed. 
 
 But there were other cavillers who pressed 
 
200 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 upon him. Certain Sadducees, a sect who de 
 nied the doctrine of a resurrection, and held that 
 there is no such thing as angel or spirit, came to 
 him with a perplexing question about the future 
 state. There was an air of self-satisfied cunning 
 in their manner of proposing it, which showed 
 that they really supposed they had brought this 
 great teacher of immortality into an inextricable 
 difficulty. But they had only given him an op 
 portunity to expose the shallowness of their wis 
 dom, and to explain, that in the future life they 
 neither marry nor give in marriage, but are as 
 the angels of God in heaven. The listening peo 
 ple were astonished and delighted at his reply. 
 Some of the scribes exclaimed, " Master, thou 
 hast said well." And one of them, pleased with 
 what he heard, asked him which he considered 
 to be the greatest commandment of the law. In 
 reply to this question, Jesus quoted from the Old 
 Testament, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
 with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with 
 all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thy 
 neighbor as thyself" ; adding, " there is no com 
 mandment greater than these." The scribe heart 
 ily assented to this. Upon which Jesus, as ready 
 to commend the honest as to expose the hypocriti 
 cal, said to him, " Thou art not far from the king 
 dom of God." 
 
 Meantime the Pharisees, pleased at his silen- 
 
HE REPLIES TO THE PHARISEES. 201 
 
 cing their old opponents the Sadducees, had gath 
 ered round him again. He turned to them with 
 a question on the great and engrossing subject of 
 the expected Messiah. These bigoted men pro 
 fessed to understand fully the prophecies concern 
 ing him, and were obstinately confident in their 
 notions respecting his character. They were par 
 ticularly anxious at this moment to keep the 
 people persuaded of the correctness of their 
 own views. Jesus wished to show them, that, 
 after all, they were ignorant, and to expose them 
 for their presumption. He therefore asked, " What 
 think ye of the Messiah ? Whose son is he ? " 
 They answered, "David s." "But David calls 
 him Lord," replied he ; " how then is he his son? " 
 To this they made no reply. They could make 
 none, so long as they insisted that the Messiah 
 was to be a temporal prince. It was only by 
 acknowledging that his was a spiritual kingdom, 
 and his authority that of a religious sovereign, 
 that they could explain his superiority to David. 
 But this they would not do. They would not open 
 their eyes to their error. They were silenced ; 
 but they refused to be convinced. Yet as they 
 found it vain to argue with him, and perceived 
 that the more they strove to entangle him, the 
 more they were themselves perplexed and ex 
 posed, they from that time asked him no more 
 questions. 
 
 9* 
 
202 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 But the common people, says Mark, heard him 
 gladly ; and he immediately turned to them, and, 
 in strong and pointed language, warned them 
 against the example and influence of those un 
 worthy men. As they were authorized religious 
 teachers, their lessons should be observed ; but 
 their personal example should be shunned ; they 
 were hypocritical, ambitious, and oppressive. 
 Then, boldly turning to the men themselves, in 
 the presence and hearing of the people, he de 
 nounced them in a searching and solemn address, 
 than which nothing so fearfully tremendous has 
 been recorded in the history of eloquence. Its 
 boldness, its personality, its prophet-like tone of 
 urgent, yet unimpassioned rebuke, impart to it 
 such a power, that it can hardly be read without 
 trembling, and must have made it unspeakably 
 awful in the delivery. It seems to have been lis 
 tened to in death-like silence. No one presumed 
 to interrupt it, or reply to it. 
 
 The next words uttered by him, as recorded 
 by the Evangelists, stand in striking and beautiful 
 contrast to those of this address. He was sitting 
 where he could observe the people depositing their 
 offerings in the treasury for the use of the temple. 
 He saw a poor widow come with the rest, and 
 put in the trifling sum of two mites, amounting 
 in value to a little more than half a cent. He 
 
 Matthew xxiii. 1. Mark xii. 37. Luke xx. 45. 
 
THE TEMPLE. 203 
 
 bade his disciples notice it. And they must have 
 felt how much worthier is humble goodness than 
 worldly honor or wealth, when they heard him 
 commend this poor woman as having made the 
 richest offering; others had but given something 
 from the midst of abundance, while she, from the 
 midst of penury, had given her all. 
 
 As they were leaving the temple, some of the 
 disciples called their Master s attention to the 
 magnificence and riches of that noble building, 
 with its beautiful stones and splendid offerings. 
 It was indeed a sight well worthy of admiration. 
 It had been rebuilt by Herod with great splendor, 
 and for more than forty years had been receiving 
 continual additions to its ornaments and wealth. 
 Its spacious courts were paved with marble ; its 
 extensive porticos were supported by marble pil 
 lars; its massy gates were coated with gold and 
 silver ; and it was, on the whole, one of the most 
 admirable buildings ever known. It stood on 
 the summit of the holy mountain, two sides of 
 which had been built up, from the valley below, 
 with perpendicular walls of huge white stones, to 
 the height, in some places, of three hundred cu 
 bits. Some of the stones are said, by Josephus, 
 to have measured twenty-five cubits in length, 
 eight in height, and twelve in breadth. A cubit 
 is equal to about a foot and a half. It is no won- 
 
 Matthew xxiv., xxv. Mark xiii. Luke xxi. 
 
20i THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 der that the disciples looked with admiration on 
 a building thus remarkable for its situation, its 
 wealth, its beauty, and its strength. But Jesus, 
 instead of responding to their remark, replied, 
 "Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left 
 here one stone upon another which shall not be 
 thrown down." 
 
 They proceeded on their way, went out of the 
 city, and seated themselves on the Mount of 
 Olives. Jerusalem lay directly before them, as it 
 were beneath their feet. It was probably toward 
 the close of the day ; and the setting sun shone 
 bright upon its towers and pinnacles, its holy 
 temple and gorgeous palaces. The disciples had 
 been musing of what their Lord had said of 
 its destruction ; and now. as they sat looking 
 upon it in its beauty, they came to him and in 
 quired when this destruction should take place, 
 and by what signs they might know of its ap 
 proach ; or, as they expressed it, " the sign of his 
 coming and the end of the world," meaning the 
 Jewish world, or dispensation. For they believed 
 that the Messiah was to establish a new dispensa 
 tion or age, by which that of Moses would be 
 brought to an end. 
 
 Jesus replied to their question at great length. 
 He began with warning them not to be deceived 
 by false Messiahs, who would arise, and lead 
 away many. Then he told them of the rise of 
 
DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM PREDICTED. 205 
 
 commotions and wars, and finally of the desola 
 tion of the city by the Roman arms. He prophe 
 sied respecting all these things with minuteness, 
 and assured them that they should all take place 
 during that generation ; as in fact came to pass 
 with wonderful exactness. He urged them to 
 watch and be prepared. He admonished them, 
 by solemn and striking figures and parables, of 
 the necessity of fidelity and perseverance. He 
 pictured forth their duty and responsibility under 
 the images of the thief in the night, of the ten 
 virgins, and of the talents intrusted to the ser 
 vants. And so passing from image to image, from 
 one solemn topic of warning and exhortation to 
 another, he led them on to the day of final retri 
 bution and eternal judgment ; he left the form of 
 parable and figure, and spoke in plain terms of 
 the great last day ; he painted to them the pro 
 cess of the judgment, described the characters of 
 the blessed and the rejected, and repeated the 
 awful sentence of final bliss and woe. 
 
 Nothing can be more impressive than this por 
 tion of our Lord s instructions, addressed prima 
 rily to his little band of followers on Olivet, but 
 of unspeakable interest to all in every age. From 
 their manner, it seems probable, that, although 
 they were begun " privately," in presence of the 
 twelve, or perhaps of only four of them, yet many 
 persons collected around him before they were 
 
206 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 concluded, and they formed a public discourse, 
 It adds to the interest with which we read it, to 
 reflect that it was his last public discourse. 
 With these words of fearful warning, and this 
 affecting picture of the final judgment, he closed 
 his ministry. On the Mount of Olives, over 
 against the temple, in full view of the city for 
 which he had toiled and prayed, over which he 
 had lamented and wept, and in which and for 
 which he was to suffer, were uttered the last pub 
 lic counsels of his holy and benevolent voice. But 
 few heard them then, and fewer still understood 
 them and treasured them up. But they have 
 since been repeated to thousands and millions in 
 all the languages of man. They have sunk deep 
 into the hearts of countless multitudes, who heard 
 not the Saviour s voice on earth, but who have 
 learned to love and obey him, and long to be 
 united with him in heaven. And when that great 
 day arrives, many will undoubtedly receive his 
 welcome, whose steps were led into the way of 
 life and glory by this description of the judg 
 ment with which he closed his ministry among 
 men. 
 
 When he had done speaking, he reminded his 
 disciples that it was now but two days to the 
 Passover, when he was to be betrayed and put to 
 death. 
 
 From the Mount of Olives they then departed. 
 
THE SUPPER AT BETHANY. 207 
 
 and retired to Bethany. In the evening a supper 
 was made for him there,* in the house of Simon, 
 " the leper," as he is called. He probably had 
 been cleansed from his disease by Jesus, and 
 showed him this hospitality from a feeling of grat 
 itude and friendship. Lazarus was one of the 
 company. His sisters also were present, and 
 Martha served. During the repast, Mary gave 
 a new proof of that affectionate devotion to her 
 Lord which she had before exhibited. She had 
 probably heard him speak, in the solemn way 
 which impressed his followers, of his approaching 
 sufferings and death. She was deeply affected by 
 it. And, under the influence of her feelings, she 
 came to him, as he sat at supper, with an alabas 
 ter box of precious perfume of spikenard, and 
 poured it upon his head. John says, that she 
 also poured it on his feet, and wiped them with 
 her hair. This, according to the notions of that 
 part of the world, was doing him a high and pe 
 culiar honor. It was the second time that it had 
 been offered him in the course of his ministry. 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 6. Mark xiv. 3. John xii. 2. 
 
 * It might be inferred from John s account, that this took place 
 sevei al evenings previous, viz. on our Lord s first arrival in Beth 
 any. But as both Matthew and Mark say it was two days before 
 the passover, I have placed it here ; understanding John not to 
 speak of the time, but simply to state that they made the supper 
 " there." Otherwise we should have two suppers and two anoint 
 ments precisely alike the same week. 
 
208 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 But there were some present now, who felt, as 
 the Pharisee did on the former occasion,* no sym 
 pathy with the deep reverence and affection which 
 prompted the act. Judas, with others of the 
 company, exclaimed against the extravagance and 
 wastefulness of the deed. " It might have been 
 sold," said they, " for three hundred denarii " 
 [about forty-five dollars], "and given to the 
 poor." Their pretended regard for the poor was 
 ill-timed. No one had more of it than Jesus ; 
 but he felt that, in this instance, the expenditure 
 was virtuous : it was the offering of sacred and 
 reverential affection, excited by the approach of 
 his death and the feeling that the opportunity of 
 showing him honor would soon be past. He 
 therefore defended her against the attack of the 
 cavillers, not only justifying, but applauding 
 her ; and assured them, that, wherever his Gospel 
 should be preached, this deed of love should be 
 celebrated. 
 
