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THE BOY JESUSBy Winterstein
"Whatever father or mother wanted done in the house, fetching water, drink, bread, meat, looking after the house and other things of that sort, whatever he was bidden, that did the dear little Jesus, like any other child."
--Martin Luther
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We plough the fields and scatterThe good seed on the land,But it is fed and wateredBy God's almighty hand;He sends the snow in winter,The warmth to swell the grain,The breezes and the sunshine,And soft refreshing rain.All good gifts around usAre sent from heaven above,Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,For all His love!He only is the MakerOf all things near and far;He paints the wayside flower,He lights the evening star;The winds and waves obey Him,By Him the birds are fed;Much more to us, His children,He gives our daily bread.All good gifts around usAre sent from heaven above,Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,For all His love!We thank Thee, then, O Father,For all things bright and good,The seedtime and the harvest,Our life, our health, our food;{76}Accept the gifts we offerFor all Thy love imparts,And what Thou most desirest,Our humble, thankful hearts.All good gifts around usAre sent from heaven above,Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,For all His love!
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Heaven is not reached at a single bound,But we build the ladder on which we rise,From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies,And we mount to the summit round by round.I count this thing to be grandly true,That a noble deed is a step toward God,--Lifting a soul from the common clod,To a purer air and a broader view.
By permission of Charles Scribner's Sons.
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Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee:Fairer than morning, lovelier than the daylight,Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.Alone with Thee, amid the mystic shadows,The solemn hush of Nature newly born;Alone with Thee, in breathless adoration,In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.When sinks the soul, subdued by toil, to slumber,Its closing eye looks up to Thee in prayer;Sweet the repose, beneath Thy wings o'ershadowing,But sweeter still to wake and find Thee there.So shall it be at last in that bright morningWhen the soul waketh, and life's shadows flee;O in that hour, and fairer than day's dawning,Shall rise the glorious thought, I am with Thee.
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When does God see me?God sees me when I am good, and it makes him glad.God sees me when I am bad, and it makes him sorry.God sees me when I play, and knows if I am kind.God sees me when I am at school, and knows if I am faithful.God sees me when I am at home, and knows if I obey my father and my mother.God sees me when I am cross, and knows how ugly I look and feel.God sees me when I am happy, and knows how glad I am.God sees me all day long, and wants me to love him.God sees me all night long, and watches over me while I sleep.
"When I run about all day,When I kneel at night to pray,God sees.Need I ever know a fearNight and day, my Father near?God sees."
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God wants me to be kind to other children.God wants me to be gentle and loving.God wants me to be kind to animals.God wants me to obey my father and my mother.God wants me to care more for others than for myself.God wants me to keep the Sabbath day.God wants me to pray to him every day.God wants me to tell the truth.God wants me to be happy all the day.God wants me to be good, and then I shall be happy.God wants me to do these things because he loves me.I ought to want to do the things he wants me to do.
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PLOWING IN THE LANDS OF THE BIBLEFrom a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton, and used by her kind permission.
How strange it looks to see a camel harnessed to a plow! If you look closely you will see that the plow is strange, too. It is a crooked branch with a plowshare fastened to it. It has only one handle. It was a plow almost exactly like this that was used in the times of the Bible. This picture was taken in the plains of old Philistia.
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God is always giving.God gives to the trees their leaves and fruit.God gives to the earth the rain in summer to make the grass grow, and the snow in winter to cover the ground.God gives to the beasts and to the birds their food.God gives to us our homes and friends and all that makes us happy.God gives us the Bible to tell us how he loves us.God gives us sweet sleep at night.God gives us health to enjoy all his gifts.What has God given you to-day? Have you thanked him for it?
"Who giveth food to the hungry."
"Who giveth to the beast his food."
"So he giveth his beloved sleep."
"He giveth snow like wool."
"Give us this day our daily bread."
"My peace I give unto you."
"Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all."
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JESUS AND HIS FRIENDS
Jesus had many friends.Some of them were people whom he had healed.Some of them had heard him talk, and had learned to love him.Sometimes they stayed with him, day after day.Jesus loved his friends.Jesus told his friends about God.Jesus was so kind and loving to his friends that they could not help loving him.The friends of Jesus were called disciples.Disciple means learner.The disciples learned what Jesus had taught.Jesus picked out from his friends a few to be with him all the time.They were sometimes called disciples, too.Sometimes they were called apostles.Apostle means one who is sent.Jesus sent the apostles out to tell others about himself.There were twelve of the apostles.The names of three of them were Peter, James, and John.
