the wise menTHE GUID-ING STAR.
One night as a wise man lay on the roof of his house, with his gaze fixed on the great broad sky, he gave a start and cry of joy, for there shone a new star of such size that all the rest of the stars grew dim and small. And it was as if the sun had burst through a dark cloud, and brought the dawn some hours too soon, for the whole East was full of light from the long rays of this new star.
And the star seemed to move, and its rays to point all one way. And the wise men who saw it knew that the light had come for which they had looked and prayed so long, and they set out at once with the star to guide them, and they took rich gifts with them. Each night it shone in the sky, and led them on and on till they came to Je-ru-sa-lem. And they said to those they met there, Where is he that is born to be King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to kneel down at his feet.
When He-rod heard of these things, and that they spoke of Je-sus as King, he was in great fear lest he should lose his throne. So he sent for his chief priests and scribes that they might tell him where Christ should be born. And they read from their old books that it had been fore-told that he should be born in Beth-le-hem.
Then He-rod sent for the wise men, and told them to go to Beth-le-hem, and search for the young child. And when ye find him, said he, bring me back word that I too may fall down at his feet and give him praise.
But this he did not mean to do, for his plan was to put the child to death just as soon as he could find out where it was.
shepherdsTHE SHEP-HERDS OF BETH-LE-HEM.
When the king had ceased to speak, the wise men from the east left Je-ru-sa-lem, and went on their way to Beth-le-hem. And the star led them on and on, and was like the face of a friend. And a small, still voice seemed to say to them:—Come!—Come!—Come! And it drew them so that they would have gone to the ends of the earth. When troops are on the march, and through their ranks goes the cry of Halt! then each foot must stand still, and not a man moves from his place.
And when the wise men came to Beth-le-hem, lo, the star that had led them stood still in the sky, right o'er the place where the young child was. And when they went in-to the house they saw the young child, with Ma-ry, his mo-ther, and they fell on their knees and bowed down to him as if he had been a king. And they brought him gifts of great worth, and gold and myrrh and rich gums and spice that can be found on-ly in those lands in the far East.
And God spoke to them in a dream, and told them not to go back to He-rod, so they went home not by the same road they had come.
When He-rod found that the wise men had not done as he bade them, he was in a great rage, and sent men to Beth-le-hem, and slew all the chil-dren there who were two years old or less, for then he was sure that Je-sus would be slain.
wise men arriveTHE WISE MEN BRING-ING PRES-ENTS TO JE-SUS.
But ere He-rod's men came, God spoke to Jo-seph in a dream, and said, Rise, and take thy wife and thy son, and flee in-to E-gypt, and stay there till I bring thee word; for He-rod will seek the young child to kill him.
So Jo-seph did as the Lord told him, and took his wife and child out of Beth-le-hem by night, and went to dwell in the Land of E-gypt.
Mary and JesusTHE FLIGHT IN-TO E-GYPT.
But when He-rod was dead, God spoke to Jo-seph in a dream, and told him to take his wife and son and go back to the land of Is-ra-el, for the man was dead who sought to kill the young child. And Jo-seph did as the an-gel told him, and he and his wife and child came and dwelt in Naz-a-reth.
THE BOYHOOD OF JESUS.
Itwas in the first month of the year that God brought the Jews out of E-gypt and led them through the Red Sea.
And he made it a law that in the first month of each year they should all meet at one place, and bring the young lambs and calves and the first fruits of the field and give thanks to God in the way they had been taught. And this they were to do all the days of their life. And this feast, which was to last not quite two months, was known as the Feast of the Weeks. There were days they were to fast, and days they were to feast, and they were to call to mind that they were once slaves, and that God had set them free, and with glad hearts praise and bless his great name.
The place where the Jews now met was at Je-ru-sa-lem, and Je-sus was twelve years old when he went up for the first time, with Jo-seph and Ma-ry, to keep the Feast of the Weeks.
There was a great crowd there, and friends to meet and talk with, and it must have been a hardtask to keep track of the young folks, who found so much to see and to hear that was new and strange.
When the days of the feast were at an end, Jo-seph and Ma-ry set out for their home in Naz-a-reth.
They had gone out with a band of friends and folks from the same town, and were to come back in the same way. It was not safe for them to go by them-selves, for there were waste lands to cross where bands of thieves lay in wait for a chance to rob and to kill those who came their way.
NazarethNAZ-A-RETH.
