The Life of Jesusmay be considered under five subdivisions: Silence, Obscurity, Popularity, Opposition, The Passion Week.Thirty Years of Silence.—The Bible narrative tells but little of these early years; but one public utterance of Jesus is referred to until he was thirty years of age.
The Life of Jesusmay be considered under five subdivisions: Silence, Obscurity, Popularity, Opposition, The Passion Week.
Thirty Years of Silence.—The Bible narrative tells but little of these early years; but one public utterance of Jesus is referred to until he was thirty years of age.
NOTE.—The harmony of the four Gospels used in the following chapters is not intended to be memorized. It is placed here in order to familiarize the pupil with its use, and to afford a ready means to locate the events in the Life of Jesus.
NOTE.—The harmony of the four Gospels used in the following chapters is not intended to be memorized. It is placed here in order to familiarize the pupil with its use, and to afford a ready means to locate the events in the Life of Jesus.
(The harmony reproduced here is taken from Professor Riddle's Outline Harmony of the Gospels; and the Journey Maps are reproduced from Arnold's Chart of Christ's Journeyings and Chart of Paul's Journeyings.)
(The harmony reproduced here is taken from Professor Riddle's Outline Harmony of the Gospels; and the Journey Maps are reproduced from Arnold's Chart of Christ's Journeyings and Chart of Paul's Journeyings.)
TIME.—5 B. C. to A. D. 26.
PLACES.—Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Egypt, Nazareth.
Copyright, 1898,by John D. Wattles & Co.The figures attached to the journeys refer toevents mentioned in the first column on the opposite page. A method for using these Journey maps is suggested in the section entitled Teaching Hints, in theAppendix.
Copyright, 1898,by John D. Wattles & Co.
The figures attached to the journeys refer toevents mentioned in the first column on the opposite page. A method for using these Journey maps is suggested in the section entitled Teaching Hints, in theAppendix.
SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS.—The fulfilment of prophecy is strikingly shown in the events surrounding the coming of Christ and the preparation for his ministry; and the preaching of John the Baptist epitomized the message which Jesus was about to proclaim.
111. The Thirty Years of Silence.—To these years the Gospels give small space. Only Matthew and Luke make any mention of them, and these give to them only four chapters. All the rest of the Gospels are devoted to the three and a half years of the Lord's active ministry.
112.Take, now, first what weknowof this early life. It was lived in Nazareth, in Galilee. Nazareth was a town where caravans rested on their journeys between Damascus and Egypt. It was a rough town, as we may infer by the remark of Nathanael, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). His home was that of a workingman, as Joseph was a carpenter. It was therefore the home of a poor man. Doubtless he himself followed for all those years of silence, the trade of his reputed father. So Jesus was truly a workingman himself. His mother was exceptionally godly, as we see by her wonderful outburst of song in Luke 1:46-55. This song is fairly saturated with the spirit of the old prophets. Joseph also gives signs of his fear of the Lord during these early years in more ways than one. Thus we may be sure that the "atmosphere" of that home was conducive to godliness. He was taught the Scriptures from his youth. This is apparent from his great familiarity with them, shown in his later years. To this we shall refer later.
113. His Early Education.—Of course he was taught to read and write, as every Jewish boy was. He also had the advantage of frequent visits to Jerusalem, for the visit referred to by Luke, at twelve years of age, was only the first of a long series of such visits. No doubt after that first visit he went up to the Holy City every year to the feast. A lad of his type of mind would not let such an opportunity pass without taking advantage of it each time that it came. So much we may say we practicallyknow about these thirty years. But there is much that we may legitimatelyinfer, and when guardedly used, inference is a legitimate source of knowledge. If you will let me go into a man's library, I may be able to infer with much accuracy the calling of that man. If the majority of the books are medical or legal, I infer that the man is a doctor or a lawyer. If the majority of the books that are worn are light fiction, my inference is of a totally different nature. If, to change the illustration, I go to the home of a lady, and in the afternoon find that I can write my name in the dust on the polished piano-lid, I infer somewhat about the housekeeper in whose home I am.
114.Making, then, reverent use of inference, what may we learn about these thirty years of our Lord's life, and of the influences that were at work all that time? Who were his teachers? For, bear in mind, that at the time of Jesus' entry into his public ministry, he came as a full-fledged man, who was prepared for his life's work.