 Judas appears to have felt the rebuke keenly. 
 He was probably at once mortified and angered. 
 He knew how false were his own motives. He 
 had not spoken from any charitable purpose, but 
 for reasons simply selfish and criminal. He was 
 the keeper of the common purse, and would have 
 been glad to fill it with this goodly sum, that he 
 might take from it what his dishonest hand de- 
 See page 1 1 7. 
 
JUDAS OFFERS TO BE 
 
 sired. Perceiving himself detectec 
 angry at the reproof, as bad men are apt to be, 
 because aware that he deserved it, he went im 
 mediately to the chief priests, and offered to be 
 tray his Master into their hands. 
 
 This was not the only instigating cause ; others 
 were unquestionably working in his evil nrind ; 
 but this furnished the occasion. He was proba 
 bly instigated to the treachery in part by cupidity, 
 and the desire to secure the pecuniary reward. 
 He had already, if we may judge from John s 
 calling him a thief, robbed the purse of the little 
 band, and doubtless, on this account, felt uneasy 
 in their company, and ill-disposed toward them, 
 as one is apt to do toward those whom he has 
 wronged. His base and selfish mind, too, could 
 have little sympathy with the severe and exalted 
 character of Ins Master. He was disappointed 
 in the ambitious expectations he had cherished. 
 He could not readily exchange the honors at 
 which he had been grasping for the defeat and 
 disgrace which were now threatening him. And 
 as the time drew near when * even his Master 
 had assured him there was hope no longer, he 
 resolved to secure safety to himself, at any cost, 
 and not lose everything in the inevitable ruin. 
 It is not easy, perhaps, to enter fully into the mo 
 tives which impelled him. Selfish, coarse, and 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 14. Mark xiv. 10. Luke xxii. 3. 
 
 N 
 
210 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 dishonest habits of mind and life are sufficient to 
 account for his conduct. If he had resisted the 
 influence of his Lord s society and character to 
 change them, it is not strange that he was capa 
 ble of any baseness. If he could live with Jesus, 
 and not be transformed, he was just the man to 
 betray him. And if he had been revolving it in 
 his mind, the offence he received at Simon s table 
 was just the thing to goad him to the act. 
 
 Nothing could be more acceptable to the ruling 
 powers, probably nothing more unexpected, than 
 this offer of one of the familiar adherents of Jesus 
 to aid them in their designs. Their chief ob 
 stacle was thus removed. They had long re 
 solved to take him and put an end to his course. 
 They had issued a proclamation for information 
 respecting him. They had attempted to seize 
 him. But they had always found him during the 
 day surrounded by crowds of admiring listeners, 
 and had not dared to lay their hands on the 
 venerated prophet. " They feared the people." 
 Again and again, also, they had tried to circum 
 vent him in his conversation, and lay hold of some 
 words for which he might be brought to prosecu 
 tion. But these attempts had resulted in their 
 own shame. They were thus wholly at a loss 
 how to proceed. More than one meeting of the 
 great council seems to have been held ; and 
 ^ they consulted how they might take Jesus by 
 
JUDAS OFFERS TO BETRAY HIM. 211 
 
 craft, and put him to death." But they effected 
 nothing till Judas appeared before them, and 
 proposed to lead them to him in his retire 
 ment ; that is, as Luke expresses it, " in the 
 absence of the multitude." This was precisely 
 what they desired ; and they contracted with him 
 to do it for thirty pieces of silver, probably shek 
 els, and equal in value, therefore, to about four 
 teen dollars and seventy cents. For this paltry 
 reward did the miserable man blacken himself 
 with infamy and guilt. 
 
212 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE PASSOVER. THE LORD S SUPPER INSTITUTED. 
 JESUS CONVERSES AND PRAYS WITH THE APOSTLES. 
 
 THE feast of the Passover began on Thursday. 
 On the morning of that day, the disciples inquired 
 of Jesus where they should prepare for the even 
 ing festival. As none of them were inhabitants 
 of Jerusalem, they must depend on the hospitality 
 of some of the citizens for accommodation ; and 
 as, at this season, the houses were freely thrown 
 open to the visitors from the country, there could 
 be no difficulty in finding a place. Jesus directed 
 them to the house of a person whom he pointed 
 out, probably one of his followers, who had a large 
 upper room ready furnished ; and directed Peter 
 and John to go thither, and make ready for the 
 evening. 
 
 Their principal duty was to prepare the paschal 
 lamb. This it was necessary for them to take to 
 the temple, and slay before the altar with their 
 own hands. One of the priests received the blood 
 in a vessel, and it was poured out at the bottom 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 17. Mark xiv. 12. Luke xxii. 7. 
 
THE PASSOVER. 213 
 
 of the altar. The fat was consumed on the altar. 
 The time prescribed in the law for doing this was 
 " at even, at the going down of the sun." Jose- 
 phus says that it was done hetween the ninth and 
 eleventh hours ; that is, between three and five 
 o clock in the afternoon. After that, the lamb was 
 to be roasted whole, not even a bone being allowed 
 to be broken, and to be entirely eaten before 
 morning. 
 
 The manner of conducting the supper appears 
 to have been somewhat as follows. The lamb was 
 placed upon the table, together with bitter herbs, 
 unleavened bread, and a sauce called charoseth, in 
 which the herbs and bread were dipped when 
 eaten. This sauce was composed of dates, figs, 
 and other fruits, beaten together, and is said to 
 have been designed to represent the clay or mor 
 tar used by the Israelites in making bricks in 
 Egypt. The party being assembled at table, not 
 sitting, but reclining on couches, and leaning on 
 the left arm, the master of the family poured out 
 a cup of wine and water, gave thanks, and dis 
 tributed it to all present. In the same way he 
 afterward took a piece of the unleavened bread, 
 pronounced a blessing, and distributed it. To 
 ward the close of the meal a third cup of wine 
 was drunk, called the cup of blessing. The cere 
 mony was ended with a fourth, and by singing 
 certain Psalms, namely, the cxvi., cxvii., cxviii. 
 
214 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 We shall find traces of this order in the account 
 of the last supper as observed by Jesus. 
 
 When the hour arrived, Jesus and the twelve 
 sat down together. It was usual to assemble in 
 family parties; but, in the present instance, there 
 was a stronger bond than that of kindred to draw 
 these friends together. It was possibly to this 
 circumstance that Jesus alluded, when he said to 
 his disciples, that he had exceedingly desired to 
 keep this Passover in their company ; not with 
 his mother and kinsmen, but with his own chosen 
 few. It might remind them of his having for 
 merly said, that he regarded those as most truly 
 his relatives who were most devoted to his Father s 
 will. 
 
 It was probably in taking their places at the 
 table that the contest for precedency, which is 
 mentioned by Luke, arose among the disciples, 
 " a strife which should be accounted greatest." 
 Jesus rebuked the unseasonable rivalry, reminded 
 them that place was no true indication of worth, 
 that he himself had been with them as a servant, 
 and that it should be enough for them, who had 
 continued with him through his trials, to know 
 that they should share the honors of his kingdom 
 at last. 
 
 Being placed at the table, he expressed to them 
 his satisfaction at thus meeting them. He had 
 
 Luke xxii. 24. 
 
THE LAST SUPPER. 215 
 
 greatly desired it, he said, because it would be 
 the last opportunity. Then, taking the cup of 
 wine, with which it was customary to begin the 
 ceremony, he gave thanks, and distributed it 
 among them. 
 
 He then rose from his couch, laid aside his 
 upper robe, girded himself with a towel, and, 
 taking a basin of water, proceeded to wash the 
 disciples feet. This service was usually performed 
 by menials ; and accordingly, when he came to 
 Peter, that ardent apostle, unwilling to allow such 
 condescension in his Master, cried out, " Thou 
 shalt never wash my feet." " If I wash thee not," 
 replied Jesus, " thou hast no part with me." 
 Peter immediately went to the other extreme : 
 " Lord, not my feet only, but my hands and my 
 head." The answer of Jesus shows how strongly 
 his mind was affected by the sad circumstance 
 that one of his own twelve would betray him. 
 He that has already bathed, he said, needs only to 
 wash his feet, for he is clean; ye, therefore, are 
 clean; "but not all," he added, as the thought of 
 Judas came over him. 
 
 Resuming his place at the table, he explained 
 to them, that he had thus been setting them an 
 example of humility which they ought to follow. 
 He probably had in mind what had passed before 
 supper, and in this striking way endeavored to 
 
 John xiii. 1. 
 
216 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 impress permanently on their hearts his lessons 
 of humility and love. 
 
 As the supper proceeded, his mind again turned 
 to the catastrophe, which was near. He was 
 troubled in spirit, and said, " Verily I say unto 
 you, one of you is about to betray me." The 
 disciples looked at each other doubtingly and in 
 amazement. Then they began to inquire among 
 themselves whom he could mean. Then, unable 
 to satisfy themselves, they asked him, one after 
 another, " Is it I ? " " Is it I ? " The nearest of 
 them to Jesus was John. He is called " the dis 
 ciple whom Jesus loved," and is said to have lain 
 in his bosom, because he reclined by his side on 
 the couch. Peter beckoned to him, that he 
 should ask who it was. John accordingly put the 
 question in a whisper; and Jesus answered by 
 giving him a sign ; it was that person to whom 
 he should give the piece of bread which he had 
 dipped in the Passover sauce ; for this is what is 
 meant by the sop in the Testament. He gave it 
 to Judas. That wretched man seems to have 
 borne this unexpected danger of exposure with a 
 bold face. He did not betray himself in any way 
 to his wondering companions. He even had the 
 assurance to ask, with the rest, " Lord, is it I ? " 
 Jesus must have answered him in a voice not to 
 be overheard by the others, for they did not learn 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 21. Mark xiv. 18. Luke xxii. 21. John xiii. 21. 
 
THE LAST SUPPER. 217 
 
 that ho was the man. At length, however, either 
 oecause he could bear it no longer, or because 
 the hour on which he had agreed with the San 
 hedrim had come, he rose from the table and left 
 the room. As he went out, Jesus said to him, 
 " That thou doest, do quickly." It is remarkable 
 that his departure excited no suspicion in the 
 minds of the other disciples. They merely sup 
 posed, ihat, as Judas held the common purse, he 
 had received directions to purchase what was 
 necessary for the feast, or to give something to 
 the poor. This last supposition of theirs, it has 
 been remarked, shows that it was a custom with 
 Jesus to distribute charity in this way. 
 