Some rode on mules, some on horse-back, andsome had to walk all the way. Je-sus was not with Jo-seph and Ma-ry, but they thought he must be with some of the friends or kins-folk. But when at the end of a day's ride he came not near them, they sought for him in the groups of friends and kins-folk, where there were lads of his own age.
Boy Jesus at thje templeJE-SUS WITH THE DOC-TORS IN THE TEM-PLE.
And when they found him not, they went back to Je-ru-sa-lem, and sought for him with hearts full of grief, for they knew not what harm might have come to him.
For three days they went from house to house, and through the lanes and streets, but could see no signs of the boy they had lost.
At the end of that time they went in-to the house of God, it may have been to pray that their child might be found, and there a strange sight met their gaze.
Je-sus sat in the midst of the wise men, whose place it was to teach and to preach to those who came up to the feasts, and the old men bent their heads to hear what the young lad had to say. For it was the first time they had met with one so young in years who was so wise in speech, and they felt in their hearts that he must have been taught of God.
When Jo-seph and Ma-ry saw Je-sus they were struck dumb, and could do naught but stare, as if it was a scene in a dream. Then Ma-ry said, My son, why didst thou vex us thus? we have sought for thee with sad hearts.
Je-sus said, Why did ye look for me? Do ye not know that I must do the work that my fa-ther has set me to do?
Jo-seph and Ma-ry did not know what he meant by these words, or that God had sent Je-sus on earth to teach men how to read the word of God a-right, and how to save their souls from death.
Je-sus went back to Naz-a-reth with Jo-seph and Ma-ry, and was a good son to them. And he grew wise and tall, and was blest of God, and won the hearts of all who were near him, for they saw in him much to love.
It was not known that he was the Son of God, and he made friends by his own sweet ways, for he was a poor boy.
Naught was heard or known of Je-sus for some years, and we are led to think that he was taught how to use the axe, and saw, and plane, and to work at the same trade his fa-ther did. This gave him a chance to see how folks lived, and to use his eyes and ears as he went from house to house, so that when he went forth to teach he could tell them of their sins, and show them how vile they were.
And this part of the life of Je-sus—of which not a word is told in the New Test-a-ment—is to teach us to stay in the place where God has put us, and to do our work there in the best way we know how.
Je-sus was at school then, just as boys and girls in these days go to school, and strive to grow wise and to fit them-selves for the work they are to do in the world. And though he was to be a king he did not put on airs, or sit and fold his hands and bid those that were near wait on him and be at his beck and call. No! he was born and brought up withpoor folks, to teach us that Je-sus is more at home with the poor than he is with the rich; and to be Christ-like we must seek to please God, to do his will, to put down pride, and keep sin out of our hearts.
JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST.
Youhave been told that John went out in-to the woods and waste lands when quite a young man. He fed on lo-custs and wild hon-ey, and his clothes were made of the skin of the cam-el, with the long rough hair on the out-side.
The time had now come for him to go out in the world to tell of Je-sus, and to bid men give up their sins and walk in the right path.
And he went to a place near the Jor-dan and crowds came there to hear him. And he told them that he had been sent to warn them to flee from the wrath to come. He said they must not think they would be saved be-cause they were sons or heirs of good men who had served God and died in the faith. He told them that each one was to be like a tree, and to stand in his place and bring forth fruit, and serve God in the best way that he could. Andeach tree, said John, which brings not forth good fruit is cut down and cast in-to the fire. He told them they must be good and kind to each oth-er, and must give food and clothes to those who were in need of such things. They must not tell lies, nor steal, nor be vain and proud, but they must show by the way they lived that they loved God and were glad to do his will.
The BaptistJOHN THE BAP-TIST.
And when those who heard him felt a great hate for sin, and a strong wish to lead good lives, and to be saved from the wrath of God, they spoke to John and he led them down to the Jor-dan and they were bap-tiz-ed in the stream.
Now wa-ter will wash the stains from our clothes, and cleanse our skin, but it will not wash our sins away. To do this we must have Christ in our hearts. Some of those who heard John talk thought that he might be the Christ who was to come, and of whom the proph-ets had fore-told since the days of Mos-es. Some were quite sure of it; but oth-ers shook their heads, for they had made up their minds that he who was to come and rule o-ver them would be dressed like a king, and not in such plain clothes as John wore.