115. Nature Taught Him.—Nature is God's first book, and if man had not sinned, he would have needed no other. To Jesus, nature was an open volume, and he read it in all its spiritual significance. While other boys saw only that which was outward, he saw that which was inward and had spiritual meaning. To him the lily spoke of his Father's care, the leaven that he saw in his mother's house spoke to him of the way in which the kingdom of God grew in this world. The mustard seed was an illustration of the growth of truth. Many of his most simple and precious teachings were drawn thus from nature. Sparrows, seed and tares, fig-tree, salt, and many other objects of nature told him of things unseen.
116. Men Taught Him.—He doubtless mingled much with them in Nazareth, and it is not hard to imagine the boy going to the camping-place of the passing caravans, and listening to the tales that the men from far countries had to tell. The stories that he afterward made use of were in many cases doubtless gathered from such sources. But he made them illustrate things unseen and spiritual. Look at his parables, and see how true this may easily be. The ten virgins may well have been a story that he heard, and of which he made such solemn use inhis ministry. Is it unnatural to suppose that in these gatherings of men he may have heard some one tell of a pearl merchant and his fortune in finding a peculiarly valuable pearl? In due time he used this story to illustrate the wisdom of staking all on one superlative venture. Look at his parables, and see how he made use of the interests of men in making clear the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. The sower, the lost silver, the prodigal son, children in the market-place, the rich fool, the vineyard and the laborers—these and many more show how richly the relationships of men with their fellow-men instructed him.
117. The Bible Taught Him.—He was most familiar with its teachings, and knew how to use them on the spot, without reference to commentary or concordance. We find in his sayings reference to, or quotations from, the following books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 1 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jonah, Joel, Hosea, Micah, Zechariah, and Malachi—22 in all. Had all the utterances of our Lord been given to us, I doubt not that we should have found that he quoted from every book of the Old Testament. For bear in mind that we have only a very small part of what our Lord said preserved for us. His recorded words are only 38,422, or the equivalent of ten short sermons. But for three years he was speaking incessantly.
118. Prayer Taught Him.—His habit of spending all night in prayer was not one acquired of a sudden. No doubt he spent many a night in prayer while he was still at the carpenter's trade. But the prayer-habit is one calculated to shed much light on things that lay hold on eternal truth. All spiritual seers are men of much prayer.
119. Finally, His Visits to Jerusalem Taught Him.—Not in vain did he go at least 18 times to that city before his public ministry began. It was in this way that he saw the formality of the Pharisaic party, and the self-seeking of scribe and chief priest. So when he denounced them so fiercely in later times, he did it not out of an experience of day before yesterday, but out of years of observation. Such were some of the influencesthat surrounded him, and the teachers that prepared him during those thirty years of silence for his great work. Thus, when the fulness of time came, he stepped forth full armed for the contest with the powers of darkness.
Where were Christ's thirty years of silence spent?
What was our Lord's trade?
What can we say of the religious life of his mother and of his father?
In what way is inference a legitimate ground of knowledge?
What is the first of the teachers of our Lord during that time that is mentioned?
Give the second of his teachers.
What else did he have as teacher?
Illustrate each of these somewhat in detail.
What else taught him?
What is the last of these teachers mentioned?
Religious Lifeof the time was marked by absence of idolatry, by the presence of numerous synagogues and of reverence for the Scriptures.Governmentwas that of a foreign nation—Rome.
Religious Lifeof the time was marked by absence of idolatry, by the presence of numerous synagogues and of reverence for the Scriptures.
Governmentwas that of a foreign nation—Rome.
TIME.—A. D. 26 to A. D. 27.
PLACES.—Wilderness of Judea, Bethany beyond Jordan, Cana, Sychar, Jerusalem, Judea.
Copyright, 1898,by John D. Wattles & Co.The figures attached to the journeys refer toevents mentioned in the first column on the opposite page.
Copyright, 1898,by John D. Wattles & Co.
The figures attached to the journeys refer toevents mentioned in the first column on the opposite page.
120. The Year of Obscurity.—Before examining this at all, it will be well to consider the state of national life into which the life of the Master was projected. It was not like that which we have seen prevailed so constantly before the captivity, for there was now among Jews no idolatry of any kind to be found. This was a great gain. Moreover, it was a national life under subjection to a foreign and Gentile power. With this power the Lord had to reckon, of course. Once more there was great reverence for the written Word, which was now more full than it ever had been, for the Old Testament, as we have it, was all in existence. There was to be found in every Jewish town the synagogue, where the law was read and expounded. This institution was an outgrowth of the captivity experience, and was most valuable. But, alas! there was also much of formality, especially among the religious leaders. They had so added to or explained the written law that it had become void through the traditions of men. Much religiosity, but little true religion, was to be found. Yet among the lowly there was still true religion, as shown by such persons as Zacharias and Elisabeth, Joseph and Mary, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Into a national life such as is here very briefly indicated, Jesus came forth.
