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 UTSCARD
 
 The Good News
 
 WORKS BY 
 
 DWIGHT GODDARD 
 
 TESUS And the Problems of 
 
 J Human Life 
 
 1 2 mo, cloth, net, 50 cents 
 These discourses show the value and use- 
 fulness of the Good News of a Spiritual 
 Realm and the Way of Salvation to anyone 
 who has felt a desire to make that supreme 
 adventure in faith. They set the "Good 
 News" into its right relation with present- 
 day thought. 
 
 THE GOOD NEWS 
 
 Of a Spiritual Realm 
 Paraphrased by DWIGHT GODDARD 
 Second Edition, 12 mo, cloth, net, $r.oo 
 An interweaving and paraphrasing of the 
 Four Gospels, bringing out clearly the unity 
 and reasonableness of Jesus' Life and Teach- 
 ings. Appropriate for devotional reading, 
 study classes, and as a gift book to those we 
 would like to become interested in our Lord.
 
 . .c, r<; 
 
 ThejGood News * 
 
 Of a Spiritual Realm / 
 
 Paraphrased by 
 DWIGHT GODDARD 
 
 NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
 LONDON AND EDINBURGH 

 
 Copyrighted, 1915, by 
 DWIGHT GODDARD, Ann Arbor, Michigan 
 
 Revised Edition copyrighted, 1916, by 
 DWIGHT GODDARD, Ann Arbor, Michigan 
 
 New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
 Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
 Toronto: 25 Richmond Street, W. 
 London: 21 Paternoster Square 
 Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street
 
 The Problem of Human Life calls for an 
 Explanation of the Conflict That Is Going on 
 Within the Human Heart Between the Forces 
 That Are Working for the Preservation and 
 Assertion of the Natural Life and the Forces 
 Working for the Creadon of a Spiritual Life. 
 
 JESUS OF NAZARETH PROCLAIMED THE GOOD 
 
 NEWS OF A SPIRITUAL REALM 
 He Asserted the Independent Reality of the 
 Spiritual Realm ; He Asserted the Supremacy 
 of the Spiritual Law of Love ; He Asserted 
 the Existence of a Way to Transcend the 
 Natural and Advance into the Spiritual. 
 
 This Book is Dedicated 
 To the Solution of this Problem of 
 Human Life in Accordance with the 
 Good News Proclaimed by Jesus.
 
 Preface 
 
 THIS book is an interweaving of the 
 Four Gospels into one connected 
 account of the Life and the Teach- 
 ings of Jesus of Nazareth, in which the effort is 
 made by free translation and paraphrase to 
 bring out the unity and the reasonableness of 
 his life and teachings from a modern point of 
 view. 
 
 It has been very unfortunate that Jesus' life 
 and teachings have been so largely studied as a 
 part of the whole history of the Christian 
 Church and Christian dogma. This has in- 
 evitably resulted in straining and distorting 
 them out of their original and characteristic 
 simplicity. This screening and obscuring of 
 his original thought began at the very begin- 
 ning. Jesus was again and again distressed 
 because his own disciples, who were com- 
 paratively uneducated men, failed to under- 
 stand and to appreciate the significance of his 
 teachings. 
 
 Then the history of his life and teachings 
 was not written down for many tens of years 
 after his death, which gave plenty of time for 
 7
 
 8 Preface 
 
 these misunderstandings to become exagger- 
 ated ; and our record in the Four Gospels is 
 only what certain of his disciples remembered 
 of what they understood him to say. To 
 make the matter worse, by the time the 
 record was being made, the development of 
 the Christian Church was Well under way 
 and the disciples were doing their best to 
 defend and to support it. They might uncon- 
 sciously but quite naturally be drawn to color 
 the record to suit the defense of the growing 
 Church. 
 
 In particular, there were three especially 
 important influences working against the sur- 
 vival of pure Christianity: namely, first, the 
 almost universal Jewish belief in the coming of 
 a Messiah who would restore their nation to its 
 old place of religious prestige. Rather than 
 give up this mistaken idea of the Messianic 
 Kingdom they crucified the Lord, and even the 
 disciples cherished to the last a belief in the 
 second coming of Jesus to fulfill this hope. 
 Would it not be quite natural for the disciples 
 to unconsciously interpret what Jesus did say 
 to strengthen this belief ? Second, when the 
 disciples left Judea and came into contact with 
 Grecian culture and philosophy they would 
 naturally be drawn into trying to make Chris- 
 tian doctrine square with them. The writings 
 of Paul show how strong this temptation was.
 
 Preface 9 
 
 Third, with the growth of the Christian Church 
 as an institution and under the influence of 
 Koman organization and authority, there would 
 be a constant temptation for the writers of the 
 Four Gospels to recall words and instances that 
 could be used to support their growing ecclesi- 
 astical authority. 
 
 Moreover, we must remember that Jesus was 
 an Oriental and would therefore probably think 
 as an Oriental. We must expect his teachings 
 to have been illustrative and suggestive rather 
 than didactic and precise. We must expect 
 that his actual words contained a deeper sig- 
 nificance than his immediate disciples, or his 
 age, for that matter, could have sounded or 
 recorded. If Jesus had, as the world generally 
 believes that he did have, an extraordinary 
 intuition for spiritual truth, then we have a 
 right, not so much to translate an approved 
 text with exactness as we have to discern his 
 thought and to interpret it in the light of sub- 
 sequent wisdom, provided we do it with a 
 humble purpose to reflect his deeper thought 
 and message. 
 
 The writer has been guided by certain in- 
 terpretive principles. First, he has tried to 
 discern in the teachings of Jesus a central 
 idea around which all the rest could be har- 
 monized, and found it in Jesus' conception of 
 the Kingdom of God. Second, he has tried to
 
 io Preface 
 
 be true to a spiritual intuition of Jesus' mean- 
 ing. He has constantly asked himself the 
 question, " Does this sound like Jesus ? " and 
 has given that question equal attention with 
 textual authority. Third, he has tried as far as 
 possible to make every rendering suggestive of 
 its deeper spiritual significance. 
 
 As a result of being guided by these prin- 
 ciples, the character and thought of Jesus 
 stand out in clear relief. "We see him as a 
 man of one idea. He is constantly talking 
 about this Kingdom of God, what it is, what is 
 God's relation to it, and what is man's relation 
 to it, and what is man's relation to his fellow 
 men in the light of it. In parable, explanation, 
 exhortation, and in miracle, he is ever trying 
 to make clear his conception of it, and to bring 
 men to conform their lives to it. 
 
 To him the Kingdom of God is no merely 
 ideal state of human society, but is an inde- 
 pendent realm of spiritual reality, an over- 
 world of Love. He sees it to be very near, yet 
 to be so different from the natural realm of 
 material things as to be far, far removed from 
 worldly eyes. Words fail him to adequately 
 describe its glories, and his greatest sorrow 
 seems to be that men are blind and indifferent 
 to its blessed nearness and reality. 
 
 In this Realm of the Spirit Jesus sees God 
 ruling as Sovereign Love whose attitude towards
 
 Preface 1 1 
 
 the children of men is that of the highest 
 paternal love and authority, and so he teaches 
 men to think of God as the Father of Love. 
 He perceives that this paternal love of God for 
 humanity is expressing itself in three ways : in 
 a revelation of the source of moral authority, 
 in a revelation of the Divine Love Idea in- 
 carnated in Jesus, and in an issue of the Divine 
 Love Vitality, the Holy Spirit, by reason of 
 which the human is enabled to transcend the 
 limitations of the natural and to advance into 
 the higher life of the spiritual. 
 
 Jesus believed that he, himself, was the in- 
 carnation of this Divine Love Idea, that he 
 was the expression in human terms of this Love 
 Thought of the Father, that he was, in a special 
 sense, the Son of God. He perceived that in 
 every human soul there is a spiritual germ that 
 can be quickened into life, not by the will of 
 men, but only by the will of the Father Love, 
 and in his Way. This Way of Life, as Jesus 
 revealed it to men, was to cherish the Love 
 Thought, to trust the Divine Love Vitality, and 
 to obey the spiritual influence that came from 
 the Father of Love to the children of men. 
 This was the Good News of a Spiritual Kealm 
 that Jesus felt to be his mission to proclaim and 
 to exemplify, and to this mission he devoted his 
 short life so tilled with activity and kindness 
 and wisdom.
 
 12 Preface 
 
 He asserted the independent reality of a 
 Spiritual Kealm ; he asserted the supremacy of 
 its Law of Love; he asserted the loving and 
 paternal authority of God ; he asserted the ex- 
 istence of a Way into a higher Life of the 
 Spirit ; and then he called on men everywhere 
 to repent and to believe and to make Love the 
 controlling motive in a life of service, in a quest 
 for the Spiritual Realm. But the glory of Jesus' 
 life is not in the assertion of these principles, 
 but is in the fidelity of his own life to them, 
 even to the death of the cross that he might 
 bear the sin of the world. 
 
 This system of thought is certainly philo- 
 sophical in its unity and universality, and it is 
 scientific in its openness to test and proof. 
 Jesus himself deprecated argument and chal- 
 lenged men to put his words to the test, 
 promising that thereby they would know. 
 Christendom has always been divided on ques- 
 tions of definition and dogma ; it ought not to 
 have been so, because Christianity does not so 
 much call for defense by logic and argument as it 
 does for demonstration, and wherever it is tried 
 it wins its way. 
 
 As we ponder the great problem of human 
 life, its meaning and destiny, the Way of Life 
 which Jesus proclaimed more and more com- 
 mends itself to us as the only way of escape 
 from the grim determinism of nature. " Lord,
 
 Preface 13 
 
 to whom else can we go ? Thou alone hast the 
 words of eternal life." 
 
 Jesus' teachings and the example of his life 
 are preeminently an appeal, an appeal to action 
 and to adventure. To freshen this appeal by 
 clothing it in new phraseology, and by so doing 
 to make it more insistent and forceful, is the 
 purpose of this work. Only a few verbal 
 changes are made in this second edition ; the 
 most important change being in the substitution 
 of the phrase, The Father of Love, as a para- 
 phrase for the name of Deity, in order to make 
 more emphatic Jesus' belief in the personality 
 of God and in his infinitely loving nature. 
 
 DWIGHT GODDAKD. 
 
 Ann Arbor, Michigan.
 
 Table of Contents 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PROLOGUE 17 
 
 CHAPTER ONE. Birth and Childhood of 
 
 Jesus 19 
 
 CHAPTER Two. Opening Events . . 33 
 
 CHAPTER THREE. Earliest Teaching in 
 
 Jerusalem 46 
 
 CHAPTER FOUR. Early Teaching in Galilee 64 
 
 CHAPTER FIVE. Choosing the Twelve and 
 
 Stay in Galilee 70 
 
 CHAPTER Six. Premonitions of the Crisis 120 
 
 CHAPTER SEVEN. Farewell to Galilee and 
 
 Public Proclamation of Messiahship . 144 
 
 CHAPTER EIGHT. Triumphal Entrance Into 
 
 Jerusalem and Last Supper . . . 199 
 
 CHAPTER NINE. Trial and Execution . 246 
 
 CHAPTER TEN. Ascension and Beginnings 
 
 of a Cooperative Brotherhood . . 267 
 
 REFERENCE INDEX . . . 287
 
 Prologue 
 
 f ^HE Love Thought was the beginning. 
 In the very beginning it was with the 
 
 JL Father of Love and it was the Father 
 of Love. All things were made by the Love 
 Thought and without it was not anything made 
 that ever was made. 
 
 In it was Life and the Life was the Light of 
 men. The Light shone in darkness and the 
 darkness has never been able to overcome it, or 
 even to comprehend it. The Love Thought was 
 the true Light that should illumine every soul 
 by its coming into the world. The Love Thought 
 was in the world and all that exists was made 
 by it and yet the world did not recognize it. 
 
 In the fullness of time this Love Thought 
 was expressed in a human Life that lived 
 among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory 
 that belonged to him as the only begotten of 
 the Father, full of grace and truth ; and of his 
 fullness we are ever receiving grace upon grace. 
 
 He came to a place that was his own, but his 
 own people gave him no welcome, but to as 
 many as did receive him, who really trusted in 
 
 John i. 1-18. 
 
 7
 
 i8 Prologue 
 
 his name of Love, to them was given power to 
 enter the Spiritual Realm, because they had 
 become children of Love. They were reborn, 
 not by natural vitality, nor by an impulse of 
 their own volition, nor by the will of a human 
 father, but by the desire of the Father of Love. 
 The Law was given by Moses, but the re- 
 deeming power of Love and an entrance into 
 the Spiritual Realm came through Jesus the 
 long promised Messiah. No human eye has 
 ever seen the Father of Love, but the nature of 
 the Father and his "Way of Life have been re- 
 vealed by the Son, who was his own Love 
 Thought from the beginning.
 
 CHAPTER ONE 
 BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD 
 
 IN the days of Herod, King of Judea, there 
 was a priest named Zechariah, who be- 
 longed to the Abijah division of the 
 priesthood. His wife, Elizabeth, was also a 
 descendant from Aaron. They were both up- 
 right in character and had lived blamelessly 
 in all the precepts and ordinances of the Lord. 
 They were now well advanced in years but, to 
 their great sorrow, had had no children. 
 
 In the temple service, at the hour for burning 
 incense, while all the multitude of the people 
 remained outside in prayer, it was the custom 
 for one priest, who was chosen by lot, to enter 
 the Holy of Holies and offer the incense. On 
 one occasion the lot fell to Zechariah. He had 
 entered and was burning the incense when an 
 angel of the Lord appeared to be standing on 
 the right side of the altar. Zechariah was 
 troubled and afraid when he saw him, but the 
 angel reassured him and said, " Zechariah, your 
 earnest prayers have been heard. Your wife 
 Elizabeth will bear a son and you are to call 
 
 Luke i. 5-80. 
 
 '9
 
 2o The Good News 
 
 his name John. You will have joy and glad- 
 ness and many will rejoice at his birth. He 
 will be great in the sight of the Lord ; he will 
 abstain from all fermented drink and, from his 
 birth, will be filled with Divine Vitality. 
 
 " He will turn many of the children of Israel 
 to the Father of Love, their Lord. He will be 
 the forerunner of the Messiah and have the 
 spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of 
 the fathers to the children, and to turn the 
 disobedient to the wisdom of the good, and 
 thus to make ready a people prepared to wel- 
 come the Lord." 
 
 Zechariah said to the angel, " I am an old 
 man and my wife is aged also ; how shall I be 
 sure of this ? " 
 
 The angel replied, " I stand in the presence 
 of the Father of Love and am sent to tell you 
 the Good News. It will come to pass in due 
 time, but because you are slow to believe you 
 will be unable to speak until that time." 
 
 Meanwhile the people were waiting for 
 Zechariah to reappear and were surprised that 
 he stayed so long. When he finally came out 
 and they saw that he was unable to speak, but 
 made signs to them, they perceived that, while 
 he had been within, he had seen a vision. 
 
 When his days of temple service were ended, 
 he went to his home, and, in the course of time, 
 his wife Elizabeth conceived. For five months 
 
 /-
 
 Birth and Childhood 21 
 
 she kept in retirement, saying, " The Lord has 
 looked kindly upon me and taken away my 
 reproach." 
 
 AT this time there was living in Nazareth of 
 Galilee a loving and devout girl named Mary. 
 She was betrothed to a man named Joseph, and 
 they were both lineal descendants of Abraham 
 and the royal house of David. 
 
 In the sixth month an angel from God ap- 
 peared to Mary and said : " Congratulations, 
 most favored one, the Lord is with you." She 
 was greatly agitated at such a strange greeting 
 and wondered what it meant. 
 
 The angel continued, " Do not be afraid, 
 Mary, you have found favor with the Father of 
 Love. You are to bear a son and call his name 
 Jesus. He will be of great renown ; men will 
 call him, * Son of the Most High ' ; and the 
 Father of Love, the Lord, will give him the 
 throne of his father David. He will reign 
 over the house of Jacob for ever and of his 
 Kingdom there will be no limit." 
 
 Mary said, " How can it be possible, seeing 
 that I am not yet married ? " The angel an- 
 swered, " Divine Vitality will come to you, and 
 the power of the Most High will enfold you. 
 For this reason he that shall be born will be 
 revered and will be called the Son of God ; and 
 no purpose of his will ever fail."
 
 22 The Good News 
 
 Mary replied, " I give myself wholly to the 
 Lord. Let it be to me as you have said." 
 
 The angel said, " Listen, Mary, your relative 
 Elizabeth has conceived a son in her old age, 
 and she, who was called barren, is now in her 
 sixth month." Then the angel disappeared 
 from her presence. 
 
 Mary went at once to the home of Zechariah 
 in the hill country of Judea to see Elizabeth. 
 As soon as Elizabeth heard her greeting, the 
 babe moved within her. She was filled with 
 Divine Vitality and cried out : " Oh, most 
 blessed among women, and your child shall be 
 blessed ! Why is this honor, that the mother 
 of my Lord should come to me? For when 
 the sound of your greeting came to my ears, 
 even the babe within me moved from very joy. 
 Oh, blessed one ! Because you have faith, there 
 will be fulfillment of all the promises made to 
 you from the Lord." 
 
 Mary replied : 
 
 " MY soul doth magnify the Lord. 
 
 And my spirit doth rejoice in God my Saviour. 
 
 For he hath looJced on the low estate of his hand- 
 maid ; 
 
 And from henceforth all generations shall call me 
 blessed. 
 
 For he that is mighty has done to me great things 
 
 And reverend is his name. 
 
 His mercy is unto them that fear him
 
 Birth and Childhood 23 
 
 From generation to generation. 
 
 He hath showed strength with his arm ; 
 
 He hath scattered the proud in the thoughts of 
 
 their hearts ; 
 
 He hath put down princes from their thrones / 
 He hath exalted them of low degree. 
 The hungry he hath filed with good things. 
 And the rich he hath sent empty away. 
 He hath given help to his servant Israel 
 In remembrance of his mercy y 
 As he promised unto our fathers. 
 To Abraham and to his seed for ever." 
 
 Mary remained with Elizabeth about three 
 months and then returned to her own home. 
 In due time Elizabeth brought forth a son and 
 her kinsfolk and neighbors rejoiced with her 
 when they saw how the Lord had magnified 
 his mercy towards her. 
 
 ON the eighth day, according to custom, they 
 came to circumcise the child and would have 
 christened him Zechariah, after his father's 
 name, but his mother objected and said that he 
 was to be called John. They reminded her 
 that none of the family bore that name and, 
 using signs, asked the father what the child 
 was to be called. He asked for a writing tab- 
 let and wrote, " His name is John." 
 
 Then he was conscious that he could speak 
 and immediately, being filled with Divine Vi- 
 tality, he burst forth in a rapture of praise :
 
 24 The Good News 
 
 " BLESSED be the Lord God of Israel; 
 For he hath not forgotten his people, 
 But hath prepared redemption 
 And hath raised up a mighty salvation for them 
 In the house of his servant David, 
 As he promised by the prophets of old. 
 He hath saved us from our enemies 
 And from the hand of all that hate us. 
 He hath shown kindness to our fathers 
 And hath remembered his sacred covenant. 
 Which he made with our father Abraham, 
 That he would keep us safe 
 From the hand of our enemies. 
 80 that we might serve him without fear, 
 In piety and uprightness all our days. 
 
 And thou, Oh child, shalt be called 
 Prophet of the Most High I 
 Thou shalt go before to prepare the way of the 
 
 Lord, 
 Who will give knowledge of salvation to his 
 
 people, 
 
 Through the forgiveness of their sins, 
 By the tender mercy of our God. 
 It will be to us as the daybreak from on high, 
 And to those who dwell in darkness and the 
 
 shadow of death, 
 To guide our feet into the path of peace." 
 
 The neighbors were filled with awe, for the 
 hand of the Lord was evidently with him. 
 The events were remembered and talked about
 
 Birth and Childhood 25 
 
 throughout all the hill country and many won- 
 dered what the child would become. Mean- 
 while the child grew strong in body and char- 
 acter, but remained in seclusion until the time 
 for him to appear publicly in Israel. 
 
 BEFORE Joseph married Mary, his be- 
 trothed, it was brought to his attention that 
 she had conceived. Being a good man, and not 
 willing to bring her into public disgrace, he 
 thought to separate from her quietly. While 
 he was still thinking about it, an angel of the 
 Lord appeared to him in a dream and said : 
 " Joseph, son of David, do not hesitate to 
 marry Mary, your betrothed, for that which is 
 conceived in her is of the Divine Vitality. She 
 will bring forth a son and he is to be called 
 Jesus, for it is he that shall save his people 
 from their sins." 
 
 All this took place in fulfillment of what the 
 Lord had foretold by the prophet. " Behold a 
 young worrum will be with child and will bring 
 forth a son <md they will call his name, * God- 
 with-us.' " 
 
 Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had com- 
 manded and married his betrothed, but did not 
 live with her as a husband until the birth of her 
 son. 
 
 Matthew i. 18-25.
 
 26 The Good News 
 
 AT that time Caesar Augustus issued a proc- 
 lamation calling for a registration of the whole 
 empire. This was the first enrollment and was 
 made while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 
 
 In response to this edict each one returned to 
 his native town to be registered. Joseph went 
 from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in 
 Judea, because he was a descendant from 
 David ; and Mary, his wife, went with him. 
 
 When they reached Bethlehem, there was no 
 room for them at the inn and they sought shel- 
 ter in a stable. While they were there the 
 time for Mary's delivery came and she gave 
 birth to her first born son. She wrapped him 
 in his baby clothes and laid him to sleep in a 
 manger. 
 
 In the same country there were shepherds in 
 the open fields, keeping watch over their flocks 
 by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to 
 them and the glory of the Lord shone round 
 about them and they were much afraid. But 
 the angel said to them : " Do not be afraid. I 
 am bringing you good tidings of great joy that 
 shall be to all people, for there is born to you 
 this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is 
 the Messiah, the Lord. This shall be your 
 proof : you will find the babe wrapped in his 
 baby clothes and lying in a manger." 
 
 Luke ii. 1-39.
 
 Birth and Childhood 27 
 
 Suddenly there was with the angel a multi- 
 tude of the spiritual hosts praising God and 
 saying : 
 
 " Glory to God in the Highest ! And on 
 earth peace and good will among men." 
 
 When the angelic host had faded away from 
 their sight, the shepherds said to one another, 
 " Let us go at once to Bethlehem and see that 
 which the Lord has revealed to us." So they 
 went in haste and found both Mary and Joseph 
 and the little child lying in the manger. The 
 shepherds told of the vision that they had seen, 
 and all who heard it were filled with wonder. 
 Mary, especially, listened to it and treasured it 
 in her heart. Then the shepherds returned to 
 their flocks glorifying and praising God for all 
 the things they had heard and seen. 
 
 WHEN eight days were passed the child was 
 circumcised and given the name Jesus, as had 
 been foretold by the angel. Then in accord- 
 ance with the requirements of the Mosaic law, 
 which stipulated that every first born male 
 should be dedicated to the Lord, and after the 
 days for their own purification had elapsed, 
 they carried the child up to Jerusalem to pre- 
 sent him at the temple and to offer the custom- 
 ary sacrifice of a pair of turtle doves, or two 
 small pigeons. 
 
 There was in Jerusalem at this time a man
 
 28 The Good News 
 
 named Symeon, who was a good and devout 
 man, whose heart was filled with Divine Vital- 
 ity and who was expectantly watching for the 
 coming of the Messiah. It had been revealed 
 to him that he should not die until he had seen 
 the Lord's Messiah. Under the influence of 
 Divine Vitality he had come into the temple 
 just as the parents of Jesus brought him in. 
 He took the child in his arms and blessed God 
 saying: 
 
 "Now, Lord, Let thy servant depart, according to 
 thy word, in peace, 
 
 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 
 Which thou hast prepared in the sight of all nations, 
 
 A light of revelation to the Gentiles 
 
 And a glory to thy people Israel." 
 
 Symeon then blessed them and said to Mary : 
 " Listen to me. This child will be the cause of 
 many falling and many rising in Israel. He 
 will arouse great resentment, for he will reveal 
 the secret thoughts of many a heart. Yes, 
 even your own heart will suffer as though a 
 sword had pierced it." 
 
 While the father and mother were wonder- 
 ing at these strange words, an aged woman 
 named Anna came near. She was the daugh- 
 ter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was 
 very old, having lived with a husband for seven
 
 Birth and Childhood 29 
 
 years after her girlhood and now had been a 
 widow for eighty-four years. She was looked 
 upon as a prophetess and spent all her time in 
 the temple worshipping day and night with 
 fasting and prayer. When she saw the child 
 Jesus, she gave thanks to God, and then spoke 
 about him to those who were also looking for 
 the redemption of Jerusalem. 
 
 When the parents had fulfilled all the temple 
 requirements they returned to Bethlehem. 
 
 JUST at this time some wise men arrived in 
 Jerusalem from the far East. They created 
 some excitement by inquiring, "Where is he 
 that is born King of the Jews ? We saw his 
 star when it arose and we have come to wor- 
 ship him." 
 
 When Herod, the king, heard it, he was dis- 
 turbed, for it might mean an insurrection. 
 The king gathered together all the chief priests 
 and scholars, and anxiously inquired of them 
 where the Messiah was to be born. They re- 
 plied that according to the prophets he was to 
 be born in Bethlehem of Judea. Then Herod 
 called the wise men to him privately, to learn 
 the exact time that the star appeared. He 
 commanded them to go to Bethlehem and 
 search out the young child and when they had 
 
 Matthew ii. 1-23.
 
 30 The Good News 
 
 found the child to bring him word. The reason 
 the king gave was, " That I may also come and 
 worship him." 
 
 Having heard the king they went away and 
 the star, which they had seen from the East, 
 went before them until it stood over where the 
 young child was. When they saw the star 
 they rejoiced exceedingly. They entered the 
 house and when they saw the young child and 
 Mary his mother, they prostrated themselves 
 and worshipped him. Then they opened 
 their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, 
 frankincense and myrrh. Being warned in a 
 dream that they should not return to Herod, 
 they left for their own country by another road. 
 
 After they had gone, an angel of the Lord 
 appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned him 
 that Herod would seek the young child's life 
 and that he must take him and the mother and 
 flee into Egypt, and remain there until he was 
 sent word. That same night Joseph took the 
 child and his mother and started for Egypt and 
 was there until the death of Herod. 
 
 "When Herod learned that the wise men had 
 trifled with him, he was furiously angry. He 
 reckoned from the time that he had learned of 
 the wise men that the star had appeared, and 
 gave orders that all children under two years 
 of age, that could be found in Bethlehem and 
 vicinity, should be killed.
 
 Birth and Childhood 31 
 
 After Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord 
 appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him of 
 the death and directing him to bring the child 
 and his mother back. When Joseph heard that 
 Archelaus, the son of Herod, was reigning over 
 Judea, and being warned in a dream, he was 
 afraid to return there and, instead, went to 
 Galilee and dwelt in the town of Nazareth. 
 And there the child grew strong and wise and 
 the blessing of God was evidently upon him. 
 
 IT was the custom of his parents to go up to 
 Jerusalem every year to the Feast of the Pass- 
 over and when Jesus was twelve years of age 
 they took him with them. When the festivi- 
 ties were ended and they were returning, Jesus 
 stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents 
 being aware of it. They supposed that he was 
 somewhere in the company and they made a 
 day's journey before they began to search for 
 him among their relatives and acquaintances, 
 but being unable to find him they returned to 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 On the third day they found him in the 
 temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, 
 listening and asking them questions. All who 
 heard him were amazed at his understanding 
 and his answers. 
 
 Luke ii. 40-62.
 
 32 The Good News 
 
 When the father and mother saw him, they 
 were astonished, and his mother said to him, 
 " My boy, why have you done this ? Your 
 father and I have been anxiously searching for 
 you." Jesus said to her, " But why did you 
 search for me, mother ? Didn't you know that 
 I would be here in my Father's house ? " 
 
 He returned with them to Nazareth and was 
 an obedient child. They did not always under- 
 stand the things he said to them, but his mother 
 treasured them in her heart, and, as he increased 
 in stature and wisdom, he also increased in the 
 favor of his fellow men and of God.
 
 CHAPTER TWO 
 OPENING EVENTS 
 
 MEANWHILE John, the son of Zech- 
 ariah and Elizabeth, was growing 
 up in the seclusion of the wilderness. 
 He dressed in camel's hair with a leathern 
 girdle and lived on locust pods and wild honey. 
 In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, when 
 Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod 
 of Galilee, and his brother Philip of Ituraea 
 and Trachonitis, and Annas and Caiaphas were 
 high priests, the call of God came to him. 
 
 He went into the Jordan Valley and began 
 to preach and to baptize. The burden of his 
 message was, " Repent, for the Kingdom of 
 Heaven is at hand ! " Those that heeded his 
 words he baptized as a sign of the remission of 
 their sin. 
 
 All of this had been foretold by the prophet 
 Isaiah, who said : 
 
 " THE voice of one crying in the uoilderness, 
 Make ready the way of the Lord, 
 Make his paths straight. 
 Every valley shall be filled, 
 
 Matthew iii. 1-12 ; Mark i. 1-8; Luke iii. 1-301 
 33
 
 34 The Good News 
 
 And every mountain and hill brought low. 
 
 The crooked shall be made straight, 
 
 And the rough ways smooth, 
 
 And all nations shall see the salvation of God. " 
 
 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and 
 Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to 
 them: "Oh, offspring of vipers, who ha& 
 warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? 
 You must first bring forth the fruits of re- 
 pentance. It will be no profit to you to claim 
 Abraham as your father, for let me tell you, 
 God is able of these very stones to raise up 
 children to Abraham. Already the axe is at 
 the foot of the tree and every tree that fails to 
 yield good fruit will quickly be cut down and 
 thrown into the fire." 
 
 They asked him, " "What must we do ? " 
 
 He replied, " He that has two coats, let him 
 share with him who has none. He that has 
 food, let him do the same." There were tax 
 collectors that came to be baptized and they 
 asked him what they should do. He said to 
 them, " Collect no more than is legally due." 
 Some soldiers asked the same question. To 
 them he replied, " Do not take things by vio- 
 lence, accuse no one unjustly and be content 
 with your wages." 
 
 The crowds increased. The people were ex- 
 pectant, and reasoned in their hearts as to
 
 Opening Events 35 
 
 whether possibly John, himself, was the prom- 
 ised Messiah. 
 
 John answered saying to them all, "I, in- 
 deed, baptize you with water as a sign of re- 
 pentance, but after me one is coming who is 
 mightier than I, one whose shoes 1 am not 
 worthy to unloose. He will baptize you with 
 Divine Vitality and with fire. His winnowing 
 fan will be in his hand ready to clean up the 
 threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into 
 his granary, but the chaff he will burn with 
 unquenchable fire." 
 
 THEN the Jews at Jerusalem sent priests 
 and Levites to ask him who he was, and 
 whether he was the Messiah or not. John 
 said, " No, I am not the Messiah." Then they 
 asked, "Who then, are you Elijah? or the 
 prophet that is to come?" But John an- 
 swered, " No, I am not." 
 
 Then they said, " Tell us who you are and 
 by what authority you baptize, so that we may 
 give an answer to them that sent us." John 
 said to them, the same as he had said to the 
 others, " I am the voice of one crying in the 
 wilderness. I baptize with water, but there 
 is another coming after me, who is greater 
 than I." 
 
 John i. 1&-28.
 
 36 The Good News 
 
 WHILE John was baptizing in Jordan, Jesus 
 came from Nazareth to be baptized, but John 
 protested and said, " It is I who have need to 
 be baptized of thee, and thou comest to me ! " 
 But Jesus said, " You must do it for me, for it 
 is only thus that I fulfill my duty." 
 
 Then John baptized him and, as Jesus came 
 up out of the water, lo, the heavens opened and 
 he saw the Vitality of God, in the form of a 
 dove, descending and alighting upon him and 
 a voice from the Spiritual Realm saying, " Thou 
 art my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
 pleased." 
 
 ON the morrow, John seeing Jesus coming 
 towards him, said to those standing about him : 
 " Behold the Lamb of God that is to take away 
 the sin of the world. This is he of whom I 
 said, ' After me is coming One who is preferred 
 before me, for he is greater than I.' For this 
 purpose I came baptizing with water to pro- 
 claim to Israel the coming Messiah. At first I 
 did not recognize him, but when I beheld Di- 
 vine Vitality descending as a dove out of the 
 Spiritual Realm and abiding on him, just as it 
 had been foretold to me by the one who sent 
 me to baptize with water, and who said, ' The 
 One on whom thou shalt see the Spirit descend- 
 
 Matthew iii. 13-17; Mark i. 9-11 ; Luke ui. 21-23. 
 John i. 29-34.
 
 Opening Events 37 
 
 ing and abiding, he is the One who will baptize 
 with Divine Vitality.' This I have seen and 
 now bear witness, that he is the Son of God." 
 
 THE same day, it was then about four in the 
 afternoon as John was standing with two of 
 his disciples, they saw Jesus as he was walk- 
 ing by, and John said, " Look, there is the 
 Lamb of God." The two disciples who heard 
 John speak followed Jesus. 
 
 Jesus noticed them following and asked 
 them, " What is it you want ? " They replied, 
 " Where are you staying, Teacher ? " He said, 
 "Come and see." And so they went with 
 him and remained the rest of the day. 
 
 One of the two who heard John speak and 
 followed Jesus was Andrew. He went at 
 once to his own brother, Simon, and said, 
 "We have found the Messiah," and brought 
 his brother to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and 
 said, " You are Simon, the son of John, but 
 your name is to be Peter, that is, the Rock." 
 
 The next day Jesus left for his home in Gali- 
 lee and meeting Philip, who was from Beth- 
 saida, the same town as Andrew and Peter, 
 invited him to go with them. Philip, meeting 
 his friend Nathaniel, said, "We have found 
 the one of whom Moses wrote in the Book of 
 
 John i. 35-61.
 
 38 The Good News 
 
 the Law and the Prophets, Jesus of Nazareth, 
 the son of Joseph." Nathaniel replied, " Naz- 
 areth ? Can any good thing come out of Naz- 
 areth ? " " Come and see," said Philip. 
 
 Jesus saw him coming and said, " Here at 
 last is a true Israelite, one in whom is no de- 
 ceitfulness." Nathaniel said, "Why, where 
 have you known me ? " Jesus said, " Just be- 
 fore Philip called you, when you were under 
 the fig tree, I saw you." Nathaniel exclaimed, 
 "Teacher, thou art the Son of God. Thou 
 art the King of Israel." 
 
 Perhaps Nathaniel had been praying under 
 the fig tree that the Messiah might soon come, 
 for Jesus said, " Because I said I saw you 
 under the fig tree, do you believe ? You shall 
 see greater things than these, Nathaniel. You 
 will see the heavens open, and the angels of the 
 Father of Love encircling the Son of Man." 
 
 THE third day there was a marriage in 
 Cana of Galilee, to which Jesus and his mother 
 and disciples were invited. It happened that 
 the wine that had been provided was insuffi- 
 cient and the mother of Jesus brought it to his 
 attention. " "We are not responsible, are we, 
 mother ? Besides, I am not ready to act." 
 His mother whispered to the servants, "Do 
 whatever he tells you." 
 
 John ii. 1-12.
 
 Opening Events 39 
 
 There were six stone jars standing near by, 
 as was common in Jewish homes, and each 
 large enough to hold twenty gallons or more. 
 Jesus told the attendants to till the jars with 
 water and they filled them to the brim. Then 
 he said, " "When the host calls for more wine, 
 take from these jars." This they did, and 
 when the host had tasted of the water which 
 had now been changed into wine, although 
 only the servants knew about it, he called for 
 the bridegroom and said : " Usually at a feast 
 the best wine is served first, and the poorer 
 after men have drunken freely, but you have 
 kept the best until now." 
 
 This miracle in Cana was the beginning of 
 the wonderful things that Jesus did in Galilee. 
 It revealed his power and deepened the confi- 
 dence that his friends had in him. 
 
 THE changing of the water into wine came 
 at a time when Jesus was thinking seriously of 
 his mission in life. It was done in a spirit 
 of kindness, but it revealed to him, perhaps, 
 the kind of temptation to which he would be 
 particularly open the temptation to use his 
 power unwisely. 
 
 He was familiar with all the ancient prophe- 
 cies of the coming of a Messiah and the stories 
 of his own birth. He felt an inner response so 
 intimate that he was convinced that he, him-
 
 4-O The Good News 
 
 self, was the Son of God and he always called 
 God, " My Father." The voice at his baptism 
 only confirmed that of which he was already sure. 
 
 He understood instinctively, as only a Son 
 could, the mind and heart of God. He knew 
 that God was Love Absolute and Sovereign 
 of an Infinite Kingdom. He knew that this 
 Kingdom was independent of and above the 
 natural order and that it constituted in itself 
 the truest and highest reality. He knew that 
 the Law of Love was supreme, not only in the 
 Spiritual Kealm, but in the world of nature as 
 well. 
 
 He recognized that all human beings were 
 sensitive to spiritual influences, that they as 
 well as he were kin to the Spiritual, but that 
 they were forfeiting this spiritual kinship by 
 conforming to the natural law of self-preser- 
 vation and disobeying the spiritual Law of 
 Love. He saw that it was the gracious pur- 
 pose of God, in spite of the disloyalty of the 
 children of men, to provide a way of escape 
 from the strife of the natural order and to pro- 
 vide an entrance into their heritage in the 
 Spiritual Kealm. He recognized also the pres- 
 ence of a spiritual Vitality that issued directly 
 from the Father of Love, by reason of which 
 this advance from the natural into the spiritual 
 was to be vitalized. Jesus felt that he, himself, 
 was the incarnation of this Loving Thought of
 
 Opening Events 41 
 
 the Father of Love, and that he had been sent 
 into the world in a form that would make this 
 Love Thought understandable. 
 
 Jesus recognized that if humanity were ever 
 to realize their spiritual heritage they must 
 take advantage of the only way that God had 
 provided for their redemption. They must be- 
 lieve in him as the incarnation of the Love 
 Thought of the Father ; they must trust them- 
 selves to the Divine Love Vitality ; and they 
 must humbly and gratefully obey the Spiritual 
 Law of Love. They must recognize that the 
 only way of escape from the lower life was to 
 be born again into the Spiritual Realm ; and 
 this could take place only by the grace of the 
 Father of Love through the power of Love 
 Vitality acting in response to a grateful and 
 humble and obedient faith in the Love Thought. 
 To tell men this Good News of the Spiritual 
 Realm Jesus felt to be his mission in Life. 
 
 He knew that such a course would be un- 
 popular and probably would end in disaster, 
 but the call was too clear to be denied. Never- 
 theless doubts and questions crowded his mind. 
 How would he be supported and protected? 
 How could he be sure that he was doing the 
 wisest thing ? Was love after all strong enough 
 to overcome the world ? * 
 
 * Connection supplied by author.
 
 42 The Good News 
 
 That he was giving serious thought to these 
 questions at this time is certain, for on his re- 
 turn from the Jordan he was driven by Divine 
 Vitality into the wilderness, to think out the 
 meaning of his mission to the end, and to be 
 sure of himself from the beginning. There in 
 the desert, with only the wild animals for com- 
 pany, he remained and fasted for forty days, 
 and for forty days the moral struggle went on 
 within him. 
 
 TTE was not so much tempted to deny his 
 mission as he was tempted to doubt and to 
 question. The devil said to him, " If you are 
 the Son of God, command these stones to be- 
 come bread ; by so doing you will be assured 
 that your bodily wants will be supplied." 
 Jesus' reply was, "My bodily wants are not 
 the most important thing. Besides physical 
 appetites man has spiritual aspirations that are 
 to be satisfied by spiritual food that comes from 
 the Father of Love. As it is written, 'Man 
 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word 
 that proceeds from the mouth of God.' If it 
 ever comes to a choice between the two, the 
 spiritual is the more important." 
 
 Then the devil seemed to lead him to Jeru- 
 salem, to a pinnacle of the temple, and said : 
 " If you are the Son of God, prove it where all 
 
 Matthew iv. 1-11 ; Mark i. 12-13 ; Luke iv. 1-14.
 
 Opening Events 43 
 
 can see. Descend from here to the temple 
 courts, you need not be afraid ; it is written, 
 ' He will give his angels charge of you, they 
 will hold you up in their hands lest at any time 
 you trip against a stone.'' " Jesus replied : 
 " Yes, it is true, the Father of Love has made 
 many promises of protection to all those who 
 are seeking to do his will, but they should be 
 accepted humbly and gratefully. One ought 
 not to see how far he can venture in selfishness, 
 or recklessness, or worldly success, without fall- 
 ing ; for it is also written, ' Thou shalt not put 
 the Lord thy God to the test? " 
 
 The devil led him to a very high mountain 
 and showed him all the kingdoms of this world, 
 as though they were spread out before him. He 
 said to him, " You think your mission is to re- 
 deem the kingdoms of men. Now all these are 
 mine and I can give them to whom I please. 
 You may have all this authority and all this 
 wealth at once, if you will worship me." 
 
 Jesus replied : " Yes, my mission is to redeem 
 the nations, but it can only be done by reveal- 
 ing to the children of men the "Way of Life, 
 that lies through faith in the Law of Love. It 
 is not by authority from without that this can 
 be done, but it is by awakening faith within 
 and a grateful obedience to the Father of Love. 
 It is written, * Thou shalt worship the Lord thy 
 God and him only shalt thou serve? "
 
 44 The Good News 
 
 As he faced the different temptations they 
 lost their force, and help came to him from the 
 Spiritual Realm so that his own faith in the 
 power of Love to meet every emergency was 
 strengthened by Love Vitality ; and he returned 
 to Galilee confident and serene for his mission 
 in life. He began at once to teach in their 
 synagogues and his fame went out through all 
 the region. 
 
 IT was his custom on the Sabbath day to go 
 to the synagogue and, being at his old home in 
 Nazareth on the Sabbath, he entered the syna- 
 gogue and stood up to read. They handed him 
 the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened 
 the roll and found the place where it is written : 
 
 " The Vitality of the Lord is upon me. 
 
 He has chosen me to preach Good News to the 
 
 poor ; 
 
 He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, 
 And recovery of sight to the blind, 
 To set free the oppressed, 
 And to proclaim the year of the Lord* s favor." 
 
 Then he rolled up the book and returned it 
 to the attendant. The eyes of all in the syna- 
 gogue were fixed upon him, waiting for him to 
 speak. 
 
 Then he said: "To-day this Scripture has 
 
 Luke iv. 16-30.
 
 Opening Events 45 
 
 been fulfilled for you. Doubtless you will re- 
 mind me of the old saying, ' Physician, heal 
 thyself,' and ask that what has been done in 
 other places be done here in my native town. 
 But unfortunately a prophet is honored any- 
 where but in his own country. 
 
 "There were many widows in Israel when 
 Elijah lived, besides the Sidonian widow of 
 Zarepath, but when there was a drought in the 
 land for three years and a half, it was only to 
 her that Elijah came. There were many lepers 
 in Israel in Elisha's day, but none of them were 
 cleansed but Naaman, the Syrian." 
 
 At first the listeners were pleased by the 
 grace of his words and exclaimed, " Why, can 
 this be Joseph's son ? " But as he proceeded 
 they became increasingly angry and finally 
 hustled him out of the synagogue to the edge 
 of the cliff on which the town is built and 
 attempted to throw him over, but he passed 
 through their midst and went away.
 
 CHAPTER THREE 
 EARLIEST TEACHING IN JEEUSALEM 
 
 f m ^HE Passover Feast was at hand and 
 Jesus went up to it and taught in the 
 
 JL temple. Many saw the works that he 
 did and professed to believe in him, but Jesus 
 did not altogether trust them because he could 
 read men's hearts, and was not deceived by 
 protestations. 
 
 While Jesus was in Jerusalem a man of the 
 Pharisees named Mcodemus, a ruler of the 
 Jews, came to Jesus by night and said to him : 
 " Sir, we know that you are a teacher that has 
 been taught of God, for no one could do the 
 works that you are doing unless God was with 
 him. May I ask you a question ? You speak 
 of the Kingdom of God ; what do you mean 
 by it ? " 
 
 Jesus replied : " The Kingdom of God, or 
 the Spiritual Realm, is an independent order of 
 reality that is higher than the natural order, 
 and cannot be fully understood except by one 
 who is born from above." 
 
 Nicodemus said : " How can a man be born 
 
 John ii. 13 ; ii. 23-iii. 21 ; iii. 31-36. 
 46
 
 Earliest Teaching in Jerusalem 47 
 
 when he is old ? Can he enter the second 
 time into his mother's womb and be born ? " 
 
 Jesus answered : " It is not a matter of 
 physical birth ; but nevertheless I repeat what 
 I said, except one be born of Spiritual Vitality 
 he cannot advance into the Spiritual Realm. 
 That which is born of the natural flesh is flesh, 
 of course ; but that which is born of Spiritual 
 Vitality is spirit. Do not wonder when I say 
 that it is necessary to be born again. There 
 are other things that are hard for you to under- 
 stand. You can hear the sound of the wind as 
 it passes, but you do not know from whence it 
 comes, or whither it is going. In a similar way 
 one may be conscious of the spiritual birth 
 without being able to understand from whence 
 it comes or whither it will lead." 
 
 JSTicodemus replied : " But how can it be 
 possible ? " 
 
 Jesus said: "Are you a teacher in Israel, 
 Nicodemus, and doubt what I have said? I 
 am telling you only what I know to be true, 
 and am bearing witness only to what I have 
 seen ; but you do not accept my testimony. If 
 you are unwilling to believe when I tell you 
 earthly things, how do you expect to believe if 
 I tell you Spiritual truths ? No man can enter 
 the Spiritual Realm to prove its existence for 
 himself. He must accept it on faith in the 
 word of the only one who is able to testify,
 
 48 The Good News 
 
 and that One is the Son of man who came 
 forth from the Spiritual Realm, and still re- 
 tains his life in the Spiritual Realm. 
 
 " Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the 
 wilderness, so that all who had faith to look 
 up might be healed ; even thus must the Son 
 of man be lifted up, so that all those that be- 
 lieve in the Love Thought may not perish but 
 may enter the timeless life of the Spiritual 
 Realm. 
 
 " For the Father of Love so loved the world 
 that he gave his only begotten Son that who- 
 ever trustingly believes in him should not 
 perish, but should have the timeless Life. For 
 the Father of Love did not send his Son into 
 the world to condemn the world, but that the 
 world through him might be saved. He that 
 trustingly believes in the only begotten Son of 
 the Father of Love does not come into judg- 
 ment, but he that does not believe in him has 
 by that very fact been already judged. For the 
 Love Thought has come as a Light into the 
 world, and men are tested by their attitude 
 towards that Light. 
 
 " If their works are evil, men will prefer 
 darkness rather than light; for men that do 
 wicked deeds hate the light and will not come 
 into it because they know that it will expose 
 their wickedness and they will be reproved. 
 But men that purpose to do right are glad to
 
 Earliest Teaching in Jerusalem 49 
 
 come into the light, for they know that it will 
 prove that their deeds are in harmony with the 
 will of the Father of Love. 
 
 " He that is of the natural world belongs to 
 it and therefore defends it, but he that conies 
 from the Spiritual Kealm is above all nature. 
 He tells of a higher Order that he has seen and 
 experienced, but few, indeed, receive his testi- 
 mony. 
 
 " He that does accept it, however, is made 
 confident that Love is supreme reality, and 
 that he, whom the Father of Love has sent, is 
 a true expression of the very Love Thought of 
 the Father of Love, for he has been given Love 
 Vitality without measure. The Father loves 
 the Son and has given all things into his hands. 
 He that believes, and trusts, and obeys the Love 
 Thought has the timeless, spiritual Life ; but 
 he that distrusts the Love Thought can never 
 hope for it, because the displeasure of the 
 Father of Love abides upon him." 
 
 FOE a time Jesus tarried in Judea and his 
 disciples began to baptize converts. John was 
 also baptizing in ^Enon near to Salim, where 
 there was plenty of water. One day a dis- 
 cussion arose between some disciples of John 
 and a Jew about baptism, and they came to John. 
 
 John iii. 22-30.
 
 50 The Good News 
 
 "Teacher," they said, "he that was with 
 you beyond the Jordan and whom you en- 
 dorsed, is now himself baptizing and many are 
 going to him." John replied : " A man can 
 have no power unless it is given him from the 
 Spiritual Realm. You will bear me witness 
 that I said, * I am not the Messiah ; I am sent 
 to prepare the way for him.' He that has the 
 bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the 
 bridegroom stands by him and rejoices to see 
 his gladness. This is my joy. He will in- 
 crease, but I must decrease." 
 
 WHEN it was brought to the attention of 
 Jesus that the Pharisees were commenting on 
 the fact that his disciples were baptizing more 
 than John's, he left Judea and returned to 
 Galilee. To do this it was necessary for him to 
 pass through Samaria. On the way he came 
 near the town of Sychar, to the well that 
 Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 
 
 Jesus, being weary with his journey, rested by 
 the well. About noon, while his disciples had 
 gone to the town to buy food, a Samaritan 
 woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus 
 asked her to give him a drink. It was not cus- 
 tomary for the Jews to hold intercourse with 
 the Samaritans and the woman naturally asked 
 
 John iv. 1-42.
 
 Earliest Teaching in Jerusalem 51 
 
 him, " Why, how is this ? that a Jew, as you 
 are, asks water, not only of a Samaritan, but of 
 a Samaritan woman ? " 
 
 Jesus replied, " If you knew of the gift that 
 the Father of Love can give and who it is that 
 asks you for a drink, you would ask of him and 
 he would freely give you the living water." 
 
 The woman said to him, " Sir, you have 
 nothing with which to draw and the well is 
 deep. Are you greater than our father Jacob, 
 who gave us the well and drank of it himself 
 and his sons and his cattle ? Say, what do 
 you mean by * the living water ' ? " 
 
 Jesus replied, " Every one that drinks of this 
 water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of 
 the water that I can give will never thirst, but 
 it will be in him an endless refreshment in a 
 timeless Life." " Sir," said the woman, " give 
 me this water, so that I shall not be thirsty and 
 shall not need to come the long distance to the 
 well." 
 
 Jesus said to her, " Go, call your husband 
 and return here." She replied, " I have no 
 husband." " You speak truly," said Jesus ; 
 " you have had five husbands ; the one you are 
 now living with is not your husband. That is 
 so." 
 
 The woman said, " Sir, I see that you are a 
 prophet. Say, let me ask you a question. You 
 know that our fathers have always worshipped
 
 52 The Good News 
 
 in this mountain, but the Jews say that in 
 Jerusalem is the place where men ought to 
 worship." 
 
 Jesus said to her : " Sister, believe me, the 
 hour is coming when it will not be necessary to 
 go to this mountain nor to Jerusalem to wor- 
 ship the Father. You do not understand what 
 you worship, but we do ; and salvation comes 
 from the Jews. But the hour is coming, yes it 
 is already here, when sincere believers may 
 worship the Father in true spiritual worship 
 anywhere, for the Father is everywhere seeking 
 such to worship him. The Father of Love is 
 Spirit and they that worship him must worship 
 spiritually and sincerely." 
 
 " Yes," said the woman, " I know that the 
 Messiah is coming. When he comes he will 
 make all these things plain." 
 
 " I am the Messiah," said Jesus. " I am 
 speaking with you now." 
 
 JUST then the disciples returned, and al- 
 though they were surprised that he should be 
 speaking to a Samaritan woman, no one referred 
 to it. They asked him to eat with them, but he 
 replied sadly, " I have food to eat that you do 
 not know about." They whispered to one an- 
 other, " Has any one brought him food ? " 
 Jesus continued, " My food is to do the will of 
 him that sent me and to complete his work.
 
 Earliest Teaching in Jerusalem 5*3 
 
 Do not think, there are still four months before 
 the time of harvest, why, open your eyes and 
 look on the fields, they are already white, just 
 waiting for the harvest. 
 
 "There is a harvest for the timeless life. 
 The old proverb is true, 'one sows, another 
 reaps.' Other men have toiled to sow its seed, 
 but you are to do the reaping. Others have 
 toiled and you will have the benefit, and enjoy 
 the fruits, but they that toiled in the sowing 
 will not be without their joy, they will rejoice 
 with you in the harvest." 
 
 Meanwhile the woman had left her water jar 
 and returned to the town and said to the people, 
 " Come see the man that told me everything I 
 ever did. Do you think that he can be the 
 Messiah ? " They returned with her to the well 
 and many of the Samaritans believed in him 
 from the woman's testimony. 
 
 They urged Jesus to remain with them and 
 he did so for two days, and many more became 
 his followers, because of his words. " We be- 
 lieve," they said, " because we have heard him 
 ourselves and know that he is indeed the 
 Saviour of the world."
 
 CHAPTER FOUR 
 EARLY TEACHING IN GALILEE 
 
 AFTER these two days Jesus returned to 
 Galilee and dwelt in Capernaum, near 
 the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. 
 From this time he went constantly about Gali- 
 lee preaching. 
 
 The burden of his message was, " The time is 
 come. The Spiritual Realm, The Kingdom of 
 Love, is here. Repent and believe in the Good 
 News." The Galileans received him gladly, for 
 many of them were with him in Jerusalem at 
 the Feast and had been witnesses of the things 
 that he had done there. 
 
 ONE day as Jesus was passing through Cana, 
 where he had changed the water into wine, a 
 nobleman who lived in Capernaum sought him 
 out to tell him that his son was at the point of 
 death and to beseech him to come and heal 
 him. 
 
 Jesus said to him, " Will you not believe un- 
 less you see signs and wonders ? " " Sir," said 
 the nobleman, " come, before the child dies." 
 
 Matthew iv. 12-17 ; Mark i. 14-15 ; John iv. 43-45. 
 John iv. 46-54. 
 
 54
 
 Early Teaching in Galilee $$ 
 
 Jesus said to him, " You may return home, 
 the boy will live." The man believed Jesus 
 and immediately started on his way back. Be- 
 fore he reached home he met his servants com- 
 ing to tell him that his child was getting better. 
 He inquired of them as to the hour when he 
 began to improve and they told him that the 
 fever had left the child at about the seventh 
 hour : it was the very hour that Jesus had said 
 to him, " Your son will live." Because of the 
 healing he and his whole family became be- 
 lievers. 
 
 ONE day Jesus was passing by the Sea of 
 Galilee and the multitude pressed upon him to 
 hear the word of God. There were two boats 
 near by and the fishermen had come ashore to 
 clean their nets. One of the boats belonged to 
 Peter and Andrew. Jesus went aboard this 
 boat and asked them to push off a little from 
 the shore while he talked to the multitude from 
 the boat. 
 
 When he had ceased speaking, he said to 
 Peter, " Push out into deep water and let down 
 your nets." But Peter hesitated and said, 
 "Master, we worked all last night and took 
 nothing, nevertheless, if you say so, we will try 
 again." 
 
 Matthew iv. 18-22 ; Mark i. 16-20 ; Luke v. 1-11.
 
 56 The Good News 
 
 When they had let down the nets, they en- 
 closed a great quantity of fish, so much so that 
 the nets began to break. They signalled to 
 their partners in the other boat to come and 
 help them, and both boats were filled so that 
 they almost sank. 
 
 When Peter saw the draught of fish he was 
 amazed, and so were his partners, James and 
 John, the sons of Zebedee. Peter kneeled at 
 the feet of Jesus and said, " Oh Lord, I am a 
 sinful man, I am unworthy to be in thy presence." 
 
 Jesus replied to him, "Do not be afraid, 
 Peter, but come with me and, from now on, 
 we will fish for men." So they brought their 
 boat to the shore and they left all and followed 
 him. 
 
 Going a little farther, Jesus called to James 
 and John. They left their father Zebedee in 
 the boat with the hired servants and they also 
 followed Jesus. 
 
 ONE Sabbath day he went to the synagogue 
 in Capernaum and taught the people. As usual, 
 they were much astonished at his teaching, for 
 he spoke with evident authority. 
 
 There was present a man who was possessed 
 by the spirit of an unclean demon. The man 
 cried out in a loud voice, " We know who you 
 
 Matthew viii. 14-17 ; Mark i. 21-34 ; Luke iv. 31-41.
 
 Early Teaching in Galilee 57 
 
 are. You are Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy One 
 of God. Let us alone. What have we done 
 that you should come to destroy us ? " Jesus 
 rebuked the demon and commanded him to 
 come out of the man. After throwing him 
 into a convulsion, the demon left him. Every 
 one was amazed and questioned each other as 
 to the secret of Jesus' power, a power that even 
 the evil spirits obeyed. 
 
 When they came out of the synagogue they 
 went into the house of Peter and Andrew, and 
 James and John went with them. It happened 
 that Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a 
 fever. They told Jesus about her condition 
 and besought him to heal her. Jesus took her 
 by the hand and rebuked the fever and it sub- 
 sided immediately. She rose from her bed and 
 at once began to serve them. 
 
 As evening drew near it seemed as though 
 the whole town was gathered at the door. 
 They brought to him all that were sick and he 
 laid his hands on them and healed them. Many 
 demoniacs were brought to him, some of whom 
 recognized him as the Messiah and cried out, 
 "Thou art the Son of God." Jesus rebuked 
 the demons, not letting them speak, and com- 
 manded them to be gone. All of this was in 
 accordance with the prophecy of Isaiah, who 
 said, " He carried our infirmities and bore our 
 diseases."
 
 58 The Good News 
 
 BEFOEE daylight the next morning, Jesus 
 rose and went away to a desolate place where 
 he could be alone to pray. Peter and the 
 others sought him out and when they found 
 him they said, "Every one is searching for 
 you." Jesus replied: "Let us go away into 
 other towns that I may preach there also, for 
 that is the reason that I have come forth from 
 the Father of Love: to proclaim everywhere 
 the Good News of the Spiritual Kealm." 
 
 When Jesus came down from the mountain, 
 great multitudes followed him. At first they 
 tried to keep him from leaving their village ; 
 but he left them and went about all Galilee, 
 teaching in their synagogues, telling the Good 
 News of the Spiritual Realm, and healing all 
 manner of sickness among the people. 
 
 In one of the villages a leper came to him and 
 crouching at his feet besought him to heal him. 
 He said, " If you are willing to do it, you can 
 make me clean." Jesus pitied the poor man 
 and laid his hands on him and said, " I am will- 
 ing to do it. Be clean." The leprosy left him 
 at once and he was clean. 
 
 Jesus commanded him not to talk about it, but 
 to go at once to the temple, show himself to the 
 priest, and offer the customary sacrifice for his 
 
 Matthew iv. 23 ; riii. 2-4 ; Mark i. 35-45 ; Luke iv. 
 42-44 ; v. 12-16.
 
 Early Teaching in Galilee 59 
 
 cleansing. But the man could not refrain from 
 talking about it. The crowds that followed 
 Jesus increased so much that he could no longer 
 enter a town publicly. He spent much of his 
 time away in solitary places where he could be 
 alone in prayer. Still the people found him out 
 and came to him from every quarter. 
 
 ON one of these occasions Jesus was in a 
 house speaking and healing the sick, and it was 
 evident that the power of the Lord was with 
 him. By this time the Pharisees and lawyers 
 had begun to take notice of him and some of 
 them were present from Galilee and Judea and 
 even from Jerusalem. The rooms were crowded 
 and it was difficult to get near him. Some men 
 came, bringing a paralyzed man on a stretcher. 
 When they found that it was impossible to gain 
 entrance because of the crowd, they carried him 
 to the roof and, after removing the tile and roof 
 boards, they lowered the stretcher with the man 
 on it into the midst of the company. 
 
 Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, 
 " My son, be comforted, your sins are forgiven." 
 The scribes and the Pharisees whispered to- 
 gether, saying, " This man is blasphemous. No 
 one can forgive sins but God." 
 
 Jesus was conscious of their thoughts and 
 
 Matthew ix. 2-8 ; Mark ii. 1-12 ; Luke v. 17-26.
 
 60 The Good News 
 
 said to them, " "Why do you raise these evil 
 questions in your hearts? What difference 
 does it make whether I say, ' Your sins are 
 forgiven,' or ' Arise and walk ' ? But that you 
 may know that the Son of man has authority 
 on earth to forgive sins, I will heal this man." 
 
 Then turning to the one who was paralyzed 
 he said, " I say to you, take up this bedding and 
 return to your home." Immediately the sick 
 man rose up before them, folded together the 
 bedding on which he lay and returned to his 
 home, praising God. 
 
 The bystanders were filled with amazement 
 and cried out, " Glory to God ! " As they sepa- 
 rated a feeling of awe came over them as they 
 thought of the marvellous thing that they had 
 seen. 
 
 AFTEE this Jesus went out and came to a 
 tax station by the seashore. A publican by 
 the name of Levi was in charge and, when 
 Jesus invited him to become one of his disciples, 
 Levi at once left everything and followed him. 
 
 Levi invited him to a feast to which he also 
 invited many others, among whom were many 
 publicans and sinners. Nevertheless Jesus and 
 his disciples went in and ate with them. 
 
 The Pharisees and scribes who were following 
 
 Matthew ix. 9-17 ; Mark ii. 13-22 ; Luke v. 27-39.
 
 Early Teaching in Galilee 61 
 
 Jesus found fault with this and said to his dis- 
 ciples, "Why does your Master eat with tax 
 collectors and sinners ? " Jesus replied to them, 
 " Who is it that requires a physician ? Is it the 
 sick or the well ? I am not come to call the 
 righteous but to call sinners to repentance." 
 
 Then they said to him, " The disciples of John 
 often fast and it is our own custom also, but 
 your disciples eat and drink freely. How is 
 this ? " Jesus said to them, " Can you make 
 the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is 
 with them? The day will come when the 
 bridegroom will be taken away from them; 
 then they will fast. No one spoils a new gar- 
 ment to patch an old one. If he does that he 
 not only ruins the new garment, but the new 
 cloth tears away from the old and makes the 
 rent still worse. No one puts new wine into 
 old wine skins, because it will burst and ruin 
 the old skins and be itself lost. No, new wine 
 must be put into fresh wine skins. But, alas, 
 no one who is used to old ways likes the new ; 
 they always think that the old are better." 
 
 JESUS again went up to Jerusalem to a feast. 
 Near the Sheep Gate there was a pool that was 
 called Bethesda. It had five porches and under 
 these porches were always lying a great many 
 
 John T.
 
 62 The Good News 
 
 sick people, those that were blind and lame and 
 paralyzed. 
 
 These people believed that at certain times 
 an angel of the Lord descended into the pool, 
 causing the water to be disturbed, and whoever 
 could first get into the pool afterwards would 
 be healed of whatever sickness he had. 
 
 Jesus visited the pool and saw a man who 
 had been sick for thirty-eight years and asked 
 him if he would like to be cured. The man re- 
 plied, " Oh, Sir, I have no one to help me into 
 the pool when the water is troubled. While I 
 am getting down some one else crowds by and 
 gets there first." 
 
 Jesus said to him, " Kise up, take your mat 
 and go away." Immediately the man was 
 well, took up his mat, and walked off. It hap- 
 pened to be the Sabbath day when this occurred 
 and some Jews seeing the man carrying his bed 
 said to him, " To-day is the Sabbath ; you have 
 no right to be carrying a burden." 
 
 The man replied, "The one who made me 
 well said to me, ' Take up your mat and walk.' " 
 
 The Jews asked him who it was that had told 
 him to do it, but the man did not know, for 
 Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 
 
 Later in the day Jesus recognized him in the 
 temple and spoke to him, saying, " Listen, my 
 friend, you are well now. Do not sin any 
 more, or you may suffer still worse."
 
 Early Teaching in Galilee 63 
 
 The man went to the Jews and told them 
 that it was Jesus that had healed him. The 
 Jews at once began to persecute Jesus for 
 breaking the Sabbath, but he replied, "My 
 Father is working all the time and so must I." 
 
 THEN the Jews sought to kill him, not only 
 because he had broken the Sabbath, but be- 
 cause, by calling God his Father, he had the 
 same as claimed equality with God. 
 
 Jesus said to them, " Most seriously I tell 
 you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but 
 only what he sees the Father doing. The 
 Father loves the Son and reveals to him what 
 he is himself doing. 
 
 " The Father of Love recognizes and vitalizes 
 the Love Thought anywhere and everywhere, 
 and the Love Thought can intuitively under- 
 stand what is in the heart of the Father of Love, 
 and whatever he is doing, the Love Thought 
 can do, but only in the same loving manner." 
 
 Jesus said to them, " You have wondered at 
 the things you have already seen, but greater 
 works than these will the Father show the Son, 
 that you may be filled with deeper wonder. 
 For, just as the Father awakens the dead and 
 gives them life, so the Son also gives Life to 
 whom he will. Spiritual Life is the gift of the 
 Father of Love and I, the Love Thought, can 
 give it also.
 
 64 The Good News 
 
 " Neither does the Father judge any one for 
 he has given all judgment to the Son, so that 
 all shall honor the Son just as they honor the 
 Father. He that does not honor the Love 
 Thought does not honor the Father of Love 
 that sent the Love Thought into the world. 
 
 " I tell you seriously, he that hears my words 
 and believes in him that sent me has the time- 
 less Life, and will not come into judgment, for 
 he has already passed out of the sway of natural 
 death into the higher Life of the spirit. 
 
 " He that hears the word of Love and be- 
 lieves it, that trusts and obeys the Father of 
 Love, already has the timeless, spiritual Life. 
 He has already met the conditions and has 
 passed from the natural realm into correspond- 
 ence with the Spiritual. 
 
 "Again, and I am speaking most seriously, 
 the hour comes, yes, it is here, when even the 
 dead shall hear the voice of the Son of the 
 Father of Love, and they that hear it shall Live. 
 The Father, who is Love Absolute, is the source 
 of vitality in himself and he has given to the 
 Son, who is his own Love Thought, to be the 
 same source of vitality ; and, because he is the 
 Son of man, he gave him authority to bring 
 men to the test. 
 
 "Do not marvel at this. The hour comes 
 when all that are in the grave even shall hear 
 his voice and come forth, they that have done
 
 Early Teaching in Galilee 65 
 
 good into a higher Life and they that have done 
 evil into the finality of judgment. 
 
 " I CAN accomplish nothing if I act selfishly. 
 I test men as I have been taught by the Father 
 of Love, and my test will be fair, because my 
 aim is not to do my own will, but to do the 
 will of him who sent me. 
 
 " I cannot receive honor from men when they 
 do not have the love of God in their hearts. I 
 am come in Love's name and you are unwilling 
 to receive me. If another should come in his 
 own name you would receive him. Why is it 
 that you are willing to receive those whose only 
 glory comes from one another, but reject the 
 one whose glory comes from the Father of 
 Love? 
 
 " Do not think that I will accuse you to the 
 Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, 
 the very one on whom you set your hope. But 
 if you really believed in Moses, you would be- 
 lieve in me, for he wrote of me. If you do not 
 believe his writings, of course you will not be- 
 lieve what I say. 
 
 " I am telling you these things that, if pos- 
 sible, you may be saved. If I only bore wit- 
 ness of myself, my witness would not be con- 
 vincing, but besides Moses there is another that 
 bears witness of me, and I know that his witness 
 is true. John was a bright and shining torch
 
 66 The Good News 
 
 and for a time you were glad to rejoice in his 
 light. You sent to John and he told you the 
 truth. 
 
 " But it is not necessary for me to appeal to 
 the witness of men. The mission to which the 
 Father has called me, the very works that I do, 
 they all testify that the Father of Love has sent 
 me. This should be sufficient evidence, but 
 there is still One who bears witness of me, who 
 is greater than all these, even the Father of 
 Love. But you have never heard his voice or 
 seen his form, and it is because you do not have 
 his spirit of Love abiding in you that you do 
 not believe in me whom he has sent. 
 
 " You search the Scriptures because you think 
 that in them you will find eternal life, but you 
 will not come to me, to whom these very Scrip- 
 tures bear witness. You will not come to me, 
 the only One who is able to give you the higher 
 Life of the spirit. 
 
 " I have just cured this sick man on the Sab- 
 bath day and you criticize me for it. Circum- 
 cision is a custom that has come down from the 
 fathers which Moses endorsed, and on this 
 Sabbath day you have as usual circumcised a 
 child. If it is right to mutilate a child by 
 circumcision on the Sabbath day according to 
 the law of Moses, why are you angry with me 
 
 John vii. 21-24.
 
 Early Teaching in Galilee 67 
 
 because I make a man well ? Do not be 
 superficial in your judgments ; be reasonable 
 and just." 
 
 Jesus then returned to Galilee and continued 
 to go about teaching in their synagogues and 
 proclaiming the Good News of the Spiritual 
 Realm. The reports of his power went all over 
 Syria and they brought to him those that were 
 sick, the insane, demoniacs, epileptics, or those 
 that were paralyzed, and he healed them all. 
 Great multitudes from all Galilee, from 
 Decapolis and Jerusalem, from all Judea and 
 even from beyond the Jordan, followed him 
 about. 
 
 ONE Sabbath Jesus and his disciples were 
 passing through a grain field and, as his dis- 
 ciples were hungry, they began to break off the 
 grain and rub it in their hands and eat the 
 kernels. When the Pharisees noticed it, they 
 said to Jesus, " Look, your disciples are doing 
 what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath." 
 
 Jesus replied : " Have you not read what 
 David did in the time of Abiather, the high 
 priest ? When he and his soldiers were hungry 
 they went into the house of God and actually 
 ate the shew bread that was offered on the 
 altar, which you know he had no right to do, 
 
 Matthew iv. 23-25. 
 
 Matthew xii. 1-8 ; Mark ii. 23-28 ; Luke vi,
 
 68 The Good News 
 
 as it is reserved for the priests. Have you not 
 read in the Book of the Law, that when the 
 priests have to labor in the temple services on 
 the Sabbath day, they are not held guilty ? 
 
 " Let me say to you, there is one here who is 
 greater than the temple. The Son of man is 
 Lord of the Sabbath. If you had understood 
 the meaning of the old saying, * I desire loving 
 kindness and not sacrifice? you would not have 
 condemned these men, who are guiltless of any 
 real offense." 
 
 WHEN Jesus entered the synagogue, he saw 
 a man with a withered hand. The scribes and 
 the Pharisees were there as usual, watching to 
 see if he would do anything that was unlawful, 
 because they wanted a chance to accuse him. 
 Jesus could read their thoughts and said to 
 them, " If one of you had a sheep that fell into 
 a pit on the Sabbath day, would you not take 
 hold and lift it out ? Of how much more value 
 is a man than a sheep ! Is it lawful to do good 
 on the Sabbath or to do harm ? to save life or to 
 destroy ? " 
 
 As he looked among them and noticed the 
 hardness of their hearts, he was grieved and 
 angry, but as they made no reply to his ques- 
 tion, he told the man with the withered hand 
 
 Matthew xii. 9-14 ; Mark iii. 1-6 ; Luke vi. 6-11.
 
 Early Teaching in Galilee 69 
 
 to stand up, and said to him, " Of course it is 
 right to do good on the Sabbath. Stretch forth 
 your hand." He did so and it was perfect like 
 the other. 
 
 This only served to make the Pharisees the 
 more angry, and they went out and consulted 
 with the Galilean officials as to how they could 
 get rid of Jesus.
 
 CHAPTER FIVE 
 
 CHOOSING THE TWELVE AND STAY IN 
 GALILEE 
 
 WHEN Jesus perceived the intent of 
 the Pharisees to make away with 
 him, he withdrew to the mountain- 
 ous shores of Galilee, but still the multitude fol- 
 lowed him. They came from Jerusalem, from 
 Idumsea and beyond Jordan, and even from the 
 seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. They brought 
 their sick with them, the insane and those that 
 had the plague, and sought to touch him, for 
 power seemed to come forth from him to heal 
 them all. 
 The old prophecy of Isaiah was being fulfilled. 
 
 " He is my beloved in whom my soul delights. 
 
 I will put my spirit upon Mm 
 
 And he shall be a standard for the nations. 
 
 He will not strive or cry aloud, 
 
 No one in the streets shall be disturbed by him. 
 
 A bruised reed he will not break. 
 
 And a wick that is almost out he will not quench. 
 
 He will bring justice to victory 
 
 And in his name shatt the nations hope." 
 
 Matthew iv. 23-25; xii. 15-21 ; Mark iii. 7-12; Luke 
 Ti. 17-19. 
 
 70
 
 Choosing the Twelve 71 
 
 THE crowds so pressed upon him that he 
 asked his disciples to get a boat. They crossed 
 the sea and went up into the mountains to pray, 
 and all that night he continued in prayer to 
 God. 
 
 "When it was day he called from among his 
 followers twelve that should be his especial 
 disciples. He planned that these should be 
 with him all the time, so that they might more 
 thoroughly understand his teaching and be 
 ready when he wanted them to go forth to 
 preach. 
 
 The twelve that he chose were Simon, 
 whom he had named Peter, or the Kock; 
 Andrew, Simon's brother ; the two sons of 
 Zebedee, James and John, whom he afterwards 
 called the Sons of Thunder; Philip and Bar- 
 tholomew ; Matthew, the tax collector; Thomas ; 
 James the son of Alphaeus ; Thaddeus ; Simon 
 the Zealot ; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed 
 him. 
 
 WITH these twelve Jesus withdrew from the 
 multitude into the mountains. "When they were 
 quite alone they seated themselves and Jesus 
 taught them many things, so that they might 
 teach others. He said to them : 
 
 Mark iii. 13-19; Luke vi. 12-19. 
 
 Matthew v., vi., vii. ; Luke vi. 20-49; xi. 9-13 ; xii. 
 22-31.
 
 72 The Good News 
 
 " Blessed are the humble in spirit, for the 
 
 whole Spiritual Realm is theirs. 
 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall 
 
 be comforted. 
 Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit 
 
 the earth. 
 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst 
 
 after goodness for they shall be satisfied. 
 Blessed are the merciful for they shall 
 
 obtain mercy. 
 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall 
 
 see the Father of Love. 
 Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall 
 
 be called sons of the Father of Love. 
 Blessed are they who are persecuted for 
 
 their goodness, for theirs, also, is the 
 
 Spiritual Realm. 
 
 "And you, my disciples, are blessed when 
 men reproach you and persecute you and say 
 all manner of cruel things against you falsely, for 
 my sake. Rejoice and be very glad, for great 
 is your reward in the Spiritual Realm, for the 
 prophets of old were persecuted in the same way. 
 
 " Woe unto the rich for they are now enjoy- 
 ing all the comforts they will ever have ! 
 
 " Woe unto those who are now surfeited, for 
 they will go hungry hereafter ! 
 
 " Woe unto those that now laugh for later 
 on they will mourn !
 
 Choosing the Twelve 73 
 
 " And woe unto you, my disciples, when all 
 men shall speak well of you, for the false 
 prophets of old were praised in the same way. 
 
 " YOU are to be a kind of salt to the natural 
 order, but if the salt has lost its virtue, what 
 good is it ? It is good for nothing but to be 
 thrown out and trodden under foot. 
 
 " You are to be a light to the natural order. 
 Men do not light a lamp and then hide it under 
 a bushel measure. They put it on a stand 
 where it shines for all in the house. In the 
 same way let your light shine before men that 
 they may see your usefulness and then they will 
 glorify your Father who is in the Spiritual 
 Realm. 
 
 " Do not think that I have come to set aside 
 the Law and the Prophets. I came not to 
 annul, but to fulfill. I say emphatically that 
 as long as the natural heavens and the earth 
 remain, not the dot of an i or the cross of a t 
 of the Law shall pass away until all be accom- 
 plished. 
 
 " Whoever therefore shall break the least of 
 these commandments, or shall teach men to do 
 so, shall be called least in the Spiritual Realm. 
 But whoever shall do and teach them shall be 
 called great in the Spiritual Realm. 
 
 Luke xi. 33.
 
 74 The Good News 
 
 " I warn you that unless your righteousness 
 exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will 
 have no chance of entering the Spiritual Realm. 
 
 " YOU know that it was said of old, ' Thou 
 shalt not kill,' and 'whoever kills will be in 
 danger of judgment] and ' whoever insults his 
 brother must come "before the Sanhedrim] and 
 1 whoever curses his brother must be cast into 
 Gehenna. 1 But I say to you that if any one is 
 even angry with his brother, he has already 
 committed murder in his heart. 
 
 " If you come to the temple altar with an 
 offering, and recall that your brother had some- 
 thing against you, leave your offering there and 
 first become reconciled to him, and then come 
 and make your offering. 
 
 " If you have an adversary, come to an 
 agreement with him quickly while you are 
 with him. If you delay he may summon you 
 to the judge, and the judge deliver you to an 
 officer, and the officer take you to prison. I 
 warn you that you will not be released until 
 you have paid the last penny. 
 
 " You know that it was said of old, ' Thou 
 shalt not commit adultery? But I say to you, 
 that if any one looks at a woman lustfully, he 
 has already committed adultery in his heart. 
 
 "If your right eye causes you to stumble, 
 pluck it out and throw it away, for it will be
 
 Choosing the Twelve 75 
 
 better for you to lose an eye and enter the 
 Spiritual Kealm than to keep an eye and be 
 cast into Gehenna. 
 
 " If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it 
 off and throw it away. It is better that you 
 lose one member than that your whole body be 
 cast into Gehenna. 
 
 " It was said also, ' Whoever putteth away his 
 wife, let him give her a letter of divorcement,'' 
 But I say to you, if any one divorces his wife, 
 he makes her an adulteress and whoever marries 
 her after she has been divorced commits adultery. 
 
 " You have heard it said of old, ' Thou shalt 
 not swear falsely? and ' Thou shalt fulfitt thy 
 vow to the Lord* But I say to you, do not 
 make a vow at all. Neither by the Spiritual 
 Kealm for it is the throne of the Father of 
 Love ; nor by the earth for it is his footstool ; 
 nor by Jerusalem for it is the city of the great 
 king. Do not vow by your head because you 
 cannot make one hair white or black. Let 
 your speech be yes, or no. "What is more than 
 this is prompted of evil. 
 
 " You have heard what was said of old, ' An 
 eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth? But I say 
 to you, do not resist evil. If one strikes you 
 on the right cheek, turn to him the other. If 
 a man sues you in the courts and takes your 
 coat, let him have your shirt also. If he com- 
 pels you to go a mile, go with him two. If a
 
 76 The Good News 
 
 man asks a favor of you, grant it, or if he 
 wants to borrow something, let him have it. 
 If one even steals your things, or takes them 
 by force, do not ask to have them returned. 
 
 " If you lend only to them from whom you 
 hope to receive, what credit is it to you ? Even 
 sinners lend to sinners, hoping to receive as 
 much in return. No, do unto others as you 
 would like to have them do to you. 
 
 " You have heard it said of old, ' Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy? But I 
 say to you, love your enemies and pray for 
 them that persecute you. Do good to them, 
 lend to them, despairing of no man. By so 
 doing you will show yourselves to be sons of 
 your Father, who is in the Spiritual Kealm ; for 
 he makes the sun to rise on both the evil and 
 the good ; he sends the rain on the just and the 
 unjust alike. The Most High is kind even to 
 the unthankful and the wicked. 
 
 " IF you only love them that love you, how 
 are you better than the publicans ? If you 
 only greet your friends, how are you any better 
 than others ? Why, even the heathen do that. 
 Your Father in the Spiritual Realm is perfect. 
 You must try to be perfect also. 
 
 " Be careful not to be ostentatious in your 
 good deeds. If you make a display of them, 
 you forfeit any reward from your Father in
 
 Choosing the Twelve 77 
 
 the Spiritual Realm. If you give charitable 
 gifts, do not advertise them, as the hypocrites 
 do, in the cathedrals and on the streets, that 
 they may have praise of men. They have had 
 their reward, the honor of men ; but, mark my 
 word, it is all the reward they will ever get. 
 
 " When you give in charity do not let even 
 your right hand know what your left hand is 
 doing. Let your charity be in secret and your 
 Father, who knows about everything that is 
 done in secret, will reward you openly. 
 
 " When you pray, do not be as the hypocrites, 
 for they delight to pose in public places, in the 
 synagogue and even on the street corners, so 
 that they may be seen. They have had their 
 reward and it is all they will get. 
 
 " But you, my disciples, when you pray, go 
 where you will be quite alone, and having shut 
 the door, pray to the Father, who is himself 
 unseen, and he will hear and answer. In pray- 
 ing, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen 
 do, who think they will be heard for their 
 much speaking. Do not copy them. In pray- 
 ing to your Father, remember that he knows of 
 what you have need before you ask him." 
 
 ONE of the disciples said, " Master, teach us 
 to pray, as John taught his disciples." Jesus 
 
 Lake xi. 1-4.
 
 78 The Good News 
 
 said: "Pray like this, 'Our Father, who art 
 in the Spiritual Kealm, hallowed be thy name. 
 Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth 
 as it is done in heaven. Give us for daily bread 
 thy Word of Love that comes from the Spir- 
 itual Realm ; and forgive us our sins as we for- 
 give them that sin against us. Lead us not 
 into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' * 
 
 " If you forgive men their trespasses, your 
 Father in the Spiritual Realm will forgive you. 
 But if you are unwilling to forgive others, 
 neither will your Father forgive you. 
 
 "Moreover, when you fast do not be like the 
 hypocrites with a sad countenance, for they 
 even disfigure their faces so that other men 
 will notice that they are fasting. They re- 
 ceive their reward, such as it is. When you 
 fast, wash your face and anoint your hair, so 
 that men will not notice that you are fasting, 
 but your Father, who knows every secret thing, 
 will notice it and will recompense you. 
 
 " Do not lay up treasure upon earth, where 
 moths consume, and rust corrodes, and where 
 thieves break in and steal. But lay up your 
 treasure in the Spiritual Realm, where there is 
 neither moth, nor rust, and where thieves never 
 enter ; for where your treasure is, there your 
 heart will be also. 
 
 * Old Latin MS.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 79 
 
 " The lamp of the body is the eye ; if there- 
 fore your eyes are clear, your body will be full 
 of light. But if your eyes are blinded, your 
 whole body will be full of darkness. If there- 
 fore the inner light that the Father of Love 
 has given to enlighten you be obscured, how 
 great is the darkness within you. 
 
 " NO servant can serve two masters at the 
 same time. Either he will hate one and love 
 the other, or he will stick to one and avoid 
 the other. Neither can you be loyal to the 
 Father of Love and be a slave to the riches of 
 this world, at the same time. You must choose 
 one or the other. 
 
 " If you choose to be loyal to the Father of 
 Love, you need have no anxiety for your life, 
 as to what you will eat or drink, or for your 
 body, as to how it will be clothed. Your 
 Father in the Spiritual Kealm knows that 
 these things are needful, and by being anxious 
 you cannot add a single day to your life. 
 
 " If you are not able to do that which is least, 
 why be anxious concerning the rest ? Is not 
 life more than food, and the body than rai- 
 ment ? Look at the birds of the air, they do 
 not sow, or reap, or gather into barns; but 
 your Father feeds them. Are not you of much 
 greater value than they ? 
 
 Luke zi. 34-36.
 
 8o The Good News 
 
 "And why should you be anxious about 
 clothing ? Consider the lilies of the field, see 
 how beautiful they are. They do not toil, 
 neither do they spin, and yet Solomon in all 
 his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
 
 " If the Father of Love clothes the grass of 
 the field, which is only for a day and then 
 withers away, will he not much more clothe 
 you ? Oh men ! How little you trust him. 
 
 " No, do not be anxious about what you will 
 eat, or drink, or how you will be clothed. 
 These are the things that worldly people give 
 all their thought and time a-seeking. But as 
 for you, my disciples, seek first the Spiritual 
 Realm and its Law of Love, and all these nec- 
 essary things will be forthcoming. I repeat 
 it, do not be anxious for the morrow, for the 
 morrow will take care of itself. To-day's 
 troubles are quite enough for to-day. 
 
 " DO not be censorious and then others will 
 not criticize you. For the standard you de- 
 mand of others will be the one they will use 
 to judge you. Do not condemn another and 
 then you will not be condemned. If some one is 
 in your power, let him go freely, and then, when 
 you are in a tight place, you will be released. 
 
 " It is more blessed to give than to receive. 
 
 Acts zx. 35.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 81 
 
 If you are generous, others will be generous 
 to you. They will return you good measure, 
 pressed down, shaken together, and running 
 over, and they will fairly force it into your lap. 
 
 " But do not offer that which is sacred to 
 dogs, or throw your precious pearls before 
 swine, for they will only trample them under 
 foot and then turn and attack you. 
 
 " Therefore whatever you would that men 
 should do to you, even so do to them, for this 
 is the teaching of the Law and the Prophets. 
 
 "Why do you notice the speck in your 
 brother's eye and ignore a larger one in your 
 own ? Why are you so eager to help your 
 brother get rid of his defect, while you have 
 a larger one yourself? You are a hypocrite 
 if you do that. First get rid of the serious 
 something in your own vision, and then you 
 can see clearly enough to help your brother. 
 
 " Can the blind guide the blind ? Will they 
 not both fall into the ditch ? The student is 
 not wiser than his teacher, but he may hope 
 some time to be like him. 
 
 " SUPPOSING that one of you has a friend 
 and you go to him at midnight and say, 'A 
 friend of mine on a journey has come to me, 
 and I have no food to offer him. Will you 
 
 Luke xi. 5-8.
 
 82 The Good News 
 
 loan me three loaves of bread?' The one 
 within will naturally answer, ' Do not trouble 
 me now. The children and family are all in 
 bed and the door is locked. I cannot get up 
 and get them for you.' But you persist in ask- 
 ing for the bread, and finally he gets up and 
 gets it for you. He would not do it just be- 
 cause you are his friend ; but because of your 
 importunity, he gets up and gives you all that 
 you want. 
 
 " Ask and it will be given you ; seek and you 
 will find ; knock and it will be opened to you. 
 For every one that asks receives, and he that 
 seeks finds, and to him that knocks it will be 
 opened. 
 
 "What man is there of you who hearing 
 his son ask for bread, gives him a stone? 
 Or if he ask for an egg, will give him a scor- 
 pion ? If then you who are finite know how 
 to give good gifts to your children, how much 
 more will your Father, who is Sovereign of an 
 infinite Realm, give good gifts to them that ask 
 him. And the highest desire that a human 
 being can cherish is that which the Father is 
 most willing to give, even Love Vitality. 
 
 " The gate is wide and the way is broad that 
 leads to ruin, and there are many that enter it. 
 But the gate is narrow and the way is con- 
 tracted that leads to Life, and those that find it 
 are few. But you, my disciples, must try very
 
 Choosing the Twelve 83 
 
 earnestly to find and enter the narrow gate 
 that leads to the higher Life. 
 
 " Be constantly on your guard against false 
 teachers, who often come disguised as sheep, 
 but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You can 
 tell them by their fruit. Men do not gather 
 grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. 
 A good tree will bear good fruit, a poisonous 
 tree will bear poisonous fruit. The opposite is 
 never true. That is why men chop down and 
 destroy poor trees, and they can always detect 
 them by their fruit. A good man, out of the 
 store of good things in his heart, will bring 
 forth that which is good. An evil man has a 
 store of evil things in his heart and can only 
 bring forth evil things. It is out of the abun- 
 dance of the subconscious desires that the 
 mouth speaks. A man can never afford to 
 speak carelessly, for it is these heedless words 
 that most clearly reveal a man's unconscious, 
 and therefore habitual, thinking ; and it is for 
 these that he will be called to account in the 
 day of judgment. For by his words he will 
 be justified and by his words he will be con- 
 demned. 
 
 "NOT every one that says to me, 'Lord, 
 Lord,' will enter the Spiritual Realm. It is 
 
 Matthew xii. 33-37.
 
 84 The Good News 
 
 only those that do the will of my Father who 
 is Sovereign of the Spiritual Realm, that will 
 succeed in entering. 
 
 " Many will say to me in that day, ' Lord, 
 Lord, did we not teach in your name ? and by 
 your name cast out demons, and do many won- 
 derful works ? ' Then shall I be obliged to tell 
 them plainly, * I never knew you. You have 
 been workers of wickedness ; you must go 
 away.' 
 
 " The one who listens to these teachings of 
 mine and conforms his life to them is like a 
 wise man who builds his house on a rock foun- 
 dation. The rains descend, the floods come, 
 and the winds blow and beat against the 
 house ; but it will not fall, for it is founded on 
 a rock. 
 
 " On the contrary, the one who hears these 
 teachings and does not do them is like a fool- 
 ish man who builds his house on the sand with 
 no foundation. The rains descend, the floods 
 come, and the winds beat against that house 
 and, of course, it falls and the ruin is com- 
 plete." 
 
 LATER on Jesus came down from the moun- 
 tains and returned to Capernaum. A Roman 
 soldier had heard about Jesus and had sent to 
 
 Matthew viii. 5-13 ; Luke vii. 1-10.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 85 
 
 the elders of the Jews, asking them to intercede 
 with Jesus for a favorite servant that was para- 
 lyzed and at the point of death. The elders 
 came to Jesus and urged him to help. They said 
 that the Centurion was very friendly to the Jews 
 and had built them a synagogue. Jesus was 
 willing to go and they had almost reached the 
 house when the Centurion came to meet him 
 and said, " Lord, do not trouble to come further, 
 for I am not worthy that you should enter my 
 house. I did not even think myself worthy of 
 coming into your presence. You have but to 
 say the word and my servant will be healed. 
 For I, like you, am a man of authority, having 
 under me soldiers. I say to that one, Go, and 
 he obeys. I say to this one, Come, and he 
 comes, and to this servant, Do this, and it is 
 done." 
 
 When Jesus heard this it set him thinking. 
 He turned to the multitude that had followed 
 them and said : " I have never before seen such 
 perfect faith as this, no not in all Israel. There 
 are many that shall come from the East and 
 the West and shall sit down with Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob in the Spiritual Kealm, while 
 those that should have been the natural sons of 
 the Kingdom shall be left out in utter dark- 
 ness." 
 
 Jesus turned to the Centurion and said, " You 
 may return now ; because you have faith your
 
 86 The Good News 
 
 prayer is granted." When the Centurion re- 
 turned to the house he found his servant well. 
 
 NOT long after this he went to a town called 
 Nain. His disciples were with him and a mul- 
 titude were following. As they drew near to 
 the gate of the town they met a crowd follow- 
 ing the funeral procession of an only son of a 
 widowed mother. 
 
 When Jesus saw her his heart was filled with 
 pity and he said to her, "Do not weep any 
 more." He went to the coffin and placing his 
 hand on it, while the bearers stood still, he 
 said, " My boy, I am speaking to you. Kise 
 up." At once he that was dead sat up and be- 
 gan to speak, and Jesus led him to his mother. 
 
 Every one was dumbfounded for a moment 
 and then all began to praise God. Some said, 
 " A great prophet is among us." Others said, 
 " God is visiting his people." The report that 
 Jesus had actually raised the dead to life 
 spread through all Judea. 
 
 MEANWHILE John the Baptist had in- 
 curred the anger of Herod, the king, by de- 
 nouncing the marriage of the king to his 
 brother Philip's wife, which was contrary to 
 
 Luke vii. 11-17. 
 
 Matthew xi. 2-27; Luke vii. 18-35; x. 12-15, 21-24.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 87 
 
 lavr. Herod would have put John to death at 
 once if he had not feared the people, for they 
 believed John to be a prophet. Instead, he 
 had him bound and shut up in prison. 
 
 While John was in prison the reports of the 
 wonderful things that Jesus was doing came to 
 him, but in spite of them, doubts crept into his 
 mind. If Jesus, his own relative and the one 
 he had baptized, was really the Messiah, would 
 he leave him to suffer in prison ? John called 
 two of his disciples and sent them to Jesus. 
 When the men were come to him they said, 
 " John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask if 
 you are really the Messiah, or are we to look 
 for another ? " 
 
 Jesus did not reply to their question at once, 
 but asked them to stay by him for a little and 
 while they were with him he cured many people 
 of diseases, plague, and evil spirits, and to those 
 who were blind he gave sight. 
 
 Then Jesus said to John's disciples, " Now 
 return to John and tell him about the things 
 that you have seen and heard. Tell him that 
 you saw the blind receive their sight, the lame 
 walk, lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, and even 
 the dead brought to life. Tell him that all the 
 time the Good News was being proclaimed to 
 the poor, and tell him this, also, ' Blessed is the 
 man who finds no occasion for stumbling in 
 me.' "
 
 88 The Good News 
 
 After the messengers of John were gone, 
 Jesus spoke to the multitude about him, saying, 
 " What did you go into the wilderness to see ? 
 A reed shaken in the wind ? Did you expect 
 to see a man clothed in fine garments ? Not 
 at all. Those that are richly dressed and fare 
 luxuriously live in king's palaces, not in the 
 wilderness. But what did you go out to see ? 
 A prophet ? I tell you, yes, and more than a 
 prophet, for he was the one of whom it was 
 written : 
 
 " l Behold, I send my messenger before my face. 
 He shall prepare the way before me.' 
 
 " Indeed, in all the realm of nature, there 
 has been born of woman none greater than 
 John ; and yet he that is little in the Spiritual 
 Kealm is greater than John. You remember 
 John's message, 'Repent, for the Spiritual 
 Realm is at hand.' Why do you refuse to un- 
 derstand the meaning of his message ? From 
 the beginning of John's preaching unto now, 
 the nature of the Spiritual Realm is misinter- 
 preted and distorted. Men even vehemently 
 deny it. But all the Law and the Prophets, 
 even down to the time of John, have foretold 
 it. If you were not prejudiced against John, 
 you would listen to his message, for he is the 
 Elijah that was to come. If you have ears to 
 hear, use them now."
 
 Choosing the Twelve 89 
 
 When the crowd heard this there was a di- 
 vision of sentiment. Most of the people and 
 even the publicans having been baptized by 
 John agreed to it, but others, the Pharisees 
 and the scribes, who had resisted the leadings 
 of God and had not been baptized, dissented. 
 
 Then Jesus continued, " To what shall I liken 
 the men of this generation ? They are like 
 children sitting in the market-place and calling 
 to one another, ' It's not fair. We have made 
 music for you and you would not dance. We 
 played that we were hurt and you did not 
 weep.' John the Baptist did not eat bread or 
 drink wine and you said, ' He was a demon.' 
 The Son of man comes eating and drinking, 
 and you say, * Look, here is a gluttonous man 
 and a wine-bibber, a friend of tax collectors and 
 sinners.' Nevertheless wisdom will be justified 
 by her children." 
 
 THEN he began to accuse the towns in 
 which many of his greatest works had been 
 done, because they did not repent. 
 
 " Woe to you, Chorazin ! Woe to you, Beth- 
 saida ! If the mighty works which have been 
 done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, 
 they long ago would have repented in sackcloth 
 and ashes. Listen. It shall be more bearable 
 for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment 
 than for you.
 
 90 The Good News 
 
 " And you, Capernaum ! Do you think that 
 you will be exalted to the sky ? You shall be 
 brought down to hades. If the mighty works 
 that have been done in you had been done in 
 Sodom, it would have remained to this day. I 
 say to you that in the day of judgment it will 
 be more bearable for Sodom than for you." 
 
 Jesus prayed, " I thank thee, Oh Father, 
 Lord of the Spiritual Kealm and of the natural 
 order, that thou didst hide these things from 
 the wise and learned and didst reveal them 
 unto children. Yes, Father, I thank thee that 
 this has been according to thy good pleasure." 
 
 Then Jesus continued speaking to the people, 
 " All things have been delivered to me by my 
 Father. No one comprehends who the Son is 
 except the Father. And no one fully under- 
 stands the Father, but the Son and those to 
 whom the Son is pleased to reveal him." 
 
 JESUS having accepted an invitation to dine 
 from one of the Pharisees went to his house 
 and reclined at the table with him. It hap- 
 pened that there was in this town a woman 
 that was living a sinful life. Having heard 
 that Jesus was dining at the house of the 
 Pharisee, she bought an alabaster box of per- 
 fumed ointment. She entered the house and, 
 
 Luke vii. 36-50.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 91 
 
 kneeling at Jesus' feet as he reclined at the 
 table, she began to weep and her tears wet his 
 feet. She dried them with her hair, and kissed 
 them, and anointed them with the sweet smell- 
 ing ointment. 
 
 When the Pharisee, who had invited Jesus 
 to dinner, saw it he said to himself, " If this 
 man were really a prophet he would know who 
 this woman is and the kind of a life she is 
 living." Jesus said to him, " Simon, I have 
 something on my heart to say to you." Simon 
 answered, " Speak freely, Teacher." 
 
 Then Jesus said, " There was a money lender, 
 who had two creditors. The one owed him a 
 hundred dollars and the other ten dollars. 
 "When he became convinced that they could 
 not repay the loans, he forgave them both their 
 debts. Which of them, Simon, do you think 
 will be the more grateful?" Simon replied, 
 " I suppose it will be the one for whom he for- 
 gave the larger amount." 
 
 Jesus said, " You are quite right." Turning 
 to the woman, but still speaking to Simon, he 
 continued, " Do you see this woman ? When I 
 entered your house you did not offer me the 
 customary water to bathe my feet, but she has 
 moistened my feet with her tears and dried 
 them with her hair. You gave me no kiss of 
 welcome, but she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 
 You did not anoint my head with oil, as you
 
 92 The Good News 
 
 would have done if I had been an honored 
 guest, but she anointed my feet with costly 
 ointment. She loved much ; therefore her sins, 
 which are many, are forgiven." 
 
 They that sat at dinner said within them- 
 selves, " Who is this that even presumes to for- 
 give sins?" Then speaking to the woman, 
 Jesus said : " Your sins are forgiven for your 
 faith has saved you. Go in peace." 
 
 AS Jesus continued to go about through the 
 towns and the villages proclaiming the Good 
 News of the Spiritual Realm, the multitude 
 pressed upon them so that they often had 
 trouble even to eat. At one time when the 
 words of Jesus had been especially forceful and 
 had angered some, his friends sought to restrain 
 him, saying to themselves, " He is certainly be- 
 side himself." 
 
 The twelve disciples went about with him 
 and many women cared for them and supplied 
 their wants. There was Mary that was called 
 the Magdalene from whom seven demons had 
 gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza who 
 was steward to King Herod, and Susanna, and 
 others. 
 
 At one time while Jesus was in a house 
 speaking to a crowd of people, his mother and 
 
 Lnke viii. 1-3; Mark iii. 20-21. 
 
 Matthew xii. 46-50 ; Mark iii. 31-36 ; Luke viii. 19-21.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 93 
 
 brothers stood outside seeking an opportunity 
 to speak with him. They told Jesus of it and 
 he said, " And who is my mother and who are 
 my brothers ? " Then pointing to his disciples 
 he said, " These are my mother and my brothers. 
 For whoever will listen to, and do the will of 
 my Father in the Spiritual Realm, the same is 
 my brother and sister and mother." 
 
 AT another time Jesus was by the seaside 
 and, as the crowd was so great as to press on 
 him, he went into a boat and the people stood 
 on the beach while he taught them many things 
 in parables. 
 
 " A farmer went out to sow his seed and, as 
 he scattered it, some fell by the roadside and 
 were trodden under foot, or the birds picked 
 them up. Some fell on rocky places, where 
 there was not much soil or moisture. They 
 quickly sprouted, but because their roots did 
 not sink deep enough, the sun soon scorched 
 them and they withered away. Other seed fell 
 among thorns and the thorns grew and choked 
 them. But others fell in good ground, growing 
 and increasing and yielding fruit, some a hun- 
 dred fold, some sixty fold and some thirty fold. 
 He that has ears to hear let him profit by what 
 he has heard." 
 
 Matthew xiii. 1-53; Mark iv. 1-34; Luke viii. 4-18.
 
 94 The Good News 
 
 Later in the day when he was alone with his 
 disciples and a few friends, they asked him why 
 he taught in parables. His reply was, " You are 
 ready to understand and appreciate the myster- 
 ies of the Spiritual Kealm, but many are not yet 
 ready. Whoever has a disposition to learn is 
 ready for a further revelation and it will come 
 in abundance ; but they who understand little 
 and have no disposition to learn are easily con 
 fused and they lose the little they have. 
 
 " That is why I speak in parables, so that all 
 may see and hear. Those that are ready will 
 profit, but those that are not ready will see but 
 not perceive, will hear but not appreciate. You 
 are to be congratulated that you have eyes that 
 see and ears that hear, for many prophets and 
 good men of old have earnestly desired to see 
 and to hear the things that you are now seeing 
 and hearing, but were disappointed." 
 
 One of the disciples asked him to explain the 
 parable of the sower to them. Jesus said, " Do 
 you not understand even this parable ? How 
 will you understand others ? Listen, and I will 
 explain this one. 
 
 " "When one hears the Good News of the Spir- 
 itual Realm, but does not understand and value 
 it, then the wicked one comes in and snatches 
 away the seed-thought that has been sown in 
 his hard heart. This is the seed that falls by 
 the wayside.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 95 
 
 " Some hear the Good News with joy, but it 
 does not sink very deep into their stony hearts. 
 It endures for a time, but when persecution and 
 testing come because of it, they quickly falter. 
 This is the seed that falls on rocky places. 
 
 u Then there are those that hear the Good 
 News and welcome it after a fashion ; but the 
 natural cares of life, the deceitfulness of riches, 
 the desire for other things, all come in to crowd 
 it out. This is the seed that falls among 
 thorns. 
 
 " But the seed falls in good ground when they 
 that hear the Good News appreciate it and ac- 
 cept it in good and humble hearts, and who 
 hold it firmly and patiently until it brings forth 
 fruit in their lives." 
 
 THEN Jesus told them another parable. 
 " The Spiritual Kealm is like a man that sowed 
 good seed in his fields, but while he slept his 
 enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat 
 and then disappeared. When the wheat was 
 grown the darnel appeared also. The servants 
 came to the farmer and asked, 'Did you not 
 sow good seed ? "Where did this darnel come 
 from ? ' He answered, ' It must have been an 
 enemy that did it.' The servants asked if he 
 wanted them to pull up the darnel, but the 
 farmer replied, 'No, T am afraid that you will 
 pull up the wlr.:t ;i!s<> ; let bolh grow until the
 
 96 The Good News 
 
 harvest. Then you must first separate out the 
 darnel and burn it and afterwards gather the 
 wheat into the granary.' 
 
 " The Spiritual Realm is like a grain field. 
 The farmer scatters the seed on the earth and 
 then goes to rest, but night and day the seed 
 germinates and grows without his help. Nature 
 brings forth the growth, first the blade, then 
 the blossom and then the seed ; but when the 
 grain is ripe then the farmer uses the sickle, be- 
 cause the harvest is ready. 
 
 " The Spiritual Realm is like a grain of mus- 
 tard seed which a man planted in his field. It 
 is, as you know, the smallest of seeds, but when 
 it is grown, it is larger than a shrub, as big as a 
 tree, and the birds of the air rest in its shelter. 
 
 " The Spiritual Realm is like a little cake of 
 yeast which a woman puts in a great mass of 
 dough and the whole is leavened. The Spi i- 
 tual Realm is like a treasure hid in a field. 
 The man that finds it goes and sells all that he 
 has to buy the field. The Spiritual Realm 
 is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls. 
 When he finds a perfect gem, he sells all he has 
 to buy it. 
 
 " The Spiritual Realm is like a dragnet that is 
 cast into the sea. When it is filled men draw it 
 to the beach and save the good, and the bad are 
 
 Luke xiii. 38-21.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 97 
 
 thrown away. So shall it be at the end of the 
 age. The angels will separate the evil from the 
 good. There will be weeping and vain regrets, 
 but the evil will be utterly destroyed." 
 
 Jesus continued to speak in parables to the 
 multitudes that followed him, and then when 
 he was alone with his disciples he would explain 
 them. The one about the good seed he ex- 
 plained as follows : " The one who sows the 
 good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the 
 world. The good seed are those who have been 
 vitalized by love and reborn as children of the 
 Spiritual Realm. The darnel are the children 
 of evil and the enemy that sowed it is the devil. 
 
 " The harvest is the end of the age and the 
 reapers are angels. Just as the darnel is sepa- 
 rated out and burnt, so the evil will be des- 
 troyed at the end of the age. The Son of man 
 shall send his angels and they shall separate 
 out everything that causes stumbling and those 
 that live wickedly. There will be weeping and 
 vain regrets, but they will be utterly destroyed. 
 Then will the righteous shine forth in the Spir- 
 itual Realm as the sun. He that has ears to 
 hear let him ponder these things." 
 
 Jesus asked them if they had understood all 
 that he had told them about the Spiritual 
 Realm and they answered that they had. Then 
 he said to them, " You are now going forth to 
 teach others about this Spiritual Realm. If
 
 98 The Good News 
 
 you are wise you will select from your store of 
 wisdom the vital things, whether they be new 
 or old." 
 
 ONE evening he proposed to his disciples 
 that they take a boat and go over to the other 
 side. So they launched a boat and setting sail 
 left the multitude. Jesus was very tired and 
 fell asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat. 
 
 They had not gone very far when a great 
 storm of wind arose and the waves beat into the 
 boat until it was in danger of sinking. Then 
 the disciples in alarm woke Jesus and said, 
 " Master, wake up ! We are perishing." Jesus 
 awoke and said to them, " Oh, you of little 
 faith ! " 
 
 Then he rebuked the winds and the raging 
 waves, saying, "Peace, be still!" And the 
 wind ceased and there was a great calm. Turn- 
 ing to the disciples he said, " Why were you 
 afraid? Have you still no faith?" But the 
 men were thoroughly frightened and wonder- 
 ingly said to one another, " Who is he, that 
 even the wind and the waves obey him ? " 
 
 WHEN they had crossed over they were in 
 the country of the Gadarenes. They had not 
 gone far when they were met by a maniac. 
 
 Matthew viii. 23-27 ; Mark iv. 35-41 ; Luke viii. 22-25. 
 Matthew viii. 28-34; Mark v. 1-20; Luke viii. 26-39.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 99 
 
 He was very violent and no one was strong 
 enough to hold him. Even fetters seemed use- 
 less, for he had often been bound with ropes and 
 chains, but had as often broken loose. Men 
 were afraid to venture on the roads in his vi- 
 cinity and all the time, night and day, he was 
 wandering about naked in the tombs and the 
 mountains, crying out and cutting himself with 
 stones. 
 
 When he saw Jesus from a distance he ran 
 and worshipped him. Crouching at his feet he 
 said, " "What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son 
 of the Most High God. Have you come to tor- 
 ment me before my time ? " Jesus said, " Come 
 forth, you unclean spirits." " In God's name 
 do not torment me," shrieked the mad man. 
 Jesus quietly asked him his name and he re- 
 plied, " My name is Legion, the devils in me 
 are so many." 
 
 It happened at just the time the demons left 
 the maniac that there was a large herd of swine 
 feeding near by. Taking a sudden fright they 
 rushed down the mountainside and plunged 
 into the sea. The men who were watching the 
 swine went into the town and reported that 
 the demons from this maniac had entered the 
 swine and caused them to rush into the sea. 
 The townspeople came to see for themselves and 
 found the man who had been a raving maniac 
 sitting by Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.
 
 loo The Good News 
 
 Those that had seen what had happened told 
 all about it to those that had just come. The 
 Gadarenes were alarmed and all asked Jesus to 
 leave their region, and so Jesus and his disciples 
 returned to their boat. Just as they were push- 
 ing off the man who had been cured urged 
 Jesus to let him go with him ; but Jesus was 
 unwilling and told him to return to his own 
 home and friends and show them what great 
 things the Father of Love had done, and how 
 mercy had been shown towards him. So the 
 man went away and told in all Decapolis what 
 great things Jesus had done for him. 
 
 WHEN Jesus had crossed over and come into 
 his own country again a great multitude wel- 
 comed him, for they had been waiting for his 
 return. 
 
 One of the officers of the synagogue named 
 Jairus came up to Jesus and prostrated himself 
 at his feet. With very earnest entreaties he 
 urged Jesus to come and lay his hands on his 
 little daughter, who lay at the point of death. 
 Jesus with his disciples went with the man, and 
 a great multitude followed. 
 
 While they were moving along a woman who 
 had a hemorrhage came up behind him and 
 touched the border of his garment. She had 
 
 Matthew ix. 18-26; Mark v. 21-43; Luke viii. 40-56.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 101 
 
 suffered for twelve years, had consulted many 
 physicians, and spent all that she had, but with 
 no improvement. Having heard the things 
 that Jesus had done, she pushed her way into 
 the crowd about Jesus, saying to herself, " If I 
 can only touch the border of his garment, I shall 
 be healed." 
 
 Immediately the issue of blood ceased and 
 she knew that she was healed. Jesus was con- 
 scious that some' one had touched him and 
 asked who it was. Peter said, " Master, you 
 can see the crowd. It is impossible to tell who 
 touched you." Jesus said, " Some one has 
 touched me for I am conscious that vitality has 
 gone from me." 
 
 When the woman saw that she could not re- 
 main unnoticed, she came forward trembling 
 and, falling at Jesus' feet, she told all the peo- 
 ple for what cause she had touched him and 
 how she had been immediately healed. Jesus 
 said to her, " Daughter, it is your faith that 
 has made you whole. You may go now in 
 peace." 
 
 While he was speaking a messenger from the 
 house of Jairus met them and reported that the 
 little girl had died and that there was no need 
 of troubling the Master any more. Jesus over- 
 heard the message and said to Jairus, " Have 
 no fear. If you keep your faith, she will live." 
 
 When they reached the house there was a
 
 1O2 The Good News 
 
 great tumult of flute players and many were 
 weeping and wailing. Jesus said to them, 
 " Why do you make such a tumult and weep ? 
 The child is not dead, she is only sleeping." 
 But they ridiculed the idea, feeling sure that 
 the child was dead. 
 
 Jesus sent them all out and permitted no one 
 to enter but the father and mother with Peter, 
 James, and John. They went into the room 
 where the child lay and Jesus took the little 
 girl by the hand and said, " Little girl, I want 
 you to get up." At once her spirit returned 
 and she arose and walked about the room and 
 Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 
 
 Every one was filled with amazement beyond 
 measure, but, in spite of Jesus commanding 
 them not to talk about it, the report of it went 
 everywhere. 
 
 AS Jesus was returning, two blind men fol- 
 lowed him crying out, " Have mercy on us, 
 Oh Son of David." He went into a house but 
 still the blind men followed him. 
 
 Jesus said to them, " Do you really believe 
 that I am able to give you sight ? " " Yes, 
 Lord, yes," they cried. Then he touched their 
 eyes, saying, " As you have faith, so shall it be 
 done to you." At once their eyes were opened. 
 
 Matthew ix. 27-32.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 103 
 
 Jesus charged them sternly not to talk with 
 others about it, but they went forth and spread 
 the knowledge of it everywhere. 
 
 Returning to his native town one Sabbath, 
 he taught in the synagogue and many, hearing 
 him, were astonished. They questioned each 
 other, saying, " Where does this man get his 
 wisdom and the power to do these mighty 
 works ? What does it all mean ? Is he not 
 the son of the carpenter, is not his mother 
 Mary, whom we all know, and are not James 
 and Joses and Judas his brothers ? His sisters, 
 are they not here with us ? " 
 
 The very familiarity of his surroundings 
 caused them to stumble and because of their 
 unbelief he could do no mighty works among 
 them. All he could do was to lay his hands on 
 a few sick and heal them ; and Jesus wondered 
 at their persistent unbelief. 
 
 AS Jesus went about the country and saw 
 the multitudes of those that were sick and un- 
 happy and distressed, just like a flock of sheep 
 without a shepherd, his heart was filled with 
 pity. 
 
 He said to his disciples, " The harvest, in- 
 
 Matthew xiii. 54-58; Mark vi. 1-6. 
 Matthew ix. 36-xi. 1 ; Mark vi. 7-13 ; Luke ix. 1-6 ; 
 xii. 1-12.
 
 104 The Good News 
 
 deed, is plenteous, but the laborers are few. 
 You must pray the Lord of the harvest to send 
 forth his reapers." Then taking his disciples 
 apart, he gave them authority over demons, to 
 cast them out, and power to heal all manner of 
 sickness and infirmity. 
 
 He said to them : " I am going to send you 
 forth two by two. Do not associate with for- 
 eigners, or go into the towns of Samaria, but 
 go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As yon 
 go about, preach, saying, ' The Spiritual Keabn 
 is close at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, 
 cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. As you 
 have received without pay, give as freely. Do 
 not provide a store of gold, or silver, or copper 
 in your purses. Do not take a hand-bag for 
 your journey, do not take extra coats, or shoes, 
 or even food, for the laborer is worthy of his 
 support. 
 
 " When you go into a town or village, inquire 
 for the house of some good man and make it 
 your home until you leave the place. When 
 you enter the home give it your benediction. 
 If it is a worthy home, your blessing will be 
 appreciated. If it is not a worthy home, you 
 will be conscious that your presence is not wel- 
 come, and you must go elsewhere. 
 
 " If any one refuses to receive you, or to 
 listen to your message, when you leave the 
 house or the town, do not denounce them or
 
 Choosing the Twelve 105 
 
 get angry. It will be more bearable for Sodom 
 and Gomorrah than for that place. 
 
 " Listen ! I am sending you forth as sheep 
 in the midst of wolves. You must therefore 
 be wise and sagacious, but harmless as doves. 
 Beware of men, especially, for they will de- 
 liver you to the Sanhedrin and scourge you in 
 the synagogues. Yes, you will be brought be- 
 fore officials and even kings, for my sake, to 
 bear witness before them and to the nations. 
 
 " At such times do not be anxious as to what 
 or how you shall speak. Remember it is not 
 you that speaks, but the Love Vitality of your 
 Father that is speaking through you. Do not 
 be fearful ; it will be given you in that hour 
 what you shall speak. What I tell you in 
 secret, you must speak in public, and what you 
 hear in the ear, proclaim from the housetops. 
 There is nothing covered that shall not be re- 
 vealed, or secret that shall not be known. 
 
 " A scholar cannot be more privileged than 
 his teacher, or a servant than his master. If 
 they have called the head of the house Beelze- 
 bub, much more quickly will they call those 
 of his household. But do not be afraid. They 
 can kill the body, but they cannot kill the 
 soul. Rather be in awe of him who can des- 
 troy both soul and body. 
 
 " Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? 
 And yet not one of them can fall to the earth
 
 106 The Good News 
 
 without the knowledge of your Father. "Why, 
 the very hairs of your head are numbered. Do 
 not be afraid therefore, for you are of more 
 value than many sparrows. Every one that 
 shall confess me before men, him will I con- 
 fess before my Father who is in the Spiritual 
 Realm. But he who denies me before men, 
 him will I also deny before my Father. 
 
 " Do not think that I have come to send 
 peace on the earth. I came not to send peace 
 but a sword. I came to set a man against his 
 father, and a daughter against her mother, and 
 a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 
 A man's foes shall be they of his own family. 
 He that loves father and mother more than me 
 is not worthy of me ; and he that loves son or 
 daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 
 
 " He that is unwilling to take up his burden 
 and follow me is not worthy of me. He that 
 cherishes his life will lose it ; but he that forgets 
 his life for my sake shall find it. He that re- 
 ceives you receives me; and he that receives 
 me receives Him that sent me. 
 
 " He that receives a prophet, because he is a 
 prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet. 
 He that receives a good man because he is a 
 good man shall receive the reward of a good 
 man. Whoever, because he is a disciple, gives 
 even a drink of cold water to a little child, he, 
 most certainly, will receive his reward."
 
 Choosing the Twelve 107 
 
 When Jesus had finished speaking they went 
 out by twos into all the villages, telling the 
 Good News, casting out demons, anointing 
 with oil and healing the sick. 
 
 MEANWHILE, Herod had kept John the 
 Baptist in prison, but sent for him from time 
 to time, to listen to his words. John's words 
 made him very thoughtful and perplexed, but 
 the king heard him gladly and became con- 
 vinced that John was a righteous and a devout 
 man, and consequently the king feared him. 
 
 Herod gave a feast on his birthday to which 
 he invited all his lords and high military 
 officers and the chief men of Galilee. The 
 daughter of Herodias came and danced before 
 them and so pleased the king and them that 
 sat at the feast with him that he said to her, 
 " You may ask of me what you will unto half 
 my kingdom and I will give it to you." She 
 went out and consulted her mother. Herodias 
 still cherished her anger against John, because 
 of his rebuke to the king on her account. 
 
 She said, " Ask the king for the head of 
 John the Baptist." Quickly the daughter re- 
 turned to the presence of the king and said, 
 " Sir, I choose that you bring to me at once 
 the head of John the Baptist." 
 
 Matthew xiv. 1-12 ; Mark vi. 14-29 ; Luke ix. 7-9.
 
 lo8 The Good News 
 
 The king was bitterly sorry, but for his 
 oath's sake and out of respect for those that sat 
 at the feast with him, he could not refuse her. 
 He sent a soldier of his guard with orders to 
 bring the head. When it was done, it was 
 given to the maiden and she gave it to her 
 mother. 
 
 When his disciples heard of it they took 
 away the dead body and laid it in a tomb and 
 then they went and told Jesus. 
 
 THE twelve began to return and to tell 
 Jesus all the things they had taught and done. 
 There were many coming and going and they 
 hardly had time to eat, so Jesus said to them, 
 " Come away with me to the desert where we 
 can be alone and you can rest." So they with- 
 drew in a boat to the other side of the sea to a 
 desert place. 
 
 When the multitude learned of their where- 
 abouts they followed on foot out of all the 
 towns. When Jesus saw them coming, he had 
 pity for them, because they seemed so friend- 
 less, like sheep without a shepherd, and there 
 were many sick among them. He welcomed 
 them all and talked with them about the Spir- 
 itual Kealm, and such as were sick he healed. 
 
 Matthew xiv. 13-23 ; Mark vi. 30-46 ; Luke ix. 10-17 ; 
 John vi. 1-15.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 109 
 
 He said to them, " Come unto me all you that 
 labor and are heavy laden and I will refresh 
 you. Take my yoke upon you and learn of 
 me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and 
 you shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke 
 is easy and my burden is light." 
 
 When evening drew near his disciples said to 
 him, " This is a desert place and the day is far 
 spent. Send the people away that they may 
 go into the villages round about and get some- 
 thing to eat and lodging for the night." 
 
 But Jesus said to them, " There is no need 
 for them to go away. You can give them 
 something to eat." Turning to Philip, to test 
 him, for he himself knew what he would do, 
 he said, " Where shall we buy bread so that all 
 of these may eat ? " Philip answered, " Fifty 
 dollars' worth of bread would not be enough to 
 give each one a taste." Jesus asked them how 
 many loaves they had. Andrew replied, 
 " There is a lad here that has five barley 
 loaves and two fish, but what is that among 
 so many ? " 
 
 Jesus said, " Ask the people to sit down in 
 groups." 
 
 The place was a grassy hillside and they ar- 
 ranged themselves in companies and ranks of 
 about fifty or a hundred, to the number of 
 
 Matthew xi. 28-30.
 
 1 io The Good News 
 
 about five thousand. Jesus took the loaves 
 and the fish and looking up offered a blessing 
 on the food and then divided it into portions 
 and gave it to the disciples and they passed it 
 to the groups. They all ate and were satisfied 
 and, of the food that was left over and the 
 broken pieces, they gathered up twelve baskets. 
 When the multitude began to realize what a 
 marvel this was, they said, " This is truly the 
 prophet that was to come." Jesus, seeing that 
 they had it in their hearts to take him by force 
 and make him their king, persuaded his dis- 
 ciples to take a boat and return to Bethsaida. 
 After they were gone he sent the multitude 
 away, and he, himself, went up into the moun- 
 tains alone to pray. 
 
 THE disciples were well out on the sea and 
 the night had settled down. A contrary wind 
 had sprung up so that they were tossed about 
 and distressed at their rowing. Jesus knew 
 that they must be weary and in danger and so 
 he came to them, walking on the water. The 
 disciples saw him approaching the boat and at 
 first thought it was a ghost, and were very 
 much alarmed and cried out. But Jesus spoke 
 to them, saying, "Do not be afraid. It is I, 
 have courage." 
 
 Matthew xiv. 24-36 ; Mark vi. 47-^56 ; John vi. 16-21.
 
 Choosing the Twelve ill 
 
 Peter said, " Lord, if it is truly you, let me 
 come to you on the water." Jesus told him to 
 come, and Peter went down from the boat and 
 started to walk towards Jesus. But seeing the 
 boisterous waves and the wind, he became 
 afraid and began to sink, crying out, "Lord, 
 save me." Jesus at once reached out his hand 
 and held him up, saying, " How little you trust 
 me. Why did you doubt ? " Then they re- 
 ceived them into the boat and at once the wind 
 died down and in a little while they came to 
 where they were going. While they were still 
 in the boat they worshipped him, saying, " It 
 is true, you must be the Son of God." And 
 yet they did not understand the full significance 
 of it all his power to supply unlimited food, 
 his ability to dominate the powers of nature. 
 It seemed as though even their hearts were 
 hardened. 
 
 They landed on the shores of Gennesaret and 
 were quickly recognized. Word was sent to all 
 the region about and a crowd soon gathered, 
 bringing the sick on beds, anxious to be healed, 
 to touch even the border of his garment ; and 
 as many as did so were immediately healed. 
 
 ON the morrow the crowd still waited about 
 on the other side of the sea for Jesus to appear. 
 
 John vi. 23-71.
 
 112 The Good News 
 
 They knew that the disciples had gone away 
 alone in one of the only two boats that were 
 available and one of them was still there. 
 
 After a time they became convinced that 
 Jesus had gone and, other boats from Tiberias 
 having come in, they embarked also for the 
 other side, seeking Jesus. When they found 
 him they asked him how he came across. 
 
 Jesus replied to them, saying, " Listen to me. 
 You seek me not because you have seen miracles 
 and understand their significance, but because 
 you ate of the food when you were hungry and 
 were satisfied. You work hard for the food 
 that perishes. You ought to work just as hard 
 for that which sustains the timeless Life, which 
 the Son of man can give you, for the Father of 
 Love has empowered him to do it." 
 
 " What must we do," they asked, " that we 
 too may do the works of God ? " Jesus re- 
 plied, " You should first understand in what 
 the work of Love consists. This is the work of 
 the Father of Love, that you believe and trust 
 him whom he has sent, and are obedient to 
 him." 
 
 The crowd said : " Show us some proof that 
 you really are sent from God. Do some great 
 miracle that we may see and be convinced. 
 When our fathers were in the wilderness they 
 had proof. Manna was sent to them out of the 
 sky and they ate it for years."
 
 Choosing the Twelve 113 
 
 Jesus said to them : " Oh, listen to what I 
 tell you. Moses did not give you spiritual 
 food ; it is my Father that gives you the true 
 bread that comes from the Spiritual Kealm. 
 The bread of Love is that which comes out of 
 the Spiritual Realm and gives a higher Life to 
 the world." 
 
 They said, " Lord, give us that kind of bread 
 for evermore." Jesus said : " I am this bread 
 of the higher Life. He that comes to me shall 
 never hunger and he that trusts me shall never 
 thirst. But I have already told you that, 
 although you have seen me, you do not trust 
 me. All that the Father gives to me will re- 
 spond to me, and him that comes to me I will 
 never desert. 
 
 " For I am come from the Spiritual Realm, 
 not to do my own will, but to do the will of 
 Him that sent me. This is the will of Him 
 that sent me, that of all that He has given me 
 I should not lose a single one, but should vitalize 
 them for the last day. It is the will of my 
 Father that every one that sees the Son and 
 believes in him and is trustfully obedient to his 
 teachings shall have the timeless Life and I 
 will vitalize him for the last day." 
 
 When Jesus said, "I am come from the 
 Spiritual Realm," the Jews objected. They 
 said, " This is Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose 
 father and mother we know. How can he
 
 1 14 The Good News 
 
 claim to come down from heaven ? " Jesus 
 said to them : " What is the use of murmuring 
 among yourselves ? It is written in the Proph- 
 ets, ' They shall all be taught of God? No one 
 comes to me of himself. He can only come 
 when the Father that sent me draws him and 
 then I will vitalize him for the last day. 
 
 "Every one that feels the drawing of the 
 Father and responds to it comes to me. Not 
 that any one has actually seen the Father, 
 except he that has come from the Father of 
 Love, he only has seen the Father. I want to 
 emphasize this, he that believes and is trustfully 
 obedient has the timeless Life, and I am the 
 bread of that Life. 
 
 " Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness 
 and are dead. The bread, about which I am 
 telling you, that comes from the Spiritual 
 Eealm, is such that, if a man partakes of it, he 
 shall never cease living. I am that living bread 
 that comes from the Spiritual Kealm. The 
 sacrifice of my mortal body, which I am giving 
 for the vitaUzation of the world, is the bread 
 that I will give." 
 
 THE Jews disputed with one another about 
 his words. "How can this man give us his 
 flesh to eat?" they said. Jesus repeated his 
 words still more emphatically, " Except you 
 eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his
 
 Choosing the Twelve 115 
 
 blood you cannot have Life in yourselves. He 
 that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has the 
 timeless Life and I will vitalize him for that 
 last day. For my mortal body is the true 
 bread and my blood is the true drink. He 
 that eats my body and drinks my blood abides 
 in me and I abide in him. As the living Fa- 
 ther sent me and as I Live because of him, so he 
 that eats me, he shall Live also because of me. 
 
 " This is the bread that comes from the Spir- 
 itual Kealm. Those of old, that ate the manna, 
 died ; but those that eat this bread shall never 
 die." 
 
 These things were said in the synagogue at 
 Capernaum. After hearing this talk many 
 of his followers felt that it was too unnatural 
 to be reasonable or to be accepted. 
 
 Jesus knew that even his disciples were dis- 
 cussing it and so he said to them, " Do these 
 words of mine trouble you ? How different it 
 would be if you could see the Son of man 
 ascending to where he was before. Let me 
 explain my meaning to you. You will remem- 
 ber that I told you that the reason I taught in 
 parables was that my words might be a separat- 
 ing test between those who wanted to believe 
 and those whose ears were deadened and whose 
 hearts were hardened. 
 
 "It is vitality that gives life; the natural 
 flesh cannot give it. The vital force of the
 
 ii6 The Good News 
 
 Spiritual Realm is Love and the words of love 
 that I speak to you, they are vitality, they are 
 Life. I am the incarnation of the Father's 
 Love Thought ; he that gratefully and trust- 
 fully receives me is eating my body and drink- 
 ing my blood. The Love Thought will abide 
 in him and will be the vitalizing principle and 
 the nourishment of a higher Life his Life in 
 the Spiritual Realm." 
 
 Jesus knew all the time who believed in him 
 and who would betray him and so he repeated 
 his words again : " But no man comes to me 
 unless he is led to do so by the Father and 
 Love Vitality." 
 
 AFTER this, many of his disciples went 
 away and followed him no more. Jesus said 
 to the twelve, " Will you, also, leave me ? " 
 Peter answered, " Lord, to whom can we go ? 
 You alone have the words of Eternal Life. We 
 believe, we are certain, that you are the Divine 
 One of God." 
 
 Jesus replied, " Have I not chosen you, the 
 twelve, and one of you even will prove to be 
 a devil." (He referred to Judas, the son of 
 Simon Iscariot, who was one of the twelve and 
 who afterwards betrayed him.) 
 
 SOME of the Pharisees that had come from 
 
 Matthew xv. 1-20 ; Mark vii. 1-23.
 
 Choosing the Twelve 117 
 
 Jerusalem observed that some of the disciples 
 of Jesus ate their food with unwashed hands. 
 This was in direct violation of the ceremonial 
 law of the Jews, for they hold, in accordance 
 with ancient traditions, that before eating the 
 hands must be carefully cleansed. There are 
 many other rules in regard to cleanliness, such 
 as the necessity of bathing after returning from 
 the market, rinsing all cups, jugs, and basins. 
 
 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, 
 therefore, why it was that his disciples did not 
 observe these traditions of the ancients. Jesus 
 replied: "Why do you transgress the com- 
 mandments of God, in trying to live up to these 
 traditions ? It was such hypocritical conduct 
 that Isaiah rebuked, when he wrote, 
 
 " l This people honor me with their lips, 
 But their hearts are far from me. 
 In vain do they worship me, when they teach 
 
 as divine 
 The commandments of men.' 
 
 " Moses said, ' Honor thy father and mother,' 
 and ' He that speaketh evil of father and mother 
 must be put to death.' But you have a tradi- 
 tional custom that if a son devotes to the syna- 
 gogue his property or income with which he 
 should rightfully support his father and mother, 
 and then says to them, * My property is all given 
 to the Lord,' he is legally relieved from all re-
 
 ii8 The Good News 
 
 sponsibility for their further support. By this 
 custom you certainly reject the commandment 
 of God that you may keep your tradition, and 
 this is only one instance of many." 
 
 THEN turning to the multitude that was 
 standing by, he said, " Listen to this for I want 
 you to understand it clearly. These Pharisees 
 object to our eating with unwashed hands be- 
 cause of the defilement. It is not that which 
 goes into a man's mouth that defiles him, but 
 that which comes out." 
 
 The disciples came to him privately and asked 
 if he knew that the Pharisees were seriously of- 
 fended ? He answered them by saying, " Every 
 plant that my Father in the Spiritual Kealm 
 does not plant shall be rooted up. Pay no at- 
 tention to them. They are blind guides and 
 you know that if the blind try to guide the 
 blind, they both fall into the gutter." 
 
 After they were alone in the house, Peter 
 asked him to explain the parable to them. 
 Jesus said to them, sadly, " Are you, too, with- 
 out penetration ? That which goes into a man's 
 mouth does not go into his soul, but goes into 
 the stomach and goes out through the intes- 
 tines." From this they inferred that Jesus 
 held that there was no such thing as food that 
 was ceremonially unclean. 
 
 Jesus continued, " That which originates in a
 
 Choosing the Twelve 119 
 
 man is what defiles him. Evil thoughts, sexual 
 vice, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, cruelty, 
 deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, reck- 
 less folly, all these wicked things come from 
 within a man's heart and they are the things 
 that really defile him."
 
 CHAPTER SIX 
 PEEMONITIONS OF THE CRISIS 
 
 JESUS then left that part of the country 
 and went to the north, towards the borders 
 of Tyre and Sidon. 
 
 He went into a house and tried to remain 
 unknown, but was not successful. It was not 
 long before a Canaanitish woman came crying 
 out and begging him to have mercy on her. 
 "Oh Lord, Son of David," she cried, "my 
 daughter is possessed of a devil. Come and 
 heal her." At first Jesus paid no attention to 
 her, but as she continued to cry out, his dis- 
 ciples asked him to send her away. Jesus said 
 to them, " Yes, I know that my mission is to 
 the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but " 
 
 The woman kneeled at his feet and wor- 
 shipped him, saying, "Lord, please help me." 
 Still] Jesus hesitated; the race feeling was strong, 
 even in him, and he said, " It is hardly proper 
 to take the children's food and give it to for- 
 eigners." "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even 
 dogs are permitted to eat the crumbs that fall 
 from their master's table." 
 
 Matthew xv. 21-28 ; Mark vii. 24-30. 
 
 120
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 12 1 
 
 "Oh woman, great is your faith. Because 
 of your reply it shall be done as you wish. 
 You may go now, for the devil is gone out of 
 your daughter." She returned at once to her 
 home and found the child lying on a bed and 
 healed. 
 
 Jesus did not stay long in the North, but 
 soon returned to the neighborhood of the Sea of 
 Galilee and went up into the mountains. There 
 the multitude followed him, bringing the lame, 
 the blind, the dumb and diseased and, laying 
 them at his feet, begged him to heal them. 
 Jesus did so, and the crowds were amazed at 
 his power and glorified the God of Israel. 
 
 Among those that were brought was one who 
 was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. 
 Jesus was urged to lay his hands on him ; so he 
 took him one side where they would be alone. 
 He placed his finger in the man's ear, moistened 
 his tongue with saliva and, looking up to the 
 sky, he sighed and said, " Be open." At once 
 the man's tongue was free and his ears were 
 open and he could speak plainly. 
 
 He told the people not to talk about it, but 
 the more he urged them, the more they pub- 
 lished it abroad. They said, " Everything that 
 he undertakes he does well. He makes even 
 the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak." 
 
 Matthew xv. 29-31 ; Mark vii. 31-37.
 
 122 The Good News 
 
 JESUS stayed in the mountains some days, 
 and one day he said to his disciples, " Some of 
 these people have been here three days and 
 have had nothing to eat. Some of them have 
 come a long distance and if I send them away 
 empty they will faint by the way. I am very 
 sorry for them. What shall we do ? " 
 
 The disciples said, " There is no place up here 
 in the mountains that we can buy bread enough 
 to satisfy them all." Jesus asked them, " How 
 many loaves have you ? " They replied, " We 
 have only seven loaves and a few small fish." 
 Then Jesus told the multitude to be seated on 
 the ground. He took the bread and the fish 
 and, after giving thanks, he broke them into 
 portions and gave to his disciples, who in turn 
 passed them to the people. 
 
 They all ate and were satisfied, and they 
 took up of the fragments that remained seven 
 baskets. Those that partook were about four 
 thousand, counting men, women and children. 
 Then he sent the people away and he and his 
 disciples came down from the mountains and, 
 entering a boat, crossed over into Dalmanutha. 
 
 THE Pharisees and the Sadducees came to 
 him there and tried to entangle him with ques- 
 tions and temptations. They repeatedly asked 
 
 Matthew XT. 32-38 ; Mark viii. 1-9. 
 Matthew XT. 39 ; Mark Tiii. 10-21.
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 123 
 
 him to show them some sign from heaven. Jesus 
 was deeply troubled in spirit because of their at- 
 titude towards him. He exclaimed, " Oh, why 
 does this evil generation so persistently seek for 
 a sign ? But no sign can be given them, except 
 the warning of the prophet Jonah." Then Jesus 
 and his disciples, in order to get away, again 
 took a boat and crossed over to the other side. 
 
 In their haste to get away they forgot to 
 take bread and when Jesus, whose mind was 
 still on the antagonism of the Pharisees, warned 
 them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees 
 and the Sadducees, they thought it was because 
 they had taken no bread. Jesus, understanding 
 their thoughts, said to them, " How little you 
 trust me ! Why do you worry about bread ? 
 Do you not remember my feeding the five 
 thousand with only five loaves and how much 
 was left over ? Have you forgotten the seven 
 loaves and the four thousand people and how 
 many baskets were left over ? Do you not see 
 the significance of it ? Are your hearts hard- 
 ened and your eyes heavy and your ears dull ? " 
 Then they understood that he was not speaking 
 about yeast for bread, but about the influence 
 of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. 
 
 LATER they came to Bethsaida and a blind 
 
 Matthew xvi. 12. 
 Mark viii. 22-26.
 
 124 The Good News 
 
 man was brought to him to be cured. Jesus 
 took the blind man by the hand and led him 
 out of the village. Then he moistened his 
 fingers with saliva and touched his eyes, asking 
 him if he could see anything. The blind man 
 looked up and said, " I seem to see men, but 
 they look like trees that are walking." Then 
 Jesus touched his eyes again and the man 
 looked about steadily and seeing all things 
 clearly, knew that his sight was restored. 
 Jesus told him not to go back to the village, 
 but to return directly home and to say nothing 
 about it. Then he sent him away. 
 
 AT one time Jesus was in Caesarea Philippi 
 and he asked his disciples the question, " Who 
 do men say that I, the Son of man am ? " 
 They replied that some said that he was John 
 the Baptist, some said Elijah, others Jeremiah, 
 or one of the prophets. 
 
 Jesus said, " But who do you think that I 
 am?" 
 
 Peter said, " You are the Messiah, the Son 
 of the Living God." Jesus said to him : " You 
 are a fortunate man, Peter, for you have not 
 discerned this by your human faculties, but my 
 Father who is in the Spiritual Realm, he has 
 revealed it to you. Peter, your name means 
 
 Matthew xvi. 13-20; Mark viii. 27-30; Luke ix. 18-21.
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 125 
 
 * rock ' and on this foundation, this discerning 
 faith, will I build my brotherhood, and nothing 
 shall prevail against it." Then he urged his 
 disciples not to argue about the nature of his 
 personality with any one, but to let it remain a 
 matter of discerning faith. 
 
 FKOM this time on Jesus began to talk with 
 his disciples about his coming journey to Jeru- 
 salem and about the things that he must suffer 
 at the hands of the elders and the chief priests 
 and the scribes. He told them that he would 
 be put to death, but that he would reappear on 
 the third day. 
 
 Peter reproved him for this, saying, "God ? 
 forbid ! This must not happen to you, Master." 
 Jesus turned on him, and said, " Stop, Peter. 
 You are not speaking now in the spirit of Love, 
 but after the ways of men. It will be hard 
 enough to bear ; you must not make it harder." 
 
 Then turning to the disciples and the crowd 
 that stood near, he said, " "Whoever wishes to 
 follow me must expect hard things, but must 
 be willing to deny himself, and daily take up 
 his burden. You may ask, what profit is it to 
 a man if he gain the whole world and lose his 
 life ? Or, what will a man give in exchange 
 
 Matthew xvi. 21-28 ; Mark viii. 31 ; ix. 1 ; Lake ix. 
 22-27.
 
 126 The Good News 
 
 for his life ? I tell you that whoever cherishes 
 this life will lose a higher Life and whoever is 
 willing to lose this life for Love's sake will 
 find a higher Life of the soul. Whoever is 
 ashamed of me and of my teachings in this 
 faithless and sinful generation, of him will the 
 Son of man be ashamed when he comes in the 
 glory of the Father with his angels. I tell 
 you most earnestly, the time is near ! There 
 are some of you standing here who, before 
 they die, will see the Spiritual Kealm coming 
 with power." 
 
 A WEEK after this Jesus took Peter and 
 James and John and went up into the moun- 
 tains, where they would be alone, to pray. As 
 he was praying his whole appearance was 
 changed. His face shone like the sun and 
 even his garments became white and dazzling. 
 In a vision of glory there appeared to be two 
 men, like Moses and Elijah, talking with him 
 about his coming death at Jerusalem. 
 
 Peter and the others had become very sleepy 
 while Jesus was praying, but when the splen- 
 dor of the transfiguration appeared, they be- 
 came fully awake and saw his glory and the 
 two who were talking with him. As the two 
 figures began to disappear, Peter, hardly know- 
 
 Matthew xvii. 1-13 ; Mark ix. 2-13 ; Luke ix. 28-36.
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 127 
 
 ing what he was saying, said to Jesus, " Master, 
 we are thankful to you that we are here to 
 have seen this. Let us build three shelters 
 where you can stay for a little, one for you, 
 one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 
 
 Even while he was speaking a bright cloud 
 settled down over them and they became 
 alarmed. Then out of the cloud came a voice 
 which said, " This is my beloved Son, my 
 chosen One. Listen to him." The cloud and 
 the voice had so filled them with awe that 
 they fell on their faces thoroughly frightened. 
 Jesus touched them, saying, " Bise up, do not 
 be afraid." Looking up they saw that the 
 cloud had vanished and they were alone with 
 Jesus. 
 
 On the way down the mountain Jesus told 
 them not to tell others about the vision until 
 the Son of man should reappear after his death. 
 The whole occurrence seemed so mysterious 
 that for a long time they said nothing about it 
 to any one, but among themselves they contin- 
 ually questioned what Jesus could really mean 
 when he said that he would reappear after death. 
 
 They asked Jesus what the scribes mean 
 when they say that Elijah must first come. 
 Jesus said, " Elijah does come first and restores 
 all things and, what is more, he already has 
 come and they have done to him what they 
 pleased, as it was written. But what is written
 
 128 The Good News 
 
 about the Son of man ? Is it not this ? that 
 he is to endure much suffering and be set 
 aside?" Then the disciples fully understood 
 that Jesus referred to John the Baptist. 
 
 WHEN they had come down to rejoin the 
 other disciples, they saw a great crowd sur- 
 rounding them. As soon as they were noticed, 
 the crowd came to meet Jesus and one man 
 ran and kneeled at his feet. He said : " Master, 
 I have brought my only son to you. He is an 
 epileptic and he suffers awfully. A spirit takes 
 him and he goes into convulsions, bruising him- 
 self and gnashing his teeth. These convulsions 
 keep returning. Sometimes he falls into the 
 fire and often into the water and he is fast 
 wearing himself out. I begged your disciples 
 to heal him, but they were unable to do so. 
 Oh, Master, have mercy on him ! " 
 
 Jesus said, " Oh, how little faith you have, 
 how slow to learn ! How long must I bear 
 with you ? Yes, bring the lad to me." As he 
 came near, the boy fell in a convulsion, rolling 
 about and foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked 
 the father how long the boy had been in this 
 condition. The father replied, " He has been 
 this way from a child. If you can do any- 
 thing, have mercy on us and help us." 
 
 Matthew xvii. 14-20; Mark ix. 14-29; Luke ix. 37-43.
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 129 
 
 Jesus said, " It all depends on you. All 
 things are possible to him who believes and 
 trusts." The father cried out, " I do believe ! 
 Keep me from doubting." Then Jesus rebuked 
 the unclean spirit, commanding it to come out 
 of the boy and never return. 
 
 The child cried out and snatched at himself 
 and then fell down as though he were dead. 
 Most of those who saw him said that he was 
 dead, but Jesus took him by the hand and he 
 stood up completely cured. Every one was as- 
 tonished at the power that could do so wonder- 
 ful a deed. 
 
 Later on, when they were alone, the disciples 
 asked Jesus why it was that they had not been 
 able to effect a cure. Jesus replied, " This 
 lack of power can only be remedied by prayer." 
 
 WHILE they were still there, Jesus referred 
 again to the fact that he was soon to be de- 
 livered into the hands of men and reappear on 
 the third day, but still they did not grasp the 
 meaning. It seemed to be hidden from them 
 and they were afraid to ask for an explanation. 
 
 When they had returned to Capernaum, the 
 tax collector came to Peter and asked, " Is not 
 your teacher liable for the customary tax ? " 
 
 Matthew xvii. 22-23 ; Mark ix. 30-32 ; Luke ix. 43-45. 
 Matthew xvii. 24-27.
 
 130 The Good News 
 
 Peter said he was and went into the house to 
 get it. Before he could speak Jesus said to 
 him, " Peter, from whom do you think that 
 the kings of the earth receive tribute ? Is it 
 from their own sons or from strangers ? " 
 Peter replied that it was, of course, from 
 strangers. 
 
 "Then," said Jesus, "we are free because 
 we are sons. But lest there be a dispute, go 
 down to the shore and throw out a hook and 
 look into the mouth of the first fish that you 
 catch. You will find a coin there. Give it to 
 the tax collector ; it will be enough for us both." 
 
 ONE time when they were walking along 
 the road the disciples disputed as to who among 
 them was the most important one. Later in 
 the day when they were in a house together, 
 Jesus asked them what it was that they were 
 discussing on the way. They were ashamed to 
 reply, but Jesus could read their thoughts and 
 said to them, " You were discussing who among 
 you was the greatest. Let me tell you who is 
 greatest in the Spiritual Kealm, that is more 
 important. 
 
 " If any man would be first, he must be least 
 of all and servant of all." Calling a little 
 child, he stood him by his side and said to his 
 
 Matthew xviii. ; Mark ix. 33-50 ; Luke ix. 46-50.
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 131 
 
 disciples : " Except you change and become as 
 little children, you can never enter the Spir- 
 itual Realm." Putting his arms about the 
 child he continued, " Whoever humbles himself 
 and becomes as this little child, he is great in 
 the Spiritual Realm. Whoever shall welcome 
 one such little one in a spirit of love welcomes 
 me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes Him 
 that sent me. 
 
 " Moreover, whoever is a hindrance in the 
 path of one of these little ones that is trusting 
 in me, it were better for him that a great mill- 
 stone were hanged about his neck and he were 
 thrown into the sea. See that you do not de- 
 spise one of these little ones, for in the Spiritual 
 Realm their angels always have access to the 
 presence of my Father, and it is not his purpose 
 that one of these little ones should perish." 
 
 John said to him, " Master, to-day we saw 
 one casting out devils in your name and we 
 forbade him doing so, because he did not follow 
 us." Jesus said, " You should not have stopped 
 him, for no one can do mighty works in my 
 name and quickly speak evil of me. He that 
 is not against us is for us, and whoever shall 
 give a cup of cold water, or do the smallest 
 kindness in my name, he shall never miss his 
 reward." 
 
 Peter said to him, " Master, if my brother 
 sin against me, how often shall I forgive him ?
 
 1^2 The Good News 
 
 Shall I forgive him seven times ? " Jesus re- 
 plied : " Do not limit forgiveness to seven 
 times, nor to seventy times seven. If your 
 brother offend you, go to him privately and 
 show him his fault. If he will listen to you, 
 you have gained a brother. 
 
 "The Spiritual Kealm is like a king who 
 would make a settlement with his agents. One 
 came to him who owed him ten million dollars 
 and who frankly admitted that he could not 
 pay it. The king, therefore, commanded that 
 he be sold, himself and his family, and that all 
 that he had be confiscated. The agent pros- 
 trated himself and begged, saying, * Lord, have 
 patience with me and I will pay it all.' The 
 king was moved with pity and not only re- 
 leased him, but forgave him the debt. 
 
 " The agent went out and found one of his 
 own servants who owed him twenty-five dol- 
 lars. He took him roughly by the throat and 
 said, * You must pay my debt.' The servant 
 fell down and, in his turn, begged for time, 
 saying, ' Have patience and I will pay it all.' 
 The agent would not listen to him, but had the 
 servant put into prison until the debt was paid. 
 
 " Some of his fellow agents, seeing what was 
 going on, reported it to the king. Then the 
 king recalled his agent and said to him, ' You 
 scoundrel ! I forgave you all your debt be- 
 cause you asked it. Should you not have had
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 133 
 
 mercy on your own servant, even as I have had 
 mercy on you ? ' Then the king was angry 
 and delivered him over to the tortures until he 
 should have paid all the debt. 
 
 " In the same way my Father in the Spiritual 
 Realm shall do to you, if you do not forgive, 
 from your heart, every one his brother." 
 
 THE Jews in Judea were threatening to kill 
 Jesus, but he still continued to go about Galilee. 
 As the Feast of Tabernacles approached, his 
 brothers suggested that he go into Judea and 
 give his disciples there an opportunity of wit- 
 nessing some miracles. " For," they said, " no 
 man, who wants to be publicly recognized, keeps 
 his works secret. If this is your mission, show 
 yourself to the world." It was very evident 
 that his brothers had not yet understood him. 
 
 Jesus replied to them, " It is not yet time for 
 me to go, but you can go at any time. The 
 world does not hate you, but it does hate me, be- 
 cause I denounce its evil ways. Go when you 
 please, but I cannot go until I think the proper 
 time has come." After his brothers had gone, 
 Jesus remained in Galilee a few days and went 
 up to the Feast secretly. 
 
 The Jews expected that he would appear and 
 were on the watch for him, and many questions 
 
 John vii. 1-21.
 
 134 The Good News 
 
 were asked as to his whereabouts. There was 
 much discussion among the multitude concerning 
 him. Some said, " He is a good man." Others 
 said, "No, he is leading the people astray." 
 But no one spoke openly about him for fear of 
 the Jews. 
 
 In the midst of the Feast Jesus appeared 
 teaching in the temple. They marvelled at his 
 word, saying, " How does this uneducated man 
 know so much ? " Jesus replied : " My teaching 
 is not mine, but his that sent me. If any one 
 makes up his mind to do the will of the Father 
 of Love, he will know whether the teaching is 
 from Him or whether I am speaking out of my 
 own mind. 
 
 " The one who teaches the things that he 
 himself originates is seeking his own glory ; 
 but he who is honestly seeking the glory of the 
 Father of Love must himself be sincere, and 
 then that which he teaches will be the truth. 
 
 " Did not Moses give you the Law ? And 
 yet none of you live up to it, or you would not 
 seek to kill me." 
 
 Some one in the crowd cried out, " You must 
 be crazy ; who is seeking to kill you ? " 
 
 SOME one else said, " Surely this is the man 
 they are seeking to kill and yet he speaks 
 
 John vii. 25-52.
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 135 
 
 openly and they say nothing to him. Can it be 
 possible that the rulers after all believe that he 
 is the Messiah ? " Another said, " No, that is 
 impossible, for we know this man and where he 
 comes from, but when the Messiah comes, no 
 one will know from whence he appeared." 
 
 Jesus cried out in the temple : " You know 
 me and you know from whence I come, do you ? 
 But do you know that I have not come of my- 
 self ? Do you know that the One that sent me 
 is the highest Reality ? You do not know Him, 
 but I know Him, because he sent me and I am 
 come from Him." 
 
 But there were many in the multitude who 
 believed in Jesus and they said, " When the 
 Messiah comes will he do more than this man is 
 able to do ? " 
 
 The Pharisees heard these murmurings and 
 they redoubled their efforts to get Jesus out of 
 the way. They and the chief priests sent offi- 
 cers to arrest him, but no one actually laid hands 
 on him for his hour was not yet come. 
 
 To them Jesus said, " I am with you only a 
 little while and then I go to Him that sent me. 
 You will seek me and will not find me, for 
 where I am you cannot come." The Jews said 
 among themselves, " Where will he go that we 
 cannot find him ? Will he go to the Hebrews 
 that are dispersed among the Greeks, or will he 
 go to teach the Greeks themselves ? What does
 
 136 The Good News 
 
 he mean when he says, * You will seek me and 
 will not find me, for where I am you cannot 
 come ' ? " 
 
 ON the last day of the Feast, and that was the 
 great day, Jesus stood forth and said, " If any 
 man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 
 The Scriptures speak truly when they say, 
 ' Rivers of living water shall well up in him 
 who believes and trusts in me? " The full sig- 
 nificance of this saying was not apparent at the 
 time, for Jesus was speaking of the Love Vital- 
 ity that they who believed in him were to re- 
 ceive after his ascension. 
 
 Some of those who heard him speak said, 
 " This is surely the prophet that is to come." 
 Others said, " No, he is himself the Messiah." 
 Still others said, " Impossible. This man is from 
 Galilee and the Scriptures say that the Messiah 
 is to come from Bethlehem, because he is to be 
 descended from David, and Bethlehem is David's 
 native town." 
 
 Thus the dispute and division of sentiment 
 went on, but no one was willing actually to lay 
 hands on him. The oflicers therefore returned 
 to the chief priests and Pharisees without Jesus. 
 "When questioned as to why they had not 
 brought him they said, " No man ever spoke as 
 he speaks." The Pharisees said, "What, are 
 you also bewitched? Don't you know that
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 137 
 
 none of the educated men and men of author- 
 ity believe in him? As for the multitude, 
 they know nothing about the law, and are 
 damned anyway." 
 
 Nicodemus, the member of the Sanhedrin 
 who had come to Jesus by night, then spoke 
 up, "Does our Law judge a man before a 
 charge is brought against him and before he 
 has been given an opportunity to defend him- 
 self ? " The others replied, " Are you also from 
 Galilee? If you make search you will know 
 that no prophet ever came, or ever will come, 
 out of Galilee." 
 
 THE day being over, every one returned to 
 his home, and Jesus went to the Mount of 
 Olives. Early the next morning he was at the 
 temple again and the people thronged about him 
 as he took a seat and began to talk with them. 
 
 While he was here the scribes and the Phari- 
 sees brought to him a woman who had been 
 taken in adultery. They said to him, " Ac- 
 cording to the Law which Moses has com- 
 manded, this woman should be stoned to death. 
 What do you say about her ? " They did it, 
 of course, hoping to find in his reply some 
 ground upon which they could base charges 
 against him. 
 
 John vii. 53; viii. 1-11.
 
 138 The Good News 
 
 At first Jesus did not reply, but stooping 
 down, he wrote with his finger on the ground. 
 They continued to question him and finally he 
 stood up and said to them, " Let him who is 
 sinless among you cast the first stone." Then 
 again he stooped down and continued to write 
 on the ground. When they heard his reply, 
 one by one they went out, from the eldest to 
 the youngest. 
 
 Jesus then stood up and said, "Woman, 
 where are they ? Did no one condemn you ? " 
 She replied, " No one, Sir." Jesus said to her, 
 " Neither will I condemn you. Go away now, 
 but do not sin any more." 
 
 AFTER this Jesus resumed his teaching. 
 He said, " I am the Light of the world. He 
 that follows me will not walk in darkness, but 
 will have in him the Light of Life." 
 
 The Pharisees said to him, "You are cer- 
 tainly bearing witness to yourself now, and of 
 course it can carry no weight." Jesus said: 
 " Even if I am bearing witness to myself, my 
 testimony may be true. I know from whence 
 I come and where I am going, neither of which 
 you know. You are always judging by ap- 
 pearances; I judge no man in that way. 
 When I judge, my judgment is sound, because 
 
 John viii. 12-30.
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 139 
 
 I am not alone ; the Father who sent me is 
 with me. It is written that the witness of two 
 men is final. I bear witness and my Father 
 who sent me bears witness." 
 
 They said to him, " Where is your Father ? " 
 Jesus said, " You do not understand me or my 
 Father. If you knew me, you would know my 
 Father also. I am going away soon and where 
 I g y u cannot follow, but the time will 
 come when you will seek me vainly and will 
 die in your sins." 
 
 The Jews questioned among themselves, 
 "What does he mean when he says that he 
 is going away and we cannot follow ? Will he 
 kill himself ? " Jesus continued, " The reason 
 that I said that you will die in your sins is 
 this : you are from beneath, I am from above. 
 I am not of this world ; I am of a higher 
 Spiritual Order. Unless you trustingly be- 
 lieve in me, you will remain in the lower life 
 and therefore, most certainly, you will die in 
 your sins." 
 
 They said to him, " Tell us who you really 
 are." Jesus replied, " I am all that I have told 
 you from the beginning. The Father who sent 
 me is to be trusted, and the things that I hear 
 from Him I must speak to the world. If you 
 would only listen to me, there are many things 
 that vitally concern you that I would willingly 
 tell you."
 
 140 The Good News 
 
 Still they did not understand his reference 
 to the Father. Jesus continued, "When you 
 have lifted up the Son of man, then you will 
 know who I am. You will know that I have 
 done nothing of myself, and have spoken only 
 as the Father teaches me. He that sent rne is 
 with me, and He never forsakes me, because I 
 always do the things that please Him." 
 
 IN spite of the opposition, many of the Jews 
 had come to believe in him and to these Jesus 
 now turned, saying, " If you really wish to be 
 my disciples, you must live close to the spirit 
 of my teachings. If you do that, then you will 
 have an insight into the truth, and the truth 
 will set you free." 
 
 Some one in the crowd said to him, "We 
 are descendants of Abraham and have never 
 been in bondage to any one. What do you 
 mean when you say, ' You will be set free ' ? " 
 Jesus explained, " Every one that commits sin 
 is a slave. The slave has no permanent right 
 in the master's house, but the master's son has ; 
 and, if the Son gives you your freedom, you 
 will be actually free. 
 
 " I know that you are descendants of Abra- 
 ham and yet some among you are seeking op- 
 portunity to kill me, and my teachings can 
 
 John viii. 31-59.
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 141 
 
 make almost no headway among you. I speak 
 only the things that I learn from my Father 
 and you do the things that you learn from your 
 father." They said, " Abraham is our Father." 
 "If you are truly Abraham's children," said 
 Jesus, " you would do as Abraham would do. 
 But now you seek to kill me, who have told 
 you the truth, which I heard from the Father 
 of Love. Abraham would never have done that. 
 No, you are doing the deeds of your father." 
 
 They said, " We are not illegitimate children, 
 God is our Father." " If God were your 
 Father," said Jesus, " you would love me, for I 
 am come from Him. I did not come of myself ; 
 the Father of Love has sent me. Why can you 
 not understand my teachings ? Is it because 
 you cannot hear my words ? No, you are chil- 
 dren of your father, the devil, and you will nat- 
 urally do the things that he desires. He was a 
 murderer from the beginning. He does not 
 stick to the truth, because there is no truth in 
 him. When one speaks a lie, he speaks of that 
 which is his own, for his father was a liar and 
 the father of lies. 
 
 "Has any one ever convicted me of sin? 
 Then if I speak the truth, why do you not be- 
 lieve me? I will tell you the reason. The 
 reason is that you are not influenced by Love. 
 He that is sensitive to Love will appreciate the 
 words of the Father of Love."
 
 142 The Good News 
 
 One of the Jews said, " "We were very near 
 the truth when we said that you were a Samari- 
 tan and crazy." Jesus said, " No, I am not in- 
 sane, I honor the Father, but you are dishonor- 
 ing me. I do not care for my own glory ; there 
 is One who cares for me, let Him be the judge. 
 But I want to tell you most earnestly that if a 
 man would live in harmony with the spirit of 
 my teachings, he would never know death." 
 
 The Jews said, " Now we know that you are 
 crazy. Abraham died and the prophets are 
 long since dead, and yet you say, ' If a man 
 keep my word, he will never die.' Are you 
 greater than our father Abraham, that is dead ? 
 And the prophets that are dead? Who are 
 you anyway ? " 
 
 Jesus said, " If I praise myself, my glory will 
 amount to nothing. It is my Father that glori- 
 fies me. You say that He is your God, but I 
 tell you that you have never really known Him. 
 I know Him and, if I should say that I did not 
 know Him, I should be lying, just the same as 
 you are when you claim to know Him. But I 
 really know Him and am living according to 
 his word. Your father, Abraham, exulted in 
 the hope of seeing my day and he did see it 
 and rejoiced." 
 
 The Jews said, " You are not yet forty years 
 of age, how could you have seen Abraham ? " 
 Jesus replied, " Before Abraham was born, I
 
 Premonitions of the Crisis 143 
 
 am. As the Father's Love Thought I was with 
 the Father of Love from the beginning." 
 
 Then they took up stones to stone him, but 
 he disappeared from their sight and passed out 
 of the temple.
 
 CHAPTER SEVEN 
 
 FAREWELL TO GALILEE AND PUBLIC PROC- 
 LAMATION OF MESSIAHSHIP 
 
 AFTER the Feast of Tabernacles that 
 Jesus had attended in October he re- 
 turned to Galilee. The Feast of Dedi- 
 cation would come in December and the great 
 Feast of the Passover in the following April. 
 
 As the days of his earthly life were drawing 
 to a close, he felt an increasing longing to be 
 in Jerusalem. He did not go there directly, 
 but by way of northern Samaria and Peraea, 
 the country that lay to the east of the Jordan 
 VaUey. 
 
 Hitherto he had left his followers to discern 
 his Messiahship for themselves, but now it must 
 be asserted openly. If he was to be finally re- 
 jected he felt that it should be done publicly 
 by the chief priests acting for the nation. 
 
 The character of his teachings had repelled 
 the larger part of the multitudes that had 
 flocked to him during the earlier months of hk 
 ministry. His words had indeed proven to be 
 a test by which the thoughts of men's hearts 
 
 Matthew viii. 19-22; Luke ix. 51-62; x. 1-11. 
 144
 
 Farewell to Galilee 145 
 
 had been revealed. They wanted a king who 
 would restore their nation to its old time 
 prestige. He proclaimed their nearness to a 
 Kingdom of Love and called them to repent- 
 ance. His works were mighty and his teach- 
 ings were sublime, but he himself was humble 
 and kindly and unselfish. He was not the kind 
 of a Messiah the people wanted; and so the 
 words of the prophet came true. 
 
 " He was despised and rejected of men ; a 
 man of sorrow and acquainted with grief" * 
 
 AT this time Jesus appointed seventy of his 
 disciples to go out by twos into every village 
 and town where he intended later on to come 
 himself. He said to them, " The harvest is 
 abundant, but the laborers are few. I want 
 you to pray to the Lord of the harvest that he 
 send forth laborers into his fields. 
 
 " I send you forth as lambs into the midst of 
 wolves, but go your different ways without 
 fear. Carry no purse, no bag, no extra shoes 
 even, and do not stop to gossip by the way. 
 Whenever you go into a house, say, * Peace be 
 to this house.' If they welcome you, your 
 benediction will be acceptable. If you are 
 conscious of no response of welcome, do not 
 remain, but go elsewhere. "When you find a 
 welcome, remain there ; do not go from house 
 
 * Connection supplied by author.
 
 146 The Good News 
 
 to house. Eat whatever is set before you, for 
 the laborer is worthy of his support ; but do 
 not ask for special attentions. Heal the sick 
 in the house and village where you are wel- 
 come, and say to them, ' The Spiritual Realm 
 is very near to you.' 
 
 " If you enter a town where you are not 
 welcome, go into the principal streets and pro- 
 claim, ' Not even the dust of your streets do 
 we take away with us. We come to tell you 
 of the Spiritual Realm. You do not welcome 
 us, but know this, the Spiritual Realm has 
 come very near.' He that listens to you is 
 listening to me. He that rejects you is reject- 
 ing me ; and he that rejects me has rejected 
 Him that sent me." 
 
 As they approached Samaria these messen- 
 gers went ahead to make ready for his coming. 
 They created great excitement and interest. 
 Wherever Jesus came great multitudes were 
 waiting to see and hear him and they followed 
 him from place to place. He taught these 
 multitudes as was his habit and healed the 
 sick. 
 
 When it became known that he was on his 
 way to Jerusalem, the Samaritans were unwill- 
 ing that he should pass through their country. 
 When his disciples, James and John, saw their 
 attitude they suggested to Jesus that he call 
 down fire from heaven to consume them, but
 
 Farewell to Galilee 147 
 
 Jesus rebuked his disciples and led them by 
 another way. 
 
 AS they passed along a scribe said to Jesus, 
 " Master, I will follow you wherever you go." 
 Jesus said to him, " The foxes have holes and 
 the birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of 
 man has nowhere to lay his head." 
 
 Another man said, " Let me first return and 
 bury my father." But Jesus said, " Let those 
 that belong to the realm of death bury their 
 own dead; but as for you, go and preach 
 everywhere the Good News of the Spiritual 
 Realm." 
 
 Still another said, " I will follow you, Mas- 
 ter, only let me first return home and bid them 
 farewell." But Jesus said to him, "No man 
 having put his hand to the plow and then look- 
 ing back is fit for the Spiritual Realm." 
 
 Jesus turned to the great multitude that fol- 
 lowed him and said : " A man cannot be my 
 disciple unless he is so fixed in his devotion 
 that it is just as though, in contrast, he hated 
 his father and mother and children and broth- 
 ers and sisters, yes, and even his own life. One 
 cannot be my disciple until he is willing to 
 take up his heaviest cross and follow me. 
 
 " If one of you wanted to build a tower, 
 
 Luke xiv. 25-35.
 
 148 The Good News 
 
 would you not first sit down and count the 
 cost to assure yourself that you have the means 
 to finish it ? No one wants to be the laughing 
 stock of the community and to have people 
 taunt him, saying, ' This man started to build 
 but could not finish.' 
 
 " What king undertakes a war against an- 
 other without first considering whether with 
 his ten thousand soldiers he will be able to 
 meet his enemy with twenty thousands. Does 
 he not send an ambassador, while the other 
 army is yet a great ways off, and ask for con- 
 ditions of peace ? No, not one of you can be 
 a disciple of mine unless he has renounced all 
 that he has. My disciples are to be the salt of 
 the earth, and unless the salt retains its virtue, 
 it is worthless and men throw it away. If you 
 have ears to hear, you can understand what I 
 mean." 
 
 The seventy, whom he had sent out by twos, 
 returned to him from time to time, rejoicing in 
 spirit. They reported to Jesus that when they 
 used his name, even the demons were subject 
 unto them. Jesus said to them : " Yes, I have 
 given you authority to tread on serpents and 
 scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. 
 Nothing shall in any way hurt you ; neverthe- 
 less, do not rejoice in this, that the demons are 
 in subjection to you, but rejoice that your 
 names are written in the Spiritual Realm. "
 
 Farewell to Galilee 149 
 
 A LAWYER then came forward and asked 
 Jesus a question designed to test him. 
 "Teacher," he said, "what shall I do to in- 
 herit eternal life ? " Jesus said, " What is writ- 
 ten in the Law ? How do you read it ? " 
 
 The lawyer said, " The Law says : * Thou 
 ahalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
 and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, 
 and with all thy mind ; and thy neighbor as thy- 
 self" Jesus said to him, " You have answered 
 rightly. If you do that you will live." 
 
 But the lawyer, wishing to put himself in a 
 better light, asked, " But who is my neighbor ? " 
 Jesus replied as follows : " A certain man was 
 going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and he 
 fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat 
 him and left him half dead. By chance a 
 priest was going that way and when he saw 
 him, he passed by on the other side. A Levite, 
 also, when he came to the place and saw him, 
 passed by on the other side. 
 
 " But a Samaritan as he journeyed came to 
 where he was. When he saw him he was 
 moved with pity and came to him and bound 
 up his wounds with wine and oil. He placed 
 him on his own mule and brought him to an 
 inn and took care of him. On the morrow 
 when he had to go, he left money with the inn- 
 
 Luke x. 17-20, 25-37.
 
 150 The Good News 
 
 keeper for his care and said to him, 'What- 
 ever more you expend I will pay you when I 
 return.' 
 
 " Which of these three, do you think, was 
 neighbor to him who fell among robbers?" 
 The lawyer said, "It was he that showed 
 mercy." Jesus said, " Then you must be like 
 him." 
 
 AS they drew near Jerusalem they came to 
 the village of Bethany and were received into 
 the house of a woman named Martha. She had 
 a sister called Mary who, also, was one of those 
 who listened gladly to the words of Jesus. 
 
 Martha was distracted with the extra work 
 and came to Jesus and said, " Do you notice, 
 Master, that my sister has left me to do all the 
 work ? Bid her to help me." But Jesus said 
 to her, " Martha, Martha, you are anxious and 
 troubled about many things. There is only 
 one thing that is really important. Mary has 
 chosen the good portion, and it shall not be 
 taken away from her." 
 
 AS his disciples were passing along they saw 
 a man who had been blind from his birth. 
 They asked Jesus, "Why was this man born 
 blind? Did he sin, or his parents?" Jesus 
 
 Luke x. 38-42. 
 John ix. ; x. 19-21.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 151 
 
 answered, " It was neither for his sin, nor for 
 his parent's sin. It was so that the mercy of 
 the Father of Love might be shown in his heal- 
 ing. I must do the work of him that sent me 
 while the daylight lasts ; the night is coming 
 when, no one can work. While I am in the 
 world, I am the Light of the world." 
 
 While he was speaking, he spat on the ground 
 and made clay of the saliva, which he spread on 
 the eyes of the blind man and then said to him, 
 " Go to the Pool of Siloam and wash." The 
 blind man went and after he had washed his 
 eyes he could see. 
 
 The neighbors and those that had known 
 him as a beggar, said, " Is not this the blind 
 beggar ? " Some said it was, but others said, 
 " No, he is some one that looks like him." But 
 the man himself said, "I am he." They asked 
 him how his eyes were opened and he said, 
 " The man that is called Jesus made clay and 
 put it on my eyes and told me to go to Siloam 
 and wash. I did so and received my sight." 
 They asked him where Jesus was and he re- 
 plied that he did not know. 
 
 As it was on the Sabbath day that this was 
 done, they took the man to the Pharisees, who 
 also questioned him as to how he received his 
 sight. He said to them, " He put clay on my 
 eyes ; I washed and now I see." One of the 
 Pharisees said that it was evident that the
 
 152 The Good News 
 
 man could not be of God, or he would have 
 kept the Sabbath. Others asked how it was 
 possible for a sinner to do such a miracle ; so 
 there was a division among them. 
 
 Then they turned to the blind man and asked 
 him what he thought of the man who had 
 opened his eyes. He replied without hesita- 
 tion, " He is a prophet." The Jews still doubted 
 if he really had been blind and so they sum- 
 moned his parents. "Is this man, who they 
 say was born blind, your son ? How is it that 
 he can now see ? " 
 
 His parents replied, " We know that this is 
 our son and we know that he was born blind, 
 but as to how he received his sight, or as to 
 who healed him, we are ignorant. He is of 
 age ; ask him, let him speak for himself." His 
 parents knew that the Jews had already agreed 
 that any one who admitted that he believed 
 that Jesus was the Messiah was to be put out 
 of the synagogue and they were therefore afraid 
 of the Jews. This explains why they tried to 
 avoid answering the questions. 
 
 So they called the man who was born blind 
 a second time and said to him, " Give glory to 
 God ; we know that this man Jesus is a sinner." 
 The man said, " Whether he is a sinner or not 
 I do not know. One thing I do know and that 
 is this, once I was blind, now I see." They 
 said to him, " What did he do to you ? How
 
 Farewell to Galilee 153 
 
 did he open your eyes?" The man replied, 
 " I have already told you and you do not listen. 
 Why do you want me to repeat it ? Are you 
 thinking of becoming his disciples ? " 
 
 Then they reviled him and said, " You are 
 his disciple ; we are disciples of Moses. We 
 know that God has spoken to Moses, but as 
 for this fellow, we know nothing about him." 
 The man said, " Why, that is strange ; you 
 say you know nothing about him and yet he 
 has opened my eyes. We know that God does 
 not listen to sinners ; but if any one be a wor- 
 shipper of God and does his will, God will 
 listen to him. Never since the world began 
 has any one heard of any one opening the eyes 
 of a man born blind. If Jesus were not from 
 God he could do nothing." 
 
 Then they said to him, " You were born in 
 sin, and do you presume to teach us ? " And 
 they threw him out of the temple. Jesus heard 
 that they had thrown him out and so he found 
 him and said, " Do you believe in the Son of 
 man ? " " Who is he, Lord," the man replied, 
 " that I may believe on him." Jesus said to 
 him, "You have seen him and he is now 
 speaking with you." The man said, " Lord, 
 I do believe," and he prostrated himself in 
 worship. 
 
 Then Jesus said, " I come into the world to 
 test men, so that they who do not see, but want
 
 154 The Good News 
 
 to, may see, and those who think they see may 
 realize their blindness." 
 
 When the Pharisees who were standing near 
 heard this, they asked him, " Are we, then, 
 blind ? " Jesus replied to them, " If you were 
 blind you would not be responsible, but when 
 you admit that you see you are responsible ; 
 your sin remains." 
 
 Again there was a division among the Jews 
 over his words. Many of them said, " He has 
 a demon. He is crazy ; why listen to him ? " 
 Others said, " These are not the teachings of 
 one possessed of a demon. Such an one can- 
 not open the eyes of the blind." 
 
 IT was now the Feast of the Dedication at 
 Jerusalem, and as it was winter, Jesus was 
 walking in Solomon's porch in the temple. 
 The Jews came about him and said, " How long 
 are you going to keep us in suspense ? If you 
 are the Messiah, tell us so plainly." Jesus re- 
 plied : " I have already told you, and you do 
 not believe me. The very works that I am 
 doing in my Father's name ought to be a suf- 
 ficient proof to you. 
 
 " But you do not believe because you are not 
 of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I 
 know them and they follow me. I give to 
 
 John x. 23-29
 
 Farewell to Galilee 155 
 
 them the timeless, spiritual Life. They shall 
 never perish and no one shall snatch them out 
 of my hand. My Father, who has given them 
 to me, is greater than all and no one is able to 
 take them from him. 
 
 " HE that does not enter the sheepfold by 
 the door, but climbs up some other way, is a 
 thief and a robber. The shepherd is the one 
 that enters by the door and for him the porter 
 opens the door. The sheep hear his voice ; he 
 calls his own by name and leads them out. 
 When he has all his own together, he goes 
 before them and the sheep follow, for they 
 know his voice. They will not follow a 
 stranger, but will run from him because they 
 do not know the voice of a stranger." The 
 people heard these words, but they did not un- 
 derstand their significance. 
 
 Jesus continued, " I am the shepherd of the 
 sheep. All that come claiming to be such are 
 thieves and robbers, but the sheep do not recog- 
 nize their voice. I am the shepherd of men ; if 
 any man comes with me, he can go in and come 
 out with safety and find pasture. The thief 
 comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I 
 come that they may have Life, and that they 
 may have Life abundantly. 
 
 " I am the good shepherd. The good shep- 
 
 John x. 1-18.
 
 156 The Good News 
 
 herd is willing to lay down his life for his 
 sheep. The hireling that does not own the 
 sheep, when he sees a wolf coming, leaves 
 the sheep and runs away while the wolf kills 
 and scatters the flock. He runs because he is 
 an hireling and does not really care for the 
 sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my 
 own, and my own know me. I know the Father 
 just as the Father knows me. I lay down my 
 life for my sheep. 
 
 " I have other sheep that do not belong to 
 this fold. I must bring them also and they 
 will hear my voice and there will be one flock 
 and one shepherd. That is why the Father 
 loves me, because 1 am willing to lay down my 
 life. ]STo one takes it away from me ; I lay it 
 down of myself. I have power to lay it down 
 and I have power to take it again. I have my 
 Father's word for this. I and the Father are one. " 
 
 AGAIN the Jews took up stones to stone 
 him. Jesus said to them, " I have shown you 
 many good works from the Father ; for which 
 of these works do you stone me ? " The Jews 
 replied, " We do not stone you for the good 
 works, but, because of your blasphemy and be- 
 cause you, a man, make yourself God." 
 
 Jesus asked them : " Is it not written in the 
 Law, ' / said ye are gods? If he called them 
 
 John x. 30-42.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 157 
 
 gods, to whom the words of God came, and you 
 admit that the Scriptures cannot be gainsaid, 
 how can you say of him whom the Father 
 sanctified and sent into the world, * You 
 blaspheme ' ? Is it because I said, * I am the 
 Son of God ' ? If I do not do the works of 
 my Father, do not believe me ; but if I do the 
 works, though you are unable to believe me, 
 believe that the works, at least, are of God. If 
 you believe even this you will come to under- 
 stand the oneness of the Father of Love and 
 his own Love Thought. You will come to 
 know that the Father is in me and that I am 
 in the Father." 
 
 Again they tried to seize him, but he slipped 
 away out of their hands and this time went 
 away beyond the Jordan into the region where 
 John the Baptist began his preaching ; and 
 there he abode. Many who came to him said, 
 " John indeed gave no sign of power, but all 
 that he spake of this man has come true," and 
 many believed in him. 
 
 THERE was brought to him a man pos- 
 sessed of a demon that was also blind and 
 dumb. Jesus healed him so that he could see 
 and speak intelligently. The multitude were 
 amazed and said, " This man is more than a nat- 
 
 Matthew xii. 22-32; Mark iii. 22-30 ; Luke xi. 14-23.
 
 158 The Good News 
 
 ural descendant of David." But when the Phar- 
 isees heard it they said, " The only way that this 
 man can cast out demons is by Beelzebub, the 
 prince of demons." Jesus could read their 
 thoughts, so he said to them : " How can Satan 
 cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided 
 against itself it cannot stand. If a family is 
 divided it will ruin itself. If Satan is divided 
 against himself, how can his kingdom stand ? 
 You say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 
 All right, but your sons are casting out demons ; 
 by whom do they cast them out ? Let them 
 bear witness. 
 
 " When a strong man fully armed guards his 
 house his goods are safe. Another cannot enter 
 his house and take his goods without first bind- 
 ing the strong man. But when one comes who 
 is stronger, then the stronger will bind the other 
 and take his armor wherein he trusted and carry 
 off his goods. If I by the power of Love cast 
 out demons, it is because the Father of Love is 
 stronger than evil ; and the supremacy of the 
 Spiritual Law of Love is demonstrated before 
 you. 
 
 " He that is not with me is against me, and 
 he that does not gather with me is scattering. 
 The sons of men may commit many sins and 
 they will be forgiven ; but when a man charges 
 the Son of man with being in league with an 
 unclean spirit he is blaspheming the Love Yi-
 
 Farewell to Galilee 159 
 
 tality that is in him, and for this there is never 
 forgiveness ; he is guilty of an eternal sin." 
 
 WHILE he was saying these things a woman 
 in the crowd spoke up and said, " Blessed is the 
 woman that bore you." But Jesus said, " Much 
 more blessed are they that are sensitive to the call 
 of the Father of Love and trustingly obey him." 
 
 Then some Pharisees and scribes that were 
 present again urged Jesus to show some sign of 
 his authority. Jesus replied : " This is an evil 
 and a faithless generation, forever seeking after 
 a sign ; but no warning shall be given them, but 
 the sign of the prophet Jonah. Just as Jonah 
 was three days and three nights in the whale's 
 belly as a warning to the Ninevites, so shall 
 the Son of man be three days in the grave as a 
 sign to this generation. The men of Nineveh 
 shall condemn this generation in the day of 
 judgment, for they repented at the preaching 
 of Jonah, but now a greater than Jonah is here. 
 The Queen of Sheba shall condemn this genera- 
 tion, for she came from the ends of the earth to 
 hear the wisdom of Solomon and here is One 
 greater than Solomon." 
 
 A PHAKISEE asked Jesus to dinner and he 
 went in with him and sat at table. The Pharisee 
 
 Matthew xii. 38-42 ; Luke xi. 27-32. 
 Matthew xii. 43-45 ; Lukexi. 24-26, 37-41.
 
 160 The Good News 
 
 noticed that he did not wash his hands before 
 eating and Jesus, who could read his thoughts, 
 said : " You Pharisees are very particular to 
 cleanse the outside, but within you are full of 
 extortion and wickedness. How foolish you 
 are ! Did not he that made the outside make 
 the inside also ? If you cleanse the inner life, 
 all will be wholly clean. The way to cleanse 
 the inner life is to learn to be generous with 
 the things that you have; learn to follow the 
 Law of Love, and you will be surprised to see 
 how quickly all becomes clean. But you 
 must watch for one thing. "When an unclean 
 spirit has gone out of a man, he wanders about 
 in a dry land, seeking rest and finding none. 
 He recalls how comfortable his old tenement 
 was and says to himself, ' I will return to the 
 old place.' When he comes to it, he finds it 
 swept and clean. Then he goes and invites seven 
 other spirits more wicked than himself and to- 
 gether they enter and take possession. In the 
 end that man's condition is worse than it was at 
 first." 
 
 WHEN Jesus left the house one of those wait- 
 ing outside came to him and said : " Master, 
 will you make my brother divide the inheritance 
 with me ? " Jesus replied : " Man, who made 
 
 Lake xii. 13-21.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 161 
 
 me a. referee over your affairs ? Be careful to 
 keep yourself from covetousness, for a man's 
 life does not consist in the abundance of the 
 things that he possesses. Let me tell you a par- 
 able. 
 
 "Once there was a rich man whose estate 
 produced abundantly. He reasoned to himself, 
 saying, ' "What shall I do ? I do not have room 
 enough to store my harvests. I will pull down 
 my barns and build larger ones where I can 
 store away my grain and my property. I will 
 congratulate my soul and say, " Soul, you have 
 ample store for years to come. Now is the 
 time for you to take your ease, eat, drink and 
 be merry." ' 
 
 " But the Father of Love said to him, ' You 
 foolish one. This night your life will be re- 
 quired of you ; and whose will be the things that 
 you have in store ? ' So is every one that lays 
 up treasure for himself and has no riches in the 
 keeping of the Father of Love." 
 
 AFTERWARDS being alone with his dis- 
 ciples he said : " Do not be afraid, my little flock. 
 It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the 
 riches of the Spiritual Realm. Sell the things 
 that you have and give to the needy. Make 
 for yourselves purses that do not grow old ; lay 
 
 Matthew zxiv. 45-51 ; Luke xii. 32-48.
 
 162 The Good News 
 
 up your treasure in the Spiritual Realm where 
 it will be perfectly safe, where thieves never 
 enter and where moths never destroy ; for 
 where your treasure is, there will your heart 
 be also. 
 
 " Have your clothing on and the lamps burn- 
 ing. Be like servants who are expecting the 
 return of their master, so that when he knocks 
 they will be ready to open the door. Blessed 
 are those servants whom their master, when 
 he returns, finds watching. He will be glad to 
 have them sit down to their supper while he, 
 himself, waits on them. If the master of the 
 house knew when the thief would come, he 
 would watch and not let his house be broken 
 into. You must be ready, also, for in an hour 
 when you least expect him, the Son of man 
 will come." 
 
 Peter said, " Master, are you speaking this 
 parable to us especially, or is it meant for every 
 one ? " Jesus replied, " Who then is the faith- 
 ful and wise steward, whom his master shall 
 set over his household to deal out the supplies ? 
 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when 
 he returns, finds so employed. He is the kind 
 of servant that he will promote to the highest 
 place. 
 
 " But if the servant shall say in his heart, ' the 
 master will be late in returning,' and begins to 
 beat the other servants and to eat and drink to
 
 t 
 
 Farewell to Galilee 163 
 
 excess, the master will be sure to come when 
 he is least expected and will punish that un- 
 faithful servant and put him among those that 
 he cannot trust. 
 
 " The servant that knew his master's orders, 
 but failed to carry them out, will be beaten 
 with many stripes. But the servant that was 
 ignorant of the master's wishes and then un- 
 wittingly did something worthy of punishment, 
 will be punished lightly. From him to whom 
 much is given much will be expected and from 
 him to whom much has been entrusted much 
 will be required." 
 
 WHEN he was with the multitude again he 
 said, " When you see a cloud rising in the west, 
 you say at once there is a shower coming, and 
 so it happens. When you notice a south wind 
 blowing, you say there will be a scorching heat, 
 and so it happens. Oh, you pretenders ! You 
 know how to read the face of the sky and the 
 earth, but you pay no attention to the signs of 
 the times. You do not know even how to 
 judge between yourselves, but must bring your 
 adversary to the court. If you were wise, you 
 would settle these disputes as they arise, lest 
 the judge decide against you and you are cast 
 into prison where you will have to pay the full 
 penalty." 
 
 Luke xii. 54-59.
 
 164 The Good News 
 
 SOME one told Jesus about the Galileans, 
 whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacri- 
 fices. Jesus said to them, " Do you think that 
 these Galileans were any more sinners than the 
 rest because they suffered these things ? I tell 
 you, no ! and unless you repent you will all per- 
 ish. How about the eighteen, upon whom the 
 tower of Siloam fell and killed them ? Do you 
 think that they were offenders above all the 
 rest that dwell in Jerusalem ? I tell you, no ! 
 But unless you repent you will all perish." 
 
 Then Jesus spoke this parable. " A man had 
 a fig tree in his garden and at the right season 
 came to get the fruit, but found none. He said 
 to the gardener : 4 1 have come these three years 
 to get fruit from this fig tree and have never 
 found any. Cut it down ; why should it be in 
 the way of better trees ? ' The gardener said : 
 ' Let it stay this year and I will dig about it 
 and give it some manure. If it then bears fruit 
 well and good, but if not, we will cut it down.' ): 
 
 ONE Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of 
 the synagogues, and a woman was present who 
 had been a confirmed invalid for eighteen years. 
 She was bent over and could not straighten her- 
 self. Jesus noticed her and laid his hands on 
 her, saying, " Woman, you are free from your 
 
 Luke xiii. 1-9. 
 Luke xiii. 10-17.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 165 
 
 infirmity." Immediately she stood up erect 
 and glorified God. 
 
 The president of the synagogue was indignant 
 that Jesus should have done it on the Sabbath. 
 He said to the people : " There are six days in 
 which men ought to work. If you want to be 
 healed you should come on one of these days 
 and not come on the Sabbath." 
 
 But Jesus answered him, " Oh, you humbug ! 
 Would not any one of you unloose his ox on 
 the Sabbath day and lead him to water? 
 Here is a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan 
 has bound these eighteen years ; ought she not 
 to be freed even if it is the Sabbath day ? " 
 His adversaries were put to shame, but the 
 people rejoiced to see all the wonderful things 
 that he was doing. 
 
 DAY by day Jesus went from village to 
 village teaching and healing the sick. One 
 day some one asked him if it was true that 
 only a few were to be saved. Jesus replied : 
 "You must strive to enter, for the door is 
 narrow and, I tell you seriously, only a few of 
 the many who would like to enter will be able 
 to do so. 
 
 " The time will come when the Master of the 
 house will close the door and then those of you 
 
 Luke xiii. 22-30.
 
 166 The Good News 
 
 who are without will gather and knock, saying, 
 ( Lord, open to us.' The Master of the house 
 will say to you, * I do not recognize you.' You 
 will answer, ' Why, we used to eat and drink 
 with you and you taught in our streets.' But 
 the Master will say, ' I do not recognize you, 
 go away, you are wicked men.' 
 
 " There will be anguish of heart when you 
 see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the 
 prophets resting in the Spiritual Kealm and 
 yourselves shut out. Others will come from 
 the East and West and the North and South 
 and will rest with them in the Spiritual Realm. 
 There are those that seem to be last now who 
 will be first then, and some who seem to be 
 first now will be last then." 
 
 SOME Pharisees came to Jesus and warned 
 him that Herod would be only too glad to 
 have him killed, and advised him to leave that 
 part of the country. Jesus' reply to them was, 
 " Go and tell that sly fox that I propose to cast 
 out demons and heal sick people to-day and to- 
 morrow and the third day my work will be 
 finished. I will journey on to-day and to- 
 morrow and the day following I shall be in 
 Jerusalem, for it would not do for a prophet 
 to perish outside the city." 
 
 Luke xiii. 31-33.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 167 
 
 ONE Sabbath Jesus was invited to the house 
 of a prominent Pharisee to dine with him and, 
 as usual, they were on the watch for something 
 that they could bring up against Jesus later on. 
 
 Among those that crowded into the court 
 was a man suffering from dropsy and when 
 Jesus saw him he asked the chief lawyers and 
 Pharisees, " Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, 
 or not ? " As they kept silent, Jesus took the 
 sick man and healed him and let him go. Then 
 he said to them, " If one of you had a son who 
 fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would you not 
 get him out as quickly as possible ? " The 
 Pharisees remained silent as there was nothing 
 to say. 
 
 Jesus noticed that the guests at the dinner 
 were anxious to secure the best seats and so he 
 told them a parable. " If any one invites you 
 to a marriage feast do not sit down in the most 
 prominent seat, because it may happen that a 
 more important man has been invited and the 
 host will be obliged to come to you and ask 
 you to give up your seat. You will feel very 
 much ashamed then to have to take a back 
 seat. 
 
 " When you are invited to a feast it is very 
 much better to take a poorer seat and then 
 when the host notices it, he will come to you 
 
 Luke xiv. 1-24.
 
 168 The Good News 
 
 and say, ' My friend, you must come and sit by 
 me,' and you will be honored before them all. 
 For every one that exalts himself will be put 
 to shame and every one that humbles himself 
 will be exalted." 
 
 Jesus turned to his host and said, "When 
 you give a feast you ought not to invite your 
 special friends, or relatives, or rich neighbors, 
 for they will in turn invite you and it will be 
 simply an exchange ; you will lose the privilege 
 and the pleasure of giving. 
 
 " When you give a feast invite the poor, the 
 defective, the lame, and the blind. Then you 
 will be blessed, for they will have nothing with 
 which to repay you, and your recompense will 
 come in being fitted to transcend this natural 
 life and to enter the higher Spiritual Life of 
 the good." 
 
 One of the guests, when he heard this, said, 
 " The man is blest indeed that shall enter the 
 Spiritual Kealm." Jesus turned to him and 
 related the following parable. 
 
 " There was a man once, who made a great 
 banquet to which he invited many. As the 
 time drew near he sent his servants to bid them 
 come, for everything was ready. With one 
 consent they all began to make excuse. The 
 first said, ' I have bought a field and must go 
 to see it. Will you please excuse me.' An- 
 other said, ' I have bought five yoke of oxen
 
 Farewell to Galilee 169 
 
 and must go to try them. You must excuse 
 me.' Still another said, ' I have married a wife 
 and therefore cannot come.' 
 
 " Then the host was angry and said to the 
 servants, * Go out quickly into the streets and 
 the courts of the city and bring in the poor 
 and the defective and the lame and the blind.' 
 The servants soon returned and reported that 
 it had been done and still there was room. 
 Then the host told the servants to go out into 
 the highways and persuade any one to come in, 
 in order that the tables might be filled. I tell 
 you not one of the invited guests who failed to 
 come shall have a second chance to a seat at 
 my table." 
 
 THERE were always tax collectors and 
 other notoriously wicked men about Jesus and 
 this led the Pharisees and scribes to complain 
 that Jesus associated and even ate with wicked 
 men. Jesus knew what they were thinking, 
 and so he told them this parable. 
 
 " If one of you had a hundred sheep and lost 
 one, would you not leave the ninety and nine 
 to go in search of the missing one until it was 
 found ? When it was found you would lay it 
 on your shoulders and return rejoicing. When 
 you reached home you would call together 
 
 Lake xv.
 
 170 The Good News 
 
 your friends and neighbors and tell them 
 about it and ask them to rejoice with you, 
 because you had found the sheep that was lost. 
 I want to tell you that there is just the same 
 rejoicing in the Spiritual Kealm over one sinner 
 that repents. There is even more joy over 
 him than over the ninety-nine good people 
 that need no repentance. 
 
 " If a woman have ten coins and lose one, 
 does she not light a lamp and sweep the house 
 in her search for it ? And when she finds it 
 she calls her friends and neighbors together 
 and tells them about it and asks them to re- 
 joice with her, because the lost coin is found. 
 In just the same way there is joy among the 
 angels of the Father of Love over one sinner 
 who repents." 
 
 JESUS continued, " Once there was a man 
 who had two sons. The younger of the sons 
 said to the father, ' Father, are you willing to 
 give me now the portion of your property that 
 would fall to me ? ' The father was willing to 
 do so and divided his property, giving the 
 younger son his portion. Very soon after the 
 young man sold off his share and went away 
 to a far country and there he wasted his money 
 in debauchery. 
 
 " In time he had spent all that he had, and 
 began to be hungry and in utter want. Then
 
 Farewell to Galilee 171 
 
 he hired himself out to a farmer, who treated 
 him shamefully and sent him into the fields to 
 herd swine. Many a day he would gladly 
 have eaten the pods that the swine were eat- 
 ing, and no one cared for him. 
 
 "At last it came over him what a foolish 
 son he had been. He said : * How many serv- 
 ants of my father have plenty to eat and to 
 spare, while I am perishing with hunger. I 
 will return to my father and will tell him that 
 I have sinned and have been very foolish. I 
 will tell him that I don't deserve to be called 
 his son any more and will ask him to let me be 
 as one of his hired servants.' 
 
 " So he returned to his father, but while he 
 was a great way off his father saw him coming 
 and hurried to meet him. He gave him a warm 
 welcome because he had always loved him. 
 The boy said to him, * Father, I have sinned 
 and have been very foolish and don't deserve 
 
 to be called your son any more ' but the 
 
 father interrupted him by calling out a servant 
 and telling him to hurry and bring a new suit 
 of clothes and shoes and jewelry. To another 
 servant he said, ' Go, prepare a feast ; get the 
 best things you can. Let us eat and rejoice, 
 for I thought this boy, my son, was dead, and 
 he is alive. He was lost and is found.' And 
 they all rejoiced. 
 
 "While this was happening the elder son
 
 172 The Good News 
 
 was in a distant field and as he drew near the 
 house on his return, he heard the music and 
 the rejoicing. He called a servant and asked 
 the meaning of it all The servant said, ' Your 
 brother has come back and your father has 
 provided a feast to celebrate his return and to 
 show his gladness, because he has received him 
 safe and sound.' 
 
 "The elder son did not like it and be- 
 came angry. He refused to enter the house 
 and so the father came out and urged him to 
 come in and welcome his brother. But the 
 elder said to his father, ' All these years I have 
 stayed at home and worked for you and always 
 did whatever you commanded me, but you 
 never gave me so much as a kid that I could 
 have a good time with my friends. Now when 
 this son of yours comes back, after having 
 wasted your property with fast women, you 
 get up a great feast for him. It isn't fair.' 
 
 " * My son ! ' said the father, * it is true, you 
 have always been with me and all that I have 
 will some day be yours. But now it is right 
 to rejoice and be glad, for your brother, whom 
 we thought to be dead, is alive. He was lost 
 and is found.' " 
 
 THEN Jesus told to his disciples another 
 parable. " There was a rich man who had a 
 
 Luke xvi.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 1 73 
 
 dishonest steward, of whom it was reported 
 that he was wasting the estate. So the rich 
 man called for him and said, ' What is this that 
 I hear about you ? You must give me a state- 
 ment of your account as I shall no longer re- 
 quire your services.' The steward said to him- 
 self : ' What is the best thing for me to do now 
 that I am losing my position ? I am not strong 
 enough to do physical labor and I am ashamed 
 to beg. Ah, I know what I will do. I will 
 make friends with my master's debtors and 
 place them under obligation to me, so that 
 when I leave this position they will receive 
 me into their homes.' 
 
 " So he called for each one of his master's 
 debtors and to the first he said, ' How much do 
 you owe my master ? ' He replied, ' A hun- 
 dred barrels of oil.' The steward said, ' Take 
 your bill and change it quickly to read fifty 
 barrels.' To another he said, ' How much are 
 you owing ? ' The debtor replied, ' I am owing 
 a hundred bushels of wheat.' ' Take your bill 
 and change it to read eighty bushels,' said the 
 steward. 
 
 " When the rich man heard of it he gave the 
 dishonest steward credit for the cleverness of 
 the fraud." 
 
 Jesus said, "Worldly people are often 
 shrewder in their way of doing things than 
 are spiritually-minded people. I give you this
 
 174 The Good News 
 
 advice. You know that wealth is a constant 
 source of temptation. You must be very wise 
 and use it in such a way that you will make 
 friends of him who will be able, when you die, 
 to welcome you into the eternal mansions. 
 
 " He that is faithful in very little things will 
 be faithful in larger things. He that is dis- 
 honest in trifling amounts will be dishonest in 
 larger sums. If you have not been faithful to 
 your spiritual ideals in the use of wealth, who 
 will entrust to your keeping the true riches ? 
 
 " If you have not been faithful in the use of 
 wealth that belongs to the natural realm, how 
 can you be trusted with the true riches of the 
 Spiritual Kealm, which might be yours ? No 
 servant can serve two masters. Either he will 
 hate the one and love the other, or else he will 
 be faithful to one and unfaithful to the other. 
 You cannot serve the Father of Love and the 
 god of wealth." 
 
 When the Pharisees, who are lovers of money, 
 heard this they jeered at him, and Jesus said to 
 them, " You are the kind that make a fair show 
 in the sight of men, but the Father of Love 
 reads the heart and he whom men often exalt 
 may be detestable to Him. 
 
 " The Law and the Prophets were paramount 
 until the time of John. From that time the 
 Good News of the Spiritual Eealm has been 
 spreading. Men are struggling to take advan-
 
 Farewell to Galilee 175 
 
 tage of it and are neglecting the old Law. But 
 it is easier for the heavens and earth to pass 
 away than for the moral law to be set aside. 
 
 "THERE was once a rich man who was 
 clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived 
 sumptuously every day. A beggar who was 
 named Lazarus and who was covered with 
 loathsome sores was brought and left at the 
 rich man's gate. He hoped to receive some 
 fragments of food from the rich man's table. 
 It happened that the beggar died and went to 
 heaven and the rich man died and went to 
 hades. 
 
 "There in torment the rich man lifted up 
 his eyes and afar off saw Lazarus resting on 
 Abraham's bosom. He cried out saying, 
 4 Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send 
 Lazarus to bring me even a drop of water on 
 the tip of his finger to cool my tongue, for I 
 am in anguish in this flame.' 
 
 " Abraham said, * Remember, son, that you 
 received your good things during your lifetime, 
 while Lazarus was receiving evil things. Now 
 he is being comforted and you are in anguish. 
 Besides all this, there is a great gulf fixed be- 
 tween us, so that no one can cross from us to 
 you, or from you to us.' 
 
 " The rich man then said, * I pray you, Father 
 Abraham, that you send to my father's house
 
 176 The Good News 
 
 where I have five brothers and warn them lest 
 they, too, come to this place of torment.' But 
 Abraham said, * They have Moses and the 
 Prophets, let them heed them.' The man re- 
 plied, ' Father Abraham, they do not pay any 
 attention to them, but if one come from the 
 dead, they will repent.' Abraham said, ' If 
 they will not listen to Moses and obey the Law 
 and the Prophets, neither will they be per- 
 suaded though one rise from the dead." 
 
 IN the town of Bethany there lived a man 
 named Lazarus. He was a brother of the sis- 
 ters Martha and Mary, whom Jesus loved, and 
 Mary was the one who afterwards anointed the 
 feet of Jesus with ointment and dried them 
 with her hair. 
 
 Lazarus was very sick and the sisters sent 
 word to Jesus saying, "Master, our brother, 
 whom you love, is sick." When Jesus heard 
 the message he said, " This sickness is not unto 
 death, but that by it the Father of Love may 
 be glorified and his Son also." Jesus remained 
 in the place where he was for two days and 
 then said to his disciples, " Let us return now 
 to Judea." 
 
 The disciples reminded him how short a time 
 it was since the Jews had sought to stone him 
 
 John xi. 1-46.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 177 
 
 and asked if he really intended to return there. 
 Jesus said, u Are there not twelve hours of 
 daylight ? If a man walk in the daytime he 
 will not stumble because he has the sunlight. 
 It is only when a man has no inner light to en- 
 lighten him that he stumbles." 
 
 Then he said, " I am going to see our friend 
 Lazarus. He has fallen asleep and I am going 
 to waken him." One of the disciples said, 
 " If he has fallen asleep he will probably re- 
 cover." They had misunderstood Jesus' mean- 
 ing. He spoke of his death, but they thought 
 that he meant that he was resting in sleep. 
 Then Jesus said plainly, " Lazarus is dead and 
 I am glad for your sakes that I was not there. 
 Now you will believe when you see his recov- 
 ery. Let us go to him." Thomas said to the 
 other disciples, " Let us go with him. Even if 
 he dies, we will die with him." 
 
 WHEN Jesus reached Bethany they found 
 that Lazarus had been buried four days and, as 
 Jerusalem was only about two miles distant, 
 many of the Jews had come from there to 
 sympathize with Martha and Mary because of 
 the death of their brother. 
 
 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming 
 she left Mary in the house and went to meet 
 him. Martha said to Jesus, "Master, if you 
 had been here, my brother would not have
 
 178 The Good News 
 
 died; and, even now, I know that whatever 
 you ask of God God will give you." 
 
 Jesus said to her, " Your brother shall live 
 again." Martha said, " I know that he will 
 rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 
 Jesus said to her, " Martha, I am the resurrec- 
 tion and Life. He that trustingly believes in 
 me, though he die physically, yet shall he Live. 
 Whoever, while he is living, believes in me, 
 shall never lose his conscious existence. Do 
 you really believe this, Martha ? " 
 
 " Yes, Master," she said, " I believe that you 
 are the Son of God, the long promised Messiah, 
 that is to come into the world." Then Martha 
 left him and returned to the house and whispered 
 to Mary that Jesus had come and had asked 
 for her. Mary left the house at once and went 
 to him. He was still waiting just outside the 
 village where he had talked with Martha. 
 
 The Jews who were in the house, when they 
 saw Mary leave the house hurriedly, followed 
 her, supposing that she was going to the tomb 
 to weep. "When Mary came to where Jesus 
 was, she fell at his feet weeping and said, 
 " Master, if you had only been here, my brother 
 would not have died." 
 
 "When Jesus saw Mary and the Jews who 
 had come with her all weeping, he was greatly 
 moved, and burst into tears. When the Jews 
 saw this, they said, " See, what great affection
 
 Farewell to Galilee 179 
 
 he had for him ! " But some of them said, 
 " Could not this man, who was able to open the 
 eyes of a blind man, could he not have pre- 
 vented the death of his friend ? " When Jesus 
 heard this he was moved with indignation that 
 their belief should be wholly neutralized by 
 doubt. " Where have you laid him ? " he asked. 
 They replied : " Come and we will show you." 
 
 The tomb was a cave and a great stone lay 
 against the opening. Jesus told them to take 
 away the stone. " But Master," said Martha, 
 " he has been dead four days and by this time 
 the body has begun to decay." Jesus said to 
 her, " Did I not tell you that if you would only 
 believe you would see the glory of the Father 
 of Love ? " Then they took away the stone. 
 Jesus lifted his eyes and said, " Father, I thank 
 you for having heard me. I knew that you 
 would hear me, you always do, but I thank 
 you especially because of these standing here, 
 that they may believe that you have sent me." 
 After this word of prayer Jesus cried in a loud 
 voice, " Lazarus, come forth ! " 
 
 At once he that was dead came out of the 
 tomb. He came just as he was, bound hand 
 and foot with burial clothes and his face was 
 covered with a towel. " Take away the band- 
 ages," said Jesus, " and let him move freely." 
 
 Because of this wonderful deed many of the 
 Jews that had come to sympathize with Martha
 
 180 The Good News 
 
 and Mary believed in Jesus, but some of them 
 returned to Jerusalem and reported to the 
 Pharisees the things that Jesus had done. 
 
 THE chief priests and Pharisees called a 
 council and said, "What shall we do? This 
 man is certainly doing wonderful things. If 
 we permit him to continue, every one will 
 believe on him and the Romans will come and 
 destroy our city and our nation." Caiaphas, 
 the high priest that year, said, " This is a seri- 
 ous situation. It is better for all that one man 
 should die for the people, instead of the whole 
 nation being destroyed." Strange to say the 
 high priest by these words had unconsciously 
 made a prophecy that Jesus was to die for his 
 nation and not for this nation only, but to 
 gather together the scattered children of God 
 out of all nations. 
 
 From that day they tried harder than ever 
 to put Jesus to death, and because of it Jesus 
 did not move about openly any longer among 
 the Jews, but went away into the country of 
 Ephraim near the wilderness and stayed there 
 with his disciples. 
 
 JESUS said to his disciples: "Offenses are 
 bound to happen, but woe to him through 
 
 John xi. 47-54. 
 Luke xvii. 1-10.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 18 1 
 
 whom they come. Every evil tends to become 
 the cause of a greater evil. Woe to the one 
 who starts an evil ! Woe to him who offends 
 one of these little ones who is trying to follow 
 the Law of Love 1 It were better for him that 
 a millstone were hung about his neck and he 
 were cast into the sea. 
 
 " Take heed to yourselves. If your brother 
 wrong you, rebuke him, but do it kindly, and 
 if he repent forgive him. If he wrongs again 
 and again always forgive him." The disciples 
 said to him, " Master, this will be very hard to 
 do. You must increase our faith." Jesus said, 
 " If you had faith you could do harder things 
 than that. You could say to this mulberry 
 tree, ' Be torn up and cast into the sea,' and it 
 would be done. 
 
 " Nevertheless, you must not take credit to 
 yourselves for forgiving those who offend you 
 and repent. You are only servants and ought 
 to be glad to do as your Master wishes you to 
 do, without expecting especial praise for doing 
 what is your simple duty. Supposing one of 
 you had a servant who was doing his regular 
 work. When he comes in at night do you say 
 to him, * Come sit down to supper and I will 
 wait on you ' ? Not at all ; you expect him to 
 first get your supper and wait on you, and then 
 afterwards he will get his own supper. Do 
 you feel called upon to praise a servant for do-
 
 182 The Good News 
 
 ing his regular duties ? Of course not. So 
 you, when you have done all that Love re- 
 quires, must still feel that you are unprofitable 
 servants, that you have done only that which 
 it was your duty to do." 
 
 One day as he was passing along the borders 
 of Samaria and Galilee, just as he was entering 
 a village, he was met by ten lepers. They 
 stood back from the road and shouted as he 
 passed, " Jesus, Master, have pity on us ! " 
 When Jesus saw them he was moved with 
 sympathy and told them to report to the 
 priests. As they went on their way they 
 were cleansed. One of them, who, by the way, 
 was a Samaritan, when he noticed that he was 
 cleansed, immediately turned back and with a 
 loud voice glorified God. He prostrated him- 
 self at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 
 Jesus said, " Were there not ten cleansed ? 
 Where are the nine ? Was this alien the only 
 one to return and give glory to the Father of 
 Love ? " Then he turned to the man and said, 
 " Get up now and go home ; your grateful faith 
 has healed you." 
 
 THE Pharisees asked him one day when the 
 Kingdom of God would come. Jesus replied : 
 
 Lake xvii. 11-19. 
 Luke xvii. 20 ; xviii. 8.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 183 
 
 "The Spiritual Kealm does not come visibly. 
 No one can look here or there and see it, for 
 the Spiritual Realm is a higher order of reality 
 than the natural, and is only apprehended 
 within you." 
 
 Later he talked freely with his disciples about 
 the coming of the Spiritual Realm. He said : 
 " There will be days when you will long for 
 the visible presence of the Son of man, but it 
 will be in vain. Some will say, * He is here ! ' 
 and others will say, ' He is there,' but do not 
 trouble to follow them. The presence of the 
 Son of man in his day will be as intangible as 
 the flash of lightning that seems to be in all 
 parts of the sky at once. 
 
 " The Son of man must first suffer many 
 things and be rejected by this generation. 
 After that the day of the Son of man will come 
 without warning. It will be as in the days of 
 Noah ; they ate, they drank, they married, and 
 were given in marriage, until the day that 
 Noah entered into the ark ; then the flood came 
 and destroyed them all. 
 
 " It was just the same in the days of Lot. 
 They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, 
 they planted, they builded ; but in the day that 
 Lot went out, it rained fire and sulphurous 
 vapors and destroyed them all. 
 
 " It will be the same whenever the Son of 
 man is revealed. If you seek to save your life,
 
 184 The Good News 
 
 you will lose it, but even if you lose your phys- 
 ical life in trying to be loyal to Love, your 
 higher and truer Life will be conserved." The 
 disciples were confused and alarmed. They 
 said, "When will it be, Master?" Then, to 
 encourage them to pray and not to be disheart- 
 ened, he told them this parable. 
 
 " In a city there was a judge, who neither 
 respected man nor feared God. In the same 
 city was a widow who came repeatedly implor- 
 ing the judge to protect her from an enemy 
 that persecuted her. For a time he refused to 
 do anything, but later on he said to himself : 
 ' Though 1 do not fear God or regard men, yet 
 because this woman continues to trouble me, I 
 will aid her, lest she tire me all out by her con- 
 tinued coming.' " 
 
 Jesus said : " You notice that the wicked 
 judge protected the woman that importuned 
 him. Do you not think that the Father of 
 Love will protect his elect that cry unto him 
 night and day ? He may seem to be slow in 
 punishing the wicked, but I tell you he will 
 most speedily protect his own. Yet when the 
 Son of man comes, how little real faith he will 
 find among men." 
 
 THEN Jesus told them this parable, " Two 
 men went up to the temple to pray. One was 
 
 Luke xviii. 9-14.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 185 
 
 a Pharisee and one was a publican. The Phari- 
 see stood and said to himself, ' God, I thank thee 
 that I am not as other men, extortioners, adul- 
 terers, and unjust, or even as this publican. I fast 
 twice a week and I give tithes of all that I get.' 
 " But the publican stood far back and would 
 not lift even his eyes to the sky. He smote his 
 breast and prayed, ' God, be merciful to me, a 
 sinner.' I tell you, this man went away with 
 his sins forgiven rather than the first man. For 
 every man that exalts himself shall be humbled 
 and he that humbles himself shall be exalted." 
 
 SOME "^harisees came to Jesus and tried to 
 get him to say something for which he could be 
 convicted. They asked him, " Is it lawful for 
 a man to divorce his wife ? " Jesus said, " What 
 did Moses command you ? " They said, " Moses 
 permitted a man to separate from his wife by 
 giving her a writ of divorcement." 
 
 Jesus said, " He gave this commandment be- 
 cause of the stubbornness of your hearts, but it 
 was not so in the beginning when the Father of 
 Love created them male and female. For this 
 reason a man shall leave father and mother and 
 cleave to his wife and the two shall become as 
 one. What, therefore, the Father of Love has 
 joined together let not man part asunder." 
 
 Matthew xix. 3-12 ; Mark x. 2-12.
 
 i86 The Good News 
 
 Later on the disciples asked him privately 
 about it. Jesus only made it more emphatic, 
 saying, " Whoever shall put away his wife and 
 marry another commits adultery ; and if she 
 puts away her husband and marries another, 
 she commits adultery." His disciples said, "If 
 this is true, it is better for a man not to marry 
 at all." Jesus said, " It is truly difficult. Only 
 those who have received grace to bear and for- 
 bear should marry. There are some who are 
 disabled for marriage from birth. There are 
 some who have been disabled by men, and there 
 are those who have disabled themselves for the 
 sake of the Spiritual Life. But those that are 
 able to live up to this standard should marry." 
 
 THE people began to bring their little chil- 
 dren to have him put his hands on them and 
 bless them, but the disciples tried to prevent it. 
 Jesus was quite displeased at this and said, 
 " Suffer the little children to come unto me and 
 forbid them not, for the Spiritual Realm is for 
 just such little children. And I tell you 
 most earnestly that only those that receive the 
 Spiritual Realm in the same childlike spirit 
 shall enter in." Then he took the little children 
 in his arms and laid his hands on their heads in 
 benediction. 
 
 Matthew xix. 13-15 ; Mark x. 13-16 ; Luke xviii. 15-17.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 187 
 
 AS Jesus was passing along the road a young 
 nobleman ran up to him and, kneeling, asked 
 him, " Good Master, what good deed shall I do 
 to inherit eternal life ? " Jesus answered, 
 " Why do you call me good, my boy ? There 
 is One, only, who is truly good and that is the 
 Father of Love. If you keep his commandments 
 you may enter into the Spiritual Life." 
 
 The young man asked him which command- 
 ments were most important. Jesus answered : 
 " Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit 
 adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not 
 bear false witness, honor thy father and thy 
 mother, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
 thyself." The young man said, " Master, all of 
 these I have observed from my youth ; what do 
 I yet lack ? " 
 
 Jesus looked at him and his heart went out to 
 him in love. " If you honestly want to be per- 
 fect," said Jesus, " you are lacking one thing. 
 Go and sell your property and use the money to 
 be kind to the poor. Then your treasure will be 
 in the Spiritual Realm, and come and follow 
 me." When the young man heard this, his 
 countenance fell and he went away sorrowful, 
 for he was very rich. 
 
 Jesus turned to his disciples and said, " It is 
 very difficult for a rich man to enter the Spiritual 
 
 Matthew xix. 16-30; Mark x. 17-31 ; Luke xviii. 18-30.
 
 i88 The Good News 
 
 Kealm. It is easier for a camel to pass through 
 the eye of a needle." The disciples were amazed 
 at this saying and said, "Who then can be 
 saved ? " Jesus replied, " With men it would 
 be quite impossible, but not so with the Father 
 of Love. With him all things are possible." 
 
 Peter said : " Master, we have left all to fol- 
 low you, what shall be our reward ? " Jesus 
 replied : " I tell you most earnestly that every 
 one that leaves property, or brothers, or sisters, 
 or father, or mother, or native land, for my sake, 
 in order to give expression to the Love Thought 
 and to spread the Good News of Salvation 
 through Love, shall receive a hundred fold, 
 in this life property and country and sisters 
 and brothers and mother and children, together 
 with persecution, and in the Spiritual Kealm 
 the timeless Life. But many that are first 
 shall be last, and the last first. 
 
 " For the Spiritual Realm is like a landlord 
 who goes out early to hire laborers for his vine- 
 yard. He bargains with some for a dollar a day 
 and sends them to the vineyard. About nine 
 o'clock he sees other men standing idle in the 
 market-place. He sends these to work and 
 promises to pay them what is right. About 
 twelve o'clock and about three he does the same. 
 About five o'clock he goes out and still finds 
 
 Matthew xx. 1-16.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 189 
 
 men idling about the market-place. He asks 
 them why they are not at work and they reply 
 that no one wants them. So the landlord tells 
 them also to go to work in his vineyard. 
 
 " "When evening has come, the lord of the vine- 
 yard tells his steward to call the laborers and 
 pay them all the same wage, the last the same 
 as the first. Those that were hired at five 
 o'clock received a dollar each and all the others 
 the same. When the turn of those who were 
 hired at the beginning of the day came, they 
 supposed that they would receive more, but they 
 too received a dollar each. 
 
 " They began to murmur against the landlord 
 and said, ' These last have worked but one hour 
 and you have made them equal with us who 
 have worked all day in the hot sun.' The land- 
 lord replied, ' Friends, I do you no injustice. 
 Did you not agree with me to work for the 
 dollar ? If I decide to pay all alike, is it not 
 right for me to do so, considering that it is my 
 own money ? Are you irritated because I am 
 generous ? ' " 
 
 So in the Spiritual Realm the first shall be 
 treated as the last, and the last as the first. 
 
 IN spite of the opposition of the Jews at 
 Jerusalem, Jesus decided at attend the Pass- 
 
 Matthew xx. 17-19 ; Mark x. 32-34 ; Luke xriii. 31-34.
 
 190 The Good News 
 
 over Feast and he started on a little ahead. 
 His disciples were amazed at the decision and 
 were frightened. Jesus called them aside and 
 explained to them again the things that were 
 to happen to him. He said: "We are now 
 going up to Jerusalem for the last time, for 
 the Son of man will be delivered up to the 
 chief priests and the scribes. They will con- 
 demn him to death and deliver him to the 
 Romans. They will mock him and spit on 
 him. They will scourge him and kill him, but 
 after three days he will reappear." Still they 
 did not appreciate what he was telling them. 
 It was as though the meaning was hidden from 
 them. 
 
 THE disciples could not rid their minds of 
 the common expectation that the Messiah would 
 reign in glory as the head of a restored Israel. 
 If Jesus was to die, then surely after his re- 
 appearance he would reign in glory. So sure 
 were they of this that even the mother of 
 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to 
 Jesus and said : " Teacher, I have a request to 
 make of you and I want you to promise to do 
 it for us." Jesus asked her : " What is it that 
 you want me to do for you ? " She said to 
 him : " Grant that when you come into your 
 
 Matthew xx. 20-28; Mark x. 35-45.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 191 
 
 glory that one of my two sons may sit on your 
 right hand and the other on the left." 
 
 Jesus said to them, " You do not appreciate 
 what you are asking. Are you able to drink 
 of the cup that I must drink, or to be baptized 
 with the baptism with which I am to be 
 baptized?" They replied with confidence, 
 " Yes, Teacher, we are able." Jesus replied, 
 "You shall indeed drink of the cup that I 
 must drink and be baptized with the same 
 baptism, but to sit on my right hand and my 
 left hand is not mine to give. It is for them 
 for whom it is prepared by my Father." 
 
 When the other disciples heard about this 
 request they were indignant. So Jesus called 
 them all to him and said, " You know that 
 among the world's people the rulers lord it 
 over them and their great men exercise au- 
 thority over them, but it must not be so among 
 you. Whoever of you desires to be great, let 
 him become your servant, and whoever among 
 you desires to be first of all, let him become 
 your slave. Even the Son of man did not come 
 to be waited upon, but came that he might 
 serve others and to give his life a ransom for 
 many." 
 
 As they drew near to Jericho they came near 
 a blind beggar named Bartimaeus sitting by the 
 
 Matthew xx. 29-34; Mark x. 46-52; Luke xviii. 35-43.
 
 192 The Good News 
 
 roadside. He heard the multitude passing by 
 and enquired what it meant. They told him 
 that it was Jesus and the multitude that fol- 
 lowed him. When he learned who it was, he 
 cried out, " Lord, Son of David, have pity upon 
 me." Many scolded him and ordered him to 
 be quiet, but he only redoubled his cries, "Jesus, 
 Son of David, have pity." 
 
 Jesus stopped and asked that the blind 
 beggar be called to him. They said to the 
 blind man, " Cheer up and come quickly ; he is 
 calling you." The blind man threw away his 
 garment and just sprang to go to Jesus. When 
 he was near, Jesus said to him, " What is it 
 you want me to do for you?" He replied, 
 humbly, " Oh Lord, open my eyes." Jesus 
 was moved with pity and softly touching his 
 eyes he said, " You may go now ; your faith has 
 made you whole." Immediately he received 
 his sight and followed Jesus glorifying God. 
 And all the multitude, as it became known, 
 joined him in shouting praises to God. 
 
 IN Jericho there was a man of small stature, 
 named Zacchseus, who was the chief tax collector 
 and very rich. He wanted to see what kind 
 of a man Jesus was and tried to do so, but the 
 crowd was so dense that he was unable to get 
 
 Luke xix. 1-10.
 
 Farewell to Galilee 193 
 
 near enough. So he ran ahead and climbed up 
 into a sycamore tree, where he could see him 
 as he passed by. 
 
 When Jesus came to the place he looked up 
 and said to him, " Zacchseus, come down quickly 
 for I would like to stay at your house to-day." 
 Zacchaeus came down at once and received 
 Jesus joyfully. When the crowd knew about 
 it, they were shocked because he had gone 
 in to stay with a man who was notoriously 
 wicked. But Zacchaeus was not so bad as 
 they thought him to be, for, after he had 
 talked with Jesus, he said, " Lord, I want to do 
 what is right. I will give half my income to 
 the poor and if I have collected taxes unjustly 
 from any one, I will pay back the excess four- 
 fold." 
 
 Jesus said to him, " Zaccha3us, you are a true 
 son of Abraham. This day salvation has come 
 to your house. For the Son of man came to 
 seek and to save that which is lost." 
 
 AS Jesus drew near Jerusalem it was evident 
 that the people were expecting an immediate 
 manifestation of the Kingdom of God ; so he 
 told them this parable. 
 
 " A certain nobleman went to a far country 
 to secure the appointment as king of his state, 
 
 Luke xix. 11-28.
 
 194 The Good News 
 
 intending to return as soon as it was secured. 
 He called together ten of his retainers and 
 gave them ten dollars each, telling them to use 
 the money in trade until his return. Some 
 of his fellow countrymen did not want him to 
 be their king and sent representatives to pro- 
 test against his appointment, saying that they 
 did not want this man to rule over them. 
 
 " In the course of time he received the ap- 
 pointment in spite of their opposition and re- 
 turned to ascend the throne. He first called 
 before him the ten retainers to whom he had 
 given the money, in order that he might know 
 which were the ones that were worthy of 
 larger responsibility. The first came before 
 him and said, ' My Lord, your ten dollars have 
 earned a hundred more.' The king said to 
 him, ' "Well done. You are a good servant. 
 You have proven faithful in a very little ; you 
 may have authority over ten cities.' A second 
 came and said, ' Your ten dollars, my Lord, 
 have made fifty.' The king commended him 
 also, and said, ' You may have rule over five 
 cities.' 
 
 " Then one came who said, * My Lord, here 
 are your ten dollars which I have kept safely. 
 I knew you to be a hard man, taking up what 
 you did not lay down and reaping where you 
 did not sow, and I was afraid that I might lose 
 it.' The king was angry and said, * Let your
 
 Farewell to Galilee 195 
 
 own words convict you. You say that you 
 knew that I was a hard man, reaping where I 
 did not sow. Then you should have placed 
 the money with the bankers so that on my re- 
 turn I would have received the money with 
 interest, at least. You are not to be trusted.' 
 
 " Then he commanded his servants to take 
 the money from him and give it to the one 
 who had made the hundred dollars. They 
 said to the king, ' Lord, have you forgotten 
 that he already has a hundred dollars ? ' The 
 king replied, ' To every one that has shall be 
 given, but from him that has not shall be taken 
 the little that he has.' Then he gave orders 
 that his enemies who had tried to prevent his 
 appointment should be arrested and publicly 
 executed." 
 
 "THE Spiritual Realm is like a rich man 
 going to a far country. Before he goes he 
 calls his subordinates and puts his property in 
 their charge, giving to each according to his 
 ability. To one he gave fifty thousand dollars, 
 to another he gave twenty thousand, and to 
 another ten thousand ; and then he left them. 
 
 "At once the one who had received fifty 
 thousand dollars went to work and invested it 
 and made another fifty thousand. The one 
 
 Matthew xxv. 14-30.
 
 196 The Good News 
 
 that had received twenty thousand did the 
 same and he made another twenty thousand. 
 But the one who had received ten thousand 
 went and buried it where it would be safe. 
 
 "After a time the rich man returned and 
 called on his subordinates for a report. The 
 one who had received fifty thousand dollars 
 brought a hundred thousand and said, 'Sir, 
 you gave me fifty thousand dollars and I have 
 gained another fifty. Here they are.' The 
 rich man said to him, * Well done, good and 
 faithful servant. You have been faithful in a 
 small trust, I will give you authority over a 
 larger. Welcome into partnership.' 
 
 " He that had received twenty thousand also 
 brought what he had received and had gained, 
 and said, ' Sir, I have gained another twenty 
 thousand.' The rich man said to him also, 
 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You 
 have been faithful in a small trust, I will give 
 you authority over a larger one. Welcome 
 into partnership.' 
 
 " Then he that had received only ten thou- 
 sand dollars said, ' Sir, I knew you to be a 
 hard, grasping employer, reaping where you 
 did not sow and gathering where you did not 
 risk. I was afraid of losing the money ; so I 
 put it where it would be safe. Here it is, all 
 that you gave me.' The rich man said, ' You 
 wicked and lazy servant ! You knew that I
 
 Farewell to Galilee 197 
 
 reaped where I did not sow, did you? and 
 gathered where I did not risk? Then you 
 ought to have placed my money with the 
 bankers, so that on my return I would have 
 received my own with interest, at least. 
 
 " ' I will take this money away from you and 
 give it to him who has the fifty thousand, for 
 to every one that has shall be given and he 
 shall have an abundance. But from him that 
 has but little, even that little shall be taken 
 away. You are an unprofitable servant ; your 
 services are no longer required.' " 
 
 THE Passover Feast was now near at hand 
 and a great many people from the surrounding 
 country went up to Jerusalem before the Feast 
 to purify themselves. As they stood about the 
 temple there were many questions asked about 
 Jesus. "Would he come to the Feast or not ? 
 The chief priests and Pharisees had already 
 given commandment that, if any one knew 
 where Jesus was, they must make it known, so 
 that he could be arrested. 
 
 Six days before the feast Jesus came to Beth- 
 any and was invited to a supper in the house 
 of Simon, the leper. Lazarus, whom Jesus had 
 raised from the dead, was one of the guests and 
 Martha, his sister, was one that served. 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 6-13 ; Mark xiv. 3-9 ; John xi. 55-57 ; 
 xii. 1-11.
 
 198 The Good News 
 
 While Jesus sat at the table, Mary, the other 
 sister of Lazarus, brought an alabaster cruse of 
 fragrant oil of spikenard, that was very costly, 
 and anointed his feet with it and the room 
 was filled with its fragrance. Some of the dis- 
 ciples were indignant at what seemed to them 
 an unnecessary waste. Judas Iscariot, the dis- 
 ciple who later betrayed Jesus, said, "This 
 ointment could have been sold for fifty dollars 
 and the money given to the poor." He said 
 this, not because he cared very much for the 
 poor, but because he carried the money of the 
 disciples and was in the habit of stealing from 
 it from time to time. 
 
 Jesus, hearing their comments, said to them, 
 " Do not blame her ; she has done a kindness 
 to me. She has anointed me in anticipation of 
 my burial. You will always have the poor 
 among you and you can aid them at any time, 
 but I will be with you only a short time. 
 Wherever this Good News shall be told in all 
 the world, this incident will be repeated and it 
 will be a memorial of this woman."
 
 CHAPTER EIGHT 
 
 TRIUMPHAL ENTBANCE INTO JERUSALEM 
 AND LAST SUPPEK 
 
 ON the morrow, which was the first day 
 of the week, as they passed through 
 Bethany and Bethpage on the road 
 over the Mount of Olives and drew near Jeru- 
 salem, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead to 
 the village across the valley. He said to them, 
 " As you enter the village you will see a donkey 
 colt that has not yet been used ; untie him and 
 bring him to me. If any one asks you why 
 you do it, say to him, * The Master wants him ; ' 
 and he will let you take him." 
 
 The disciples went ahead and found the 
 donkey as Jesus had said. As they were un- 
 tying him, the owner asked them what they 
 were doing. They said to him as Jesus had in- 
 structed them, and the owner was glad to let 
 him go. When they brought the colt to Jesus, 
 they placed their garments on him and Jesus 
 mounted. 
 
 A rumor spread to Jerusalem that Jesus was 
 
 Matthew xxi. 1-11; Mark xi. 1-11; Luke xix. 29-44; 
 John xii. 12-19. 
 
 199
 
 2oo The Good News 
 
 coming to the Feast to proclaim his Messiah- 
 ship, and a great multitude came out to meet 
 him. "When they saw him coming some spread 
 their garments in the way, others broke off 
 branches of the palm trees, and all those before 
 and they that followed after cried out, "Ho- 
 sanna, Hosanna in the Highest ! Blessed is he 
 that comes in the name of the Lord ! Hosanna 
 to the Son of David ! Blessed is the Kingdom 
 that is coming! Blessed is the Kingdom of 
 our father David! Hosanna, Hosanna in the 
 Highest ! " 
 
 "When the triumphal procession came to the 
 highest point on the road over the Mount of 
 Olives and the magnificent city of Jerusalem 
 came into view across the Kedron Valley, they 
 burst into renewed shouts of rejoicing and 
 praises to God for all that they had seen and 
 all they expected would soon transpire. " Ho- 
 sanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the King that 
 comes in the name of the Lord ! Blessed is 
 the King of Israel ! May Heavenly Peace and 
 Highest Glory be upon him ! Hosanna in the 
 Highest ! " 
 
 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd nearest 
 Jesus said to him, " You better restrain your 
 disciples." But Jesus replied, "I tell you, if 
 these men should be silent, the very stones 
 would cry out." 
 
 As they drew near the city, Jesus could not
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 201 
 
 hold back the tears. He said, " Oh Jerusalem 1 
 Jerusalem ! If you could understand and 
 there is still time the only thing that makes 
 peace possible. But no, it is too late, it is hid 
 from your eyes. The days are coming when 
 your enemies will throw up earthworks and 
 battlements about you, hemming you in on 
 every side. They will destroy your city. They 
 will not leave one stone upon another and even 
 your children shall be slain. And all because 
 you would not understand that Sovereign Love 
 was visiting you." 
 
 As he entered Jerusalem and passed into the 
 temple, the city was profoundly stirred and 
 expectant. Some asked, "Who is he?" and 
 the multitude answered, " It is the Galilean 
 Prophet, Jesus of Nazareth." 
 
 As Jesus entered the temple he noticed the 
 traders selling sheep, and oxen, and doves, and 
 also the money changers. He made a minia- 
 ture whip of small cords and drove them all out 
 of the temple. He overturned the tables of the 
 money changers and scattered their coin. He 
 forbade any one carrying utensils through the 
 temple. To them that sold doves and to all he 
 said, " Take these things away ; you must not 
 make my Father's house a place of merchan- 
 dise. It is written, ' My house shall be called 
 a house of prayer for all nations.' You are 
 making it a den of robbers."
 
 2O2 The Good News 
 
 "When the great crowd saw that nothing else 
 dramatic was going to happen, they slowly 
 dispersed. 
 
 Jesus healed the blind and the lame that 
 came to him and, when it was late, he quietly 
 left the temple courts and returned to Bethany. 
 
 EAKLY the next day, Monday morning, 
 Jesus with his disciples returned to the temple 
 almost unnoticed. 
 
 The chief priests and the scribes and some of 
 the principal men were very angry at what 
 Jesus had done the day before and sought ways 
 to kill him, but the crowds hung about him 
 listening to his words, and the children would 
 from time to time burst out into shouts of 
 " Hosanna to the Son of David." 
 
 They said to Jesus, " Are you aware what 
 these children are shouting ? " Jesus replied, 
 " Certainly. Have you never read where it is 
 written, ' Out of the mouths of lobes <md suck- 
 lings, thou hast perfected praise ' f " 
 
 The Jews said, " What sign can you show us 
 to prove your authority for doing these things ? " 
 Jesus said, " Destroy this temple and in three 
 days I will restore it." The Jews said, " This 
 temple was forty-six years in building. Do you 
 
 Matthew xxi. 13-17; Mark xi. 15-19 ; Luke xix. 45-48; 
 John ii. 13-22.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 203 
 
 mean to say that you can raise it up in three 
 days ? " But Jesus was speaking of the temple 
 of his body and afterwards when he had reap- 
 peared from the dead, they remembered that 
 he had said it, and it confirmed their faith in 
 the Scriptures and in Jesus. 
 
 As the day drew to a close Jesus again with- 
 drew from the temple and spent the night at 
 Bethany. 
 
 ON Tuesday morning Jesus and his disciples 
 again went to the temple. As they passed 
 along the road Jesus said : " You must have 
 more faith in the Father of Love. It is a law 
 of the Spiritual Kealm that whatever you may 
 ask in prayer, believing in your heart that it 
 will come, you will receive. If you have faith 
 and do not doubt, you can say to this moun- 
 tain, ' Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and 
 it will be done. Therefore I say to you, what- 
 ever you ask for in prayer, believe that you 
 will receive it, and you will receive it. 
 
 "But when you offer prayer, if you have any- 
 thing against any one, forgive him, so that your 
 Father who is in the Spiritual Kealm may for- 
 give you your sins." 
 
 When Jesus reached the temple, he walked 
 
 Matthew xxi. 1S-22 ; Mark xi. 12-14, 20-25. 
 Matthew xxi. 23-27 ; Mark xi. 27-33 ; Luke xx.
 
 204 The Good News 
 
 about as usual, talking with the people and 
 telling them the Good News. The chief priests 
 and elders again came to him and demanded to 
 know by what authority he was doing these 
 things and who gave him the authority. Jesus 
 said to them, " I will also ask you one question. 
 If you answer me I will tell you by what au- 
 thority I am doing these things. The baptism 
 of John was it from the Spiritual Realm, or 
 was it from men ? Answer me." 
 
 The chief priests and the scribes were at a 
 loss how to answer. " If we say it was from 
 heaven, he will say, ' Why then do you not be- 
 lieve him ? ' If we say from men, we will dis- 
 please the multitude, for they all believe that 
 John was a prophet." No, they dare not say 
 that, for they were afraid of the people, afraid 
 that they would stone them. So they answered 
 Jesus, "We do not know." Jesus then said, 
 " Neither do I tell you by what authority I do 
 these things." 
 
 JESUS then told them this parable. " Once 
 there was a man who had two sons. He said 
 to the first, ' Son, you must work to-day in the 
 vineyard.' The son said to himself, 'I will 
 not,' but later he changed his mind and went 
 to work. The father said to the second son, 
 
 Matthew xxi. 28-32 ; Mark xii. 1-12 ; Luke xx. 9-19.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 205 
 
 ' Son, I want you to work to-day in the vine- 
 yard.' This son said, * I will do so, sir ! ' But 
 he did not go. Now which of these two did 
 the will of his father ? " 
 
 The crowd said, " The first, of course." Jesus 
 said : " Most earnestly I tell you that publicans 
 and harlots enter the Spiritual Realm before 
 you. For John came to you pointing out the 
 way of righteousness and calling on you to re- 
 spond. You profess to be obeying the com- 
 mands of God, but you have not responded to 
 his call ; neither have you repented since. But 
 the publicans and the harlots, who are sinners, 
 have responded. Listen, I will tell you another 
 parable. 
 
 " There was once a land owner who planted 
 a vineyard, put a hedge about it, made a wine 
 press, and built a watch tower. Then he rented 
 it to tenants and went away to a far country 
 for a long time. "When the harvest season was 
 over, he sent his servants to the tenants to re- 
 ceive the rent. The tenants beat one, stoned 
 another, and killed another. Then the owner 
 sent other servants, more than at first, and they 
 treated them in the same manner. 
 
 "Afterwards he sent his son, thinking that 
 they would respect him. But when the ten- 
 ants saw the son, they said to themselves, 
 * This is the heir, let us kill him and take the 
 property.' So they drove him out of the vine-
 
 206 The Good News 
 
 yard and killed him. When the owner of the 
 vineyard returns, what will he do to those 
 tenants ? " They replied, " He will, of course, 
 drive them out and let the vineyard to other 
 tenants, who will pay the rent at the proper 
 season." 
 
 Jesus said, " Have you never read in the 
 Scriptures where it says, ' The stone which the 
 builders rejected has become the head of the 
 corner ' ? Listen, the Spiritual Realm shall be 
 taken away from you and given to a nation 
 that will appreciate it." 
 
 The high priests and the Pharisees knew that 
 he was referring to them. They would gladly 
 have seized him, then and there, but they were 
 afraid, for they knew that the crowd believed 
 him to be a prophet. Jesus continued to teach 
 them in parables. 
 
 "THE Spiritual Realm is like a king who 
 made a marriage feast for his son and, when 
 all was ready, sent his servants to call those 
 who had been invited, but none of them came. 
 Then he sent other servants, saying, ' Tell them 
 that are invited that all arrangements are com- 
 pleted, the beef and lamb are roasted and every- 
 thing is ready, and to come to the marriage 
 feast.' But they that were invited made light 
 of it and went their several ways. This one 
 went to his farm, that one to his merchandise.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 207 
 
 Others laid hold of his servants and made sport 
 of them, treating them shamefully and killing 
 some. Then the king was angry. He sent his 
 soldiers and executed the murderers and burned 
 their city. 
 
 " Then he said to his servants, * The wedding 
 feast is ready, but those that have been invited 
 are unworthy. Go, now, to the public squares 
 and invite any that you find to come to the 
 marriage feast.' The servants did as they 
 were ordered and gathered all that they could 
 find, both good and bad, and the banquet was 
 filled with guests. 
 
 " When the king came in to greet the guests, 
 he saw a man who had come in his working 
 clothes. The king said to him, 'Friend, why 
 have you come to the feast without being 
 properly dressed ? Is that the way you value 
 my invitation ? ' Then he told his servants to 
 bind the offender and to put him out into the 
 night. The invitation is to many, but only a 
 few appreciate it and are willing to meet the 
 conditions." 
 
 AGAIN the Pharisees gathered together in 
 consultation to see if there was any way that 
 they could catch Jesus in his words, so that 
 they would have sufficient reason for delivering 
 him to the Koman officials. They decided to 
 
 Matthew xxii. 15-40 ; Mark xii. 13-34 ; Luke xx. 20-40.
 
 208 The Good News 
 
 send some of their students to Jesus to ask 
 him certain questions. 
 
 They came to Jesus and said, "Master, we 
 know that you are sincere and are teaching the 
 ways of God according to your best knowledge 
 without regard to the opinion of others or 
 fear of the authorities. Tell us, therefore, is 
 it right to pay taxes to Caesar, or is it not 
 right?" 
 
 Jesus recognized their wicked duplicity and 
 said, " Why do you hypocrites try to entrap 
 me ? Well, show me some of the money with 
 which you pay your taxes." They brought to 
 him a Roman coin and Jesus asked, " Whose 
 likeness is this and this inscription 1 !" They 
 replied that it was Caesar's. " Then," said 
 Jesus, "pay to Cassar what belongs to Caesar 
 and offer to the Father of Love what belongs 
 to him." They were astonished at the clever- 
 ness of his reply and went away. 
 
 Then a party of Sadducees, who teach that 
 there is no resurrection, came to him and said, 
 " Master, Moses wrote that if a man die leaving 
 a widow, but no children, it was the duty of 
 his brother to marry the widow and raise chil- 
 dren for him. Now there was a family of 
 seven brothers. The first married and died, 
 leaving the woman, but no children, to his 
 brother. This brother died also and the third 
 down to the seventh. Finally the woman
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 209 
 
 died. In the resurrection, whose wife will she 
 be?" 
 
 Jesus replied, " You are mistaken as to the 
 nature of the resurrection. You do not read 
 the Scriptures correctly, nor do you know the 
 power of the Father of Love. Marriage is an 
 institution of this natural realm. They that 
 are able to transcend this natural order and 
 enter the Spiritual Realm, after they enter, 
 neither marry nor are given in marriage ; but 
 are like the angels. They have entered the 
 timeless Life and are, therefore, no longer sub- 
 ject to the natural laws of birth and death. 
 Having been born again of Love Vitality, they 
 have become children of the Father of Love. 
 
 "That this is true even Moses understood, 
 for in the account of the burning bush he re- 
 ports the Lord as saying, ' / am the God of 
 Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God 
 of Jacob? The Father of Love is not the God 
 of the dead, but of those that are living in a 
 higher existence than the natural, where all 
 have their Life in him." 
 
 Again the multitude was astonished at the 
 wisdom of his reply, and the Pharisees, when 
 they saw that he had silenced the Sadducees, 
 withdrew for further consultation. 
 
 A LAWYER who had been listening to the 
 previous questions and answers now came to
 
 2io The Good News 
 
 Jesus and in sincerity asked him, " Master, 
 which of the commandments is most im- 
 portant ? " Jesus said, " 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. The second is this, Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbor as thyself. There are no 
 other commandments greater than these." 
 
 The lawyer replied, " Master, you have well 
 said. For there is but one God, and to love 
 him with all the heart and with all the under- 
 standing and with all the strength ; and for a 
 man to love his neighbor as himself, is much 
 more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." 
 "When Jesus saw that he had answered dis- 
 creetly, he said to him, " You are not far from 
 the Spiritual Realm. " 
 
 THEN Jesus asked the Pharisees a question, 
 " What do you think of the Messiah ? Whose 
 Son is he?" They replied, "He is to be a 
 descendant of David." Then Jesus said, 
 " David wrote of the Messiah under divine 
 inspiration, when he said in the Psalms, 
 
 " ' The Lord said unto my Lord, 
 8it thou on my right hand 
 Till I put thy enemies under thyfeeV 
 
 Matthew xxii. 41-46 ; Mark xii. 35-37 ; Luke xx. 41-44.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 211 
 
 If David called him Lord, how can he be his 
 descendant ? " No one was able to answer 
 him and after this no one had courage to ask 
 him malicious questions. 
 
 THEN Jesus turned to the multitude and to 
 his disciples and said, " The scribes and the 
 Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses and whatever 
 they bid you do, you should observe ; but be 
 careful not to copy their works, for they teach, 
 but do not themselves live up to their teaching. 
 They make up heavy burdens and bind them 
 on the shoulders of men, but they themselves 
 go free. 
 
 "All that they do, they do to be seen of 
 men. The phylacteries of prayers which they 
 bind on their foreheads they make conspicu- 
 ous. They decorate their garments with strik- 
 ing colors. They covet the places of promi- 
 nence at public banquets and the chief seats in 
 the synagogues. They love to be noticed in 
 public places and to have men bow to them 
 and call them Doctor ! 
 
 " But you, my disciples, do not let men call 
 you by titles of honor, for One only is your 
 superior and all you are brothers. Do not 
 call any man by the honorary title of ' Father,' 
 
 Matthew xxiii. 1-36 ; Mark xii. 38-40 ; Luke xi. 42-54 ; 
 xx. 45-47.
 
 212 The Good News 
 
 for you have but one real Father and he is in 
 the Spiritual Realm. Neither let any one call 
 you ' Master,' for there is but one Master, the 
 Messiah. If you really want to be more im- 
 portant than others, learn to be useful to them. 
 He that exalts himself will be humbled, and he 
 that humbles himself will be exalted. 
 
 " Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Phari- 
 sees ! You have closed the Spiritual Realm 
 against men and taken away the key of knowl- 
 edge. You do not choose to enter yourselves, 
 and you hinder those who would like to enter. 
 
 " Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Phari- 
 sees ! You compass sea and land to make one 
 proselyte, and when he is become one, you de- 
 grade him lower than yourselves. 
 
 " Woe to you, blind guides that you are ! 
 You say that a vow sworn to by the Holy of 
 Holies is not valid, but one sworn to by the 
 gold on the temple is binding. How foolish 
 and unreasonable ! For which is greater, the 
 gold on the sanctuary, or the sanctuary that 
 sanctifies the gold ? An oath sworn to by the 
 altar you say is invalid, but one sworn to by 
 the offering on the altar is valid. Oh, what 
 blindness ! Which is greater, the gift, or the 
 altar that sanctifies the gift ? He that swears 
 by the altar swears by it and by all that is on 
 it. He that swears by the temple swears by 
 it and by him that dwells therein. He that
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 213 
 
 swears by heaven swears by the throne of 
 Love and by him who is its Sovereign. 
 
 " Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Phari- 
 sees ! You tithe mint and anise and the little 
 herbs, and leave undone the essential things, 
 justice, mercy, and good faith. You are the 
 blindest of blind guides, straining at a gnat and 
 swallowing a camel. 
 
 " Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Phari- 
 sees! You are like hidden tombs that men 
 walk over unwittingly. You are like white- 
 washed sepulchers, that are outwardly clean, 
 but within are all manner of dead men's bones, 
 and foulness. Outwardly you appear to be 
 honest men, but inwardly you are full of in- 
 sincerity and wickedness. 
 
 " Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Phari- 
 sees! You build the tombs of the prophets 
 whom your fathers killed and you decorate the 
 tombs of the righteous. You boast that if you 
 had lived in the days of the prophets, you 
 would not have joined with your fathers in 
 killing them. In saying this you admit that 
 you are the sons of them that killed the proph- 
 ets and you will yet prove that the sons are 
 the same as their fathers. By continuing to 
 do as they did, you give your approval to their 
 evil work. 
 
 " Behold I shall send you prophets and wise 
 men and teachers. Some of them you will kill
 
 214 The Good News 
 
 and crucify. Some of them you will scourge 
 in your synagogues and persecute from city to 
 city. By so doing all the blood of the prophets 
 that has been shed since the foundation of the 
 world can be charged against this generation. 
 All the blood from Abel down to Zechariah, 
 who perished between the altar and the Holy 
 of Holies, all shall be required of this gener- 
 ation. Oh, you serpents! You offspring of 
 vipers ! How shall you escape the final judg- 
 ment?" 
 
 THEN the Pharisees went away terribly 
 angry and more determined than ever to put 
 Jesus out of the way. But Jesus turned to the 
 multitude and said, "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusa- 
 lem ! You who kill the prophets and stone 
 them that are sent to you. How often would 
 I have gathered your children together, even as 
 a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, 
 and you would not let me. Now your city is 
 left to you desolate and you can never see me 
 again, until in your heart of hearts you can 
 say, ' Blessed is he that comes in the name of 
 the Lord.' " 
 
 As Jesus moved about in the temple he came 
 to the place where the gifts were received and 
 he sat down to rest and to see how they gave 
 
 Matthew xxiii. 37-39 ; Luke xiii. 34-35. 
 Mark xii. 41-44 ; Luke xxi. 1-4.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 215 
 
 money into the treasury. Many that were 
 rich gave large amounts, but there came a poor 
 widow and she gave two pennies, all that she 
 had. Jesus called his disciples and said to 
 them : " This poor widow has given more than 
 they all that have given to the treasury. They 
 have given of their superfluity, but she, out of 
 her want, has given all she had, her whole living." 
 
 AMONG those that had come to the Feast 
 to worship were certain Greek believers in 
 God. These came to Philip of Bethsaida in 
 Galilee and said, " Sir, we should like to meet 
 Jesus." Philip found Andrew and told him 
 and together they told Jesus. Jesus exclaimed : 
 " The hour has come for the Son of man to be 
 glorified. Unless a grain of wheat falls into 
 the earth and gives up its life, it lives for itself. 
 It is only when in germinating it dies, that it 
 bears fruit. He that loves his natural life will 
 in time lose it, but he that relatively cares noth- 
 ing for it will keep his soul life into the time- 
 less existence. 
 
 " If any man wishes to serve me let him fol- 
 low me and then he will be with me where 
 I am. Whoever serves me the Father will 
 honor. 
 
 "My soul is full of perplexity. I do not 
 
 John xii. 20-36, 44-50.
 
 216 The Good News 
 
 know what to say. Shall I pray the Father to 
 save me from this hour ? No, for I have come 
 to this hour for this very purpose. My Father, 
 glorify thy name ! " 
 
 Thereupon a voice seemed to sound out of the 
 sky, saying, "I have already made my name 
 glorious and I will glorify it again." The mul- 
 titude that stood by heard the sound, but did 
 not understand the words. Some said that it 
 thundered. Others said that an angel spoke to 
 him. 
 
 Jesus said, " This voice did not come so much 
 to encourage me as to convince you. This 
 world is being tested and, even now, the prince 
 of this world is being defeated. And I, the 
 Love Thought, if I be lifted up from the earth, 
 will draw all men to me." By this he signified 
 by what manner of death he would die and, 
 also, proclaimed the triumphant superiority of 
 the Spiritual Law of Love over the world prin- 
 ciple of selfishness and hate. 
 
 Some one of the multitude said : " "We have 
 read in the book of the Law that the Messiah 
 will abide forever. You say that the Son of 
 man must be crucified. "Who is this Son of 
 man ? " Jesus said to them : " It is only a 
 little while that the Light is among you. De- 
 cide while you have the Light, so that darkness 
 may not overtake you in your indecision. He 
 that walks in darkness does not know where
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 217 
 
 he is going. Oh, my friends, believe in the 
 Light while you have it." 
 
 In a louder voice and with great earnestness 
 Jesus cried out: "He that believes in me be- 
 lieves not so much in me as in the Father of 
 Love that sent me. He that is cherishing the 
 Love Thought is harmonizing his life with the 
 will of the Father of Love. The Love Thought 
 has come as a Light into the world and who- 
 ever trusts in him will not live in darkness. 
 
 " If any one is conscious of the appeal of the 
 Love Thought and does not yield to it, I do not 
 judge him. I am not come to judge the world 
 but to save the world. But in the last day 
 there will be one who will judge him, and the 
 test that he must meet will be his attitude 
 towards the Love Thought. 
 
 " I do not speak on my own authority, but 
 the Father that sent me gave instruction as to 
 what I should say and what I should do. I 
 know that to obey his commandment means an 
 entrance into the timeless Life, and therefore I 
 speak just as he has instructed me to speak." 
 
 When Jesus had finished, he moved away and 
 disappeared from among them. 
 
 CENTURIES before Isaiah had seen a vision 
 of the Messiah and prophesied about him. He 
 said: 
 
 John xii. 37-43.
 
 218 The Good News 
 
 " Lord, who hath believed our report f 
 
 And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been re- 
 vealed?" 
 
 "He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their 
 hearts ; 
 
 Lest they should see with their eyes and perceive 
 with their hearts 
 
 And should turn and I should heal them." 
 
 This prophecy was well known and, although 
 Jesus had done so many wonderful things, yet 
 still the Jews generally did not believe in him. 
 Not a single one of the leaders of the Jews had 
 come out openly as a disciple, although a very 
 few did believe in him, but did not admit it 
 publicly for fear that the Pharisees would have 
 them put out of the synagogue. They pre- 
 ferred the honor which men showed them as 
 members of the Sanhedrin, rather than the in- 
 ner approval of the Father of Love. 
 
 JESUS then left the temple and as they were 
 going out of the city, the disciples called his 
 attention to the great buildings and massive 
 walls. Jesus said : " Do these things impress 
 you ? I tell you, not one stone of all this will 
 be left in place. It will be utterly demolished." 
 
 As they were passing over the Mount of 
 
 Matthew xxiv. 1-44 ; Mark xiii. 1-37 ; Luke xii. 49-53 ; 
 xxi. 5-36.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 219 
 
 Olives, Jesus rested by the roadside with the 
 great city spread out before them. The dis- 
 ciples asked him when the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem, about which they had been talking, 
 would take place, and what signs there would 
 be of his own reappearance, and the end of the 
 world. 
 
 Jesus replied: "First of all you must be 
 careful not to let men lead you astray. Many 
 will come in my name and say, 'I am the 
 Messiah,' and the 'Time is at hand.' Many 
 will be led astray, but you must not be de- 
 ceived. You will hear of wars and rumors of 
 wars. Nation will rise against nation and king- 
 dom against kingdom. There will be famines 
 and earthquakes in various places. There will 
 be unusual appearances in the sky and vague 
 terrors abroad, but do not be disturbed. 
 
 "These things must necessarily come and 
 they will be the beginning of your suffering, 
 but the end will not immediately follow. Be- 
 fore the end comes the Good News must be 
 proclaimed and become known to all nations, 
 for it is by that test that the nations are to be 
 judged. 
 
 " I come to start a fire on the earth and I 
 would that it were already ablaze. I have a 
 trial to undergo, and how am I distracted until 
 it is all over ! Did you think that I had come 
 to bring peace on the earth ? I tell you, no,
 
 22O The Good News 
 
 but rather division. From henceforth where 
 there are five in a family, they shall be divided, 
 three against two and two against three. 
 They shall be divided father against son and 
 son against father; mother against daughter 
 and daughter against mother; mother-in-law 
 against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law 
 against mother-in-law. 
 
 " You who bear my name will be hated of 
 all men and all nations. For this reason many 
 will falter and deliver one another up and hate 
 one another. Brother will betray brother, the 
 father will deliver up his own child, and chil- 
 dren will rise up against their parents, and 
 cause some of them to be put to death. But 
 he that endures to the end shall be saved, for 
 by patient endurance you win the higher Life 
 of the soul. 
 
 "THE important thing is to be on guard 
 within yourselves. They will very early lay 
 their hands on you and persecute you. They 
 will bring you before synagogues and councils 
 and governors and kings for my name's sake. 
 They will treat you cruelly and even kill you. 
 But every occasion of persecution, or suffering, 
 you must turn to account as an opportunity for 
 witnessing. When they lead you before judges, 
 or deliver you to governors, do not plan before- 
 hand what you will say. Settle it once for all
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 22 1 
 
 that you will depend on the Father of Love for 
 your defense, and it will be given you in that 
 hour what you shall say. Love Vitality will 
 speak through you. You will have words and 
 wisdom which all your adversaries will not be 
 able to gainsay. 
 
 " When you see Jerusalem encompassed with 
 armies, then know that her destruction is at 
 hand. Let them that are in Judea flee to the 
 mountains. Let them that are in the city get 
 out at once. If you are on the housetop, do 
 not delay to get things to take away. If you 
 are in the field, do not return to the house to 
 get a coat even. These are days of vengeance 
 and all that has been foretold will be fulfilled. 
 The equal of these days of suffering and hard- 
 ship has never been seen and never will be 
 again. 
 
 " It will be pitiably hard for a woman with 
 child, or for those with little babies. Pray 
 that your flight may not be in winter, for there 
 will be great distress and anger. Many will 
 fall by the sword, and many will be taken 
 away as captives into other lands, and Jeru- 
 salem will be totally destroyed. If these days 
 should continue long, no one would survive, but 
 for the elect's sake, the Lord will limit them. 
 
 " IF any one say to you, * Lo, here is the 
 Messiah,' or *Lo, there he is,' do not believe
 
 222 The Good News 
 
 him. There will be false Messiahs and false 
 prophets. They will show remarkable signs 
 and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the 
 very elect. But remember I have forewarned 
 you. If, therefore, they say, * See, he is in 
 the wilderness,' do not go. If they say, ' See, 
 he is in the inner chamber,' do not listen to 
 them. 
 
 "When the Son of man appears, those to 
 whom he comes will recognize his presence. 
 It will be as pervasive as the flash of lightning 
 that is seen from the east to the west. At 
 times there will be startling appearances in the 
 sky and distress among the nations. Because 
 of the expectation that something awful is 
 going to happen, there will be perplexity and 
 fear among men. At just such times the Son 
 of man will be present in power and glory. 
 When these things come to pass lift up your 
 heads and be encouraged, for your redemption 
 draws near. 
 
 " Listen to this parable. When a fruit tree 
 begins to bud and to put forth leaves you 
 know that summer is near. In the same way 
 when you see these things taking place you 
 may know that the Spiritual Realm is very 
 near, even at your door. Most seriously I tell 
 you that this generation will not pass away 
 until all these things shall happen. The 
 heavens and the earth may pass away, but my
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 223 
 
 words will not pass away. No one knows the 
 exact day and hour when the Son of man will 
 be present. Even the angels of the Spiritual 
 Kealm do not know ; only the Father knows. 
 
 "It will be just as it was in the days of 
 Noah. In the days before the flood they were 
 eating and drinking, marrying and giving in 
 marriage, up to the day that Noah entered into 
 the ark. They were unconscious of its near- 
 ness until the flood came and took them all 
 away. 
 
 "Two men will be in the field when the 
 vision comes, one will see it, the other will not. 
 Two women will be grinding at a mill, one 
 will see it, the other will not. Be on the alert, 
 therefore, for you will never know beforehand 
 the day of the Lord's presence. Keep close 
 watch lest your hearts become dull, or your 
 attention distracted by worldly thoughts, or 
 by dissipation, or drunkenness, and the day 
 come and find you unprepared and catch you 
 suddenly as in a trap. The appearing of the 
 Son of man is going to be just like that, to all 
 the world. 
 
 " IT is like a rich man going away for an in- 
 definite time and leaving his estate in the care 
 of his servants. He tells each one his duty and 
 instructs the porter to be on the watch to ad- 
 mit him when he returns. You must be like
 
 224 The Good News 
 
 that porter, forever on the watch, lest the Mas- 
 ter on his return find you asleep. He may 
 come at twilight, he may come at midnight, or 
 in the early morning. What he told the porter 
 I tell you, watch, for you do not know the day 
 or the hour when your Lord comes near. 
 
 "Therefore you must be watchful all the 
 time, for, when you think it most unlikely 
 the Son of man will be near. Do not become 
 careless, or indifferent, but constantly pray that 
 you may be able to meet all the coming dangers 
 and hardships and be ever ready to face the 
 Son of man. 
 
 " THE Spiritual Realm is like a group of ten 
 maidens who took their lights and went to meet 
 a bridegroom and his bride. Five of the maid- 
 ens were thoughtless and took no oil for their 
 lights, but five of them were wise and carefully 
 provided a supply. "While they waited for the 
 bridal party to appear, they all fell asleep. 
 But at midnight the cry was heard, ' "Wake up. 
 The bride and groom have come. Go out to 
 welcome them.' 
 
 " Then the maidens arose and lit their lamps 
 and the thoughtless ones said to the wise, ' Let 
 us have some of your oil, for our lights are go- 
 ing out.' But the wise answered, ' There will 
 not be enough for us both. You must go to 
 
 Matthew xxv. 1-13.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 225 
 
 them that sell and buy for yourselves.' While 
 they went to buy, the bridal party arrived and 
 they that were ready went into the marriage 
 feast and the door was shut. 
 
 " Afterwards the other maidens came, the 
 thoughtless and the foolish ones, and said, 
 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us.' But he 
 said, ' I do not know you.' Be ready, there- 
 fore, for you do not know the day or the hour 
 of the Lord's appearing. 
 
 " WHEN the Son of man is present in all his 
 glory and with his angels, he will test the men 
 of every nation. He will separate them one 
 from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep 
 from the goats. He will set the sheep on his 
 right hand and the goats on his left. Then 
 shall the King say to them on his right hand, 
 1 Come, you who are blessed of my Father, in- 
 herit the Spiritual Realm prepared for you 
 since the creation. For I was hungry and you 
 gave me food ; I was thirsty and you gave me 
 drink ; I was a stranger and you welcomed me ; 
 poorly clad and you clothed me; I was sick 
 and you visited me ; I was in prison and you 
 came to see me.' 
 
 "Then the good men will answer, 'Lord, 
 when did we see you hungry and feed you ? or 
 
 Matthew xxv. 31-46.
 
 226 The Good News 
 
 thirsty and give you drink ? When did we see 
 you a stranger and make you welcome; or 
 poorly clad and clothe you ? When did we see 
 you sick or in prison and come to you ? ' 
 
 " The King will answer and say to them, 
 ' Inasmuch as you did it unto one of my broth- 
 ers, even the least of them, you did it unto me.' 
 
 " Then shall he say to them on his left hand : 
 'You must go away with my condemnation. 
 For I was hungry and you gave me no food ; I 
 was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink ; 
 I was a stranger and you turned me away ; I 
 was poorly clad and you refused to help me ; I 
 was sick and in prison and you did not come to 
 see me.' 
 
 " Then they also will say : * Lord, when did 
 we ever see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stran- 
 ger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not 
 help you ? ' Then the King will answer them, 
 ' Inasmuch as you did not do it unto one of the 
 least, you did not do it unto me.' And these 
 will go away condemned, but the good will 
 enter the timeless Life of the Spiritual Kealm." 
 
 JESUS said to his disciples : " It is now only- 
 two days to the Feast of the Passover, when I 
 am to be delivered up to be crucified." 
 
 The chief priests and the scribes had deter- 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 1-5, 14-16; Mark xiv. 1, 2, 10, 11; 
 Luke xxii. 1-6.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 227 
 
 mined already on his death but were seeking 
 some way to accomplish it quietly, for they 
 were afraid the people would make a disturb- 
 ance if it were done openly during the feast. 
 
 Just at this time the Evil One took possession 
 of one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, and 
 he went to the chief priests and asked what 
 they wou!4 be willing to give him if he de- 
 livered Jesus into their hands. They were 
 very glad to bargain with him and finally 
 agreed on thirty pieces of silver, which they 
 weighed out and gave him. Judas left them 
 and from that time sought some opportunity, 
 when Jesus was away from the crowd, to de- 
 liver him to them. 
 
 AS usual, after spending the day at the temple 
 teaching, Jesus passed the night with his friends 
 in Bethany, on the Mount of Olives. The 
 writers do not record whether Jesus went to the 
 temple on Wednesday or not ; but on Thursday, 
 which was the first day of unleavened bread 
 when the sacrifice was slain, the disciples came 
 to Jesus and asked him where he planned to eat 
 the passover. 
 
 Jesus said to Peter and John : " I want you to 
 go into the city and make the necessary prepa- 
 rations. As you enter the city you will meet a 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 17-29 ; Mark xiv. 13-25 ; Luke xxi. 37 ; 
 xxii. 7-30 ; John xiii. 1-30, 34-35.
 
 228 The Good News 
 
 man bearing a pitcher of water. Follow him to 
 the house that he enters and say to the owner of 
 the house, ' The Master says that his time is at 
 hand and he wishes to keep the passover at your 
 house.' He will show you a large upper room 
 furnished as a guest room where you are to make 
 ready for us." The disciples went to the city 
 and found it as he had said and they made every- 
 thing ready. 
 
 WHEN evening was come Jesus went with 
 the twelve to eat the passover. He said to 
 them : " This is the last time I shall eat the pass- 
 over with you before I suffer, and I have looked 
 forward to it with great desire. When we meet 
 again to eat the passover, it will be in the Spir- 
 itual Realm and you will then understand its 
 full significance." 
 
 Jesus knew that his time had come and that 
 it would be only a few hours before he would 
 leave this world and return to his Father. He 
 had loved these friends of this world and he 
 loved them to the end. 
 
 There arose a discussion as to the places of 
 honor at the table and Jesus said to them : 
 " The kings of the nations have authority over 
 their subjects and when they exercise this au- 
 thority they are looked upon as benefactors. 
 But it must not be so with you. If one of you 
 wants to be great, let him be as the younger ;
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 229 
 
 or if he wants to be the most important, let him 
 serve the others. You ask, ' Is not the one who 
 sits at the table more important than he that 
 serves?' Yet I am among you here as the 
 servant, and you, who have been with me in 
 my temptations, when we come into my king- 
 dom, will be my guests and will eat and drink 
 at my table." 
 
 Jesus knew that he had come from the Father 
 of Love and was soon to return to his glory. 
 He knew that the Father had given all 
 things into his hands. He knew, also, that the 
 Evil One had already taken possession of the 
 heart of Judas Iscariot. He knew all this, but 
 he rose from the table, laid aside his outer gar- 
 ment and girded himself with a towel. Then 
 he took a basin of water and began to wash 
 the feet of his disciples and to wipe them with 
 the towel. 
 
 When he came to Peter, Peter said, " Lord, 
 must you wash my feet ? " Jesus said, " You do 
 not fully understand now what I am doing, but 
 later on you will." Peter said, " I can never let 
 you wash my feet." Jesus said, " If I do not, 
 you can have no part with me." Peter said, 
 " Lord, if that is so, I want you to wash, not 
 only my feet, but my hands and my head." 
 Jesus said, " If I wash your feet, it is enough 
 'you will be clean. And you, my disciples, are 
 already clean, but not all of you."
 
 230 The Good News 
 
 After he had washed their feet, he resumed 
 his garments and sat down again with them. 
 Then he said, " Do you understand the signifi- 
 cance of what I have done ? You call me 
 Master and Lord, and it is all right, for I am. 
 If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed 
 your feet, you ought to be willing to wash one 
 another's feet for I have set you an example. 
 You should do to others as 1 have done to 
 you. 
 
 " It is true that a servant is not greater than 
 his master, or one who is sent greater than he 
 who sent him. Nevertheless, true greatness is 
 found in service. You know this and blessed 
 are you if you really practice it. I give you a 
 new commandment, that you love one another, 
 and by this shall all men know that you are my 
 disciples." 
 
 AFTER Jesus had said this, he was greatly 
 troubled in spirit and finally said, " The one 
 who is going to betray me is even now eating 
 with us at this table. The Son of man, indeed, 
 must die as it has been determined ; but woe 
 will come to the man by whom he is betrayed. 
 It were better if he had never been born." 
 
 The disciples were filled with sorrow and sur- 
 prise and looked at one another in doubt as to 
 whom he meant. Then, one by one, they began 
 to ask him, " Lord, is it I ? " Reclining at the
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 231 
 
 table, very near to him, was the disciple whom 
 Jesus particularly loved. Peter beckoned to 
 him to ask who it was. This disciple leaned 
 closer to Jesus and whispered, " Who is it, 
 Lord ? " Jesus replied, " It is he to whom I 
 will pass some food." Then Jesus handed some 
 food to Judas Iscariot. The latter said, " Am I 
 the one, Teacher ? " Jesus replied, " You have 
 said the words. What you have to do, do 
 quickly." 
 
 No one at the table understood the intent of 
 the words. Some thought that as Judas carried 
 the money for the little company, that Jesus had 
 given him instructions to go out and buy some 
 needful things for the feast, or, perhaps, had told 
 him to go and make some gift to the poor. At 
 any rate Judas rose and left the room and went 
 out into the night. 
 
 AS they were eating, Jesus took bread and 
 asked a blessing upon it and then broke it into 
 smaller pieces and passed it to his disciples. 
 He said, " Take of this and eat. This is my 
 body which is broken for you." 
 
 Then he took a cup and, after he had given 
 thanks, he passed it to his disciples and said : 
 " I want you all to drink of this cup, for this is 
 my blood, shed for many. I am making a new 
 covenant with you for the remission of sin and 
 am sealing it with my blood. When I again
 
 232 The Good News 
 
 drink the juice of the grape with you, it will 
 be the new kind in the Spiritual Realm. I am 
 the true vine and my Father is the vine-dresser. 
 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he 
 cuts away. Every branch that bears fruit he 
 prunes and trains it so that it will bear more 
 fruit. You are already cleansed by my counsel 
 with you. Continue to follow my teachings so 
 that I may abide with you. 
 
 " Just as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself, 
 except it continue a part of the vine, so neither 
 can you, unless you continue with me, for I am 
 the vine and you are the branches. He that 
 continues with me so that I may continue with 
 him bears much fruit, but separated from me 
 you can do nothing. If a man forsake me he 
 withers away as a detached branch withers and 
 is cast aside and then is gathered and burned. 
 If you continue to follow me and my teachings 
 control your lives, you may ask what you wish 
 and you will have it. 
 
 " "When you bear much fruit, it glorifies my 
 Father and shows that you are truly my dis- 
 ciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I 
 loved you. I want you to continue in the same 
 loving relation with me and it is possible for 
 you to do so if you keep my commandments ; 
 just as I have kept my Father's commandments 
 
 John zv. and xvi.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 233 
 
 and abide in his love. These things I have 
 spoken to you that I may have gladness in you 
 and that your joy may be complete. 
 
 " This is my commandment that you love 
 one another, as I have loved you. A man can 
 have no greater love than a willingness to lay 
 down his life for his friends. You are my 
 friends if you do whatever I command you. I 
 do not call you servants any more, for servants 
 are not taken jnto the confidence of their mas- 
 ter. I call you friends and have shown you 
 everything that I have heard from my Father. 
 You have not chosen me, but I have chosen 
 you and have vitalized you to bear fruit and 
 fruit that will last. It is because of this rela- 
 tion that you may ask of the Father what you 
 will and, if it is asked with the Love Thought 
 controlling, he will give it to you. 
 
 " THIS is what I command you, to love one 
 another. The world may hate you. Never 
 mind, remember that it hated me before it 
 hated you. The world naturally loves its own. 
 It is because you are not of this world, be- 
 cause I have called you to transcend it, that the 
 world hates you. Remember what I told you, 
 ' A servant is not greater than his master.' If 
 they persecuted me, they will persecute you. 
 They did not keep my word ; they will not 
 keep yours. Because they do not know Him
 
 234 The Good News 
 
 who sent me, then you, who bear my name, 
 must share with me all this suffering. 
 
 " He that hates me hates my Father also. I 
 came among them and did things that no other 
 man ever did. They witnessed them, and, in 
 spite of it, they hated both me and my Father, 
 and therefore are responsible for their sin. If 
 I had not come and spoken to them, they would 
 not have done this ; but, as it is, they have no 
 excuse. This was long ago foretold in the 
 book of the Law, ' They hated me without a 
 cause? 
 
 " When I go to the Father, I will send to 
 you from Him the Advocate and Comforter, 
 who is the very Vitality of Truth, for he issues 
 from the Father. When he comes he will bear 
 witness of me, and you, who have been with me 
 from the beginning, must also bear witness. 
 
 " But there are certain things that you must 
 expect, and I tell you so that you may not be 
 taken by surprise. They will expel you from 
 the synagogues, yes, more than that, the time 
 is near when they will kill you and think that 
 by so doing they are rendering the Father of 
 Love a service. But they do these things in 
 ignorance. If they really knew the Father, or 
 me, they would not do them. I tell you these 
 things so that when the hour comes and you 
 recall what I have said you will have larger 
 faith in me.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 235 
 
 " IN the early days of our association I did 
 not tell you what was going to happen because 
 I should be with you, but now I am returning 
 to him that sent me. You do not appear inter- 
 ested in where I am going, but, instead, your 
 hearts are filled with sorrow about the things 
 that I have told you are going to happen. 
 Nevertheless, and I am telling you the truth, it 
 is most important for you that I go away. If 
 I do not go away, the Advocate and Com- 
 forter will not come to you. But, if I do go, I 
 will certainly send him to you. And he, when 
 he comes, will instruct the world as to the true 
 nature of sin, of goodness, and of judgment. 
 
 " The Advocate and Comforter will show 
 that the essence of sin lies in not believing in 
 me, for to distrust the Love Thought is to be 
 disloyal to the Father of Love, who sent me 
 into the world. 
 
 " The Advocate and Comforter will show 
 that goodness consists in self-sacrificing love, 
 because the Father was willing to send me into 
 the world and because I am willing to lay down 
 my life and return to the Father, and you will 
 see my face no more. 
 
 " The Advocate and Comforter will show 
 that the Law of Love of the Spiritual Realm is 
 supreme and that tested by that standard the 
 world principle of self-preservation has been 
 decisively judged.
 
 236 The Good News 
 
 " There are many things that I want to tell 
 you, but you are not ready for them. When 
 the Advocate and Comforter, who is himself 
 Vital Reality, comes, he will guide you into all 
 truth. He will not reveal truth indiscrimi- 
 nately, but will tell only what he is authorized 
 to reveal and will show you only what it is 
 necessary for you to know of the future. He 
 will glorify me because he will make under- 
 standable to you the supremacy of the Love 
 Thought, for all that the Father has he has 
 given to me. 
 
 " In a little while you will see me no more 
 and then a little while and you will see me." 
 The disciples whispered among themselves, 
 " What does he mean ? He said, ' In a little 
 while you will not see, and again, in a little 
 while you will see.' And what does he mean 
 when he said, ' because I go to the Father ' ? 
 We are all confused." 
 
 Jesus perceived this and said : " Are you en- 
 quiring among yourselves as to what I mean by 
 these words ? In a little while you will weep 
 and lament, but the world will rejoice. You 
 will be sorrowful, but in a little while your 
 sorrow will be changed into joy. When a 
 woman is in labor she suffers much ; but when 
 the child is born she remembers her anguish no 
 more, in the gladness that is hers, because she 
 has brought a child into the world.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 237 
 
 " You are sorrowful now at my leaving you, 
 but when you see me again, your heart will re- 
 joice and this later gladness no one can take 
 from you. From that day I do not want you 
 to ask of me ; you must ask of the Father and 
 whatever you ask of him in my name, he will 
 give you. Hitherto you have not asked in my 
 name, but hereafter you must ask and will re- 
 ceive, that your gladness may be complete. 
 
 " I have hitherto spoken in parables, but the 
 time is near when I will no more speak in para- 
 bles, but will reveal to you, so that you will un- 
 derstand intuitively the nature of the Father. 
 After that day you must ask in my name and 
 the Father will answer you. It will not be 
 necessary for me to intercede for you, for the 
 Father, himself, loves you, because you have 
 loved me and believed that I came forth from 
 Him. I issued from the Father and appeared 
 in the world. Again I disappear from the 
 world and return to the Father." 
 
 His disciples said, " Now you speak plainly 
 and we understand you. We are confident, 
 now, that you know all things and that we 
 need not hesitate to believe you. We do be- 
 lieve that you come forth from God." Jesus 
 said to them : " But do you really believe ? 
 Listen, the hour is coming, yes, it is already 
 here when you will be scattered, each one go- 
 ing his own way and leaving me alone. And
 
 238 The Good News 
 
 yet I am not alone, because the Father is with 
 me. I have spoken these things to you so that 
 you will have peace in me. In the world you 
 will have affliction ; but be o'f good courage. I, 
 the Love Thought, have overcome the world." 
 
 JESUS said : " The Son of man is now being 
 glorified and the Father of Love is being glori- 
 fied in him. If the Father of Love is glorified 
 in him, he will speedily glorify him in Himself. 
 My dear friends, I am with you only a little 
 while longer ; then you will search for me, but 
 as I told the Jews and I repeat it to you 
 where I go you cannot come." 
 
 Peter said to him, " Lord, where do you go ? " 
 Jesus replied, " You cannot follow me now, but 
 you will follow me afterwards." Peter said, 
 " Lord, why can I not follow you even now ? I 
 will lay down my life for you." Jesus said to 
 the disciples, " It is written, ' When they smite 
 the shepherd the sheep will be scattered. 1 Listen 
 to what I am saying, This very night all of you 
 will forsake me, but when I reappear, I will 
 meet you in Galilee." Peter spoke up, and said 
 earnestly, " Even if all the rest forsake you, I 
 will not, Lord. I am ready to go to prison, or 
 even to death with you." And the others said 
 the same. 
 
 Matthew xxri. 31-35 ; Mark xiv. 27-31 ; Luke xxii. 31-38 ; 
 John xiii. 31-33, 36-38.
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 239 
 
 Jesus said : " Are you willing to lay down 
 your b'ves for me? Why, Peter, this very 
 night before the cock crows you will deny me 
 three times. Oh, my disciples, when I sent you 
 forth without purse, or clothing, or extra shoes, 
 did you suffer any lack?" They answered, 
 " Nothing." Jesus said, " In this emergency do 
 you expect that I will say anything different to 
 you ? Do you expect me to say that from now 
 he that has a purse must take it and likewise a 
 hand-bag ? and he that does not have a sword 
 must sell his cloak and buy one ? Not at all. 
 It was written, * He was included with the 
 criminals.' 9 This and all that has been written 
 must be fulfilled to the end." 
 
 As had happened so often the disciples mis- 
 understood him and one of them said, " Lord, 
 here are two swords." Jesus replied in discour- 
 agement, " You have misundertood me." 
 
 THEN Jesus said to them : " Let not your 
 hearts be troubled even now. Only trust the 
 Father of Love and continue to trust me. In 
 my Father's Kealm are many abiding places 
 and I am going to prepare a place for you. If 
 I go and prepare a place I will surely come 
 again and welcome you to our home, that 
 where I am, there you may be also. As you 
 
 John xiv.
 
 240 The Good News 
 
 know where I am going, you will know the 
 way." 
 
 Thomas said to him, " Lord, we don't know 
 where you are going, how can we know the 
 way ? " Jesus replied, " I, the Love Thought, 
 am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one 
 comes to the Father except through me. If 
 you have truly known me you have known the 
 Father also, and from henceforth you will 
 have known Him because you have seen Him." 
 
 Philip said, " Lord, show us the Father ; it is 
 all we desire." Jesus said to him : " Have I 
 been so long with you, Philip, and still you do 
 not understand me ? I am the Father's Love 
 Thought. He that has perceived me has per- 
 ceived the Father also, for it was the Father of 
 Love that sent me. Why did you ask that, 
 Philip ? Do you not believe that I am in the 
 Father and the Father is in me ? The thoughts 
 that I express to you I do not originate my- 
 self. The Father who is abiding in me is 
 bringing to pass his own loving purpose. Be- 
 lieve and trust me when I say that I am in 
 the Father and the Father is in me. Or, at 
 any rate, believe and trust me because of my 
 life. Most earnestly I say unto you, he that 
 intellectually believes in the supremacy of the 
 Love Thought, and really trusts it in his heart 
 of hearts and is gladly obedient to it in the 
 control of his life, the things which I have
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 241 
 
 done he can do and even more than I have 
 done, because I go to the Father; whatever 
 you ask in a spirit of love I will do it, that the 
 Father may be glorified in the Son. 
 
 " If you ask anything in my name, and that 
 means that it must be in accord with the spirit 
 of my life and, therefore, in harmony with the 
 purpose of the Father of Love, if you ask 
 anything in that spirit I will do it. 
 
 " If you love me, you will keep my command- 
 ments ; and I will pray the Father and he will 
 give you another Friend, the Advocate and 
 Comforter, who will remain with you always. 
 This Friend is the Divine Love Vitality, whom 
 the world cannot receive because it is neither 
 conscious of him, nor knows him. But you 
 know him because you are sensitive to his 
 presence and he will be present with you for- 
 ever. 
 
 " I do not propose to leave you helpless ; I will 
 return to you. In a little while the world will 
 see me no more, but you will still be conscious 
 of my presence. Because I shall Live, you 
 will Live also. In that day you will be con- 
 fident that I am in the Father, and you are in 
 me, and I am in you. He that appreciates my 
 teachings and tries to conform his life to them, 
 he it is that loves me. And he that cherishes 
 the Love Thought loves me and will be 
 loved by my Father and I will love him and
 
 242 The Good News 
 
 will come to him in such a way that he will be 
 conscious of my presence." 
 
 The other Judas, not the Iscariot, said to 
 him, " Lord, how will it be possible for you to 
 reveal yourself to us and not to the world ? " 
 Jesus said : "If a man love me he will be 
 cherishing the Love Thought, and his life will 
 conform to it, and the Father will love him 
 and we will come to him in the vitality of a 
 higher order of Life, by reason of which you 
 will be conscious of our presence. The one 
 who does not love me will not conform his life 
 to the Love Thought, and will, therefore, lack 
 the necessary condition for receiving this spir- 
 itual vitality. 
 
 " I am only mentioning these things while I 
 am still with you, but after I am gone the 
 Father will send, at my request, the Advocate 
 and Comforter, who is the Divine Love Vital- 
 ity, and he will gradually teach you all things 
 and bring to your remembrance all that I have 
 said to you. 
 
 "Let your hearts be peaceful. My own 
 serenity of spirit I bequeath to you. This is 
 not said lightly, as the world wishes one fare- 
 well. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither 
 let them be afraid. You have heard me say 
 that I am going away and will come to you 
 again. This ought to make you glad and not 
 fearful, because I will be going to the Father,
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 243 
 
 who is greater than I. There will be no op- 
 portunity to say very much more to you. 
 What I have said you will appreciate better 
 after I am gone and it will give you increased 
 confidence in me. The Evil Spirit of the world 
 is at hand ; and, although he has no authority 
 over me, it will serve to show the world that 
 I love the Father and that what I am doing is 
 in full accord with his purpose." 
 
 THEN Jesus lifted his eyes in prayer: 
 "Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy 
 Son that he may glorify Thee. Thou gavest 
 him authority over all mankind, that he might 
 give the timeless spiritual life to all whom 
 Thou hast given him. And this is the essence of 
 the spiritual Life, that they should know Thee, 
 the Father of Love, to be Love Absolute and the 
 only true God ; and him, whom Thou hast sent, 
 to be thine own Love Thought and the Messiah. 
 
 " I have glorified Thee on earth and have 
 accomplished the work which Thou hast given 
 me to do ; and now, Father, glorify Thou me 
 in thine own presence with the glory that I 
 had with Thee before the world existed. I 
 have revealed thy love to the men Thou gavest 
 me out of the world. They were thine and they 
 have been loyal to Thee. They know that all 
 things which Thou hast given me are from Thee. 
 
 John xvii.
 
 244 The Good News 
 
 " The truths that Thou didst teach me I 
 have taught them and they have received them 
 and really believe that I have come forth from 
 Thee and that Thou didst send me. I do not 
 pray for the world, but I do pray for them 
 which Thou hast given me. They are thine, 
 just as everything that I have is thine; and 
 everything that is thine is mine and I am 
 glorified in them. 
 
 " Now I am coming to Thee and will be in 
 the world no longer, but they are still to be in 
 the world. Oh Divine Father, keep them in 
 the safety of thy love, the love which Thou 
 gavest to me, that they may be united even as 
 we are. While I was with them I kept them 
 in thy love, the love which Thou hast given 
 me, and not one of them was lost. But now I 
 come to Thee and I speak these things while I 
 am still with them that they may realize the 
 fullness of my joy in them. 
 
 " I have given them thy love and, as they are 
 not of this world, just as I am not, the world 
 has hated them. I do not pray that Thou 
 shouldest take them out of the world, but that 
 Thou shouldst keep them from the evil in the 
 world. They do not belong to the world any 
 more than I ; therefore, let thy love make them 
 different from worldly men. Thy love is the 
 only true reality. 
 
 " I am sending them into the world, just as
 
 Triumphal Entrance Into Jerusalem 245 
 
 Thou sent me. In order that they may be 
 fully consecrated to thy truth, I reconsecrate 
 myself for their sakes. I do not pray for these 
 alone, but for all those who will believe and 
 trust in me through their influence. I pray 
 that they may all be united in love, even as 
 Thou, Father, art in me and I in Thee, that they 
 also may be in us. May the world see in this 
 unity the evidence that Thou didst send me. 
 
 "The glory which Thou hast given me, I 
 have given them that they may recognize their 
 unity to be the same as our unity. I will be in 
 them, just as Thou art in me, so that they may 
 be drawn together and the world may know 
 that Thou didst send me, and that Thou lovedst 
 them, just as Thou hast loved me. 
 
 " Father, I pray that they whom Thou hast 
 given me may be with me where I am, so that 
 they may see my glory, the glory which Thou 
 hast given me, for Thou didst love me before 
 the existence of the natural realm. 
 
 " Oh, most righteous Father, the world does 
 not appreciate Thee ; but I know Thee, and 
 these disciples of mine know that Thou didst 
 send me. I have revealed thy love to them 
 and will make it still clearer, that the love 
 wherewith Thou hast loved me may be in 
 them, just as I am in them." 
 
 After the prayer Jesus said to his disciples : 
 " The hour is here. Come, let us be going."
 
 CHAPTER NINE 
 TEIAL AND EXECUTION 
 
 AFTER leaving the house where they 
 had eaten the passover supper, Jesus 
 and his disciples went out of the city 
 and across the Kedron valley to a garden on 
 the side of the Mount of Olives. The Garden 
 was called Gethsemane ; and Jesus and his 
 disciples had been there before to rest. The 
 hour was very late it was probably early 
 Friday morning. 
 
 Jesus said to his disciples, " Rest here a 
 little, while I go over there and pray." 
 Then taking Peter and James and John he 
 went into a more secluded part of the garden. 
 Jesus was evidently very much agitated and de- 
 pressed. He said to his companions, " My soul 
 is very sorrowful, almost unto death. I want 
 you to stay near and watch with me. Pray 
 that you may not be tempted." 
 
 THEN he went forward a little and fell on his 
 face and prayed very earnestly. He said, " Oh 
 my Father, if Thou be willing, let this cup 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 36-46 ; Mark xiv. 33-42 ; Luke xxii. 39-46 ; 
 John xviii. 1. 
 
 246
 
 Trial and Execution 247 
 
 pass away. Nevertheless, not my will, but 
 thine be done." There appeared to him an 
 angel from the Spiritual Realm, who encour- 
 aged him, but still being in an agony of spirit, 
 he prayed the more earnestly until the sweat 
 dropped from his face. Then he returned to 
 his companions and found them sleeping. He 
 said to Peter, " Peter, are you asleep ? Can 
 you not watch with me one hour ? The spirit 
 is eager, I know, but the flesh is weak." 
 
 So he left them and went away again and 
 prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot pass 
 away unless I drink it, thy will be done." 
 Again he returned and found them asleep, for 
 they were very tired. So he left them for the 
 third time and prayed the same prayer. When 
 he returned he found them still sleeping. He 
 said : " What, are you still asleep ? Still rest- 
 ing ? Come, the hour is here in which the Son 
 of man is to be betrayed into the hands of 
 wicked men. Wake up now. We must be 
 going, for he that is to betray me has come." 
 
 WHILE he was yet speaking, Judas Iscariot, 
 who had been one of the twelve, drew near. 
 Judas knew of this place as one where Jesus 
 had occasionally gone with his disciples and, 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 47-56; Mark xiv. 43-52; Luke xxii. 
 47-53 ; John xyiii. 2-11.
 
 248 The Good News 
 
 having received a band of men from the chief 
 priests and scribes and Pharisees, and knowing 
 that Jesus had left the city, they followed in 
 search of him. They were a band of roughs, 
 armed with spears and clubs, some having lan- 
 terns and some torches. Judas had told the 
 officers that the one he would kiss would be 
 Jesus, the one they were sent to arrest. 
 
 Jesus knew just what was going to happen, 
 but went forward to meet them. He said to 
 them kindly, "Whom do you seek?" They 
 replied, "We are looking for Jesus of Naza- 
 reth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." The 
 crowd seemed embarrassed at this and fell 
 back. Just at this moment Judas came for- 
 ward and said to Jesus, "Good-morning, 
 Teacher," and kissed him effusively. Jesus 
 said to him, " Judas, are you betraying the Son 
 of man with a kiss ? Well, do quickly what 
 you have come to do." 
 
 Those of Jesus' disciples who stood near said 
 to him, "Master, shall we fight?" Peter, 
 without waiting, drew a sword and struck at 
 the one nearest him, who happened to be a 
 servant of the high priest, named Malchus, and 
 cut off his right ear. Jesus said to the wounded 
 man, " Forgive him this time," and he touched 
 the ear and healed it. Then he said to Peter, 
 " Put up your sword, Peter. They that appeal 
 to the sword shall perish by it. Do you think
 
 Trial and Execution 249 
 
 that I am helpless ? Why, I have only to ask 
 the Father and he would send legions of angels, 
 but if I did that, how could the Scriptures be 
 fulfilled?" 
 
 Then the roughs drew near to lay hands on 
 him. Jesus said to them, "Have you come 
 with swords and clubs as though I were a rob- 
 ber ? I was daily with you in the temple and 
 you did not molest me ; but this is your hour 
 and the powers of darkness are with you." So 
 the chief captain and the roughs bound Jesus 
 and took him away and all the disciples fled. 
 
 THEY led him first to Annas. Annas had 
 been high priest and was the father-in-law of 
 Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year. 
 Caiaphas was the one who had said to the Jews 
 that it was expedient that one man should die 
 rather than that their nation be imperiled. 
 Annas asked Jesus about his teachings and his 
 disciples. Jesus answered him by saying : " I 
 have always spoken openly. I frequently 
 taught in synagogues and in the temple where 
 the Jews gather. I never had secret meetings. 
 Instead of questioning me, would it not be 
 better to ask those who have heard me speak 
 as to what I have taught." 
 
 At this reply one of the attendants standing 
 
 John xviii. 12-24.
 
 250 The Good News 
 
 near struck Jesus, saying, " Is that the way to 
 answer the high priest ? " Jesus replied, " If I 
 have told an untruth, correct me, but if I have 
 spoken the truth, why should you strike me ? '' 
 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas, the 
 high priest. 
 
 PETER and one other of the disciples, evi- 
 dently John, who tells the incident, after the 
 arrest of Jesus, mingled with the crowd and 
 followed him. John, who was known at the 
 high priest's palace, went into the court of the 
 palace with the soldiers, but Peter stood with- 
 out. John spoke with the maid at the door, 
 asking her to admit Peter. As she recognized 
 John as an acquaintance of the high priest, she 
 consented to do so, but when she saw Peter, 
 she asked him, " Are you not one of this man's 
 disciples ? " Peter replied, " No, I am not." 
 
 The servants and attendants, who were wait- 
 ing in the courtyard, as the night air was 
 cool, had made a fire of coals and were warm- 
 ing themselves. Peter stood with them by the 
 fire. One of the attendants said to Peter, 
 " Are you one of his disciples ? " Peter denied 
 it, but another servant, who was a relative of 
 the one whose ear Peter had cut off, spoke up 
 and said, " I think that I saw you in the garden 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 57-58, 69-75; Mark xir. 53-54, 66-72; 
 Lake xxii. 54-62; John xviii. 25-27.
 
 Trial and Execution 251 
 
 with him. At any rate your speech shows that 
 you are a Galilean." 
 
 Peter replied with some heat, " I tell you I 
 do not know the man." While he was still 
 speaking a cock crowed. Peter heard it and 
 instantly he recalled what Jesus had said to 
 him : " Before a cock crows you will have de- 
 nied me three times." It made him bitterly 
 sorry and tears filled his eyes. 
 
 BY this time the whole council had gathered 
 at the palace of the high priest and when Jesus 
 was brought before them they sought to show 
 sufficient cause for putting him to death. In 
 this they were disappointed, for although they 
 examined many witnesses, their testimony did 
 not agree. 
 
 At last two appeared whose words almost 
 agreed. One said that he had heard Jesus say, 
 " I am able to destroy this temple of God and 
 in three days rebuild it." The other said that 
 he had heard Jesus say, "I will destroy this 
 temple that is made with hands and in three 
 days rebuild it without hands." 
 
 The high priest stood up and said, " What 
 have you to reply to what these witnesses have 
 said ? " But Jesus remained silent. Then the 
 high priest said, " I want you to tell us under 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 59-68 ; Mark xiv. 55-65 ; Luke xxii. 63-71.
 
 252 The Good News 
 
 oath whether you are the Messiah, the Son of 
 God, or not." Jesus replied, " I am ; and what 
 is more, the time will come when the Son of 
 man will be seen sitting on the right hand of 
 Omnipotence and coming in the clouds of the 
 sky." 
 
 The high priest, under great excitement, said, 
 "What further need of witnesses have we? 
 We have heard, ourselves, this blasphemy. 
 What is your decision ? " They answered, " He 
 is worthy of death." 
 
 Then the attendants who held Jesus began 
 to abuse him. Some struck him with their 
 hands, some covered his eyes and mocked him 
 and challenged him to tell who it was that had 
 struck him. Some spat in his face and in 
 many other ways insulted him and treated him 
 brutally. 
 
 WHEN Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed 
 him, learned that Jesus had been condemned, 
 he was overcome with remorse and repented 
 for what he had done. He brought back the 
 thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and 
 elders and said, " I have sinned and betrayed 
 an innocent man." " That is your lookout. It 
 does not concern us," they said. Judas threw 
 the money on the floor and went away and 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 3-10.
 
 Trial and Execution 253 
 
 killed himself. The chief priests gathered up 
 the money and said, " As it is the price of 
 blood, we cannot put it back into the sacred 
 treasury ; what shall we do with it ? " They 
 afterwards decided to buy with the money a 
 field in which to bury strangers. Because of 
 this, this burial place has always been called, 
 " The field of blood." By so doing they un- 
 wittingly had fulfilled an ancient prophecy by 
 Jeremiah. 
 
 MEANWHILE the high priests held a con- 
 ference with the elders and the scribes and, 
 very early Friday morning, they sent Jesus 
 bound to Pontius Pilate, the Koman governor ; 
 and the whole company went with him. "When 
 they reached the governor's palace Jesus was 
 taken within, but the Jewish officials remained 
 without, so as not to be ceremonially defiled 
 and thus prevented from further attendance on 
 the Passover rites. 
 
 Pilate, therefore, went out to them and said, 
 " What charge do you bring against this man ? " 
 They replied that if he were not a criminal 
 they would not have handed him over. Pilate 
 said to them, " If you think that he has done 
 wrong, why do you not examine him in your 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 2, 11-14 ; Mark XT. 1-5 ; Luke xxiii. 1-3 ; 
 John xviii. 28-38.
 
 254 The Good News 
 
 own courts ? " They replied, " You know very 
 well that we are not permitted to inflict the 
 death penalty." Pilate then said, "Well, if 
 you want me to judge him, you must bring 
 some definite charge against him. What is it 
 that he has done ? " Then the Jews began to 
 accuse Jesus of perverting the nation, threaten- 
 ing to destroy the temple, refusing to pay taxes 
 to Caesar, and calling himself Messiah and king. 
 
 Pilate then returned to the audience room of 
 the palace and called Jesus before him. He 
 asked him, " Are you the King of the Jews ? " 
 Jesus replied, "Are you asking this question 
 for your own information, or because the Jews 
 suggested it ? " Pilate said, " Am I a Jew ? 
 Your own nation and the chief priests have 
 brought many accusations against you. Have 
 you nothing to say for yourself?" To this 
 Jesus made no reply, even when it was re- 
 peated, and Pilate wondered at his serenity 
 under such trying circumstances. Then Pilate 
 asked him again, " Are you the King of the 
 Jews ? Tell me." Jesus replied, " Yes, I am, 
 but my kingdom is not of this world. If it 
 were, my men would fight for me and I would 
 not be delivered to the Jews. No, my king- 
 dom is independent of this natural order." 
 
 Pilate said, " So you are a king, are you ? " 
 Jesus said, " Certainly, I am a king. I have 
 come into the world for this purpose, and for
 
 Trial and Execution 255 
 
 this purpose only, to bear witness of the only 
 kingdom of true reality ; and every one that 
 belongs to my kingdom acknowledges my au- 
 thority." Pilate said to him, " What is true 
 reality ? " 
 
 AFTER this Pilate went out to the Jews 
 and said to them, " I cannot see that this man 
 has committed any crime." But they were in- 
 sistent and said, " His teachings are stirring up 
 the people everywhere, from Galilee, through 
 all Judea, and even into this city." 
 
 "When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man 
 was a Galilean. When he learned that he was, 
 and therefore belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, 
 he sent him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem 
 during the Feast. When Herod saw Jesus he 
 was very much pleased, for he had desired to 
 see him for a long time and he hoped to see 
 him perform some miracle. He asked him 
 many questions but Jesus remained silent. The 
 chief priests and the scribes, who had followed, 
 stood by vehemently accusing him, and Herod 
 and his soldiers were making sport of him. 
 Finally they clothed him in a gorgeous costume 
 and sent him back to Pilate. Formerly Herod 
 and Pilate had been enemies, but from this day 
 they became friends. 
 
 Luke xxiii. 4-12 ; John xviii. 38.
 
 256 The Good News 
 
 WHEN Jesus was brought back to him, 
 Pilate summoned the chief priests and the 
 rulers of the people. He surmised that they 
 had arrested Jesus and sought his death from 
 envy because he was so popular with the people 
 generally. Moreover his wife had just sent him 
 word that she had had a dream about Jesus 
 that greatly troubled her and warned him to 
 be very careful in his judgment, because she 
 believed him to be a good man. 
 
 Pilate, therefore, sought some way by which 
 he might release Jesus. There was at this 
 time a custom in Jerusalem for the governor to 
 release at the Passover Feast some prisoner 
 whom the people might choose. Pilate de- 
 termined to take advantage of this custom to 
 release Jesus. So he addressed the multitude 
 and said : " The chief priests have brought this 
 man to me and charged him with perverting 
 the people and inciting them to rebellion. I 
 have carefully examined him and do not find 
 any ground for the charge. Herod has also 
 examined him and has returned him to me 
 with the report that he could find nothing in 
 his conduct worthy of death. Is it your wish 
 that I release to you at this time Jesus the 
 Nazarene ? " 
 
 But the chief priests had already influenced 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 15-31 ; Mark xv. 6-20 ; Luke xxiii. 
 13-25 ; John xviii. 39-xix. 1-16.
 
 Trial and Execution 257 
 
 the people to demand the release of a notable 
 prisoner named Barabbas. This Barabbas had 
 led a popular insurrection and during it had 
 committed murder, for which he had been shut 
 up in prison. When Pilate asked them if he 
 should release Jesus, they cried out in a tumult, 
 " Away with this man and release Barabbas ! " 
 Pilate said to them, " What, then, shall I do 
 with Jesus, that is called the Messiah ? " They 
 cried out, " Crucify him ! crucify him ! " Pilate 
 again said, " But what evil has he ever done ? " 
 Still they cried in great excitement, " Let him 
 be crucified." When Pilate saw that he could 
 not move them, and that the excitement threat- 
 ened to become more serious, he gave sentence 
 that he who had committed murder should be 
 released and Jesus should be crucified. But to 
 show his real feeling about it, he ordered that 
 a basin of water be brought and, in sight of 
 them all, he washed his hands, saying, " I am 
 innocent of the death of this good man. Yours 
 is the responsibility." And the people an- 
 swered, " His blood be on us and our children." 
 Then Pilate delivered Jesus to be scourged and 
 crucified. 
 
 The soldiers of the governor took him into 
 the palace barracks and after scourging him, 
 placed him in the midst of the whole regiment. 
 They took off his own garments and clothed 
 him in a purple robe. They plaited a crown
 
 258 The Good News 
 
 of thorns and put it on his head and placed a 
 reed in his hand for a scepter. Then in de- 
 rision and mockery they kneeled down before 
 him, saying, " Hail, King of the Jews." They 
 spat upon him, they took the reed and struck 
 him, and with their hands they beat him. 
 
 Pilate decided to make one more effort to 
 release him. He led Jesus into the presence of 
 the crowd at the gate of the palace, just as he 
 was, pale and exhausted from his scourging, 
 clothed in the purple robe and still wearing 
 the crown of thorns. He said, " I bring the 
 Nazarene into your presence again that you 
 may see that he has been scourged and 
 that you may know that I find no evidence of 
 evil in him. Look at him. Here, indeed, is a 
 man ! " 
 
 When the chief priests and their attendants 
 saw him, they cried out, " Crucify him ! Away 
 with him ! " Pilate said in anger, " Why don't 
 you crucify him yourselves ? I can find no 
 fault in him." The Jews replied, " We have a 
 law that whoever blasphemes the name of 
 God must die. He calls himself the Son of 
 God and is, therefore, guilty of blasphemy." 
 When Pilate heard this he was still more dis- 
 turbed. Again he returned to the palace with 
 Jesus and asked him, "Who are you, any- 
 way ? " As Jesus kept silence he continued, 
 " Why do you refuse to speak to me ? You
 
 Trial and Execution 259 
 
 must know that I have power to release you, or 
 to crucify you." 
 
 Then Jesus said, " You have no power over 
 me except what is given you from above. 
 They that delivered me are more responsible 
 than you." Again Pilate tried to release him, 
 but the Jews cried out, " This man sets himself 
 up as a king. Any one that makes himself a 
 king is opposed to Caesar. If you release this 
 man, you are no friend of Caesar." Then Pilate 
 led the way to the judgment hall and took his 
 seat on the throne. 
 
 Pilate said to the Jews, " Behold your King." 
 They cried out, " Away with him ! Crucify 
 him ! " Pilate said, " Shall I crucify your 
 King ? " They cried out, " We have no king 
 but Caesar!" " 
 
 Then Jesus was delivered to the soldiers. 
 They took away the purple robe and the crown 
 of thorns and reclothed him in his own gar- 
 ments and led him away to be crucified. 
 
 AS they led Jesus away they laid hold of a 
 man that happened to be coming in from the 
 country and compelled him to go with them 
 and carry the cross. This man was Simon of 
 Cyrene. He was the father of Alexander and 
 Kufus. 
 
 Matthew xx vii. 32 ; Mark xv. 21 ; Lake xxiii. 26-32.
 
 260 The Good News 
 
 A great multitude of people followed them, 
 among whom were many women, who beat 
 their breasts and cried aloud. Jesus was 
 touched by this and, turning to them, said : 
 " Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, 
 but weep for yourselves and your children. 
 The days are drawing near when the cry will 
 be, ' Blessed are the women who never bore 
 children and are spared the agony of seeing 
 them suffer ! ' In the days that are to come, 
 in the midst of your sufferings, you will call on 
 the mountains and the hills to fall on you and 
 cover you." 
 
 IT was about nine o'clock Friday morning 
 when they reached a place outside the walls 
 called Golgotha. Here they crucified Jesus 
 and a criminal on each side of him. The 
 soldiers offered Jesus a stupifying drink made 
 of a drug dissolved in wine, but after tasting 
 it, he refused to drink any more. Jesus mur- 
 mured, "Father, forgive them. They do not 
 appreciate what they are doing." 
 
 Pilate had the charge against Jesus written 
 out in Hebrew and Latin and Greek and dis- 
 played above the cross. It read, "Jesus of 
 Nazareth. The King of the Jews." "When 
 the chief priests saw it they went to Pilate and 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 33-38; Mark xv. 22-27; Luke xxiii. 
 33-34 ; John xix. 16-24.
 
 Trial and Execution 261 
 
 asked him to change it to read, " He said I am 
 King of the Jews," but Pilate refused to 
 change it. 
 
 After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they 
 divided his garments in portions according to 
 custom, one portion for each of the four soldiers. 
 Among the garments was the tunic, which had 
 been woven in one piece without seam and was 
 especially desirable. For this the soldiers cast 
 lots. 
 
 THE place of the crucifixion was near a 
 public road and the passers-by scoffed at him 
 and said, " Ha ! You who would destroy the 
 temple and build it in three days, why don't 
 you save yourself? If you are the Messiah, 
 the Son of God, come down from the cross ! " 
 The chief priests and scribes mocked him and 
 said, " He saved others, but he cannot save 
 himself. Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, 
 come down from the cross, that we may see 
 and believe. He trusted in God and claimed 
 to be the Son of God. If God cares for him, 
 let him deliver him now." The soldiers added 
 their insults and, as they offered him sour wine 
 to drink, they said, " If you are the king of the 
 Jews, save yourself." 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 39-43; Mark xv. 29-32; Luke xxiii. 
 35-37.
 
 262 The Good News 
 
 Even one of the criminals who were crucified 
 with him, cast the same reproach at him, say- 
 ing, " If you are the Messiah, why do you 
 not save yourself and us ? " But the other 
 criminal rebuked the first and said to him, 
 " Have you no fear, even of God ? We 
 are suffering the same punishment as he, 
 but we are getting only what we deserve; 
 he has done nothing wrong." Then he turned 
 to Jesus and said, "Jesus, Lord, remember 
 me when you come into your Kingdom." 
 Jesus said, " To-day you will be with me in 
 Paradise." 
 
 There were many women present, among 
 whom were those that had followed him from 
 Galilee and cared for him. These stood apart 
 by themselves. There were Mary Magdalene, 
 Mary, the mother of James and Joses, Salome, 
 and many others. Among those standing near 
 the cross were the mother of Jesus, her sister, 
 the mother of Clopas, and his beloved disciple 
 John. When Jesus noticed them he said to his 
 mother, " Mother, he is to be your son." And 
 to John he said, "John, she is to be your 
 mother." From that hour the disciple received 
 her into his own home. 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 44 ; Mark xv. 32; Luke xxiii. 39-43. 
 Matthew xxvii. 55-56 ; Mark xv. 40-41 ; Luke xxiii. 
 48-49 ; John xix. 25-27.
 
 Trial and Execution 263 
 
 ABOUT three o'clock Jesus cried out, " Oh, 
 Father of Love, My God, why hast thou for- 
 saken me?" Those that were standing near 
 heard the cry and some thought that he was 
 calling on Elijah. Some one ran and dipped a 
 sponge in sour wine and putting it on a stick 
 reached up to give him a drink. Others said, 
 " Let him alone. We will see if Elijah comes 
 to help him." 
 
 Jesus again cried out in a loud voice, " Fa- 
 ther, into thy hands I commend my spirit." 
 Then he bowed his head and his spirit left his 
 body. 
 
 With the suffering of Jesus on the cross there 
 seemed to be a responsive shudder running 
 through all nature. From about noon a dark- 
 ness had settled down over the earth that 
 remained until his spirit had left his body. 
 The awful rumble and tremor of an earthquake 
 was felt. Kocks and the tombs were rent 
 asunder and the great veil of the temple was 
 torn from top to bottom. The captain of the 
 soldiers was so impressed by the solemnity of 
 the hour that he glorified God and said, " Surely 
 this was a good man. He must have been, as 
 he said he was, the Son of God." 
 
 The crowd that had come to see the cruci- 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 45-54; Mark xv. 33-39; Luke xxiii. 
 44-47 ; John xix. 28-30.
 
 264 The Good News 
 
 fixion were sobered by the awful happenings 
 of the day and returned to the city in fear and 
 trembling. 
 
 THE leading Jews went to Pilate and ex- 
 plained to him that the next day was their 
 Sabbath and a day of especial sacredness be- 
 cause it was the great day of the Passover 
 Feast. For this reason they asked that the 
 bodies be not permitted to remain on the cross. 
 They asked that if they were not already dead 
 that their death might be hastened, so that 
 their bodies could be removed before sundown. 
 Pilate instructed his soldiers to do this, but 
 when they came to Jesus, they found that he 
 was already dead, so that they did not need to 
 break any bones. In order to be sure of his 
 death, however, a soldier pierced his side with 
 a spear. John himself saw this and vouches 
 for its truth. 
 
 This proved to be the fulfillment of two an- 
 cient prophecies. One said, " A lone of him 
 shall not 1)6 Irolcen" The other said, " They 
 looked on him whom they pierced" 
 
 THEKE was a rich man of Arimathea, 
 
 John xix. 31-37. 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 57-61 ; Mark XT. 42-47 ; Luke xxiii. 
 50-56 ; John xix. 38-42.
 
 Trial and Execution 265 
 
 named Joseph, who was a good man and 
 highly esteemed. He was a believer in Jesus, 
 but on account of his position as a member of 
 the council, he kept his discipleship secret, al- 
 though in the council he had opposed their 
 action in condemning Jesus to death. 
 
 Joseph went boldly to Pilate and asked that 
 he might take away the body of Jesus. Pilate 
 was surprised to hear that he was already dead 
 and sent to the captain of the guard. When 
 he was assured that Jesus was really dead, he 
 gave the body to Joseph. They reverently re- 
 moved the body from the cross and wrapped it 
 in a clean linen cloth, with a mixture of myrrh 
 and aloes, which Nicodemus, the member of 
 the Sanhedrin who had come to Jesus by night, 
 had brought for the purpose. 
 
 In a garden near by, Joseph had made a 
 tomb for himself. It was a new tomb, hewed 
 out of the solid rock and had not yet been 
 used. They carried the body to this tomb and 
 closed the opening with a great stone and went 
 away. The women who had followed Jesus 
 from Galilee and Mary Magdalene and Mary 
 the mother of Joses were there when the body 
 was laid away, and they saw the tomb. As it 
 was in the evening, they could do nothing more 
 until after the Sabbath and so they went away 
 to prepare spices and ointments for completing 
 his burial at that time.
 
 266 The Good News 
 
 On the next day the chief priests and the 
 Pharisees came in a body to Pilate and said : 
 " We recall that this deceiver, whom you have 
 just crucified, said while he was alive that 
 after three days he would rise again. We 
 have come to ask that you seal the tomb until 
 after that tune, so that his disciples cannot 
 come and steal the body and then say to the 
 people, 'He is risen from the dead.' This 
 would make the matter worse than it already 
 is." 
 
 Pilate consented to this and ordered a guard 
 to be kept at the tomb. He also gave the 
 Jews permission to do anything else they 
 wished to make the tomb secure. So they 
 went with the guard and in their presence 
 placed seals on the tomb. 
 
 Matthew xxvii. 62-66.
 
 CHAPTER TEN 
 
 ASCENSION AND BEGINNINGS OF A COSPEB- 
 ATIVE BROTHERHOOD 
 
 ON the Jewish Sabbath they rested in 
 accordance with the old command- 
 ment, but very early on the first day 
 of the week a party of women, including Mary 
 Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and 
 Joses, and Salome, went to the tomb, carrying 
 the spices and ointments that had been pre- 
 pared to anoint his body for its final burial. 
 
 They did not know of the sealing of the 
 tomb and the placing of a guard, and, as they 
 drew near, they said to one another, " Who will 
 roll away the heavy stone, so that we can enter 
 the tomb ? " But as they came near to it, they 
 saw that the great stone was already removed. 
 
 During the night there had been an earth- 
 quake and a great tempest. In the midst of it 
 an angel of the Lord had appeared and rolled 
 away the stone from the opening. The soldiers 
 who were on guard saw him and afterwards 
 said that he was clad in glistening white and 
 
 Matthew xxviii. 1-10; Mark xri. 1-11; Luke xxiii 
 56-xxiv. 12 ; John xx. 1-18. 
 
 267
 
 268 The Good News 
 
 his appearance was as lightning. Because of 
 the storm and this appearance they became as 
 dead men, and afterwards, thoroughly fright- 
 ened and trembling, they had fled away to the 
 city. 
 
 The women entered the tomb and saw that 
 the body of the Lord Jesus was not there. 
 Mary Magdalene hurriedly left the place to 
 tell the disciples. As the other women stood 
 in great perplexity, they became conscious of 
 two men in dazzling apparel standing by them. 
 The angels said: "Do not be afraid. We 
 know that you have come to see the body of 
 Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is 
 not here. He is risen, just as he said. Come 
 see the place where the Lord lay." 
 
 In fright and awe the women fell on their 
 faces before the angels, who continued : " Why 
 seek ye the living among the dead ? He is not 
 here, but is risen. Remember what he said to 
 you while he was still in Galilee. ' The Son of 
 man must be delivered into the hands of wicked 
 men and be crucified, but on the third day he 
 will reappear.' Go quickly now and tell his 
 disciples that he will go before them into 
 Galilee and there they will see him, just as he 
 said." 
 
 The women left the tomb quickly, almost 
 overcome with mingled feelings of joy and fear. 
 They said nothing to any one on the way, but
 
 A Cooperative Brotherhood 269 
 
 with Johanna and the other women they went 
 and told the disciples. 
 
 Mary Magdalene, who had gone ahead, first 
 met Peter and John. She said to them, " They 
 have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and 
 we know not where they have laid him." At 
 first their words seemed as idle tales and the 
 disciples were inclined to disbelieve them, but 
 Peter and John started for the tomb. John 
 outran Peter and reached there first. He 
 stooped and looked in and saw the linen clothes 
 lying there, but did not at first go in. But 
 Peter entered at once and noticed that the nap- 
 kin that had been over the face was not lying 
 with the other clothes, but was placed by itself. 
 Up to this time they had not comprehended 
 the meaning of it all, but when John saw these 
 things the truth dawned upon him and he be- 
 lieved. Then the two disciples returned to the 
 city. 
 
 A LITTLE later Mary Magdalene in anguish 
 of heart returned to the tomb alone. At first 
 she stood without, quietly weeping, and then 
 stooping she looked in. She saw within the 
 appearance of two angels dressed in white, one 
 at the head and one at the foot where the body 
 of Jesus had lain. The angels said to her, 
 "Sister, why are you crying?" She said to 
 them, " They have taken away my Lord and I
 
 270 The Good News 
 
 know not where they have laid him." Hear- 
 ing a sound behind her she turned partially 
 around and saw a man standing behind her. 
 It was Jesus, himself, although she did not 
 recognize him. 
 
 Jesus said to her, " Sister, why are you cry- 
 ing? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him 
 to be the gardener, she said, " Oh, sir, if you have 
 taken the body away, tell me where you have 
 laid him and I will care for him." Jesus said, 
 " Mary." She recognized his voice and quickly 
 turned around and fell at his feet. " Oh, my 
 Master ! " she sobbed. Jesus said to her, " Do 
 not cling to me so, but go quickly to my breth- 
 ren and tell them to go at once to Galilee and 
 they will see me there." 
 
 Mary Magdalene then hurried away and said 
 to the disciples, " I have seen the Lord." Then 
 she told them all she had seen and all that had 
 been said to her. 
 
 Meanwhile the guard had gone into the city 
 and told the chief priests all that had happened. 
 The chief priests called the elders together and, 
 after discussing the matter, they gave a large 
 sum of money to the guard and told them to 
 say that his disciples had come by night and 
 stolen him away. They promised that if the 
 matter ever came to the governor's attention, 
 
 Matthew xxviii. 11-15.
 
 A Cooperative Brotherhood 271 
 
 that they would explain it to him and relieve 
 them of all blame. So the soldiers accepted 
 the money and did as they were told. This 
 explains the report that his body was stolen, 
 which spread among the Jews and is still 
 repeated. 
 
 TWO of the disciples went that day to Em- 
 maus, a village about seven miles from Jerusa- 
 lem, and as they walked along, they talked 
 together about the strange things that had hap- 
 pened. They were so absorbed in their talk 
 that they did not notice at first that another 
 had joined them, nor did they recognize who he 
 was. 
 
 The stranger said to them, " "What are you 
 discussing so earnestly as you walk along?" 
 They were so depressed that at first they did 
 not know what to say, bat at last Cleopas, who 
 was one of the two, said, "You must be a 
 stranger in Jerusalem, not to know what has 
 been happening there of late." Jesus, for the 
 one who had joined himself to the two disciples 
 was none other than he, said, " Why, what has 
 happened ? " 
 
 They replied: "About Jesus of Nazareth, 
 who did such remarkable things and spoke such 
 wonderful words that the people believed him 
 
 Mark xvi. 12-13; Lukexxiv. 13-35.
 
 272 The Good News 
 
 to be a prophet sent from God, but the chief 
 priests and rulers had him arrested and con- 
 demned and then crucified. "We had hoped 
 that it was he that was to redeem Israel. It is 
 now the third day since this happened and we 
 have been amazed at certain things that were 
 seen by women of our company. They went 
 early to the tomb, but found that the body had 
 disappeared. They returned with the report 
 that they had seen a vision of angels, who had 
 said that he was still alive. Two of our own 
 number went to the tomb immediately and 
 found it exactly as they reported, but they 
 could find no trace of the body." 
 
 Jesus said to them, " Oh, foolish, foolish men ! 
 So slow of heart to believe, after all that the 
 prophets have spoken ! Can you not see that 
 it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer these 
 things if he was to enter into his glory ? " And 
 then beginning with Moses, he explained to 
 them the meaning of all the references in the 
 Scriptures that the prophets had made concern- 
 ing the Messiah. 
 
 As they drew near to the village where they 
 were going, Jesus began to say good-bye, aa 
 though he were going beyond. They urged 
 him to remain with them, saying, " Stay with 
 us. The day is far spent; it is almost night." 
 So Jesus went in with them and sat down to 
 eat. He took the bread and blessed it and
 
 A Cooperative Brotherhood 273 
 
 passed it to them. In doing this, their eyes 
 were opened and they realized that he was 
 Jesus ; and he vanished out of their sight. 
 
 They looked at one another and said, " Now 
 we know why it was that our hearts warmed 
 within us while he talked with us on the way, 
 explaining the Scriptures." They immediately 
 rose up and returned to Jerusalem and found 
 the other disciples gathered together with other 
 believers. As they entered the room the dis- 
 ciples exclaimed, "The Lord is actually risen. 
 He has appeared to Peter." 
 
 The two that had just come from Emmaus 
 then told the company their own experience 
 and how they had recognized him when he 
 blessed the evening meal. 
 
 EVEN while they were speaking, Jesus, him- 
 self, stood in their midst and said, " Peace be 
 with you." They were very much frightened 
 and at first supposed that they had seen an ap- 
 parition, for when they had assembled they 
 had done so secretly, for fear of the Jews, and 
 had carefully locked the door. 
 
 Jesus said to them : " Why are you so 
 troubled and unbelieving ? Why do you con- 
 tinue to question in your hearts? See my 
 
 1 Corinthians xv. 6. 
 
 Mark xvi. 14 ; Luke xxiv. 36-43 ; John xx. 19-23.
 
 274 The Good News 
 
 hands and my feet, convince yourselves that it 
 is really I, myself. Handle me and see. An 
 apparition does not have flesh and bones as you 
 see that I have." 
 
 While they still hesitated to believe, but this 
 time from sheer joy and wonderment, he said, 
 " Have you anything to eat ? " They brought 
 him a little broiled fish and he ate it in their 
 presence. The disciples were very glad as they 
 began to realize that this was, indeed, their 
 Lord. 
 
 Jesus said to them, " Peace be with you all." 
 And with these words he disappeared from 
 among them. 
 
 THOMAS was not with the other disciples 
 at this time and when he joined them a little 
 later, they told him that they had seen the 
 Lord. Thomas said, " Unless I see for myself 
 the marks of the nails in his hands and put 
 my hand in his side, I will not believe." 
 
 Eight days after, the disciples were again to- 
 gether in an inner room with the doors locked 
 and this time Thomas was with them. Sud- 
 denly Jesus stood in their midst and said: 
 "Peace be with you." Then he said to 
 Thomas, " Thomas, here are my hands, place 
 your finger on the wounds, put your hand to 
 
 John xx. 24-29,
 
 A Cooperative Brotherhood 275 
 
 my side. There, do not be doubtful any longer, 
 but believe." Thomas said, " My Lord, and my 
 God ! " 
 
 Jesus continued : " I want you and all my 
 disciples to believe that I have come from the 
 Father of Love and have returned to be with 
 him in the Spiritual Realm forever more. I 
 want you to be my witnesses ; but before you 
 can convince others, you must first believe your- 
 selves. While I was with you I told you many 
 times that I would be crucified and on the third 
 day would reappear and would ascend to my 
 Father. You have been so slow to believe this 
 that it has been necessary to appear many times 
 to convince you that I am really Living. These 
 appearances are of importance only as they con- 
 vince you of this. You have believed because 
 you have actually seen me, but there are 
 myriads coming after that will never see me as 
 you see me. Blessed are they that never see 
 me and yet believe." 
 
 SOON after this the disciples returned to the 
 familiar places about the Sea of Galilee and 
 waited the promised appearance of the Lord. 
 The days and the weeks went by and still he 
 did not appear. Little by little their first faith 
 began to fade and doubts became more insist- 
 
 John xxi. 1-17.
 
 276 The Good News 
 
 ent. Finally one afternoon there were seven 
 of them together and Peter said, " "What is the 
 use of waiting any longer ? I am going back 
 to my fishing." They had always looked up to 
 Peter as a leader and so they answered, " Well, 
 Peter, if you go back, then we go back, too." 
 
 All that night they labored in the fishing 
 boat, but caught nothing. Just as the day be. 
 gan to break over the hills of Galilee Jesus ap- 
 peared on the shore. They noticed him but 
 did not recognize him to be Jesus, as they were 
 a hundred yards from the shore. When they 
 came near, Jesus said to them, " Boys, have you 
 caught anything ? " They replied -that they 
 had not. Then Jesus said, "Cast the net on 
 the right side of the boat and you will succeed." 
 They did as they were told and this time they 
 were not able to draw the net because of the 
 multitude of fish that it contained. 
 
 John said to Peter, " It is the Lord." When 
 Peter heard this he jumped into the water in 
 his eagerness to reach the shore. The other 
 disciples also hurried to land in a small boat 
 dragging the net with them. When they 
 reached the shore they saw Jesus standing by 
 a small fire upon which fish were cooking, and 
 bread was near by. 
 
 Jesus said to them, " Bring some of the fish 
 that you have taken." Peter led them in drag- 
 ging ashore the heavy net containing a hundred
 
 A Cooperative Brotherhood 277 
 
 and fifty large fish ; and, although there were 
 so many, the net was unbroken. Jesus said to 
 them, " Come and eat, you must be hungry." 
 The disciples knew that it was the Lord, but 
 they hardly dared to speak. Jesus took the 
 bread and fish and gave them to eat. 
 
 After they had eaten Jesus said, " Peter, do 
 you love me more than these others do?" 
 Peter replied, "Yes, Lord, you know that I 
 care for you." Jesus said: "The children of 
 men are bewildered between the desires of the 
 physical nature and the spiritual aspirations of 
 the soul. They are hungry for the knowledge 
 of a higher reality upon which they may feed. 
 Peter, I want you to feed my lambs." 
 
 A second time he said to him, " Peter, do you 
 really love me ? " He replied, " My Lord, you 
 know that I care for you." Jesus said : " Hu- 
 manity is led into all manner of selfishness and 
 sin and suffering by the natural law of self- 
 preservation. They need to know that the 
 Spiritual Law of Love is higher than this nat- 
 ural law, that it alone can lead them out of their 
 distresses. Peter, be a shepherd to my sheep." 
 
 He said to him still a third time, " Peter, are 
 you sure that you care for me ? " Peter re- 
 called the times that he had denied his Lord. 
 He recalled that he was the one that had sug- 
 gested going back to their fishing, and it grieved 
 him deeply to think that it was necessary for
 
 278 The Good News 
 
 the Lord to ask him the third time. He said, 
 humbly, " Lord, you know all things ; you 
 know that I truly care for you." 
 
 Jesus said to him : " The children of men are 
 like sheep without a shepherd. They have 
 wandered away into the desert. They are 
 hungering for sympathy and to know the true 
 Way of life. Teach them to believe in the 
 Love Thought, to trust it in every circum- 
 stance, and to obey it wherever it leads. Peter, 
 feed my dear sheep." 
 
 After these words Jesus continued to talk 
 with them for some time in regard to their 
 work and the future. He was evidently con- 
 vinced that they were now ready for a final 
 commission ; so he made an appointment to 
 meet them and the whole body of Galilean be- 
 lievers, and then disappeared as suddenly as he 
 had come. 
 
 AT the appointed time the eleven disciples 
 and over five hundred of the believers were 
 gathered on the mountain where Jesus had 
 promised to meet them. When Jesus appeared 
 in their midst, with one common impulse they 
 bowed themselves in worship, although there 
 were some that still doubted. 
 
 Matthew sxviii. 16-30 ; Mark xvi. 15-18 ; 1 Corinthians 
 xv. 6-7, ;
 
 A Cooperative Brotherhood 279 
 
 Jesus said to them, "All power has been 
 given to me in the Spiritual Realm and on 
 earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples 
 among all nations ; baptize them in the power 
 of the Father of Love ; teach them to % believe in 
 the precepts that I, the Love Thought, have 
 given you ; and persuade them to trust the im- 
 pulses of the Divine Love Vitality that shall 
 come upon them. Remember, I am to be with 
 you, hour by hour, to the consummation of the 
 
 " In this power of Love you will have au- 
 thority over evil and sickness, you will be able 
 to speak in foreign tongues, and will be kept 
 from bodily harm until your work is done." 
 
 After the company had returned to their 
 homes, Jesus appeared to his own brother 
 James. We know none of the details of this 
 event, but we know that from this time on 
 James became one of the disciples and in the 
 years that followed became the leader of the 
 brotherhood of believers in Jerusalem. 
 
 JESUS had given instructions for the eleven 
 to meet him in Jerusalem for a final interview, 
 and when they were together in the city Jesus 
 appeared and talked with them about the things 
 that related to the Spiritual Realm. He said, 
 
 Luke xxiv. 44-53 ; Acts i. 1-9 ; Freer MSS. Marl;
 
 280 The Good News 
 
 " "While I was still with you, I explained how 
 necessary it was that all that was written about 
 me in the Law and the Prophets should be ful- 
 filled." 
 
 Then he explained the Scriptures more fully 
 to them, and in conclusion said : " It is written 
 that the Messiah should suffer and reappear 
 from the dead on the third day and also that 
 repentance and the remission of sins should be 
 preached in his name to all the nations begin- 
 ning at Jerusalem. You are now to be my 
 witnesses of all these things. You will recall 
 the promise that the Father made to you by 
 John the Baptist, that while he baptized in 
 water, you were to be baptized in the Divine 
 Love Vitality. Listen, you must not leave 
 Jerusalem until you receive this baptism." 
 
 One of the eleven asked him, " Lord, do you 
 intend at that time to restore the Kingdom to 
 Israel ? " Jesus, perceiving how difficult it was 
 for them to grasp the spiritual significance of 
 his mission, replied sadly, " It is not for you to 
 know the times and the seasons which the Fa- 
 ther retains in his own control ; but you will 
 receive power for your own work when the 
 Divine Love Vitality is come upon you. Your 
 mission is to witness for me, both in Jerusalem 
 and in all Judea and Samaria and to the utter- 
 most parts of the earth." 
 
 Some of his disciples were still doubtful and
 
 A Cooperative Brotherhood 281 
 
 could not rid their minds of the old racial hope 
 for a restored nation under Messianic rule. 
 They said to themselves, " This age of lawless- 
 ness and unbelief is still under the sway of 
 Satan and he will not permit us to interfere 
 with those under his control by teaching them 
 the truth and the power of God." Therefore 
 they said to Jesus, " Why not reveal your 
 righteous authority even now." 
 
 Jesus said, " The time limit of the power of 
 evil has expired, but there are still other things 
 that are to be taken into consideration. I was 
 delivered to death on behalf of sinners that 
 they might return to truth and sin no more 
 and that they might inherit that glory of good- 
 ness which, in the Spiritual Realm, is imperish- 
 able. This is to be accomplished not by might 
 or by power, but by my spirit of Love." 
 
 With this he led them out of the city to the 
 crest of the Mount of Olives, over against 
 Bethany, and there he lifted his hands and 
 blessed them. As the words of benediction 
 fell from his lips, he was parted from them and 
 disappeared in the Spiritual Realm, whose 
 reality it had been his mission to make clear. 
 
 THEN the eleven returned to Jerusalem to 
 the upper room where they were staying. In 
 
 Acts i. 12-14 ; Acts ii.
 
 282 The Good News 
 
 the days that followed with one accord they 
 continued steadily in prayer. They were joined 
 by the women that had followed Jesus and by 
 Mary, his mother, and his brothers. At these 
 prayer meetings the number of those that at- 
 tended increased until, at one time, there were 
 a hundred and twenty present. 
 
 On the day of Pentecost they were gathered 
 together as usual, when suddenly there came 
 from the sky the sound of a rushing as of a 
 mighty wind and it filled all the house where 
 they were assembled. There appeared tongues 
 as of fire that separated themselves and rested 
 on the heads of each one. They were instantly 
 filled with the Divine Love Vitality and began 
 to speak in other languages as they were in- 
 spired. 
 
 At this time there were dwelling in Jeru- 
 salem devout Jews from every nation. When 
 the sound of the mighty wind was heard, they 
 came in multitudes to where the disciples were 
 gathered. Great was their amazement for 
 every man to hear them speaking in his own 
 language. They said, "Why, these men are 
 all Galileans. How is it that we hear them 
 speaking our own native tongues ? " 
 
 There were present both Jews and proselytes, 
 from Mesopotamia and the far East, from all 
 Asia Minor and Arabia, Egypt and Greece and 
 Borne, and they all heard the mighty works of
 
 A Cooperative Brotherhood 283 
 
 God proclaimed in their own tongues. They 
 exclaimed, " What does it all mean ? " 
 
 THEN Peter stood up and addressed the 
 great multitude. He said: "Men of Judea 
 and all of you that are dwelling in Jerusalem, 
 listen to my words. This is the fulfillment of 
 the prophecy by Joel, that said : 
 
 " ' In the last days, it shall come to pass, saith the 
 
 Lord, 
 
 That I will pour forth my spirit upon all men ; 
 Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy ; 
 Your young men shall see visions, 
 And your old men shall dream dreams. 
 Yes, in those days, even on servants and bond 
 
 servants 
 
 Will I pour my spirit and they shall prophesy. 
 And it shall be that whosoever shall call on the 
 
 name of the Lord shall be saved. 1 
 
 " Men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus, 
 the Nazarene, was a man accredited to you by 
 God. The prophets foretold his coming; an- 
 gelic voices welcomed him ; and God, through 
 him, did many miracles and marvels and signs 
 in your midst, as you all know. With God's 
 foreknowledge and his full consent he was de- 
 livered into the hands of wicked men, and 
 they, with your consent, gave him to the hea- 
 then Komans to crucify and to put to death.
 
 284 The Good News 
 
 " But God has delivered him from the bonds 
 of death, for it was impossible that death 
 should have dominion over him. God has 
 raised this Jesus to a higher Life, of which fact 
 we are all witnesses. In this higher Life of 
 the Spiritual Kealm Jesus is now exalted and 
 sits at the right hand of God. According to 
 his promise he has received from the Father 
 and has poured forth upon us the Divine Love 
 Vitality, whose effects you have both heard 
 and seen. 
 
 " Let all the House of Israel know this for 
 certain that God has made this Jesus, whom 
 you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." 
 
 When the great crowd heard these words 
 they were touched to the heart. They said to 
 Peter and to the rest of the disciples, " Broth- 
 ers, what shall we do ? " Peter said to them : 
 " Every one must repent and be baptized in 
 the name of Jesus the Messiah. Then you 
 will receive, as we have received, the gift of 
 the Divine Love Vitality. For the promise is 
 to you and to your children, and to those that 
 are afar off, even to as many as the Lord our 
 God shall call." Those that received his word 
 and were baptized were over three thousand 
 souls. These joined with the other disciples in 
 a kindly fellowship. Day by day and with 
 one accord they would meet for fellowship and 
 to break bread together ; they would listen to
 
 A Cooperative Brotherhood 285 
 
 the eleven as they repeated the teachings of 
 the Lord Jesus and then would join together 
 in prayer. They had their property more or 
 less in common and, as they saw that their 
 brother had need, they sold their possessions 
 and shared with him. They lived their days in 
 gladness and singleness of heart, praising God 
 and finding favor with all that knew them. 
 
 THUS had begun to be realized on earth, al- 
 though imperfectly and only in a limited way, 
 a cooperative brotherhood of those who be- 
 lieved in Jesus' teaching concerning the reality 
 of the Spiritual Kealm and the supremacy of 
 its Law of Love. The cooperative brotherhood 
 was not the Spiritual Kealm itself, for whose 
 coming they daily prayed, but was the natural 
 result of their effort to live according to the 
 Spiritual Law of Love. Their goal was not to 
 be realized in an ideal state of human society, 
 but was to so live that they might transcend 
 the natural life and advance into the Spiritual 
 Life. The Law of Love as it controlled their 
 lives prompted them to make life happier and 
 richer for all men: by proclaiming the Good 
 News of a higher Spiritual Life that was pos- 
 sible to any one who would cherish the Love 
 Thought and who would live in trustful obe- 
 dience to the Law of Love; and by working 
 for the betterment of all human relations, so-
 
 286 The Good News 
 
 cial, political, and economic, not so much as an 
 end in itself, as to provide that congenial envi- 
 ronment that was necessary if men were to 
 live a happier and richer life according to the 
 Law of Love, and to make conditions as favor- 
 able as possible for the quest of the higher 
 Spiritual Life. 
 
 They must still live in the midst of Jewish 
 customs, in a Roman state, under natural law, 
 but this home of a cooperative brotherhood of 
 believers in the Love Thought would be the 
 privileged residence of the ambassadors of a 
 mightier Kealm, with which they could always 
 be in communication and whose protection they 
 could claim at any time and never find it to 
 fail. Wherever men come to have faith in 
 Jesus as the Love Thought and in his "Way of 
 Life, the Spiritual Realm for whose coming 
 they pray will draw near, not to be seen of 
 men for it is not of this world, but to be un- 
 mistakably recognized in each believing heart.* 
 
 AND the Lord added daily to their num- 
 bers those who in faith were cherishing the 
 Love Thought and who by the power of Love 
 Vitality were following Jesus by his Way of 
 loving kindness into the Spiritual Realm. 
 
 * Supplied by author. 
 Acts ii. 47.
 
 Reference Index 
 
 THE GOSPEL BY MATTHEW 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 i. 18-25 . . . 
 
 . . . . 25 xiii. 
 
 1-53. 
 
 . ... 93 
 
 ii. 1-23 . . . 
 
 . ... 29 
 
 54-58. . . 
 
 . ... 103 
 
 iii. 1-12 . . . 
 
 . ... 33 xiv. 
 
 I-I2 . . . 
 
 . . . . 107 
 
 13-17 . . . 
 
 . ... 36 
 
 13-23. 
 
 . . . . 108 
 
 iv. I- 1 1 . . . 
 
 . ... 42 
 
 24-36 . . . 
 
 . . . .no 
 
 12-17 . . . 
 
 . ... 54 xv. 
 
 I-2O . . . 
 
 . . . . 116 
 
 18-22 . . . 
 
 . ... 55 
 
 21-28 . . . 
 
 . . . . I2O 
 
 23-25 
 
 . ... 70 
 
 29-31 
 
 . . . . 121 
 
 v. ... 
 
 . ... 71 
 
 32-38. . . 
 
 . . . . 122 
 
 VI. . . 
 
 . ... 71 
 
 39. .. 
 
 . . . . 122 
 
 Vll. . . . 
 
 . ... 71 xvi. 
 
 12 ... 
 
 . ... 123 
 
 Till. 2- 4 ... 
 
 5-I3- 
 
 : : : : 
 
 13-20 . . . 
 21-28 . . . 
 
 . ... 124 
 . ... 125 
 
 14-17 . . . 
 
 . ... 56 xvii. 
 
 I-I3- 
 
 . . . . 126 
 
 19-22 . . . 
 
 . ... 144 
 
 I4-2O . . . 
 
 . ... 128 
 
 23-27 . . . 
 
 . ... 98 
 
 22-23. - 
 
 . . . . 129 
 
 28-34. . . 
 
 . ... 98 
 
 24-27 . . . 
 
 . ... 129 
 
 U. 2- 8 . . . 
 
 . . . . 59 xviii. 
 
 
 . ... 13 
 
 9-17. -. 
 
 . ... 60 xix. 
 
 3-12 . . . 
 
 . ... I8 S 
 
 18-26. . . 
 
 . ... 100 
 
 13-15 . . 
 
 . . . . i 86 
 
 27-32. . . 
 
 . . . . 102 
 
 16-30 . . . 
 
 . ... 187 
 
 36-42 . . . 
 
 . ... 103 xx. 
 
 1-16. . . 
 
 . . . . i 88 
 
 x. ... 
 
 . ... 103 
 
 17-19 
 
 . ... 189 
 
 xi. I ... 
 
 . ... 103 
 
 20-28 . . . 
 
 . . . . 190 
 
 2-27 . . . 
 
 . ... 86 
 
 29-34 . . . 
 
 . ... 191 
 
 28-30 . . . 
 
 .... 109 xxi. 
 
 i-n . . . 
 
 . ... 199 
 
 xii. i- 8 . . . 
 
 . ... 67 
 
 12-17 
 
 . . . 202 
 
 9-14- . 
 
 . ... 68 
 
 18-22 . . . 
 
 .... 203 
 
 15-21 . . . 
 
 . ... 70 
 
 23-27 . 
 
 .... 203 
 
 22-32 . . . 
 
 . ... 157 
 
 28-32 . . . 
 
 .... 2O4 
 
 33-37 
 
 . ... 83 xxii. 
 
 15-40. . . 
 
 .... 207 
 
 38-42. . . 
 
 . ... 159 
 
 41-46 . . . 
 
 . . . . 21O 
 
 43-45 . . 
 
 . . . . 159 xxiii. 
 
 1-36 . . . 
 
 . ... 211 
 
 46-50 . . . 
 
 . ... 92 
 
 37-39. . . 
 
 . ... 214 
 
 
 287 
 

 
 288 Reference Index 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 xxiv. 1-44 
 
 218 xxvii. 
 
 2 ... 
 
 .253 
 
 45-5 l 
 
 161 
 
 3-10 , . . 
 
 . * 252 
 
 xxv. 1-13 
 
 224 
 
 11-14 . . . 
 
 2 53 
 
 14-30 
 
 195 
 
 
 . . .256 
 
 31-46 
 
 225 
 
 32 ... 
 
 259 
 
 xxvi. i- 5 
 
 226 
 
 33-38 . . . 
 
 . . . 260 
 
 6-13 
 
 197 
 
 39-43 . 
 
 . . . 26l 
 
 14-16 
 
 
 44 ... 
 
 . . . 262 
 
 17-29 
 
 227 
 
 45-54 . . . 
 
 . . .26 3 
 
 3'-35 
 
 238 
 
 SS-S 6 . . . 
 
 . . . 262 
 
 36-46 
 
 246 
 
 57-61 . . . 
 
 . . . 264 
 
 47-56 
 
 247 
 
 62-66 . . . 
 
 ... 266 
 
 57-58 
 
 250 xxvin. 
 
 i-io . . . 
 
 . . . 267 
 
 59-68 
 
 251 
 
 "-15 . 
 
 . . . 270 
 
 69-75 
 
 250 
 
 16-20 . . . 
 
 ... 2 7 8 
 
 
 THE GOSPEL BY 
 
 MARK 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 i. I- 8 
 
 33 vn 
 
 . 1-23 . . . 
 
 . . . 116 
 
 9-1 1 
 
 36 
 
 24-30 . . . 
 
 ... 120 
 
 12-13 
 
 42 
 
 3'-37 . . . 
 
 ... 121 
 
 14-15 
 
 54 vui. 
 
 
 . . . 122 
 
 16-20 
 
 55 
 
 IO-2I . . . 
 
 . . . 122 
 
 21-34 
 
 56 
 
 22-26 . . . 
 
 ... 123 
 
 35-45 
 
 58 
 
 27-30 . . . 
 
 ... 124 
 
 11. I- 1 2 
 13-22 
 
 59 
 60 ix. 
 
 31-38 . . . 
 I ... 
 
 ... 125 
 . . . 125 
 
 23-28 
 
 67 
 
 2-13 ... 
 
 . 126 
 
 iii. i- 6 
 
 68 
 
 14-29 . . . 
 
 . . . 128 
 
 7-12 
 
 7 
 
 30-32 . . . 
 
 . . . 129 
 
 13-19 
 
 
 33-5 
 
 ... 130 
 
 20-21 
 
 92 x. 
 
 2-12 . . . 
 
 ... 185 
 
 22-3O 
 
 157 
 
 I3-I6 . . . 
 
 . . . 186 
 
 3'-35 
 
 92 
 
 17-31 
 
 ... 187 
 
 iv. 1-34 
 
 93 
 
 32-34 
 
 ... 189 
 
 35-41 
 
 98 
 
 35-45 
 
 . . . 190 
 
 V. 1-20 
 
 98 
 
 46-52 . . . 
 
 . . . 19* 
 
 21-43 
 
 100 XI. 
 
 i-n . . . 
 
 ... 199 
 
 vi. i- 6 
 
 103 
 
 12-14 . . . 
 
 ... 203 
 
 7-13 
 
 103 
 
 15-19 . . . 
 
 . . . 202 
 
 14-29 
 
 107 
 
 20-25 . . . 
 
 ... 203 
 
 30-46 
 
 108 
 
 27-33 . 
 
 ... 203 
 
 47-56 
 
 no xn. 
 
 1-12 . . . 
 
 . . . 204
 
 Reference Index 
 
 289 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 13-34 . 
 
 20 7 
 
 66-72 . . . 
 
 .... 250 
 
 35-37 
 
 2IO XV. 
 
 i- 5 
 
 .... 253 
 
 38-40 . 
 
 211 
 
 6-2O . . . 
 
 .... 256 
 
 41-44 . 
 
 214 
 
 21 ... 
 
 .... 259 
 
 
 218 
 
 22-27 . . . 
 
 .... 260 
 
 xiv. I- 2 . 
 
 226 
 
 29-32. 
 
 .... 26l 
 
 3- 9 - 
 
 197 
 
 33-39. . . 
 
 .... 263 
 
 10-11 . 
 
 226 
 
 40-4' . . . 
 
 .... 262 
 
 12-25 . 
 
 227 
 
 42-47 . 
 
 .... 264 
 
 27-31 . 
 
 238 xvi. 
 
 i-n . . . 
 
 .... 267 
 
 32-42 . 
 
 246 
 
 12-13 . 
 
 .... 271 
 
 43-S 2 
 
 247 
 
 14. .. 
 
 .... 273 
 
 53-54 
 SS-^S. 
 
 250 
 251 xvi. 
 
 15-18 
 Freer MSS. 
 
 . . . .278 
 .... 279 
 
 THE GOSPEL BY LUKE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 i. 5-80. 
 
 19 
 
 40-56. . . 
 
 .... 100 
 
 u. 1-39. 
 
 26 ix. 
 
 i- 6 . . . 
 
 .... 103 
 
 40-52. 
 
 3 1 
 
 7- 9 . 
 
 .... 107 
 
 111. 1-20 . 
 
 33 
 
 10-17 . . . 
 
 . . . . 108 
 
 21-23 . 
 
 36 
 
 18-21 . . . 
 
 .... 124 
 
 iv. 1-14 . 
 
 42 
 
 22-27 . . . 
 
 .... 125 
 
 16-30 . 
 
 44 
 
 28-36. . . 
 
 .... 126 
 
 3'-4i 
 
 56 
 
 37-43- . 
 
 .... 128 
 
 42-44. 
 
 58 
 
 43-45 
 
 . . . .129 
 
 V. I-II . 
 
 55 
 
 46-50 . . . 
 
 .... 13 
 
 12-16 . 
 
 58 
 
 5 1-62 . . . 
 
 .... 144 
 
 17-26 . 
 
 59 x. 
 
 i-il . . . 
 
 .... 144 
 
 27-39 - 
 
 60 
 
 12-15 . . . 
 
 .... 86 
 
 vi. i- 5 . 
 
 67 
 
 17-20 . . . 
 
 .... 149 
 
 6-u . 
 
 68 
 
 21-24 
 
 .... 86 
 
 12-19 . 
 
 7i 
 
 25-37. . 
 
 .... 149 
 
 20-49- 
 
 7 
 
 38-42. . . 
 
 .... 150 
 
 vii. i-io . 
 
 84 xi. 
 
 I- 4 . . . 
 
 .... 77 
 
 11-17 
 
 86 
 
 5- 8 . . . 
 
 . . . . 81 
 
 '8-35- 
 
 86 
 
 9-I3- 
 
 .... 71 
 
 36-5 . 
 
 90 
 
 14-23 . . . 
 
 .... 157 
 
 vin. i- 3 . 
 
 92 
 
 24-26 . . . 
 
 .... 159 
 
 4-18. 
 
 93 
 
 27-32. . . 
 
 .... 159 
 
 19-21 . 
 
 92 
 
 33- 
 
 .... 73 
 
 22-25 
 
 98 
 
 34-36. . . 
 
 .... 79 
 
 26-39. 
 
 98 
 
 37-41 . . . 
 
 .... 159
 
 290 
 
 Reference Index 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 42-54- 
 
 211 XX. 
 
 i- 8 .... 
 
 ... 20 3 
 
 xii. 1-12 . 
 
 103 
 
 9-19 .... 
 
 ... 204 
 
 13-21 . 
 
 160 
 
 20-40 .... 
 
 . . .207 
 
 22-31 . 
 
 
 41-44 .... 
 
 . . . 2IO 
 
 3 2 -48 . 
 
 161 
 
 45-47 .... 
 
 . . .211 
 
 49-53 - 
 
 218 xxi. 
 
 i- 4 . . 
 
 . . .214 
 
 54-59 . 
 
 163 
 
 5-36. . . . 
 
 ... 218 
 
 xui. i- 9 . 
 
 164 
 
 37 .... 
 
 . . 227 
 
 10-17 . 
 
 164 xxii. 
 
 i- 6 . . . . 
 
 . . .226 
 
 18-21 . 
 
 96 
 
 7-3. . . 
 
 . . . 227 
 
 22-30 . 
 
 165 
 
 31-38. . . . 
 
 . .238 
 
 3'-33 . 
 
 
 39-46 .... 
 
 . . . 246 
 
 34-35 
 
 214 
 
 47-53 .... 
 
 ... 247 
 
 xiv. 1-24 . 
 
 167 
 
 54-62 .... 
 
 250 
 
 25-35 
 
 147 
 
 63-71 .... 
 
 ... 251 
 
 XV. 
 
 169 xxiii. 
 
 i- 3 .... 
 
 253 
 
 XVI. 
 
 172 
 
 
 ... 2 55 
 
 XVU. I-IO . 
 
 180 
 
 13-25 .... 
 
 . . .256 
 
 11-19 
 
 182 
 
 26-32 .... 
 
 ... 2 59 
 
 20-37 . 
 
 182 
 
 33-34. . . . 
 
 . . . 260 
 
 xviii. i- 8 . 
 
 182 
 
 35-37- . . 
 
 . . . 26l 
 
 9-H. 
 
 .184 
 
 39-43 .... 
 
 . . . 262 
 
 15-17 . 
 
 186 
 
 44-47 .... 
 
 . . .263 
 
 18-30. 
 
 187 
 
 48-49 .... 
 
 . . . 262 
 
 3^-34. 
 
 189 
 
 50-56. . . . 
 
 . . 264 
 
 35-43- 
 
 191 xxiv. 
 
 I-I2 .... 
 
 . . .267 
 
 XIX. I-IO . 
 
 192 
 
 13-35. - 
 
 ... 271 
 
 1 1-28 . 
 
 193 
 
 36-43 .... 
 
 ... 273 
 
 20-44 . 
 
 199 
 
 44-53 .... 
 
 ... 279 
 
 45-48 . 
 
 2O2 
 
 
 
 THE GOSPEL BY JOHN 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 i. 1-18 . 
 
 17 
 
 31-36. . 
 
 ... 46 
 
 19-28 . 
 
 35 v 
 
 1-42 .... 
 
 ... 50 
 
 29-34. 
 
 36 
 
 43-45 .... 
 
 ... 54 
 
 35-5 ' 
 
 37 
 
 46-54 .... 
 
 ... 54 
 
 11. I-I2 . 
 
 38 v. 
 
 
 . . . 61 
 
 13. 
 
 46 vi. 
 
 1-15 .... 
 
 . . . 108 
 
 13-22 
 
 202 
 
 16-21 . . . . 
 
 . . .no 
 
 23-25 . 
 
 46 
 
 22-71 .... 
 
 ... in 
 
 Hi. 1-2 1 . 
 
 46 vii. 
 
 1-2 1 .... 
 
 ... 133 
 
 22-30 . 
 
 49 
 
 21-24 .... 
 
 ... 66
 
 Reference Index 291 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PACK 
 
 25-52. . . 
 
 . ... 134 
 
 36-38. 
 
 .... 2 3 8 
 
 53- 
 
 . ... 137 
 
 XIV. . . . 
 
 . ... 239 
 
 vm. i-n . . . 
 
 . ... '37 
 
 
 . . . .232 
 
 12-30 . . . 
 
 . ... 138 
 
 XVI. . . . 
 
 ... 2 3 2 
 
 31-59. 
 
 . . . . 14 
 
 XVII. . . . 
 
 . . . .243 
 
 IX. ... 
 
 .... 150 
 
 xvni. I ... 
 
 . . . .246 
 
 x. 1-18 . . . 
 
 . ... 155 
 
 2-II . . . 
 
 . . . .247 
 
 19-21 . . . 
 
 . ... ISO 
 
 12-24 . 
 
 .... 249 
 
 22-29 . . . 
 
 . ... 154 
 
 25-27 . . . 
 
 .... 250 
 
 3 -42 . . . 
 
 . ... I 5 6 
 
 28-38. . . 
 
 . . .253 
 
 xi. 1-46 . . . 
 
 . ... I 7 6 
 
 39-40. . . 
 
 .... 256 
 
 47-54. . 
 
 . . . . 180 
 
 xix. 1-16 . . . 
 
 -!l! 
 
 55-57. 
 
 . ... 197 
 
 16-24 . . . 
 
 . ... 260 
 
 xii. I II ... 
 12-19 . . . 
 
 . ... 97 
 . ... 199 
 
 25-27 . . . 
 28-30. . . 
 
 .... 262 
 . . . .263 
 
 20-36 . . . 
 
 . ... 215 
 
 31-37 
 
 .... 264 
 
 37-43- 
 
 . ... 217 
 
 38-42. . . 
 
 . . . .264 
 
 44-5> . 
 
 . ... 215 
 
 xx. 1-18 . . . 
 
 .... 267 
 
 
 .... 227 
 
 19-23 . . 
 
 . . . .273 
 
 3'-33- 
 
 .... 238 
 
 24-29. . . 
 
 . . . .274 
 
 34-35 . 
 
 .... 227 
 
 
 . . . .375 
 
 ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 
 
 PAGE PAGE 
 
 i. 1-9 279 47 286 
 
 12-14 281 xx. 35 80 
 
 ii. . 281 
 
 FIRST CORINTHIANS 
 
 PAGE PAGE 
 
 XT. 5 273 xv. 6- 7 278 
 
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