John heard their words, or guessed their thoughts, and he said to these Jews, I in-deed bap-tize you with wa-ter, but he who is to come af-fer me, and who is great-er than I, will bap-tize you with fire.
That meant that Je-sus would be in their hearts like a fire, to burn up all that was bad, as they burnt the chaff that was blown loose from the wheat.
Then Je-sus came from his home in Naz-a-reth to have John bap-tize him in Jor-dan's stream. But John would not. He said there was more need that Je-sus should bap-tize him. He felt that there was need to have his own sins washed a-way, but Je-sus had no sins. So why dost thou come to me? said John.
Je-sus had come on the earth as a man to do God's will, and to teach man-kind how to walk in the right path and keep their hearts free from sin. And he told John, that all these things would be made plain to him some day, and it was right that he should bap-tize him.
So John went with Je-sus in-to the wa-ter, and he bap-tized Je-sus in the wa-ter. And Je-sus was pray-ing to his Fa-ther in heav-en.
And as Je-sus went up out of the wa-ter, lo, there came a great light in the sky, that took the form of a dove, and it came down and seemed to rest on him. And God's voice spoke out of the sky, and said: This is my dear Son, with whom I am well pleased.
Then Je-sus went out in-to the waste lands, and was there with no one near him for more than a month. In all that time he ate no food, but spentthe hours in talks with God. At last he felt weak and faint, and left the waste lands to go in search of some-thing to eat.
Now there is a fiend in this world, as we all know, who has a black heart, and can take on all sorts of shapes. He came to Eve in the form of a snake, and to Sam-son with a fair face. He tempts those to do wrong who have set out to do right, and we have to be on our guard all the time, and to watch and pray that we may be kept safe from him.
When this fiend saw Je-sus on his way to give new hearts to men, and to make them good and pure, he thought he would try and put a stop to such work. So he went out to tempt Je-sus, with the same smooth voice in which he spoke to Eve.
And he came to him and said, If thou be the Son of God change those stones in-to bread, so that thou canst eat now that thou hast need of food.
Je-sus knew why Sa-tan had come, and he told him that men should take more pains to do God's will than to get bread to eat. Next Sa-tan took Je-sus to Je-ru-sa-lem, and up to a high place where the house of God was built. And he said to him, If thou be the Son of God, throw thy-self down; for it is said, he shall give his an-gels charge to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash a-gainst a stone.
TemptationTHE TEMPT-A-TION.
Je-sus told him that it was not right to go where it was not safe, just to try if God would keep us from harm.
Then Sa-tan took Je-sus up on a high mount, from whence could be seen all the large towns in the land, and all their great wealth. And he said to him, All these will I give thee for thine own if thou wilt kneel down and wor-ship me.
Je-sus said to him, Go from me, Sa-tan, for it is set down in God's book, Thou shalt wor-ship the Lord thy God, and him a-lone shalt thou serve.
When Sa-tan found that Je-sus paid no heed to his words, he left him, and an-gels came to wait on the Son of God.
In a short time Je-sus went back to the Jor-dan where John was, and when John saw him, he said, Be-hold the Lamb of God!
He spoke of Je-sus as the Lamb of God, for he was to be laid on the cross for the sins of men, as the lamb was in those days laid on the al-tar.
Then Je-sus set out to preach and to turn men from their sins. And he went to Gal-i-lee. And one day as he walked by the sea-shore he saw two men cast their net in-to the sea. Their names were An-drew and Pe-ter. Je-sus said to them, Come with me. And they left their nets at once, that they might be near him and learn of him.
At the weddingTHE MAR-RIAGE IN CA-NA.
The next day he saw two men whose names were James and John in a boat with their fa-ther. Their nets had broke, and they were in haste to mend them so that they could take in a large haul of fish. But Je-sus spoke to James and John, and they left the boat at once, and went with him that he might teach them.
The next day Je-sus spoke to Phil-ip and Na-than-i-el, and they left their homes and went with him.
When Je-sus came to the town of Ca-na he found quite a crowd there, for a wed-ding was to take place, and he and his mo-ther had been bid to the feast. There wasfood to eat and wine to drink, but ere the feast was at an end the wine was all gone. And when Ma-ry knew of it she said to Je-sus, They have no wine. And she bade those who were there to serve the guests to do just as Je-sus told them.
Now there were in the house six large stone jars such as the Jews kept to hold wa-ter. Je-sus said to the men, Fill the jars with wa-ter. And they filled them to the brim. And he said to them, Take some out now and bear it to the chief guest of the feast. And they did so; and the wa-ter was changed in-to wine.