121. The Baptism.—He is introduced to us in this year, first at his baptism (Matt. 3:13). Here we have our first foreshadowing of the Trinity, for here the Son stands, praying, while at the same time the Father's approving voice is heard, and the Holy Spirit descends and rests on the Son.
122. The Temptation.—This is at once followed by the forty days of temptation in the wilderness. Of this experience we are given but three specific instances. These seem to be typical of all the rest, and relate to: 1. Unlawful use of his miraculous power for himself. 2. Dramatic display of his power as Messiah. 3. Absolute turning from his life-purpose for the sake of self-aggrandizement. All these, it is worthy of note, are resisted, by the use of the written Word, which in Jesus' hands is a mighty sword. The fundamental reason for this assault on the part of Satan may be found in the undoubted fact that the Adversaryknew that Jesus had come to this world to destroy his works. Demons knew who Jesus was long before men did. On that account the great assault was made, for if Jesus could be stumbled into sin, then he could not be Saviour, since he himself would need to be saved. Had Jesus yielded in the wilderness, Calvary would not have been of any avail.
123. The First Disciples.—During this first year Jesus gained many disciples, though he himself did not, like John the Baptist, baptize them. This he left to his chosen disciples. This shows that the popularity of the Baptist had at this time already begun to wane, as he himself predicted that it would. Not many miracles are recorded during this period, though we know that the one in Cana of Galilee was the first of a series. The gathering of disciples, who later became apostles, begins in this year. In one day the record indicates that he gained six of these (John 1:35-51).
124. The Cleansing of the Temple.—A most dramatic event in this year is his first cleansing of the Temple. The extortion practised in the court of the Temple filled him with indignation and he drove out the money changers, and dealers in cattle and doves, declaring that his Father's house was a house of prayer, while they had made it a den of thieves. This drew on him the antagonism of the rulers under whose fostering care, or at least through whose negligence, these abuses had grown up. This antagonism never ceased until they had worked on him their will on Calvary.
125. Interview with Nicodemus.—It was during this first year that we have two most remarkable dialogues of our Lord. The first is that with the ruler Nicodemus. At this interview either John the evangelist must have been present, or else Jesus or Nicodemus must have told John what was said. In this dialogue occurs the most significant sentence that the world has ever heard, having within twenty-four words more of Divine truth than any other similar number of words ever uttered,—John 3:16. In this verse, as Dr. Arthur T. Pierson puts it, we have five couplets:
1. God the Father and the Son, as the originators of salvation.
2. The Divine action, "loved," and "gave."
3. Those toward whom this action was directed. "The world," and to make it personal, "whosoever."
4. The condition on which the Divine gift may be had. "Believe," and therefore "have."
5. That for which all this action is taken, "not perish," but have "everlasting life."
126. The Woman of Samaria.—In this year too, at its close, comes the interview with the woman at Jacob's well, in Samaria. It is well worth noticing that to a woman, and she a Samaritan woman, Jesus poured out truth as prodigally as he did to Nicodemus, a ruler of his own nation. The result of this interview was the adherence of a large number of Samaritans to the Master. All the above story of this first year of our Lord's public ministry we learn only from the Gospel of John, each of the other evangelists beginning his story with the Galilean ministry.
127.Note that our Lord's whole public life is condensed into three and a half short years. Yet what a wonderful work he accomplished in that period! The active life of Alexander the Great was thirteen years, and that of Napoleon twenty-three years. In those years these two men wrought wonders. But their empire has long since passed away. The empire of the Master is to-day wider than ever, and the work of those three years and a half will never cease to be felt. This is because he was more than mere man, and brought to his task super-human power and knowledge.
State the condition of Palestine religiously at the time of our Lord's entry into public life.
What was the value of the synagogue?
Give the first event of the year in question.
Of what doctrine do we see the foreshadowing at Christ's baptism?
Give the threefold nature of the temptations of which we have record.
What reason may we assign for the attempt of Satan to draw Christ to sin?
With whom did Jesus have a most significant interview in Jerusalem?
Give the five couplets in John 3:16.
With whom did Jesus have another interview at Jacob's well?
What was the result of that interview?
What is there significant in the brevity of our Lord's public life as compared with that of Alexander or Napoleon?
TIME.—A. D. 28 to A. D. 29.
PLACES.—Capernaum, Galilee, Jerusalem, Nain, Gadara, Nazareth.
GALILEAN MINISTRYCopyright, 1898,by John D. Wattles & Co.The figures attached to the journeys refer toevents mentioned in the first column on the opposite page.
Copyright, 1898,by John D. Wattles & Co.
The figures attached to the journeys refer toevents mentioned in the first column on the opposite page.
128. The Year of Popularity.—This was spent in Galilee. The Galileans had heard of his fame from those of their number who had seen him in Jerusalem, so it required but a few deeds of might to arouse them to the highest pitch of enthusiasm. His activity during this year may be studied with relation, first, to his miracles, and second, to his teaching.
129. His Miracles Multiplied.—These were multiplied beyond any previous precedent. They sprang from him as sparks spring from the red-hot iron of the blacksmith under the hammer. There must have been single days when he wrought hundreds of miracles. Take that Sabbath day in Capernaum as an example. In the morning in the synagogue he healed a demoniac. In the later part of the day he healed Peter's mother-in-law. Then, as the sun was setting, there came to him all in that city that had maladies of any kind, and he healed them all. A wonderful day that, for Capernaum. No wonder that later on he referred to that city as exalted to heaven. His miraculous power manifested itself over disease of every kind. No malady was unreachable by him. The three characteristics of his healing ministry were, first, it was instantaneous—there was no period of convalescence. Deathly sick one moment—perfectly well the next; this was the history of each patient. (One exception there is to this, and that is of the man who needed two touches to cure his blindness (Mark 8:24.) Was the man's faith at fault?) Second, it was perfect—there were no signs of weakness left and no relapses. How unlike the frequent experience under even the best of modern physicians! In the third place, it was allwithout money or price.
130. His Powerwas equally great over death. He called, and Lazarus came forth; he took the dead maiden by the hand and she arose. He spoke to the young man on his bier and he responded. His power extended to the spirit world, for he commanded evil spirits to come out of men, and they obeyed. Nature obeyed his voice, as when he spoke to the winds and the waves and they were hushed. Man, nature, and the spirit world all recognized his power and yielded swift obedience. No wonderthat his popularity was immense under these circumstances. It would not be possible to exaggerate the exciting scenes through which he passed during this year. Men thronged around him so violently, and crushed together to see and hear him so vehemently, that many were thrown down and trampled on. Wild cries must have come from the masses of people who so excitedly pressed near to him. They actually broke up the roof of one house so as to get into his presence the patient for whom they craved his services. He had not time so much as to eat in peace, as they gave him no respite (Mark 6:31).
131. His Miracles as Lessons.—All these miracles of his were in reality also object-lessons to lead men to an apprehension of things invisible and spiritual. If he healed a man born blind, it was to make men see that they needed spiritual sight. If he touched the deaf man's ears and made him hear, what was this but an object-lesson showing that they woefully needed spiritual hearing? And if he raised the dead, this, too, was to teach a great spiritual truth, namely, that he was the resurrection and the life.
132.In all this wonderful life we are glad to note how much of happiness must have come to the Master as he saw the sick made instantly well. At the same time his gift of healing sometimes brought to him exquisite sorrow, as in the case of the ten lepers, nine of whom did not think it worth their while to go back to say, "Thank you." It was at this time in his ministry that the Master began to bid men whom he helped hold their peace, for there was really danger that the excited throngs would develop into uncontrollable mobs, and that the Roman government would find it necessary to interfere.
133. His Teachingwas apparently less important than were his miracles, though it was really more important. If we could have only the miracles, or the teaching, we would at once take the teaching. The miracles were chiefly temporary in their effect, while the influence of the teaching is eternal. In view of the fact that, as noted inLesson 2, we have so few of his words recorded, we may well wonder at their power. As he said, "the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life" (John 6:63).
134.His teaching was characterized by itsboldness. He taught them as one who had authority, for he knew by inward experience the truth of all that he uttered. The Scribes were more like parrots, for they repeated the opinions of those who had gone before them, and had no true vision of things spiritual. Jesus, on the other hand, did not hesitate to quote passages from Moses, and set them aside, on his own authority. He had larger vision than had the great lawgiver, and he was well aware of that fact. "Ye have heard that it hath been said—but I say unto you," such was his confident manner of teaching. And the results of his teaching have fully substantiated his claim.
135.In his teaching he wasinfinitely tenderwith confessed sin, but at the same time he was equally stern against professed holiness. No more terrible words have ever been spoken than those of the Master against the Scribes and Pharisees, on account of their hypocrisy. To read them with any adequate conception of the occasion is to feel almost terrified at their vehemence. On the other hand, no zephyr was ever more gentle than were his words to those who felt their sin and wished to abandon it.
136.In his teaching hemade much use of parable, for this was in reality a picture, and he knew that pictures convey truth and are remembered longer than any other form of speech. What an array of pictures his parables have hung in the galleries of our memories! Prodigal Son, Good Samaritan, Ten Virgins, Lost Sheep, Unjust Judge—what are these but pictures that we cherish, and from which we gain eternal truths of the most precious nature?
137.His teaching for the most part revolved around the idea ofthe Kingdom of God on Earth, and Himself as its Center. Let the student look up all the parables of the Kingdom and he will realize the truth of this statement. The reason why even his nearest disciples misunderstood him so, and thought that this kingdom was to be like that of David, was that they did not put the emphasis in the right place. They thought of "Thekingdomof God," while he thought of "The Kingdom ofGod." There is a great difference between these two forms of emphasis. The one led them to ask for places on his right and left in his kingdom; the other emphasized the truth that the Kingdom of God iswithin you. Thus in the midst of great excitement, this year of popularity was spent. Tours through Galilee were like triumphal processions, and the throngs were never weary of crowding on him and the disciples. Alas! that the people should not have better appreciated the inwardness of his mission, but should have taken in only that which was temporal and not eternal!
What is the second year of our Lord's life called?
Where was it for the most part spent?
What two chief characteristics marked this year?
Over what did the Master show his power?
Name the peculiarities of his healings.
Of what may the miracles be said to be object-lessons?
Which was more truly important—his miracles or his teaching? Why?
What two characteristics did his teaching possess?
Why did he make so much use of the parable?
Around what thought did most of the Lord's teaching revolve?
Why did the disciples so misunderstand him?
PEREAN MINISTRYCopyright, 1898,by John D. Wattles & Co.The figures attached to the journeys refer toevents mentioned in the first column on the opposite page.
Copyright, 1898,by John D. Wattles & Co.
The figures attached to the journeys refer toevents mentioned in the first column on the opposite page.
TIME.—A. D. 29 to A. D. 30.
PLACES.—Capernaum, Tyre and Sidon, Decapolis, Caesarea Philippi, Mt. Hermon, Galilee, Jerusalem, Eastern Bethsaida.
138. The Year of Opposition.—Our Lord's year of popularity waned much after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. This miracle stirred the people to the very height of enthusiasm. Now, they thought, we have one who is worthy to be our king. So intense was this conviction that they wanted on the spot to proclaim him king, and raise the standard of revolt against Rome (John 6:15). Even the disciples seem to have been infected with this mad thought, for he "constrained" them to go away (Matt. 14:22). On the day following, however, the multitudes found him again, and tried to persuade him to repeat the miracle of feeding. This he refused to do. He tried to make them understand that he had better bread for them, even the bread of life. But what they really wanted was only bakers' bread. They thought that if Moses fed the people for forty years for nothing, their Messiah should do even better than that. So, when he refused to be to them a "commissariat department," they at once forsook him. "Many" of his disciples "went back" at that time. For all of this read John 6:22-71. At this moment it was that Peter comes so grandly to the front and makes his confession. When we see Peter later on denying his Master, let us bear in mind his bold stand taken at this juncture.
139. Opposed by the Pharisees.—During all this year of popularity the Pharisees were dogging the footsteps of the Master, as spies dog the criminal. Of these Pharisees there were at this time, in Palestine, about 6000. They were the ecclesiastical leaders of the people, and this makes their opposition all the more ghastly. They, who should have led the people aright, led them astray. The grounds of their opposition were manifold. Among others were the following:
(1) They opposed him because of theirown intense pride. They were those who sought glory one of another, and so theycould not believe in him (John 5:44). His aims and theirs were so widely apart that they could not even understand him. To them the glory that cometh from God had no attractiveness. So they opposed him who was meek and lowly.