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BEAUTIFUL NAZARETH: OUTLOOK FROM HILLS ABOVE TOWN TO HISTORIC ESDRAELONCopyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
After he began his active ministry Jesus had no home, but while he was a boy his home was in the town of Nazareth, beautifully situated among the hills of Galilee. A traveler there describes the town as it now is;--
"Almost in the center of this chain of hills there is a singular cleft in the limestone, forming the entrance to a little valley. As a traveler leaves the plain he will ride up a steep and narrow pathway, broidered with grass and flowers, through scenery which is neither colossal nor overwhelming, but infinitely beautiful and picturesque. Beneath him, on the right-hand side, the vale will gradually widen, until it becomes about a quarter of a mile in breadth. The basin of the valley is divided by hedges of cactus into little fields and gardens, which, about the fall of the spring rains, wear an aspect of indescribable calm, and glow with a tint of the richest green. Beside the narrow pathway, at no great distance apart from each other, are two wells, and the women who draw water there are more beautiful, and the ruddy, bright-eyed shepherd boys who sit or play by the well sides, in their gay-colored Oriental costume, are a happier, bolder, brighter-looking race than the traveler will have seen elsewhere. Gradually the valley opens into a little natural amphitheater of hills, supposed by some to be the crater of an extinct volcano; and there, clinging to the hollows of a hill, which rises to the height of some five hundred feet above it, lie, 'like a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald,' the flat roofs and narrow streets of a little Eastern town. There is a small church; the massive buildings of a convent; the tall minaret of a mosque; a clear, abundant fountain; houses built of white stone, and gardens scattered among them, umbrageous with figs and olives, and rich with the white and scarlet blossoms of orange and pomegranate. In spring, at least, everything about the place looks indescribably bright and soft; doves murmur in the trees; the hoopoe flits about in ceaseless activity; the bright blue roller-bird, the commonest and loveliest bird of Palestine, flashes like a living sapphire over fields which are enameled with innumerable flowers."
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Jesus had no home of his own after he grew up.Once a man wanted to be his disciple.Jesus wanted this man to know that he had no fine house where he could entertain him.He said that the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but that he had not where to lay his head.His friends asked him to visit them.They were always glad when he came to see them.Sometimes a rich man asked Jesus and his friends to dinner.He made no difference between the rich and the poor among his friends.One of the homes where he liked to be was the home of a fisherman.The fisherman's name was Simon.{90}Sometimes he was called by another name, Peter.He caught fish in the lake of Galilee.His house stood near the lake.His fishing boat was drawn up upon the shore.Another home where Jesus liked to stay was the home of Lazarus.Lazarus had two sisters. Their names were Mary and Martha.The brother and the sisters lived in a little town called Bethany.Jesus loved these people very much.Why was Jesus so poor?
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BETHANYFrom a picture taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed, and used by her kind permission.
This is a picture of the village of Bethany, not far from Jerusalem. It was here in the home of Mary and Martha that Jesus liked so much to stay.
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The people loved Jesus.They crowded about him to hear him talk.Sometimes Jesus and his friends did not have time to eat.Sometimes the people came after sunset.Sometimes they came early in the morning.Sometimes so many people came that the house would not hold them.Then they had to go out of doors.Jesus loved to talk with the people out of doors.He loved to look up and see the blue sky and the green hills.He told the people many stories while out of doors.Jesus never turned the people away without trying to help them.
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Do you know what a lake is?Did you ever see a lake?There was a lake in the country where Jesus lived.It was a pretty lake.There were hills and mountains all about it.There were towns and villages on its shores.Jesus sometimes stayed in these villages.The lake had a long name.It was called Gennesaret.It also had other names.Sometimes it was called the Sea of Tiberias.Sometimes it was called the Sea of Galilee.There were many boats on the Lake of Gennesaret.How swiftly they sailed along!How the little waves danced on the waters!How pretty the hills were on either side!Some of the boats belonged to the friends of Jesus.Sometimes these friends took Jesus in their boats.One day he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.The people were crowding about him.He could not talk because they crowded so.He had the boat pushed out a little way from shore.Then he sat down and taught the people.The people all sat on the shore and listened.
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TIBERIAS, ON THE COAST OF THE SEA OF GALILEEUsed by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.
On this beautiful lake Jesus very often sailed with his fishermen disciples.At that time there were many towns and cities on its shores, but now, except for a few small hamlets, the once populous shores are desolate. But the lake is still as beautiful, its blue waters sparkle in the sun, and the stars looking down from the brilliant eastern sky are reflected in its bosom as when Jesus "walked in Galilee".