 It is not perfectly clear at what period Judar 
 left the room, whether before the supper was 
 finished, or not until its close. Different opin 
 ions have been entertained on the point. From 
 a comparison of the accounts of Matthew and 
 John, it seems probable that he left in the midst. 
 From Luke it might be inferred that he remained 
 to the lust. But as this writer was not present on 
 the occasion, it appears better to arrange the 
 narrative according to the testimony of the two 
 former, who were eye-witnesses. 
 
 When Judas had gone, our Lord again ad 
 verted to his sufferings in terms similar to those 
 which he had used when the Greeks applied to 
 him IL the temple. " Now is the Son of man 
 10 
 
218 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 glorified, and God is glorified in him." He then, 
 addressing his disciples affectionately as his " chil 
 dren," added, that his time was at hand, that lie 
 must shortly go from them, and entreated them 
 to love one another as he had loved them. Peter, 
 not perceiving his meaning, asked him whither 
 he was going. Jesus repeated, that at present he 
 could not follow him, but should do so at some 
 future time. Still Peter did not understand ; and 
 fearing that Jesus might say this because doubt 
 ful of his courage or fidelity, he exclaimed, 
 " Lord, why can I not follow thee now ? I will 
 lay down my life for thy sake." " Wilt thou lay 
 down thy life for my sake ? " said his Master ; 
 " verily I say unto thee, the cock will not crow till 
 thou hast denied me thrice." The warm-hearted 
 apostle took fire at this, and cried out, " Though 
 I die with thee, yet will I not deny thee." The 
 other ten joined him in this declaration. But 
 Jesus assured them that they would all take 
 offence and be scattered from him before morn 
 ing. Peter still insisted that, however it might 
 be with the others, it should not be so with him. 
 Jesus answered that they were about to go 
 through a peculiarly severe trial ; that for him he 
 had especially prayed, that his faith might not 
 fail ; and bade him, when recovered from the 
 shock it should receive, strengthen that of his 
 brethren. 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 31. Mark xiv. 27. Luke xxii. 31. John xiii. 3J- 
 
THE LAST SUPPER. 219 
 
 In relating the severer trials they were to en 
 counter, he further said, that the days were past 
 when they could go from place to place as they 
 had done, without purse, or sandals, or sword, 
 secure from assault and evil, and welcomed wher 
 ever they went. The times had changed. He 
 himself was to suffer as a malefactor, and they 
 would henceforth be subjected to want and perils, 
 such as would make it necessary to provide for 
 their own sustenance, and to be ready to part with 
 their clothing for the sake of a sword. The dis 
 ciples, still in the dark, fancied that he recom 
 mended them to arm themselves, and said, " Here 
 are two swords." He replied, "It is enough"; 
 as if he had said, Very well, with a sigh of dis 
 appointment to find that their obtuse minds were 
 still blind to the real posture of affairs. 
 
 As the ceremony proceeded, Jesus took the 
 unleavened cake, and, agreeably to the usage of 
 the occasion as already described, broke it, and 
 divided it among the disciples. But he told them 
 that henceforth its meaning and object were to be 
 changed. It was no longer to be eaten in com 
 memoration of their fathers in Egypt. They must 
 regard it as a memorial of himself, and consecrate 
 the occasion to his memory. So also he took the 
 cup of wine, which it was customary, at the close 
 of the supper, to bless and distribute among the 
 company. This, too, he told them, was hence- 
 
220 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 forth to commemorate a greater event than the 
 deliverance from Egyptian bondage. It was to 
 denote the shedding of his blood for the ratifica 
 tion of a new covenant, and was to be drunk in 
 memory of himself. Thus he changed for them 
 the character of this ancient festival ; he con 
 verted it from* its original national purpose into a 
 purely spiritual commemoration of himself. He 
 thus established that simple but touching observ 
 ance which is a peculiar rite of his religion, 
 and which has been cherished by believers in all 
 ages since, dear and hallowed as the memory of 
 its Founder. 
 
 It was impossible that this act should not deep 
 ly affect the minds of the disciples. He had often 
 spoken to them ;of late on the subject of his ap 
 proaching death ; but they had not understood 
 him, nor believed that he was to die. But now, 
 when he spoke of treachery, and formally charged 
 them to keep this feast thenceforward as a memo 
 rial of his death, declaring that he never should 
 again partake of it with them, they must have 
 been filled with fearful forebodings and alarm. 
 Jesus perceived their distress, and applied himself 
 to console it. " Let not your hearts be troubled," 
 said he; " ye believe in God, believe also in me." 
 Let it comfort you to reflect, that I have only gone 
 before you to my Father s house, and shall return 
 to receive you thither, that we may at last be 
 
THE LAST SUPPER. 221 
 
 alway together. Still, however, their minds were 
 not perfectly clear. Thomas and Philip and 
 Judas, the brother of James, put questions to 
 him, which showed that they were yet groping in 
 the dark. He explained himself to them ; re 
 minded them how dear he was to the Father, and 
 that therefore they should rather rejoice that he 
 was going to him ; assured them that they should 
 not be left comfortless, that they should be objects 
 of the Father s love and favor, and be blessed by 
 the gift of the Holy Spirit. And finally he said, 
 " Peace I leave with you ; my peace I give unto 
 you." 
 
 But his discourse did not consist wholly of 
 words of comfort. The truest consolation is al 
 ways found in the strength of virtuous principle 
 and preparation for virtuous action ; and it would 
 have been of little avail to the apostles, that their 
 present apprehensions were soothed, unless they 
 had also been made to understand what was re 
 quired of them, and nerved to bear the sufferings 
 and do the work appointed them. They were 
 going forth on the most important errand on which 
 men had ever been commissioned. They were 
 going into the midst of trials to which men had 
 never been exposed. Everything was to depend 
 on the constancy and fidelity with which they 
 should execute their trust. Jesus felt that in vain 
 
 John xv., xvi. 
 
222 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 had he begun an enterprise the most beneficent 
 to man and the most glorious to God, unless it 
 were prosecuted in his spirit. This spirit he 
 labored to infuse into them. He strove to make 
 them comprehend how much was depending on 
 their feeling their connection to himself, and 
 devoting themselves exclusively to his cause. He 
 urged them to adhere to him in all affection and 
 confidence, because they could otherwise have no 
 strength and success, any more than a branch 
 could live and bear fruit without connection with 
 the vine. He urged them to adhere to one an 
 other in brotherly love, and thus to recommend 
 their cause and their Master to the world. He 
 pleaded with them the memory and example of 
 his own love for them, and warned them against 
 the ruinous consequences of remissness and un 
 faithfulness. At the same time, he did not dis 
 guise the perils to which this course would expose 
 them ; he told them that they had much opposition 
 to encounter, and severe sufferings to endure. But 
 they should not be unsupported. The spirit of 
 God would be with them to guide, sustain, and 
 bless them, and no request which they should 
 make of the Father in his name would be denied 
 them. 
 
 Much of this consoling and admonitory lan 
 guage appears to have been lost on the disciples 
 at the time. There was still a mist before their 
 
THE LAST SUPPER. 223 
 
 eyes. They did not clearly see what. he meant 
 by "going to the Father." They whispered 
 among themselves, inquiring what he could mean ; 
 and Jesus explained himself to them more per 
 fectly. Still there remained much, the full im 
 port of which could enter their minds only when, 
 some time afterward, the resurrection of their Lord 
 and the gifts of the Spirit had opened their eyes 
 to the true purposes of his mission, and the real 
 character of their enterprise. Then the solemn, 
 exciting, and soothing discourses of this painful 
 evening must have come to their recollection 
 with a sustaining and invigorating influence ; and, 
 mingled with the image of their gracious friend 
 and the tones of his benignant voice, must have 
 filled their hearts with the confidence and peace 
 of which he spoke in the concluding words : 
 " These words I have spoken unto you, that in 
 me ye might have peace. In the world ye will 
 have tribulation ; but be of good cheer ; I have 
 overcome the world." 
 
 Having finished what he had to say to his dis 
 ciples, Jesus lifted up his eyes, and prayed. He 
 prayed for himself, for his apostles, for all his 
 disciples, for his followers and his truth in all ages. 
 He poured out his earnest and affectionate desires 
 in a strain of supplication unspeakably pathetic 
 and sublime. His beloved disciple has put his 
 
 John xvii. 
 
224 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 prayer on record. In reading it we gain ad 
 mittance into the soul of bis Master ; we feel how 
 powerful and elevating is his truth. We are over 
 come with admiration, that one about to perish by 
 a violent and ignominious death should exhibit 
 this consciousness of an intimate union with the 
 supreme Father, should display this calm assur 
 ance that the grandest purposes of the Divine 
 government were connected with his own fate, 
 should thus lift himself above the present time 
 and present scenes, and speak of the invisible and 
 eternal as if familiar with their glories. We know 
 that no one before him had thus spoken ; and, as 
 we listen to his words, we exclaim, " Truly this 
 was the Son of God." 
 
JESUS KETIRES TO GETHSEMANE. 225 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 JESUS RETIRES TO GETHSEMANE. IS APPREHENDED. 
 IS CONDEMNED BY THE SANHEDRIM. PETER 
 DENIES HIM. 
 
 IT is not perfectly clear whether the whole of 
 the scene just related took place in the room in 
 which the Passover supper was eaten ; or whether 
 a large portion of the last discourse of Jesus were 
 not held in the open air as he was proceeding 
 with his disciples toward the Mount of Olives. 
 The latter is thought by many to be the more 
 probable ; and they conceive that the image which 
 he used of the vine and its branches was sug 
 gested by the vineyards through which they 
 passed on their way. 
 
 However this may have been, they left the 
 city, as had been their custom every night, and 
 retired over the brook Kedron to the Mount of 
 Olives. This brook runs through the bottom of 
 the valley which lies between Olivet and Jerusa 
 lem. After crossing it, they proceeded for about 
 half a mile, when they came to a garden called 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 36. Mark xiv. 32. Luke xxii. 39. John xviii. 1. 
 10* O 
 
226 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 Gethsemane, lying just at the foot of the moun 
 tain. It seems to have been a favorite resort of 
 Jesus, being probably attached to the house of 
 some one of his followers, and well situated for 
 retirement. Here they had hitherto been safe 
 from pursuit ; but Judas, who had always been 
 with them, knew the place, and he had now left 
 them for the purpose of conducting to it the offi 
 cers of the Sanhedrim. 
 
 The Passover was always celebrated at the full 
 of the moon. And nothing can well be more 
 lovely than the moonlight night of that season of 
 the year in that beautiful part of the world. But 
 the hearts of this little company were too heavy 
 to allow them to feel the beauty of external na 
 ture. On the minds of the disciples the events 
 of the evening had left a vague but strong im 
 pression of grief and apprehension. To their 
 Master s mind all was clear. He saw the whole 
 reality. He knew exactly the horrors that were 
 approaching. He felt them more and more as 
 the hour drew nigh. Leaving the other disciples, 
 lie took Peter, James, and John to a more retired 
 part of the garden. " My soul is exceeding sor 
 rowful," said he, " even unto death ; tarry ye 
 here and watch with me." He went a little dis 
 tance, and threw himself on his face, upon the 
 ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the 
 hour might pass from him. " Abba ! Father ! " 
 
THE SCENE IN THE GARDEN. 227 
 
 he cried, " all things are possible unto thee ; take 
 away this cup from me ! Nevertheless, not what 
 I will, but what thou wilt." Three times, at inter 
 vals, he repeated this prayer. The struggle of 
 feeling, Luke tells us, amounted to agony. The 
 sweat poured from him like drops of blood, and 
 he prayed more and more earnestly. He was not 
 unanswered. An angel appeared from heaven, 
 strengthening him. And he rose up, calm, strong, 
 and ready to endure, with a fortitude which never 
 for a moment shrunk back. 
 
 Meantime the disciples, overcome with excite 
 ment, fatigue, and grief, gave way to drowsiness 
 and fell asleep. He returned to them again and 
 again in the intervals of his own distress, hoping 
 to find one word, at least, of sympathy, from 
 those who loved him ; but they were asleep. 
 " Simon," said he, addressing the apostle who 
 had been most forward in his promises of aid, 
 " Simon, sleepest thou ? Couldst thou not watch 
 with me one hour ? " Then reminding them of 
 their situation and perils, he urged them to watch 
 and pray ; for, however prepared they might be 
 in disposition and heart, in body they were weak, 
 and might be overcome when least expecting it. 
 But they did not sufficiently comprehend either 
 his situation or their own to be kept awake by it. 
 They fell asleep again as soon as he turned away 
 from them. 
 
228 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 He had just roused them the third time, when 
 lights were seen approaching, and the band of 
 officers and soldiers entered the garden to appre 
 hend him, with Judas at their head. This false 
 disciple, adding insult to treachery, came boldly 
 to his Lord, cried, "Hail, Master!" and kissed 
 him. This was the sign by which his person was 
 to be pointed out to the officers. " Judas," said 
 the Saviour meekly, " betrayest thou the Son of 
 man with a kiss ? " Then, advancing to the com 
 pany, he inquired, " Whom seek ye ? " " Jesus 
 of Nazareth," they replied ; and when they found 
 themselves in the presence of the person of whose 
 power and goodness they had heard so much, they 
 were struck with involuntary awe, and started 
 back, and fell to the ground. He again spoke to 
 them, and, begging them to permit his disciples to 
 depart, surrendered himself into their hands. 
 
 The disciples, roused suddenly from their sleep, 
 and perceiving the band of armed men, appear to 
 have been amazed and panic-struck. Peter, al 
 ways hasty, drew his sword, and wounded one of 
 the men. But Jesus healed the wound with a 
 touch, and rebuked the impetuous disciple ; he 
 reminded him that force could only lead to evil ; 
 that his submission was voluntary ; that even now, 
 if he should ask it, Heaven would interpose for 
 his rescue ; but that this would be inconsistent 
 with the great purposes of God, for " how then 
 
HE IS LED BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM. 229 
 
 should the Scriptures be fulfilled ? " The other 
 disciples offered no resistance. They appear to 
 have stood by, passive and bewildered. They 
 were taken by surprise, and obeyed the impulse 
 of the moment, and fled. A few hours before 
 they had declared, as they had doubtless felt, that 
 they would abide by their Master to the last. But 
 they did not know themselves so well as he did ; 
 and when the hour of which he had warned them 
 came, they forgot their affection and their promises, 
 and deserted him. They left their teacher, their 
 benefactor, their friend, to pass alone, without 
 sympathy, through the trying scenes of his ex 
 tremity. Two ventured to follow him at a dis 
 tance ; but the others disappeared. 
 
 Jesus was led away, bound, to the presence of 
 the Sanhedrim, by whose orders he had been ap 
 prehended. 
 
 This Council, the highest and most sacred 
 court of the Jews, consisted of seventy persons, 
 and is often intended in the New Testament 
 when " the chief priests, elders, and scribes " 
 are spoken of. Some argue that it was the same 
 council with that constituted by Moses in the wil 
 derness, continued down through all the changes 
 of the nation ; but it was, more probably, of a later 
 origin. It had supreme authority in all matters 
 peculiar to the Mosaic institutions, and was al 
 lowed to exercise it even under the dominion of 
 the Romans. 
 
280 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 The regular place of meeting of the Sanhe 
 drim was in a circular hall of the temple, in 
 the court of the priests. The Jews say, that, 
 about forty years before the destruction of the 
 city, the meetings ceased to be held in that 
 place. On the present occasion, the venerable 
 court assembled at the palace of the high-priest, 
 Caiaphas, the same who, at a former meeting, 
 had recommended the policy of putting Jesus to 
 death in order to save the nation from the dis 
 pleasure of the Romans. The members of the 
 council seem to have remained there during the 
 night, awaiting the performance of Judas s prom 
 ise. And there they were, when, in the darkness 
 of the early morning, their officers arrived with 
 the man whose life they had so long and so 
 eagerly sought. They had in vain attempted to 
 seize him during the day ; the night was the only 
 time, and it was a fit time, for their work of dark 
 ness. 
 
 Before these prejudiced men, who had long 
 ago resolved on his death, whose malice had be 
 come exasperated by his so long escaping them, 
 and who were now probably more than ever ex 
 cited because obliged to assemble at an unseason 
 able hour for fear of the people, their innocent 
 victim was brought in bound. The proceedings 
 began with a show of moderation, but not as a 
 fair trial would have begun. The high-priest 
 
HE IS CONDEMNED BY THE SANHEDRIM. 231 
 
 interrogated the prisoner respecting his disciples 
 and his doctrine. To this Jesus replied, that he 
 had lived and taught publicly ; what he had done 
 was before the world ; witnesses might easily be 
 found to testify on this head ; he was not himself 
 the proper person to be inquired of. It shows 
 the temper of the tribunal, that for this reply one 
 of the officers was permitted to strike Jesus. Yet 
 he had plainly done nothing but state the proper 
 course of proceeding. If he was on trial, wit 
 nesses should be summoned. 
 
 A show was then made of calling witnesses. 
 But it was not easy to find such as would answer 
 the purpose. At length two men came forward, 
 and declared that they had heard him say, " I 
 am able to destroy the temple of God, and to 
 build it in three days." Something like this he 
 had said at the preceding Passover ; and that 
 must have been a faultless life indeed, from which 
 nothing more could be gathered that would bear 
 a criminal construction. As. if this were a hei 
 nous offence, and nothing further need be required, 
 the high-priest rose from his seat, and asked the 
 prisoner what he had to reply. Jesus had al 
 ready perceived how vain it was to speak, and 
 remained silent. But it was necessary, if possi 
 ble, to extort from his own mouth something which 
 might serve to justify their proceeding against 
 him. Therefore the high-priest said, " I adjure 
 
232 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 thee, by the living God, that thou tell us whether 
 thou be the Christ, the Son of God." This was 
 the regular form of a judicial oath. Jesus felt- 
 bound to reply; and declared that he was not 
 only the Messiah, but that they should witness 
 his glory and exaltation. Upon hearing this, the 
 high-priest declared it to be blasphemy, rent his 
 garments to express his horror, and appealed to 
 the council that no further testimony was ne 
 cessary. To this they all assented, and pro 
 nounced sentence of death. Then ensued a scene 
 of outrage which would not be tolerated in the 
 presence of any modern tribunal in the civilized 
 world. He was buffeted, spit upon, derided, and 
 the officers and servants made him their mockery 
 and sport. 
 
 If we rightly understand the account, there 
 was now a little pause in the doings of the coun 
 cil ; for it is said to have come together again at 
 daybreak, to consult as to the manner of carry 
 ing their sentence into execution. By the law of 
 Moses, a person convicted of blasphemy should 
 be stoned to death. But whether the council 
 really did not now possess this power, which is 
 uncertain, or whether they apprehended that the 
 people would rise to prevent them, or whether 
 they sought to gratify their malice by exposing 
 him to a death more cruel and ignominious, 
 whichever the reason might be, they determined 
 
PETER DENIES HIM. 233 
 
 to carry him before the governor on a charge of 
 sedition and treason. 
 
 During all this painful scene, no one had ap 
 peared for Jesus, no one had spoken for him. 
 Only two of his disciples had even had the cour 
 age to follow him. One of these, generally sup 
 posed to be John, being known to the high-priest, 
 had found easy admission to his house, and ob 
 tained admittance for Peter also. Where John 
 placed himself, he has not told us. Peter mingled 
 with the servants who were sitting around a fire 
 in the hall, and hoped to escape notice while he 
 observed what was going forward. What he saw 
 and heard agitated and intimidated him ; so that, 
 when one person after another recognized him as 
 a follower of Jesus, he stoutly denied it ; and 
 when at last the proof seemed to be growing 
 stronger, and detection to be unavoidable, he a 
 third time denied it with oaths. At this moment 
 the cock crew, and the recollection of his Master s 
 words and a sense of his own baseness rushed 
 upon his mind. He looked toward Jesus, and 
 met his eye fixed full upon him. He could not 
 bear it. He rushed out, and burst into tears. 
 
 So fell the first and most ardent of the apostles. 
 But he repented, and rose again, and obtained 
 mercy, and lived to compensate for his temporary 
 defection. Not so with that more unhappy man 
 who had deliberately betrayed his Lord. He, in- 
 
234 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 deed, sorrowed for his sin ; but it was the sorrow 
 of despair. When he found that Jesus was con 
 demned, he was seized with remorse ; he carried 
 back the money to the priests, declaring that he 
 had betrayed innocent blood ; they derided him 
 for his scruples ; and he went away in a state of 
 desperation, and destroyed himself. 
 
HE IS BROUGHT BEFORE PILATE. 235 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 JESUS IS BROUGHT BEFORE PILATE, AND CONDEMNED. 
 
 THE stated residence of the Roman governors 
 of Judaea was Cesarea, a town on the sea-coast. 
 At the great festivals they came to Jerusalem to 
 enjoy the pomp of the occasion, and attend to the 
 administration of justice. Pilate was accordingly 
 now in the city. He had heen governor for 
 about five years ; and was acquainted with the 
 peculiarities of the people and of their institu 
 tions. 
 
 It was yet early in the morning, when the 
 members of the council, removing from the house 
 of Caiaphas, presented themselves with Jesus at 
 the Pra3torium, for so the palace of the governor 
 was called. Jesus was led into the presence of 
 Pilate ; but his accusers remained without ; for 
 they could not enter the house of a Gentile with 
 out danger of contracting a pollution which would 
 unfit them for participating in the festival. They 
 could do a great injustice, but they would not 
 endure a small defilement. So much stronger 
 
 Matthewxxvii.il. Mark xv. 1. Luke xxiii. 1. John xviii. 28. 
 
236 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 was their superstition than their principle. Ac 
 cordingly they remained at the tribunal in front of 
 the palace. The governors were accustomed to 
 administer justice in the open air; and the tribu 
 nal was erected for that purpose on a pavement of 
 mosaic. 
 
 The governor came out to them to inquire into 
 the nature of the accusation ; and, being probably 
 desirous to get rid of an affair which he supposed 
 to concern their own peculiar customs, directed 
 them to take Jesus, and deal with him according 
 to their law. They replied that it was not law 
 ful for them to put any man to death. It has 
 been a great question, whether this was true in 
 its full extent, or whether they only meant to bo 
 understood as intimating that the offence of Jesus 
 was against the Roman government, and not 
 against their own institutions. They added what 
 is to be considered as their formal indictment: 
 " We found this man perverting the nation, and 
 forbidding to give tribute to Cassar, saying that 
 he himself is Christ, a king." It was a charge of 
 sedition and rebellion. 
 
 Pilate retired, and interrogated Jesus. He did 
 not deny that he was king of the Jews ; but he ex 
 plained that his was a kingdom not of this world, 
 and such as would not at all interfere with the 
 kingdom of Caesar ; adding, that the great office 
 which he had to discharge was that of establish- 
 
HE IS EXAMINED BY PILATE. 237 
 
 ing TRUTH. Pilate not understanding tins, or 
 thinking it nothing to the purpose, immediately 
 went out again, and declared to his accusers 
 that he found the prisoner innocent of all crime. 
 This rendered them only the more fierce, as Luke 
 expresses it ; and, varying the terms of the accu 
 sation a little, they charged him with exciting 
 sedition among the people, from Galilee to Jeru 
 salem. 
 
 Finding Jesus to be a Galilean, Pilate sent him 
 to Herod, who was at this time in the city, having 
 come up to pass there the season of the festival. 
 He doubtless felt relieved at the prospect of shift 
 ing off the responsibility of so delicate a case upon 
 another magistrate. 
 
 Herod, as has appeared in the course of the 
 history, had long been desirous of seeing the ex 
 traordinary prophet who had been so famous in his 
 province ; but Jesus had taken care to avoid him. 
 The tetrarch was rejoiced to meet him at last, 
 and strove to gratify his curiosity by inducing 
 him to perform some such miracle as he had 
 heard of, and by asking a variety of questions. 
 But Jesus refused to answer the idle questioner. 
 Herod was irritated ; and, learning the nature of 
 the accusations against him, insulted his royal 
 pretensions by clothing him in a gorgeous robe, 
 and sent him back to Pilate. This interchange 
 of civilities was the means of restoring a good 
 
238 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 understanding between the two magistrates, It 
 could not have occupied a great deal of time, es 
 pecially if Herod and Pilate resided, as some have 
 supposed, in different apartments of the great 
 palace built by Herod the Great. 
 
 The governor was entirely satisfied that Jesus 
 was innocent of the charges urged against him, 
 and perfectly aware that they had been made ma 
 liciously. He was desirous, therefore, to discharge 
 him. This desire was strengthened by a message 
 brought to him from his wife, who had been 
 troubled respecting Jesus in a dream, and who 
 entreated him to " have nothing to do with that 
 just man." When, therefore, the prisoner was 
 brought back to him from Herod, he made an 
 other attempt to save him ; not by directly exert 
 ing his authority in releasing him, he had not 
 moral courage enough for this, but by appealing 
 to the magnanimity of the accusers. It was cus 
 tomary for the governor to honor the feast by 
 granting pardon to some criminal. He proposed 
 that Jesus should receive this boon. But the 
 chief priests and elders instigated the people to 
 refuse the proposal. " Away with him," they 
 cried, " and release to us Barabbas." Now Ba- 
 rabbas was a robber who had been convicted of 
 sedition and murder. " What then," asked Pilate, 
 " shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ ? " 
 They cried out, " Crucify him ! " The governor 
 
PILATE ENDEAVORS TO SAVE HIM. 239 
 
 still parleyed. " Why ? " said lie, " what evil hath 
 he done ? " But the mob had become excited 
 and impatient. Neither argument nor entreaty 
 could avail. They only shouted the more loudly 
 and fiercely, " Crucify him, crucify him ! " 
 
 When Pilate perceived that expostulation was 
 vain, and that there was danger of a serious tu 
 mult, he yielded ; and to show that he did so re 
 luctantly, he took a vessel of water, and publicly 
 washed his hands, saying, " I am innocent of the 
 blood of this just person ; see ye to it." The 
 infatuated people cried out, " His blood be on us 
 and on our children ! " Little did they guess the 
 extent of the dreadful imprecation. It was fol 
 lowed, in the retributions of Providence, by ca 
 lamities such as perhaps no other nation ever en 
 dured, by the ruin of their city and the disper 
 sion of their people. 
 
 Crucifixion was the Roman punishment for se 
 dition, and as such was demanded for Jesus. It 
 was always preceded by scourging. To this pre 
 liminary cruelty the Saviour was now publicly 
 subjected. He was then led back into the court 
 of the Praetorium. The soldiers of the band upon 
 duty there gathered around him, and in heartless 
 sport derided and insulted him. In mockery of 
 his regal title they clothed him in a robe of impe 
 rial purple, placed upon his head a crown which 
 they had made of thorns, and put a reed into his 
 
240 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 shackled hands for a sceptre. They bowed the 
 knee before him, and saluted him with, " Hail ! 
 King of the Jews ! " 
 
 Pilate was still willing to make one more at 
 tempt to save him. He caused Jesus to be led 
 out again, and, presenting him in his condition of 
 wretchedness to the people, sought to move them 
 to relent. He urged again, that he had found 
 him guiltless of all offence. But the only answer 
 he received was the hideous shout of " Crucify 
 him, crucify him ! " Pilate answered, " Take ye 
 him and crucify him ; for I find no fault in him." 
 Finding the governor thus resolute to maintain 
 his innocence, they replied that, however it might 
 be with the charge of sedition, he deserved death, 
 by the Jewish law, for his blasphemy ; he had de 
 clared himself to be the Son of God. This was 
 giving a new aspect to the affair. Pilate did not 
 know what meaning the Jews attached to the title ; 
 but he believed, as the heathen did, that the sons 
 of some of the deities were often found among 
 men. He therefore went back to Jesus, who had 
 been again withdrawn to the Praetorium, and asked 
 him, with some uneasiness, who he claimed to 
 be, and what was his origin. To this question, 
 Jesus, who knew that enough had been already 
 said, made no reply. Pilate then reminded him 
 that he was in his power, and that his life or death 
 
 John xix. 
 
HE IS CONDEMNED. 241 
 
 might depend on his answer. Jesus answered, 
 that the governor had that power only through Di 
 vine permission ; and therefore, he added, ready, 
 as he ever was, to make allowance, " he who de 
 livered me unto thee hath the greater sin." 
 
 The result of this conversation was that Pilate 
 returned to the people more than ever anxious to 
 save his prisoner. But they still had one argu 
 ment in reserve, the displeasure of the Emperor. 
 " If thou let this man go," they said, " thou art 
 not Caesar s friend." Pilate well knew the jeal 
 ous and unreasonable temper of Tiberius, and 
 that, if the Jews should make an unfavorable 
 report of this proceeding, it might excite that 
 tyrant to ruin him at once. He dared not meet 
 the hazard. He sat down on the tribunal, caused 
 Jesus to be brought before him, passed the sen 
 tence which his accusers had desired, and de 
 livered him into their hands. 
 
 11 
 
242 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE CRUCIFIXION. 
 
 IT is not easy for us, at the present day, to 
 conceive the terrible suffering of a death by cru 
 cifixion, or to understand the disgrace which was 
 attached to it. It was the most shameful, as well 
 as cruel, of all modes of execution. It was re 
 served for the most abandoned malefactors and 
 for slaves. When we speak of the disgrace of 
 being condemned to the gallows, we present no 
 picture of ignominy to be compared with that 
 which pertained to crucifixion. 
 
 The form of the cross is familiar to us. But 
 it is commonly represented as of a far greater alti 
 tude than really belonged to it. It was rarely 
 more than ten feet in height. The upright beam, 
 which was planted in the ground, was called the 
 tree; and hence the Apostle Paul uses that name 
 for the cross. Near the top it was crossed by a 
 bar at right angles, on which was written the 
 crime for which the person suffered. To the ex 
 tremities of this his hands were fastened by nails 
 driven through the palms. Thus the whole weight 
 
THE CRUCIFIXION. 243 
 
 of his body was suspended by his hands, except 
 ing as he partially sat on a small projecting piece 
 of wood. His feet were nailed to the beam, 
 but without anything to support them. In this 
 torturing situation the poor sufferer hung for 
 many hours, and died at last in indescribable 
 agony. So terrible was the torment, that it be 
 came customary to give the victim an intoxicating 
 drink for the purpose of deadening his feelings ; 
 and the executioners often hastened the time of 
 death by suffocation or otherwise, especially if 
 the struggle continued longer than a day. 
 
 This was the suffering to which the blessed 
 Jesus was destined. No interval was allowed 
 between the sentence and its execution. He was 
 hurried away immediately, carrying on his shoul 
 ders the cross to which he was to be nailed ; for 
 it was part of the cruelty of this mode of punish 
 ment, that the condemned should bear his own 
 instrument of torture. Thus he was led through 
 the city by the unfeeling soldiers, and out of the 
 western gate, on the side of the city opposite to 
 the temple. It soon appeared that the watching 
 and fatigue of the last day and night had rendered 
 him incapable of sustaining the burden of his 
 cross ; and as he sunk under it, the soldiers 
 seized upon Simon, a Cyrenian, who is commonly 
 thought to have been one of the disciples, and 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 32. Mark xv. 21. Luke xxiii. 26. John xix. 17. 
 
244 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 compelled him to carry his Master s burden. 
 Mark speaks of two sons of this man by name, as 
 if it had been accounted an honor to be the chil 
 dren of him who had thus helped his Lord in an 
 hour of need. 
 