The chief guest did not know what Je-sus had done; but when he had drunk some of the wine he sent for the bride-groom and said to him, As a rule, those who give a feast set out the good wine first, and when the guests have had all they care for they bring out that which is worse. But thou hast kept the good wine till now.
This was the first great sign Je-sus gave of the pow-er he had from on high. And it was proof to those whose hearts were with him that he was the true Son of God.
The time of the Feast of Weeks was at hand, and Je-sus went up to Je-ru-sa-lem to keep it. And in one of the courts were men who had brought their wares to the house of God to sell them to the Jewswhen they came up to the feast. When Je-sus came to the place where these men were, the sight did not please him. And Je-sus made a scourge, or whip of small cords, and drove them all out, with their flocks and their herds. And he poured their gold and sil-ver on the ground, and said to those who sold doves, Take them a-way; make not the house of God a place to buy and sell in.
Clearing the templeDRIV-ING THE SELL-ERS FROM THE TEM-PLE.
And while he was at the feast crowds were drawn to him, and had faith in him when they saw what won-ders he could do. Nic-o-de-mus, one of the chief men of the Jews, came to Je-sus in thenight, and said to him, We know that God has sent thee to teach us what is right, for no man could do these won-ders if God were not with him.
Je-sus told him that he must have a new heart or he could not be a child of God.
He-rod, who slew the babes of Beth-le-hem, was dead, but his son He-rod ruled in that part of Gal-i-lee, and he was a bad man. He took his broth-er's wife from him and made her his own wife. Her name was He-ro-di-as. When John the Bap-tist told He-rod this was not right, he would have put him to death if he had dared. But he had heard him preach, and knew that he was a good man. Yet to please He-ro-di-as He-rod had seized John, and bound him, and shut him up in jail.
While John was in jail, He-rod, on his birth-day, made a great feast for the lords and chief men of Gal-i-lee. And a young girl, whose name was Sa-lo-me, came and danced in their midst. He-rod was so much pleased with her that he said, Ask of me what thou wilt, and thou shalt have it, though it were half of my realm.
And Sa-lo-me went to He-ro-di-as—who was her mo-ther—and said, What shall I ask?
And He-ro-di-as said to her, Ask the king to cut off the head of John the Bap-tist, and bring it to thee here in a large dish.
Sa-lo-me came back in haste to the king, and said, Give me, in a large dish, the head of John the Bap-tist.
He-rod was grieved, but as he had sworn to give her what she asked for, and those who sat near had heard him, he felt bound to keep his word. So he sent one of his train-band, who cut off John's head in the jail, and brought it in a large dish to Sa-lo-me, and she gave it to her mo-ther.
When the friends of John heard of it they came up and took his dead form and laid it in a tomb, and went and told Je-sus.
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL—JESUS BY THE SEA.
Oneday Je-sus and his friends came to the town of Sy-char, near which was a well to which all the folks came to draw wa-ter. It was known as Ja-cob's Well. The sun was hot, and Je-sus, tired with his long walk, sat down by this well to rest, while his friends went to the town to buy food.
A wo-man came from the town to draw wa-ter. She led a life of sin, and had no love for God in her heart. And Je-sus knew this, for he sees all ourhearts, and knows all our thoughts, and all that we have done.
And he spoke to the wo-man, and told her of the things she had done that did not please God. And she thought he was a seer, to whom God told things that were not known to most folks. And she said to Je-sus, I know that Christ is to come in-to the world, and when he comes he will tell us all things. Je-sus said to her, I that speak to thee am he.
Jesus at wellTHE WO-MAN AT THE WELL.
Then the wo-man left her jar, and made haste back to the town, and said to her friends there, Come and see a man who told me all the things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?
And they went out and saw Je-sus, and bade him come in-to the town. And he went with them, and was there for three days. And they gave ear to the things he taught them. And they said to the wo-man, Now we have faith in him, not be-cause of the things thou didst tell us, but be-cause we have heard him our-selves, and know that he is the Christ whom God has sent down to us.
From there he went once more to the town of Ca-na. And a rich man came from the town where he dwelt to ask Je-sus to come and heal his son, who was sick. And the rich man said to him, Come as quick as you can, lest my child should die.
Je-sus said to him, Go thy way, thy son is made well.
The rich man knew that Je-sus would not say what was not true, and with a glad heart went back to his home. And as he drew near the house his slaves ran out to meet him, and said to him, Thy son is well.
The rich man bade them tell him what time the change took place, and they told the hour that the fe-ver left the lad. And it was the same hour that Je-sus had said to the rich man, Thy son is well. And he and all those in his house felt in their hearts that Je-sus was the son of God.
scrollCYL-IN-DER HOLD-ING THE PENT-A-TEUCH.
The Jews did not yet know how to print, andthey had no books such as we have. They wrote with pen and ink on rolls of parch-ment, made from the skin of sheep and goats.
These rolls were kept in the house of God, in a box or chest called an ark, and were brought out and read to those who came to the church on the Lord's day. The chief rolls, all the books of the Old Tes-ta-ment, were kept at Je-ru-sa-lem, but as all the Jews could not get there more than once a year, they had made rolls for their own use in each house of God.
Je-sus came to Naz-a-reth where he had been brought up, and went in-to the church on the Lord's day and stood up to read. And he read from one of the old books where it was fore-told that one should come to bring good news to the poor, to cheer the sad, to give sight to the blind, and to heal the sick. Then he closed the roll and sat down. And the eyes of all in the churchwere on him. He said to them that all these words had come true, and that he was the Son of God, of whom the proph-et wrote. And they said, Is not this Jo-seph's son? How then can he claim to be the Son of God? And they were wroth with him, and led him out to a steep hill on which their town was built, that they might cast him down and kill him. But Je-sus got a-way from them, and they could do him no harm.
pagesTWO PA-GES of THE SAM-AR-I-TAN PENT-A-TEUCH.
He went on to Ca-per-na-um, and great crowdscame there to hear him, and pushed so that there was scarce room for him to stand on the sea-shore. And he saw two boats close at hand, out of which the men had gone to mend their nets. And he went in one of the boats, which was Pe-ter's and told him to push it out from the land. And he sat down, and taught the crowd out of the boat.
When he left off, he said to Pe-ter and An-drew, Sail out where the sea is deep, and let down your nets to catch fish.
Pe-ter said, Mas-ter, we have been hard at work all the night, and not a fish have we caught; but, since thou dost bid me, I will let down the net.
When they had done this, they caught such a large haul of fish that the net broke. Then they called to their friends in the boat by the shore, and bade them come to their aid. And they came, and there was more fish than the two boats could hold.
When Pe-ter saw this he fell down at the feet of Je-sus, and said, I fear thee, for I am full of sin, O Lord. And those with him were spell-bound at sight of the fish they had caught.
Je-sus did this great won-der so that these men might see it and know that he was the Son of God; for they were to aid him in his work, and to go with him from place to place.
Je-sus said to Pe-ter, Fear not; from this timeforth thou shalt catch men and not fish. He meant by this that Pe-ter was to preach, and to save men from sin, and from the nets that Sa-tan spreads. And he said to them all, Come with me. And they left their boats and their nets, and all that they had, and were with Je-sus till the end of his life on earth.
catching fishTHE WON-DER-FUL DRAUGHT OF FISH-ES.
On the Day of Rest, Je-sus went in-to the church and taught the folks there. And in their midst was a man who was not in his right mind, and it was as if he were torn by fiends, and he cried out to Je-sus, Let us a-lone. What have we to do with thee, thou Je-sus of Naz-a-reth? Art thou come to kill us? I know thee, that thou art the Son of God. Je-sus said to the fiends that were in the man, Be still, and come out of him. Then the fiends threw the man down, and cried with a loud voice, and came out of him. And all those in the church were struck with awe, and they said a-mong them-selves, What does this mean? for he speaks to the fiends so that they are forced to do his will!
When they came out of the church Je-sus went to the house where Pe-ter and An-drew dwelt. And James and John were there. And Pe-ter's wife's mo-ther was sick of a fe-ver, and they told Je-sus of it and begged that he would heal her.
Je-sus took her by the hand, and bade the fe-ver come out of her. And she was made well at once, and rose from her bed, and took charge of her house.
At the close of the day, when the sun had set, great crowds came to the house where Je-sus was, and brought those who were sick, and those who were not in their right minds, that he might cure them. And he made the sick well, and drove out the fiends, and would not let them speak.
The next day Je-sus rose ere it was light and went out to a lone place to pray to God.
Peter's mother-in-lawPE-TER'S WIFE'S MO-THER.
For though he was the Son of God, he had come to the earth in the form of a man, and had all the wants that man has. He had need of food and drink, and felt pain and griefjust as we do. He had need of man's help in his work; and had need of God's help all the time. And he knelt to God, just as he wants us to do, and asked God to be near him and to give him more strength, and to help him to do his will.
When Je-sus had gone, crowds came up to the house to seek him. And Pe-ter, and the three that were with him, went out to look for Je-sus. And when they found him they told him of the great crowd that sought him.
Je-sus said, Let us go to the next towns, that I may tell the good news there; for I was not sent to stay in one place.
And he taught all through Gal-i-lee, and his fame spread, and great crowds went to hear him.
JESUS HEALS THE SICK, AND DOES GOOD WORKS ON THE DAY OF REST.
Aman came to Je-sus and knelt down at his feet and said, Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean. This man was a lep-er. He had white sores on his skin, and had to live by him-self or with those as bad off as him-self, and there was no cure for himbut death. It was not safe to breathe the air near a lep-er, and so he was sent at once out of the town, as soon as his case was known.
Jesus healingCUR-ING THE MAN LAME WITH PAL-SY.
This lep-er must have heard of Je-sus and the great works he had done, and the hope that had died out must have sprung up in his heart once more. If he could heal the sick, and make the lame walk, why could he not cure him, so that he would be fit to live with those he loved? At least he could ask; and oh! how great must have been his faith when he fell down at the feet of Je-sus and cried out, Lord, ifthouwiltthoucanst make me clean.
Je-sus put out his hand and touched the man, and said, I will: be thou clean.
And at once the sores left the man and his skinwas white and smooth. Then Je-sus sent him off, and bade him tell no man who had made him well, but to go to the priest and do as Mo-ses bid all those do who had been lep-ers and were cured.
But the man was so full of joy that he could not keep it to him-self, and he went out and told what Je-sus had done for him.
Now there were some Jews who were known as Scribes and Phar-i-sees. They made out that no one else was quite as good as they were. They knew all the laws of Mo-ses by heart, and they were strict to see that no Jews broke those laws. A Scribe is one who writes.
These Scribes and Phar-i-sees were thought to be wise and good men, for they would fast and pray for a long while at a time, and look as though they thought them-selves too pure for earth.
But their hearts were bad and full of sin, and when Je-sus told them they must give up their sins and lead the right kind of lives, they were wroth with him, and tried to make all the rest of the Jews hate him as much as they did.
Je-sus went down to Ca-per-na-um, and when it was known that he was in the town great crowds came to the house where he was to hear him preach.
Now there was a man who had been in bed for a long time, and could not move hand or foot. Hehad heard of the fame of Je-sus, and it was the wish of his heart to get near him that he might heal him with a touch. But Je-sus was a long way off, and the poor sick man could not walk one step. But he had kind friends, and they thought of a plan by which he could be brought near to Je-sus, that he might at least hear him preach.
So they took him on his bed and bore him to the town; but when they came to the house where Je-sus was, the crowd was so great that there was no chance to get near him. What were they to do?
Now the house was low and had a flat roof, with a wall round it, so that those who dwelt there could walk or sleep on it and have no fear that they would fall off. All the rooms down stairs led out in-to a court, which had a roof that could be slid off when it did not rain, or there was need of fresh air.
So the friends of the lame man drew the bed up on the house-top with him in it, and brought him to the space in the roof, through which they could see Je-sus and the crowds round him. And they let the man down on his bed in the midst of the crowd, which had to make way for him.
When Je-sus saw what great faith they had, he spoke to the sick man, and said, Thy sins are for-giv-en thee. Some of the Scribes and Phar-i-sees who sat near said, but not out loud, Who is this thatdares speak in this way? None but God can for-give sins.
Je-sus knew their thoughts, and he said to them, Why think ye these things? Which could be said with the most ease, Thy sins be for-giv-en thee, or Rise up and walk?
But to show you that I have pow-er to for-give sins, I will make him well.
So he said to the sick man, Rise, take up thy bed, and go to thy house.
And the man rose and stood on his feet, and took up the bed on which he had lain and went out and gave praise and thanks to God.
And those who saw him were in a maze and said, We have seen strange things to-day.
Now the Jews, as you know, were slaves of the Ce-sar of Rome, and to keep their peace with him they had to pay a tax. And the men to whom they paid the tax were known as pub-li-cans. Some of them were harsh and stern, and the Jews could not but hate them. But all were not so. And as Je-sus went by he saw one of these pub-li-cans with his gold and sil-ver close at hand. His name was Matth-ew. Je-sus spoke to him, and said, Come with me.
And Matth-ew left all, and went with Je-sus, and from that time did all that he could to spread the good news, and to serve the Lord Christ.
BethesdaTHE POOL OF BE-THES-DA.
Af-ter this there was a feast of the Jews, and Je-sus went up to Je-ru-sa-lem. Now there was at Je-ru-sa-lem a pool, which was known as the Pool of Be-thes-da. And there were five courts, or door-ways, that led down to the pool. And in these courts lay a great crowd of folks who were sick, or blind, or lame.
For this was the time of the year when an an-gel came to stir the pool. And it was thought that the one who went in-to the pool the first, when the an-gel had made it fresh and sweet, would be cured of all the ails that he might have.
And a man was there who had been sick for most two-score years. Je-sus saw him, and knew that he had been sick for a long time, and it made him sad to think of it. So he said to the man, Wilt thou be made well?
The man said, I have no one to help me in-to the pool, for when I try to get down to it, some one steps in a-head of me and I am too late.
Je-sus said to him, Rise, take up thy bed and walk.
And at once the man was made well, and took up his bed, and walked.
Now it was the Day of Rest. And the Jews, who were quick to find fault with those who broke the laws, said to the man when he came their way, It is not right for thee to move thy bed on this day.
He said to them, he that made me well told me to take up my bed and walk.
They said to him, Who was it told thee that?
And the man did not know, and could not point Je-sus out to them, the crowd was so great.
But ere the feast was at an end Je-sus met the man He had cured and said to him, Now thou art well, sin no more lest a worse thing come to thee.
Then the man went out and told the Jews that it was Je-sus who had cured him on the Day of Rest. And for this the Jews sought to kill Je-sus. But he told them that the works he did were proof that God had sent him, and that he was the one of whom the seers had told in the days that were past, and of whom Mo-ses wrote.
Picking grain on sabbathIN THE CORN-FIELDS.
He said that the time was near at hand when thedead should hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who were in their graves should come forth. Then he would judge them. Those who had done good would be blest, for God would give them a home with him in the sky; but those who had done ill, and died in their sins, would not meet the smile of God, nor have a place near his throne.
Je-sus said if the love of God was in their hearts they would trust him whom God had sent, and feel that he had come to do them good, and to save their souls from death.
Je-sus and his five friends, An-drew, Pe-ter,James, John, and Matth-ew, went out on the next Day of Rest, and their walk led them through a field of corn. And as the men had need of food, Je-sus told them to pluck and eat the ears of corn. And they did so.
In the East they gave the name of corn to all kinds of grain.
withered handTHE WITH-ER-ED HAND.
When the Phar-i-sees saw it they found fault, and Je-sus told them that he was the best judge of what was right to do on that day; for he was Lord of the Day of Rest.
In the course of a few weeks he went in-to a church and taught on the Lord's day. And a man was there whose hand was so drawn up that he could not stretch it out or do aught with it. And the Phar-i-seeskept a close watch on Je-sus to see if he would heal the man on that day, so that they might find fault with them.
Je-sus knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the lame hand, Rise up, and stand where all can see you. And the man rose, and stood forth.
JerusalemJER-U-SA-LEM.
Je-sus said to them, I will ask you one thing: Is it right to do good or to do ill on the Day of Rest? to take life or to save it? And he stood and looked at all those that were in the place. Then he said to the man, Stretch out thy hand. And he did so, and it was well and strong.
This made the Phar-i-sees hate Je-sus, so that they went out of the church and sought for some way to put him to death. When he knew of it he left the place, and came down to the sea of Gal-i-lee. And crowds came to him from the land of Ju-dah and from large towns that were far off, to see the great works that he did. And the sick crept near so that they could touch him, and he made them all well.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
Je-susleft the crowd, and went to a lone place to pray to God. And he spent the night there. The next morn he chose twelve men, that he might send them out to preach, and to heal those that were sick, and to cast out dev-ils. Their names were Pe-ter, An-drew, James and John, the sons of Zeb-e-dee, Phil-ip, Bar-thol-o-mew, Thom-as and Matth-ew, James and Leb-be-us, Si-mon and Ju-das Is-ca-ri-ot.