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When Jesus was a boy, he lived at Nazareth.Nazareth was a village among the hills.It was itself on a hill.All about it were green fields.In the spring, the fields were filled with pretty flowers.Jesus' father was a carpenter.He made doors and chairs and tables.Jesus helped about the shop.He was a good boy and loved to help his father.He helped his mother to draw water from the well.He went to school and learned to read and write.He went to church on the Sabbath.The church to which he went was called a synagogue.Do you suppose Jesus played with other boys and girls?He played with them in the village streets.He was always kind to them.He never teased them or did things that were mean.There is still a village of Nazareth.The hills and the fields about it are the same as then.
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Jesus was very sorry for people who were sick.How pale and thin some of them looked!How some of them suffered!Jesus loved to heal them.He was glad to see them get well again.How happy they and their friends were when they were made well!How glad the little children were to see their fathers and mothers come home again, well!As soon as people knew that Jesus could heal the sick, they brought all their friends who were sick to Jesus.Sometimes they brought sick children.How glad Jesus was to make the children well!
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NAZARETHFrom an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public Library, and used by kind permission.
This is a picture of the village of Nazareth, where Jesus lived when he was a boy. When he climbed the hills about the town he had a most beautiful view of the mountains and valleys of Palestine. Looking westward, the waters of the Mediterranean were spread out before him, and he could see the white sails of the passing ships.
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Because God is our Father we want to talk with him.We want to tell him about many things.We want to tell him how happy we are.If we have been naughty, we want to tell him how sorry we are.Sometimes we want to tell him how much we love him.Why do we do this?When people give us gifts, it is polite to say, "thank you."God gives us gifts, and we should say "thank you," to him.When we love people we want to talk with them.If we love God we will want to talk with him.When we have been naughty to anyone, we are sorry, and we want to say "please forgive me."When we have been naughty, we ought also to ask God to forgive us.{102}It makes God sorry when we are naughty.Would it be right to get up in the morning, and play all day when your father was at home, without saying one word to him?Would it make your father glad or sorry?Is it right, then, to take gifts from your Father in heaven all day long, and not say a word to him?Does it make him glad or sorry?Talking with our Father in heaven, we call praying.It is telling him all the things we want to tell a loving father.
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JESUS HEALING THE SICKBy Heinrich Hofmann
Jesus was rightly called the "Great Physician." In the picture are shown some of the sufferers whom Jesus delighted to help--the poor little child, white and still in its mother's arms, the lame, and the blind.
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We call God our Father.The prayer which Jesus taught us to pray, begins, "Our Father."Why do we call God our Father?Because God does for us what a good father does for his children.A good father loves his children.God loves his children.A good father gets food and clothing, and other things which his children need.God gets for his children what he sees they need.A good father wants his children to be good.God wants his children to be good.A good father will not let his children have what would be bad for them.God will not let us have what will be bad for us.When we call God our Father, it is a way of saying, "God loves me, God will take care of me."
"Our Father who art in heaven."
"One is your father, even he who is in heaven."
"One God and Father of all."
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"Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto his stature? And why are ye anxious concerning raiment?
"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field, . . . shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"
--Matt. 6:26-30.
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THE LAKE OF GALILEE
Another picture of the beautiful lake on which Jesus so often sailed with his disciples. The lake abounded in fish, and there was a great fleet of fishing boats which sailed about the lake and brought the fish to the many towns and cities on its shores. Some of Jesus' disciples were fishermen.
"And walking by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake; for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men.
"And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
"And going on from thence he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they straightway left the boat and their father, and followed him."
--Matt. 4:18-22
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"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits ye shall know them."
--Matt. 7:16-20.
"And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh at hand."
Luke 21:29-30.
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Once upon a time, there was a man named Jairus. He was a very important man among the Jews. He was one of the rulers of the synagogue; that means that he was one of those who had charge of the worship in the synagogue or church of the town. This man had a dear little daughter. This little girl was twelve years old, and her father and her mother loved her very much. One day she was taken sick. Her parents were very anxious about her, for each day she seemed to be growing worse. Then her father remembered that Jesus could cure people who were sick. So he went to find Jesus, and ask him if he would come and make his little girl well. Jesus was very busy when Jairus found him. He was talking to a great multitude of people. Jairus pushed through the crowd, and fell down at Jesus' feet, and begged him to come and make his little girl well. Jesus was very glad to come, but there were so many people about him that he had to walk very slowly. He stopped to heal a poor sick woman on the way. At last he drew near Jairus' house, but people came out of the house and said it was too late, for the little girl was dead. How badly the poor father felt then! But Jesus told him not to be afraid, just to have faith in him. Here is the whole story, as it is told in the Bible:--
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"The healing of His seamless dressIs by our beds of pain;We touch Him in life's throng and press,And we are whole again."Through Him the first fond prayers are saidOur lips of childhood frame,The last low whispers of our deadAre burdened with His name."