 The crowd of spectators, as might be expected, 
 was immense. The whole male population of 
 Juda3a was assembled at the city, and the history 
 and character of the sufferer were too well known 
 not to excite a universal and intense interest. 
 The inhabitants of the city, being under the im 
 mediate influence of the leading men, had never 
 been friendly to him, and they undoubtedly com 
 posed the principal part of the mob which had 
 crowded around the tribunal in the morning, and 
 intimidated the governor. Many too, without 
 doubt, who had joined in honoring him when they 
 thought him the Messiah, on the preceding Sun 
 day, now turned violently against him in revenge 
 for their disappointment, when they fancied him 
 proved to be an impostor. Still, however, it could 
 not be that enemies alone attended the melan 
 choly procession. Multitudes there must have 
 been whose attachment for a matchless benefac 
 tor survived the disappointment of the day, and 
 who now followed him with heavy hearts and tear 
 ful eyes to the place of his suffering. 
 
 It was about the third hour, or nine o clock in 
 the morning, when they arrived at the place of 
 
THE CRUCIFIXION. 245 
 
 execution. This was a small eminence on the 
 northwest side of the city, not far from the walls. 
 It is commonly called Mount Calvary ; but its 
 elevation is so slight that it hardly deserves the 
 name of a mountain. Here the Saviour was 
 crucified in company with two malefactors, one 
 on each side of him. The soldiers offered him 
 the customary draught of stupefying ingredients ; 
 but he refused it ; he would take nothing which 
 should deaden his feelings or cloud his perception. 
 He would die with his faculties in all their bright 
 ness. 
 
 The scene which followed is too painful to be 
 dwelt upon. The soldiers sat down in sport at 
 the foot of the cross, dividing part of his raiment 
 among themselves, and throwing dice for his 
 woven and seamless coat. The brutal mob, that 
 crowded around, vented their enmity in cries of 
 insult and derision. Even the priests and scribes 
 and elders, men of distinction and dignity, joined 
 in the mockery, and poured out their malignant 
 revenge on the meek and patient sufferer. Nay, 
 one of the malefactors, who hung groaning at 
 his side, joined the dreadful ribaldry. But all 
 this the meek and patient sufferer heeded not, 
 except that it drew forth a prayer for their for 
 giveness. He seemed to have 110 ear for the cries 
 that were filling the air. But to other things he 
 was attentive, and exhibited the same readiness 
 
246 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 to think and feel for others which he had dis 
 played in his days of power. When, during the 
 painful progress from the city, he observed the 
 women in the crowd lamenting, he turned to 
 them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem! weep 
 not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your 
 children." When one of the malefactors ap 
 pealed to him for mercy, he answered him with 
 ready words of encouragement and promise. 
 When he looked round upon the crowd, and saw 
 there, amid a group of weeping friends, his dis 
 consolate mother, he remembered what she must 
 endure at his loss, and felt for her bereaved and 
 desolate loneliness. He turned therefore to his 
 favorite disciple, John, who was standing with 
 her, and charged him to regard her as his mother, 
 a charge which, John assures us, he faithfully 
 observed, giving her a home in his own house. 
 
 At about noon, the day grew dark ; not from an 
 eclipse of the sun, for the moon was at the full. 
 It was a supernatural obscurity, which extended 
 over the land, and lasted for three hours. At 
 that time the Saviour s sufferings had continued 
 for six hours. They were now drawing toward a 
 close ; and, as it is usual for the pains of this death 
 to be growing constantly more dreadful to the last, 
 they appear to have increased in severity. Ho 
 cried out, " My God, my God, why hast thou for 
 saken me ? " They are the words which form the 
 
THE CRUCIFIXION. 247 
 
 beginning of the twenty-second Psalm ; and he 
 is thought to have repeated them, in order to draw 
 attention to a passage of Scripture so descriptive 
 of his condition. He then complained of thirst, 
 and a soldier put to his mouth a sponge soaked in 
 vinegar. All was now over. He exclaimed, " It 
 is finished ! " and, devoutly addressing God with 
 the words, " Father, into thy hands I commend 
 my spirit ! " he breathed his last. 
 
 Then occurred other prodigies to attest the 
 dignity of the person who had suffered, and the 
 interposition of a Divine Ijand. The veil of the 
 temple was rent from top to bottom ; the earth 
 quaked ; the rocks were torn asunder ; the graves 
 were opened ; and some of the dead came back 
 to life. It was impossible to mistake these signs. 
 The centurion who presided at the execution 
 exclaimed, " Truly this was the Son of God ! " 
 And the people who had come together, awe 
 struck and alarmed, smote their breasts, and re 
 turned. 
 
 It was the custom with the Romans to leave 
 the bodies of crucified criminals exposed on the 
 cross without burial ; but they made an exception 
 in Judaea, because the law of Moses commanded 
 that all such should be buried before night. The 
 Jews were particularly desirous that this should 
 be done at the present time, because at the set 
 ting of the sun the Sabbath was to begin, and a 
 
248 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 Sabbath during the Passover was a day of more 
 than ordinary sacredness. The soldiers were ac 
 cordingly directed to hasten the death of the suf 
 ferers by breaking the bones of their legs. But 
 finding, to their surprise, that Jesus had already 
 expired, they forbore to commit this violence on 
 his body. One of the soldiers, however, from 
 what motive we do not know, thrust a spear into 
 his side. It was thus put beyond all doubt that lie 
 was actually dead ; for the wound was followed by 
 a mixed flowing of blood and water, which could 
 have come only from the region about the heart. 
 It was of great consequence to put this fact be 
 yond question, because upon this must depend 
 the all-important fact of the resurrection which 
 followed. 
 
 The last hours of Jesus were not wholly unat 
 tended by the kindnesses of friends. Of the 
 apostles, John at least, and perhaps others, were 
 present at the crucifixion. So also were many of 
 those devoted female friends who had accompa 
 nied him from Galilee. And now, when the last 
 agony was past, two disciples from among persons 
 of dignity and wealth obtained his body from the 
 governor, that they might give it a decent and 
 affectionate burial. These were Joseph of Ari- 
 mathea and Nicodemus. They took the body of 
 their departed friend, and, hastily preparing it for 
 interment, conveyed it into a garden near the 
 
THE CRUCIFIXION. 249 
 
 place of crucifixion, and placed it in a new tomb 
 belonging to Josepb. Tbe women from Galilee 
 attended, and saw where he was laid. None of 
 them imagined that they should ever behold his 
 face again. And when they had placed a stone 
 at the mouth of the cave, they felt that all they 
 had most honored and loved was buried there for 
 ever. 
 
 But his enemies remembered what his friends 
 had forgotten, that he had spoken of rising 
 again on the third day. Not that they expected 
 any such event ; but they feared that the disciples 
 might remove the body, and pretend that he had 
 risen. They therefore sealed the door of the 
 sepulchre, and placed a guard of soldiers there to 
 keep all secure. 
 
 And here, to all human appearance, was the 
 close of expectations from Jesus of Nazareth. 
 Executed as a criminal, his immediate followers 
 dispersed, and a Roman guard watching over his 
 tomb, the mind of man could not conjecture that 
 he would ever again be heard of except as one of 
 the many unsuccessful adventurers who had ex 
 cited and disappointed the hopes of a credulous 
 people. His enemies had completely triumphed. 
 His adherents were wholly disheartened. Noth 
 ing can account for the revival of his cause and 
 the spread of his religion, except that they were 
 the special charge of a superintending Providence. 
 11* 
 
250 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 Most truly did Gamaliel declare, a few weeks 
 afterward, that, if this enterprise had a human 
 origin, it would come to naught. For all the 
 power of man was exerted to overthrow it. That 
 it was not overthrown proves it to have been up 
 held by the power of God. 
 
THE RESURRECTION. 251 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION. 
 
 THE Sabbath came, with its holy hours of wor 
 ship and rest. The incense and the sacrifices 
 were offered up in the temple, and its ample 
 courts resounded with the tread of innumerable 
 worshippers, and the voices of those who sang 
 praise. There were no signs to show that the 
 glory of Israel, the object of so many prophecies, 
 the desire of all nations, the great benefactor of 
 the human race, had just been rudely destroyed 
 by the people whom he had come to bless. The 
 festival went on, and the crowded city rejoiced. 
 The religious leaders, wrapt up in their bigotry 
 and self-importance, exulted in an achievement 
 which was to bring down ruin upon them from 
 the God whom they had offended ; and the mass 
 of the people, ignorant and blind, were content 
 to have gratified their passions and the will of 
 their superiors, little knowing that they had risen 
 against their truest friend. Had they known it, 
 they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 
 
 But all were not thus. There were friends of 
 
252 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 that holy and just one, who, though they were 
 far from a full comprehension of his character, 
 yet mourned him in the depths of their souls as 
 the most excellent and admirable of beings. It 
 is easy to judge what was the gloom of this day 
 to them. To the eleven apostles especially, who 
 had cause to feel shame for their desertion of him, 
 as well as grief at his death, it must have been 
 a day of unmixed sorrow and despair. Not a 
 ray of light appears to have beamed upon their 
 minds. He whom they had loved, trusted, and 
 followed as the Redeemer of Israel, had been 
 cut down by their side ; and with him all hope, 
 all gladness, had fled. They had no power, so 
 stupefied were they by a calamity for which they 
 were unprepared, to call up to mind the conso 
 lation and promises by which he had attempted 
 to fortify them for this very hour. And, instead 
 of rejoicing in the confidence of his revival, they 
 could do nothing but deplore his loss. 
 
 Thus the Sabbath passed away, and the dawn 
 of the first day of the week drew nigh. The af 
 fectionate women, who had accompanied Joseph 
 and Nicodemus when they hastily deposited the 
 body of their Master in the tornb, had waited 
 anxiously for the dawn, that they might finish the 
 rites of burial. They had prepared the custom 
 ary spices and ointments, and with the first ray of 
 
 Matthew xxviii. Mark xvi. Luke xxiv. John xx. 
 
THE RESURRECTION. 253 
 
 light after the holy time was passed, they made 
 haste to return and complete their mournful office. 
 So little did they anticipate the event which was 
 about to take place ! 
 
 They arrived at the tomb, and to their astonish 
 ment found it open. The stone had been rolled 
 away from its mouth. They entered it, and to 
 their yet greater amazement found it empty. 
 While perplexed at this, they were addressed by 
 a person in white raiment, whom Matthew de 
 scribes as the angel who had rolled away the 
 stone. " Why seek ye the living among the 
 dead ? " said he. " He is not here, he is risen 
 as he told you he should do." He then pointed 
 them to the empty sepulchre, and bade them re 
 turn with the tidings to his disciples. 
 
 The Evangelists describe, in the most natural 
 manner, the agitation of the women at this unex 
 pected address. " They went out and fled from 
 the sepulchre ; they trembled and were amazed, 
 neither said they anything to any one." Thus 
 they came, breathless and in haste, to the apos 
 tles. But so little prepared for such an event 
 were these men, that the words of the women 
 seemed to them like idle tales, and they gave 
 them no credit. None but John and Peter so 
 much as went to examine for themselves ; and 
 they, when they found the sepulchre empty, by no 
 means inferred that Jesus was risen, and returned 
 home without further inquiry. 
 
254 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 No so Mary Magdalene. She could not per 
 suade herself to withdraw, but remained behind 
 weeping. And she soon had the happiness of 
 seeing and speaking to her risen Master. He 
 came to her from the garden, as she stood in tears 
 before the tomb. At first she did not recognize 
 him, so absorbed was she in her grief. She sup 
 posed him to be the gardener, and begged him, 
 if he had removed the body of her Lord, to inform 
 her whither. Jesus uttered her name ; the tones 
 of his voice pierced to her heart, and she knew 
 him. "My Master!" she exclaimed; and it 
 was all she could say. She would have detained 
 him to express her gratitude and joy, but he 
 would not permit her ; he told her that for the 
 present he should remain with them ; " but go 
 to my brethren," he said, for thus affectionately 
 did he style his disciples, " and say to them, I 
 ascend unto my Father and your Father, and 
 unto my God and your God." 
 
 Mary found the eleven still mourning and 
 desponding ; and they refused to give credit to 
 her story. They seemed incapable of rising above 
 the stupor and despair in which they had been 
 sunk. 
 
 A striking picture of their state of mind on this 
 eventful day is found in the interview which took 
 place in the afternoon, between two disciples, as 
 they were walking to Emmaus, and Jesus him- 
 
HE APPEARS TO THE ELEVEN. 255 
 
 self, who had joined them on the road. He in 
 quired of them the cause of their sadness ; and 
 they, supposing him a stranger, gave him the 
 history of Jesus and his death. " But we had 
 trusted," they added, by way of explaining their 
 grief, " that it had been he who should have 
 redeemed Israel." This showed that they still 
 cherished a wrong idea of his redemption; and 
 they repeated the stories which they had heard 
 from the women who had that morning visited 
 the tomb, as things perfectly incredible. Jesus 
 exclaimed against their incredulity, and explained 
 to them from the Scriptures, how the sufferings 
 and resurrection of their Master had been fore 
 told. Still they did not suspect it to be he, until 
 he blessed the bread as they sat down to supper. 
 Then they knew him ; and they hastened back to 
 Jerusalem to tell the other disciples. 
 
 Here they found that the state of things had 
 somewhat changed. Peter had seen his Lord; 
 and upon his report the eleven had come to 
 gether, believing and congratulating each other. 
 The two from Emmaus had hardly added their 
 testimony to that of Peter, when Jesus himself 
 entered among them. Their minds were not yet 
 sufficiently composed, and they were startled at 
 his appearance. They doubted if it were not that 
 of a spirit. But he reassured them by allowing 
 
 Luke xxiv. 16. 
 
256 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 them to feel of his flesh, and convince themselves 
 that it was indeed he. And when they could 
 hardly believe it for joy, as Luke expresses it, he 
 put the matter entirely beyond doubt by asking 
 for food, and eating it in their presence. He re 
 mained with them for some time, enlightening their 
 minds, clearing up their doubts, and illustrating the 
 Scriptures which relate to the Messiah. He ex 
 plained to them the true character of the work to 
 which he had appointed them. He gave them a 
 charge to publish the things of which they had been 
 witnesses, and to preach repentance and remission 
 of sins in his name to all nations ; directing them, 
 however, to remain in Jerusalem until they should 
 have fully received power from on high. In this 
 he referred to the effusion of the Spirit, which was 
 to take place fifty days afterward at the feast of 
 Pentecost. 
 
 Thus were the minds of the not too credulous 
 apostles put at rest. They were convinced that 
 Jesus had been restored to life, and they began 
 to understand something of the meaning of much 
 in his communications which had formerly been 
 obscure to them. Their minds began to open to 
 the true character of his office, and the grand pur 
 poses of his mission. But more than the instruc 
 tions of an evening were necessary to change their 
 long-established habits of thought, and imbue 
 them thoroughly with the spiritual views which 
 
HE APPEARS TO THE ELEVEN. 257 
 
 must belong to the preachers of his truth. He 
 therefore continued his interviews with them for 
 forty days. And, as we learn from Paul, he 
 showed himself, not only to the eleven, but to 
 many others, and on one occasion to five hundred 
 at once. 
 
 Of these instances, only four are particularly re 
 lated by the Evangelists ; three of which were at 
 tended by circumstances of peculiar interest. The 
 first was on the first day of the week succeeding 
 his resurrection. The apostles seem to have 
 commenced at once that practice of meeting on 
 the first day in honor of their Lord, which after 
 ward caused it to be styled "the Lord s day," and 
 to take the place among Christians of the ancient 
 Sabbath. It had happened that on the former 
 evening, when Jesus came to them, Thomas was 
 not with the apostles. He had probably consid 
 ered the cause so hopeless as to have withdrawn 
 from it altogether. When informed of what had 
 occurred, it seemed to him incredible ; and he de 
 clared that he could not believe it, except he had 
 the demonstration of his senses; except he could 
 both see and feel the print of the nails and the 
 wound made by the spear. In the succeeding 
 week he was present with the disciples. Jesus 
 again came to them ; and, immediately addressing 
 the incredulous apostle, he bade him examine for 
 
 Acts i. 3. 1 Cor. xv. 6. John xx. 24. 
 
 Q 
 
258 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 himself, as he had desired to do. Thomas did so, 
 and was convinced, by the irresistible proof, that 
 there was no delusion, but that his Lord was act 
 ually risen. 
 
 The next instance is minutely related by John, 
 and presents a scene beautifully characteristic. 
 Peter and some others of the disciples had re 
 turned to their residence in Galilee, and had gone 
 upon the lake to fish. Jesus appeared to them on 
 the shore, and took the occasion both to remind 
 Peter of his fault in thrice denying him, and to 
 show that he was fully restored to his confidence. 
 This was an act of delightful consideration. Pe 
 ter was doubtless suffering deeply from the con 
 sciousness of his sin ; and, more than this, he not 
 improbably suffered in the good opinion of his 
 companions. It might be said by them, and it was 
 very likely to be said by others, that he who had 
 so basely denied the Saviour ought not to be al 
 lowed to take a part in the ministry of his Church. 
 Jesus, therefore, to reinstate him in his own good 
 opinion, and to make evident to all that he was 
 still a trusted friend, drew from him three times 
 a declaration of his devoted attachment ; and 
 three times solemnly committed to him the care 
 of his Church. " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou 
 me?" "Yea, Lord," was the answer; "thou 
 knowest that I love thee." Jesus rejoined, "Feed 
 
 John xxi. 
 
HE APPEARS IN GALILEE. 259 
 
 my sheep : feed my lambs." The gratified apos 
 tle proved himself worthy of the trust thus kindly 
 reposed in him, by a life of devoted fidelity to the 
 Gospel, and by a martyr s death. 
 
 Our Lord once more met his apostles on a 
 mountain in Galilee. There he again assured 
 them of the power and dignity intrusted to him, 
 and bade them go forth, and teach and baptize 
 all nations. It was at this time that he used those 
 words respecting Baptism which have commonly 
 been employed by his ministers in the administra 
 tion of that rite. 
 
 At length the purpose for which he had still 
 lingered upon earth was accomplished. The men 
 to whom his great enterprise was to be intrusted 
 had come at last to understand something of its 
 real nature, and to enter into the spirit with which 
 it should be carried forward. They had begun 
 to exchange their Jewish exclusiveness for their 
 Master s universal philanthropy. They did not, 
 indeed, understand the full glory of his undertak 
 ing as he did, nor as they themselves did at a later 
 period. Some remnants of inveterate error still 
 lingered in their minds ; so that, even at their last 
 interview with him, one of them asked if he should 
 not yet restore the kingdom to Israel. But they 
 were so far instructed, that they might safely be 
 left without his further personal presence. What 
 
 Matthew xxviii. 16. 
 
260 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 was yet requisite to their complete illumination 
 would be supplied by the gifts of the Spirit, which 
 he had promised them under the name of " the 
 Comforter." Now therefore he was ready to de 
 part to his Father. He conducted the little band 
 out to Bethany. There, on the eastern summit 
 of Mount of Olivet, he lifted up his hands and 
 blessed them. A cloud received him from their 
 sight, and he ascended up into heaven. 
 
 Thus ended the glorious and beneficent minis 
 try of the Son of God among men. Limited to a 
 few persons, confined to a narrow region, contin 
 ued but for a few months, it laid the foundation 
 of a universal change in the religions of the world, 
 and in the principles and manners of human so 
 ciety. The eleven apostles took up the doctrine 
 which he had committed to them, and went forth 
 to testify to the nations respecting that wonderful 
 person and his wonderful truth. They entered 
 with all their strength upon his great enterprise 
 of reforming the religions and morals of man 
 kind, and carrying the light of immortal truth and 
 hope to all lands and all ages. This purpose had 
 never before entered the mind of man. There 
 was every human probability against its success. 
 Twelve Jews were a small force to be opposed to 
 the religion, the philosophy, and the power of the 
 world. Yet they succeeded ; and at the present 
 
 Mark xvi. 19. Luke xxiv. 50. Acts i. 9. 
 
THE ASCENSION. 261 
 
 day the civilized nations of the earth acknowledge 
 the authority of their crucified Master. He has 
 become, as one of them styled him, " The Prince 
 of the kings of the earth." And the time is plainly 
 approaching, when the whole human race, in all 
 its dwellings, shall bow and worship in his name, 
 and be governed and blessed by the doctrine 
 which he taught in Galilee. 
 
262 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 WE have now finished our survey of the history 
 of our Lord s life. It may be well, before closing 
 the work, to give a hasty glance at the main points 
 of the story, and indulge in a few of the thoughts 
 which it naturally suggests. 
 
 Let us first transport ourselves back to the age 
 in which he lived. We find that then, owing to 
 certain prophecies in the sacred books of the 
 Jews, there was a strong expectation amongst that 
 people that some remarkable person would soon 
 appear and assume the dominion of the world. 
 They were eagerly looking for him to deliver them 
 from the oppression of the Romans, and restore 
 the nation to its former glory. Under cover of 
 this expectation, we find that many ambitious men 
 came forward, pretended to be the Messiah, col 
 lected the people in arms, and rose against the 
 Roman yoke. Such adventurers were eagerly 
 followed ; for they were precisely such persons as 
 it was supposed the Messiah would be. 
 
 In this state of things, Jesus appears in Galilee 
 
CONCLUSION. 263 
 
 as a teacher and reformer, claiming to bear a 
 special commission from God, and confirming his 
 pretensions by supernatural works. The people 
 gather eagerly around him. They hope that this 
 is the promised deliverer. But he does not de 
 clare himself to be such. He simply goes about 
 doing good, and teaching the people. They at 
 length become impatient, and endeavor to compel 
 him by force to be their king. He resists the at 
 tempt. He avoids all interference with the civil 
 and political affairs of the country. He preaches 
 peace and non-resistance, repentance and refor 
 mation. He denounces hypocrisy, ambition, and 
 all the corruption of the times, and calls men to a 
 pure and more spiritual virtue. The multitude 
 are disappointed. The leading men and the pow 
 erful sects are exasperated. They combine against 
 this humble teacher of purity, this bold prophet of 
 truth, and condemn him in their chief council as an 
 impostor and blasphemer. They carry him before 
 the Roman authority as one claiming to be king 
 in opposition to Cassar. He is put to death by a 
 cruel and ignominious execution, and his panic- 
 stricken followers are dispersed. 
 
 Such, in few words, is the history we meet with ; 
 and, when thus much has been told us, does it 
 not seem as if the enterprise of Jesus had failed ? 
 Could human wisdom give any hope of its revival 
 and success? For who shall be its advocates, 
 
264 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 when its Head has been cut off, and his friends 
 are scattered in despair ? Yet behold, in a few 
 weeks, they reappear, full of confidence and zeal. 
 They speak boldly of their Master ; they publicly 
 proclaim him the Messiah ; they assert that he 
 has risen from the dead, and given them authority 
 to establish a new dispensation of religion. They 
 are immediately denounced, threatened, and im 
 prisoned ; but they adhere manfully to their testi 
 mony, they are indefatigable in their zeal, they 
 rapidly gain adherents, and are soon at the head 
 of a powerful and spreading sect, which gains a 
 footing in all the cities of the world, and in three 
 centuries takes the place both of Judaism and Pa 
 ganism. This is the brief and wonderful history. 
 Who could have anticipated it, that had stood by 
 the infant at Bethlehem ? or had seen the young 
 man toiling with Joseph at Nazareth ? or had wit 
 nessed his death at Calvary, amid insult and de 
 rision from Jew and Roman ? Who would have 
 dared to conjecture that this person thus appar 
 ently baffled, thwarted, and successfully opposed 
 was he whom God had appointed to be the chief 
 Reformer and most glorious religious Prince of 
 the world ? 
 
 We look a little more nearly, and we observe 
 several particulars which corroborate this general 
 impression. The first is, the shortness of the 
 period during which his earthly ministry lasted. 
 
CONCLUSION. 265 
 
 This, as we have seen, did not probably exceed a 
 year and a quarter ; certainly not three years and 
 a half. And this little time was spent, not in 
 the capital of the nation, not in securing influ 
 ence amongst men of learning and power, but 
 almost entirely in the country, and among the 
 peasants of Galilee. He indeed passed from place 
 to place, attended by crowds whom his benefac 
 tions and his instructions and the hope of his 
 Messiahship drew about him ; but he never an 
 nounced himself to them as the Messiah, nor 
 took pains to secure their permanent adherence. 
 A few months thus spent would seem to give 
 little promise of a lasting influence ; and it is 
 only when we look at the actual result that we 
 are able to conceive it possible that they should 
 have prepared the way for a universal change of 
 religion. 
 
 Another similar point is, the small extent of 
 territory to which our Saviour s labors were con 
 fined. It does not appear that he visited even the 
 larger part of his own land. He was principally 
 engaged in that small tract which lies between 
 Jerusalem and Capernaum ; a distance hardly ex 
 ceeding eighty miles. And the whole land was 
 but a speck on the face of the earth ; being some 
 what less in extent than the State of Massa 
 chusetts. Yet, upon a small portion of that 
 small spot, Jesus labored for fifteen months, and 
 
 12 
 
266 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 the consequences have endured to the present 
 day. Eighteen centuries, instead of obliterating, 
 have only served to confirm the impressions which 
 he made, and to extend the work which he 
 began. 
 
 The mode which he adopted for establishing 
 his religion and effecting his great purposes is 
 equally worthy of remark. It was altogether by 
 word of mouth, principally in familiar conversa 
 tion. Even when accompanied by great multi 
 tudes, it does not seem to have been his custom 
 to address them in elaborate discourses or syste 
 matic lectures. His longest discourse, as re 
 corded by the Evangelists, was not long ; and in 
 general he was satisfied with a brief illustration 
 of some important truth, or a striking parable 
 which should convey some profitable lesson. 
 What is yet more observable, he committed none 
 of his instructions to writing, nor caused them to 
 be written during his life. The prophets of the 
 Old Testament recorded their prophecies ; but 
 Jesus recorded nothing. The illustrious philoso 
 phers of antiquity, who hoped to enlighten and 
 benefit mankind, elaborately wrote out their doc 
 trines, that they might remain in a permanent 
 form. But Jesus wrote nothing. He seemed to 
 trust to the Divine energy of the truth itself, and 
 the protecting spirit of God ; and cast it abroad, 
 with a sublime unconcern, to make its own way 
 
CONCLUSION. 267 
 
 and perpetuate its own existence. And we can 
 account for its preservation and extension only by 
 acknowledging the superintendence of Heaven. 
 Only this could have caused that little seed, so 
 carelessly dropped in Judaea, and so soon forsaken 
 by the Sower, to grow up and become a mighty 
 tree, beneath the shadow of whose branches the 
 nations of the earth are refreshed. 
 
 As the circumstances of our Saviour s life thus 
 draw our admiration, so also does his character. 
 This was as wonderful, and as strongly marked 
 by the supernatural, as his miracles. Its oppo 
 sition to the character which it was expected 
 the Messiah would bear is perfectly marvellous. 
 The Jews looked for a military prince, and he 
 was a religious reformer ; they expected a politi 
 cal deliverer, and he refused all connection with 
 their politics ; they sought from him the aggran 
 dizement of the nation, and he predicted its over 
 throw. There was no prominent feature in their 
 description of the Messiah which his character 
 did not contradict. It was not from them there 
 fore, nor from their interpretation of the prophe 
 cies, that he drew his notions of the office he 
 claimed. It must have been from another source; 
 and only the consciousness that this was Divine 
 could have encouraged him thus to disappoint 
 and exasperate the people, and rush upon certain 
 death. 
 
268 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 How striking does that character appear, when 
 we survey it in the contrast to that corrupt gener 
 ation! He stood there alone, amongst them, but 
 not of them, nor comprehended by them ; meek, 
 pure, benevolent, and spiritual, while those around 
 him were ambitious, sensual, selfish, and worldly ; 
 teaching the highest doctrine ever taught, to a 
 people the most opposed to it and the least capable 
 of appreciating it. In this disheartening situation, 
 it is wonderful to observe how his tone of con 
 scious authority was united with the most unas 
 suming gentleness. He appeared with the humility 
 of an ordinary man, yet with a natural air of com 
 mand. On the most important points of doctrine 
 and of duty, he uttered himself, not as giving an 
 opinion, but as communicating knowledge, and 
 feeling that he had a right to call on men to receive 
 his words. Ye have heard that it hath been said 
 thus and thus ; but / say unto you the contrary. 
 This, we read, excited the astonishment of the 
 people at the time, and it constitutes a feature of 
 his life altogether characteristic. 
 
 Yet this consciousness of authority, sustained 
 as it was by supernatural power, never showed it 
 self in arbitrary exercises. On the contrary, there 
 was a singular considerateness and thoughtful 
 kindness both in his instructions and his actions. 
 When he was teaching, nothing is more striking 
 than the tone of gentleness, sweetness, persua- 
 
CONCLUSION. 269 
 
 sion, which marked his address, so that the peo 
 ple wondered at his " gracious words." Even 
 his denunciations of the abandoned and hypo 
 critical, stern as they were, were marked with a 
 pathetic and tender solemnity, which made them 
 more affecting than if they had been simply ve 
 hement. In his performance of miraculous works 
 the same character is observable. He uniformly 
 selected for them cases of suffering and calamity, 
 in which he could do immediate kindness to men, 
 while establishing his own claims to a Divine 
 original. Any works of power would have effected 
 the latter object ; but he chose works of mercy ; 
 and thus proved himself to be truly the image of 
 his great Father, whose government perpetually 
 exhibits unlimited Power in union with unbounded 
 Love. 
 
 As we thus recapitulate the life and character 
 of our Lord, we feel the proof that he must have 
 come from God. But we must not stop here. We 
 observe the effect which his religion has had on the 
 world, and are still further satisfied. It has not 
 only spread, but it has spread without compulsion 
 and violence, by its own moral power over human 
 minds and wills. , It has not only spread, but it 
 has carried blessings with it wherever it has 
 gone. It has overthrown idolatry and supersti 
 tion, it has reformed the vicious and cheered the 
 penitent. It has been the means of elevating the 
 
270 THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOUR. 
 
 human race. It has been the encourager of in 
 tellectual and moral improvement, the friend of 
 civilization, the advocate and patron of all the 
 best interests of humanity. It has lifted to a 
 higher rank in virtue, intelligence, and happiness 
 that portion of mankind over which it has had 
 sway, than any portion has ever been raised by 
 other means. It is still extending its sway. It is 
 exalting to higher and yet higher perfection those 
 nations which are already Christianized, and it is 
 steadily going on to bring under its influence all 
 the nations of the world. It is proceeding to do 
 what no other power ever ventured to propose to 
 effect, to banish barbarism and wickedness from 
 the globe, and make civilization and knowledge 
 universal. 
 
 The Life of the Saviour is completely narrated, 
 only when we take this wide survey of the conse 
 quences to which it is leading ; for he still is living 
 in them. His works have not ceased. But we 
 cannot stop even here. The consequences of his 
 labors extend beyond the bounds of this globe. 
 If we would comprehend the value of his life 
 and toils, we must send our thoughts forward into 
 another state of being ; we must rise to that higher 
 world which he has peopled and made glorious, 
 must reflect on that eternity in which his innu 
 merable followers are to enjoy infinite and incor 
 ruptible bliss. That is a vision which the imagi- 
 
CONCLUSION. 271 
 
 nation cannot paint to itself. Eye has not seen, 
 ear has not heard, the heart has not been able to 
 conceive, the joys which are there prepared for 
 those who love God. But to the eye of Faith it is 
 all clear and sure. Life and immortality have been 
 brought to light. And we realize the full wonders 
 of that glory which God has given his Son, only 
 when we connect together in our mind the image 
 of the child at Bethlehem and the sufferer at Cal 
 vary with that exalted personage to whom the 
 judgment of the world is committed, and to whom 
 the multitudes that no man can number shall 
 look, with gratitude and thanksgiving, when they 
 render everlasting honors to Him that sitteth on 
 the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Cambridge : Stereotyped and Printed by Welch, Bigelow, & Co. 
 
I I