(2) They opposed him on account ofhis humble origin. He was only a carpenter's son, and so to them was of no account. Had they made due investigation, they would have found that he came of the line of David, their great king. But they did nothing of the sort (Matt. 13:55-58). It was an offense to them that he came from among the lowly, and not from some of the aristocratic families of the land. His lack of training in the schools seems to have nettled them, so that they exclaimed in disgusted surprise, "How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" (John 7:15.)
(3) They opposed him bitterly, on account ofthe company that he kept. In contempt they said, "This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them" (Luke 15:2). And they continually complained that he was a friend of hated publicans and sinners. They could not understand at all that the very grandeur of his mission consisted just in this, that he came to call sinners to repentance. Their complaint, as given in Luke 15:2, called forth from him three of the grandest parables that we have, namely, those of the lost silver, the lost sheep, and the lost son. Especially were they angered because he had taken into the number of his disciples the hated Matthew, the tax-gatherer.
(4) They opposed him again because of hisfailure to observe the Sabbathin the manner prescribed by themselves. They had made the day one of weariness to the flesh, and had passed by deeds of mercy and helpfulness. So when he healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda and the man born blind, on the Sabbath, they took counsel how they might destroy him. While they themselves would pull out a sheep or an ox from the pit on the Sabbath, they criticized him for healing men on that day. This brought forth from him stern condemnation, which, of course, did not mollify their feelings toward him.
(5) Furthermore, they opposed him because hedeclined to observecertain minute regulations of the law concerning washing of hands and the like. These regulations they had laid on men'sshoulders, but they were not at all Divine ordinances. This is why he said, in his denunciation of them, "they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger" (Matt. 23:4). (Read the whole of Matt. 23, and you will understand better who and what these men were who were opposing the Master.) Once more, they opposed him because he had made such friends of the common people and had not in any way bowed down to them, as the leaders of the people. The common people heard him gladly, and that angered them. "This multitude who knoweth not the law are cursed" (John 7:49). They were furious because the whole world seemed to have gone after him, while they themselves were left in the background. This was galling to their innate pride.
(6) What made their opposition all the worse was that though they could not deny his miracles, they went so far as to ascribe them to the agency of Satan. "He hath a demon, and is mad: why hear ye him?" is what they exclaimed (John 10:20). The Pharisees said, "By the prince of the demons casteth he out demons" (Matt. 9:34). So they dared to ascribe to demoniac possession the deeds of him in whom the Spirit dwelt without measure. It was this ascribing to the spirit of darkness of the works of the Holy Spirit that brought forth from the Master his statement concerning the unpardonable sin. It really consisted in ascribing to the Holy Spirit the works of the prince of darkness.
140. Away from the Crowds.—After the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, the Master was mostly in out of the way places, such as Cæsarea Philippi, Decapolis, and the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. He feared lest the Galileans, if he wrought more miracles among them, would raise insurrection, and so bring on him the power of the Roman government. This would have ruined his mission to this earth. For about six months after the miracle of the five thousand he tarried in Galilee and its immediate vicinity before he started on his final journey to Jerusalem. It was during these six months that the transfiguration took place.
What event closes the year of popularity?
What action did the people wish to take in consequence of the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand?
What sign have we that even the disciples were infected with this spirit?
What did the people wish Jesus to do on the following day?
When he declined what did the people do?
All this time, what was the attitude of the Pharisees?
How many of these men were there at this time in Palestine?
Give the first ground of their opposition to him.
Give the second ground of their opposition.
Give the third ground.
Give the fourth and the fifth ground assigned for their opposition.
To what did they ascribe his power of working miracles?
Where did the Master stay for the next six months?
What marked event took place during these six months?
1. How long an interval of silence between Old and New Testament?
2. Give the limits of each of the five periods of New Testament history.
3. How may the life of Christ be divided?
4. What was the threefold nature of Jesus' temptation?
5. What is meant by the year of obscurity?
6. With whom did Jesus have a most noteworthy interview in Jerusalem?
7. What is the second year of Christ's life called?
8. Where was it for the most part spent?
9. Why did Jesus use parables so much?
10. Around what thought did most of his teachings revolve?
11. What were the five grounds given for the opposition of the Pharisees?
12. Where did the Master stay for six months after the year of popularity?
TIME.—A. D. 30.
PLACES.—Bethany, Jerusalem.