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One day a great multitude was gathered about Jesus as he taught by the sea. And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he falleth at his feet, and beseecheth him much, saying:--
"My little daughter is at the point of death: I pray thee, that thou come and lay hands on her, that she may be made whole, and live."
And he went with him; and a great multitude followed him.
As he approached the house, people came out, who said to Jairus:--
"Thy daughter is dead; why troublest thou the Master any further?"
But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith unto the ruler of the synagogue:--
"Fear not, only believe."
And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue; and he beholdeth a tumult, and many weeping and wailing greatly. And when he had entered in, he saith unto them:--{114}
"Why make ye a tumult, and weep? The child is not dead but sleepeth."
And they laughed him to scorn. But he, having put them all forth, taketh the father of the child and her mother and them that were with him, and goeth in where the child was. And taking the child by the hand, he saith unto her:--
"Talitha cumi," which means in the language of the country, "Little girl, I say unto thee, Arise."
And straightway the little girl rose up, and walked.
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EGYPTIAN TEMPLE ON THE ISLAND OF PHILAEFrom an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public Library, and used by kind permission.
This is one of the beautiful temples of Egypt on an island in the river Nile. This island has lately been covered by the waters of the great artificial lake formed by the dam built by the English government across the Nile to control the flow of the river. In the foreground is seen a "dahabiyeh," one of the peculiar boats for sailing upon the Nile.
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Once upon a time a little boy was born to some poor Hebrew people who were slaves in Egypt. The pharaoh, or king of that country, did not like the Hebrew people, and he said that all the little boy babies born to them must be killed. But the mother of this little boy wanted to save her pretty baby if she could. So she hid him three months. And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done with him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked{118}along by the river side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it. And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?"
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go."
And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, "Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages."
And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses.
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THE RIVER NILEFrom an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public Library, and used by kind permission.
The great river Nile was the very life of the country of Egypt which lies along its banks. A little way back from the river the desert begins. On the little green strip of the banks lived the proud and powerful people who enslaved the Israelites. A fleet of dahabiyehs is being loaded by the shore.
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In a city of the Bible land, called Jerusalem, there was a great temple, a sort of big church. Every day people came to this temple to worship in it. On the Sabbath, all the people came to worship in it. They did not sit in seats as we do in church, but stood up and listened. In front of where they stood were steps. Here, where all the people could see, stood a great band of singers dressed in white robes. Near by, were men with silver trumpets. When they blew the trumpets, all the people bowed down to pray. Then the singers sang praises to God, and the musicians played upon all the instruments of music, and the great temple was filled with glad, joyous song. The book of songs from which they sang is the book of Psalms in our Bible. Many of the songs were calls to the people to praise God for his goodness. Here is one of them:--
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.Serve the Lord with gladness:Come before his presence with singing.{122}Know ye that the Lord he is God:It is he that hath made us, and we are his;We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,And into his courts with praise:Give thanks unto him, and bless his name.For the Lord is good; and his mercy endureth for ever;And his faithfulness unto all generations.
Here is another beautiful song of praise:--
O come, let us sing unto the Lord:Let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation.Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving,Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.In his hand are the deep places of the earth;The heights of the mountains are his also.The sea is his, and he made it;And his hands formed the dry land.O come, let us worship and bow down;Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker:For he is our God,And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
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THE PYRAMIDS AND THE SPHINXFrom an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public Library, and used by kind permission.
The great pyramids of Egypt are among the wonders of the world. They are the tombs of some of the Pharaohs. They are great masses of stone, and we can hardly imagine how in those days it was possible to build them. The sphinx is a great stone figure of a beast with a human face. The pyramids and the sphinx were built before Joseph came to Egypt.
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Here is a song of trust in God, who watches over us day and night:--
I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains:From whence shall my help come?My help cometh from the Lord,Which made heaven and earth.He will not suffer thy foot to be moved;He that keepeth thee will not slumber.Behold, he that keepeth IsraelShall neither slumber nor sleep.The Lord is thy keeper:The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.The sun shall not smite thee by day,Nor the moon by night.The Lord shall keep thee from all evil;He shall keep thy soul.The Lord shall keep thy going out and thy coming in,From this time forth and for evermore.
The shortest song of all those in the book is a song of praise:--
O praise the Lord, all ye nations:Praise him, all ye peoples.For his merciful kindness is great toward us:And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.Praise ye the Lord.
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Jesus often told the people little stories when he was teaching them to be good. These little stories he called parables. Here is one of the parables:--
And Jesus said, "Behold the sower went forth to sow; and, as he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them: and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth; and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth, and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And others fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them: and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty."