sermonTHE SER-MON ON THE MOUNT.
And the crowd was so great that Je-sus went up on a hill, and the twelve went with him and he taught them there. He told them that those who were in a high state of joy, with not a care to vex them, were called blest. And he said, not in these words, but in words that meant the same:
Blest are the poor in spirit, for God is with them.
By poor in spirit he meant those who did not think too much of them-selves, who were not vain nor proud, but rich in love to God. And he would be with them, and bless them all their lives.
Blest are those that mourn, for their tears shall be dried.
To mourn is to weep, and to grieve. Je-sus meant that those who wept for their sins should shed no more tears, for Christ had come to save them, and the good news should make them glad.
Blest are the meek, for the whole earth shall be theirs.
Je-sus meant by this that those who were fond of peace, and did not love strife, might dwell where they chose, and would be blest in this world and the world to come.
Blest are those who hun-ger and thirst for that which is good, for they shall be filled.
This meant that those who sought to do right and to grow in grace had but to pray to God, and he would give them all the strength they might need from day to day.
Blest are those who are kind and good, for the Lord will be kind to them in their hour of need.
Blest are those who are pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Those who are pure in heart will be fond of good works, and will lead good lives, and God will not turn his face from them.
Blest are the peace-ma-kers—those who try to keep the peace and to put an end to strife—for they shall be called the chil-dren of God.
Blest are those who are ill-used for my sake, for the more the world hates them the more will God love them.
Je-sus told them that when men said hard things of them for his sake, and called them vile, and were harsh with them and full of spite, they were not to grieve but to be glad. For so did bad men treat the seers of old who told them of their faults and their sins and tried to lead them to Christ.
Salt is good, and gives a taste to our food.
Je-sus told them they were to salt the earth. This meant that they were to tell the good news in such a way that men should want it and need it just as they did salt.
He told them, too, that they must let their light shine; he meant that they should let it be seen and known that they loved God, and tried to do his will. They were not to hide it from men, but to do such good works, in Christ's name, that those whodid not love or care for him might be drawn to Je-sus—the light of the world.
Je-sus said that if we do as we ought to do our-selves, and teach men to keep all God's laws, we shall be called great in the place where God dwells. But if, like the Scribes and Phar-i-sees, we teach what is right and do what is wrong, we shall not see God's face, or live with him on high.
He said, you have been taught not to kill; and that he who puts one to death will be brought to the judge, and made to suf-fer for the crime. But I say to you that it is a sin to hate those who have done you no harm, and God will pun-ish you for it.
Then he said that when they went to church to wor-ship God they must try and think if they had done wrong, had been harsh, or had said what was not true. And they were to go at once and do right to those whom they hurt in this way, for God did not care to have them bow down to him if their hearts were full of sins they were not sor-ry for.
We must be good and pure, Je-sus says, in all that we say and do: we must do no harm to those who harm us, but must be kind and good to them, and pray for them, and love them.
Bless those that curse you, and do good to those that hate you. This is a hard task, and none but those who have the love of Christ in their hearts cando it. But if we pray for strength, the strength is sure to come, and love takes the place of hate.
Some folks when they do good deeds like to make a great show and noise, that they may be seen of men, and have much praise from them.
Je-sus told the Twelve that they were to do right, not to please men but to please God. When they gave to the poor they were not to tell of it; and when they prayed they were not to choose a place where they could be seen of men—just to show how good they were—but were to go to their room and shut the door, that no one but God could hear them. Then God would give them what they asked for.
Je-sus taught them how to pray, and what words to use; and these words each child ought to learn by heart and use at least twice a day:
"Our Fa-ther which art in heav-en, Hal-low-ed be thy name. Thy King-dom come. Thy will be done on earth asit isin heav-en. Give us this day our dai-ly bread. And for-give us our debts, as we for-give our debt-ors. And lead us not in-to tempt-a-tion, but del-iv-er us from e-vil: For thine is the King-dom, and the pow-er, and the glo-ry, for ever.A-men."
When they should fast they were not to look sad as those did whose wish it was that men should see them fast, but they were to hold up their heads andwear a look of cheer that no one but God should know it. And God would bless them for it.
Je-sus said we must not want to be rich or to lay up wealth in this world, for when we die we can-not take it with us. But we should give our hearts to thoughts of God, and try to live so that we can share his home, where we shall have more things to please us than all the gold in the world can buy.
Je-sus said that no man could serve God and serve Sa-tan too. We serve God when we do right; and we serve Sa-tan when we do wrong.
So we can-not do the will of both, and must choose which one we will serve.
He told the Twelve not to judge folks; he meant that they must take care how they found fault, and blamed them. For they may not have done wrong, or if they did they may have meant no harm. We can-not see men's hearts, or know how they felt at the time they did the deed. But God knows all, and may not blame them as much as we do. Je-sus said that we should strive to do right our-selves, and then we should see with clear eyes who did wrong, and have a right to tell them of their faults.
He said, that what we want men to do to us we must do to them. If we want them to be kind and good and to treat us well, we must do the same by them.
the tree not bearing fruitTHE UN-FRUIT-FUL TREE.
He said, Strive to go in at the strait, or nar-row gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to death. He meant that the good and the bad ways are like two gates in our path, for us to choose which one we will go through.
The good way is small and hard to find, and we have to search for it with great care. But the path is one that leads to life and joy.
The bad way is like a broad gate that stands o-pen and in plain sight. This wide gate leads down to hell, and crowds and crowds go that way, while but few are found in the good way that leads to bliss.
Je-sus said that at the last day some would call him Lord, Lord, and say they had served him and taught as he did. But he would say that he did not know them, for they had bad hearts, and had led lives of sin, and were not fit to dwell with the good and pure in the home on high, where all is love.
He said that men were like trees. Good trees brought forth good fruit; but a bad tree could not bring forth good fruit. And men were to be known by their works, just as a tree was known by its fruits.
Then he spoke of two men, each of whom built a house. One chose to build on a rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it stood firm and the storm did it no harm.
But one of the men built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell with a great crash, and was swept out of sight.
Je-sus said that those who heard his words and did as he told them were like the wise man who built his house on a rock. Christ is our Rock. He stands firm. No storms can move him. If we cling to him he will save us.
Je-sus said that those who heard his words and did not do as he taught them, were like the man who built his house on the sand. When the storm cameon the last day, when God would judge the world, they would be swept out of sight. And oh! what a sad, sad day that will be for all those who have led bad lives, and done not the least thing to please God, who took care of them and gave them all they had.
We must strive to be good all the time, and to love Je-sus, so that he will be near us, and will take us home to live with him when we die.
GOOD WORDS AND GOOD WORKS.
Therewas at Ca-per-na-um a chief who had charge of five score Ro-man troops. And one of his men, who was dear to him, was so sick that he was like to die. When the chief heard that Je-sus was there he sent some of his friends down to ask him to make the sick man well. Those who brought the word to Je-sus were Jews, and they spoke a good word for the chief, who had been kind to them.
Then Je-sus went with them. But as they drew near the chief's house he sent some more friends out to tell Je-sus that he had not gone down to him him-self, for he was not good e-nough. And now he sent word that he was not good e-nough for Je-sus tocome in-to his house. But if Je-sus would speak the word, he was sure that the sick man would get well.
centurion and JesusCHRIST AND THE CEN-TU-RI-ON.
For I stand at the head of my troops, said the chief, and say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to that one, Come, and he comes; and to a third, Do this, and he does it.
And he knew that if he could do this Je-sus could do more, and bid all the ills leave the sick man at the sound of his voice.
When Je-sus heard these words he was a-mazed, and said to those who were with him, I have found no one who has such faith in me as this Ro-man. And I tell you that at the last day those who have had faith in me shall come from all lands, and have a place near God's throne; while the Jews, who will not put their trust in me, will be shut out.
reviving widow's sonTHE WID-OW'S SON BROUGHT TO LIFE.
And when the friends of the chief went back they found the sick man made well.
The next day Je-sus went to the town of Nain. And a great crowd went with him. And as they came near the gate of the town they saw a dead man brought out to be borne to his grave. He was all the son his mo-ther had, and her friends stood near her and wept with her.
When Je-sus saw her grief his heart was sad, and he said, Weep not.
And he came up to the bier on which the dead lay, and those who bore it stood still. Then Je-sus said, Young man, I say to thee a-rise.
And he that was dead sat up and spoke. And Je-sus gave him to his mo-ther. And a great fear came on all who saw it, and they gave praise to God, and said that a great proph-et had been raised up in their midst.
In old times those who lived in the East did not wear shoes such as we do. They wore light soles, or san-dals, which were bound on their feet with straps, and thrown off as soon as they came in-to the house. Then wa-ter was brought for them to wash their feet.
Much oil was used in those lands, and is to this day. It was put on the hair to keep it moist, and on the skin to make it soft and smooth. This oil, when some-what hard, was called oint-ment, and was kept in a box, and had a nice smell.
Now a Phar-i-see, whose name was Si-mon, asked Je-sus to his house. And Je-sus went there, and they sat down to eat. And a wo-man of the town, who had led a life of sin, when she heard that Je-sus was there, came in with a box of oint-ment and bowed down at his feet.
She was full of shame, for her sins had been great, and she had come to Je-sus to ask him to for-give her and help her to lead a new life.
She wept, and washed the feet of Je-sus with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.And she kissed his feet, and rubbed them with the oint-ment she had brought, and which had cost her a high price.
When the Phar-i-see saw it he said to him-self, If this man had come from God he would know what kind of a wo-man this is, and would send her out of his sight.
Je-sus, who knew his every thought, said to him, Si-mon, I have some-thing to say to thee.
washing handsWASH-ING HANDS IN THE EAST.
And he said, My lord, say on.
Then Je-sus said, Two men were in debt to a rich man. One owed him a great deal, while the oth-er owed him but a small sum. But they were both so poor that they could not pay him, and he told them to think no more of the debt, for it would be the same as if they had paid all they owed. Tell me now which one of these would love him the most.
The Phar-i-see said, I should think that he to whom he for-gave the most.
Je-sus said to him, That is true.
And he turned to the wo-man and said to Si-mon, See'st thou this wo-man? I came to thy house, and thou didst bring me no wa-ter to wash my feet, but she hath washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou didst give me no kiss, but this wo-man, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not an-oint, but she has poured her oint-ment on my feet. So I say to thee that her sins, though so great, will be all wiped out, for she has loved me much.
And he said to the wo-man, Thy faith has saved thee; go back to thy home in peace.
From this place Je-sus went on through all the large and small towns, and told the good news that God had sent his Son in-to the world to save men from their sins. And the twelve were with him.
Je-sus might have been rich, for all the world was his; but he chose to be poor, and to bear all the ills of life for our sakes, that we might be drawn to him, and be saved from our sins. Good wo-men, whom he had cured, gave him such things as he had need of, and he did not lack for food or friends.
Je-sus spoke at times in a strange way. He would take scenes from real life and paint them, as it were, with words, so that they were plain to all. These talks were meant to teach great truths that would lodge in the mind, and stand out like scenes of real life. They were to take them home with them, and keep them in their thoughts from day to day.
One of these talks was of a rich man who had large fields and vine-yards. And when it was time for the crops to come in, the rich man found that his barns would not hold them.
And he said, What shall I do? for I have no room where I can put my fruits. This will I do: I will pull down my small barns and build large ones, and there will I store all my goods. And I will say to my-self, Thou hast much goods laid up that will last thee for years and years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be of good cheer.
But God said to him, Thou fool, this night thou shalt die. Then who shall have those things which thou hast laid up for years to come?
This was to teach us that it is of no use for men to lay up great wealth in this world, for they will have to leave it all when they die. And it is a sin for a rich man to spend all that he owns on him-self, to live at his ease, and to eat and drink,as if there were no poor in the world, and no God to serve.
Je-sus told the twelve not to fret be-cause they were poor, or to have the least fear that they might want for food, or for clothes to wear. Think of the birds, he said. They do not sow seed in the fields, nor reap grain and lay it up for use in time of need. They have no store-house or barn, yet they have all the food they want, for God feeds them and takes care of them. And if he does so much for the birds, how much more will he do for you?
Look at the flow-ers. See how they grow. They do not work, or spin the thread to weave in-to cloth as men must do, and yet I say to you that King Sol-o-mon did not wear such rich robes as theirs. If then God gives such fine clothes to that which grows in the field like grass, and which in a day or two is burnt up, how much more will he clothe you, though ye are so loth to trust him. So do not fret lest you shall want for things to eat, and to drink, and to wear; for God knows that ye have need of these things, and if ye seek first to do his will, he will give all these things to you.
JESUS AT THE SEA-SHORE.
WhileJe-sus was down by the sea, the crowd grew so great that he went in-to a boat and sat down to teach them as they stood on the shore.
The sowerTHE SOW-ER.
He said, A man went out in the field to sow his seed. And as he threw the seed from his hand, some of it fell on the hard path by the road-side, and the birds flew down and ate it. Some fell on the rocks and stones where there was not much earth, and it soon grew up on top of the ground. But the sun's warm rays made it droop, and as it had no root, in a few days it was all dried up.
Some of the seed fell where thorns and weeds were, and these took up all the room, so that there was no space for the seed to grow. The air and the sun could not get at it, and soon it was choked to death.
But some of the seed fell in good ground, that the plough had made soft. The rain fell on it, the sun shone on it, and it sprang up and bore a large crop of grain.
When the crowd had left Je-sus, the twelve came near to ask him what he had meant to teach by this talk of seeds that were sown here and there.
Je-sus told them the seed was the good news that he came to preach. Those who preach, or teach, sow good or bad seed, which takes root in the mind or heart.
Some who heard his words would not care for them, but would go on in their sins and feel no change of heart. New thoughts and fresh scenes would come and eat up the seed-thoughts that Je-sus had sown, as quick as the birds ate up the seed sown by the road-side.
Some who heard him thought of his words for a-while, and tried for a short time to do right. But it did not last long. This was the seed that fell in the midst of stones, and sprang up at first, but in a few days was all dried up.
sowing taresTHE EN-E-MY SOW-ING TARES.
Some would hear Je-sus preach, and were glad of the words that he spoke; but the cares of this world, their wealth, and the gay things of life, were so much in their thoughts that they could not do the things he had taught them.
This was the seed that fell in the midst of thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But there were some who heard Je-sus preach, and who tried each day to do as he taught them. This was the seed that fell in good ground, which took root and grew and brought forth ten times as much as had been sown.
One of the talks of Je-sus was of a man who sowed good seed in his field. And while he slept a foe came and sowed tares, or weeds, in the midst of the wheat, and then went on his way. And when it was time for the wheat to grow up, the weeds grew up with it.
And when the work-men on the farm saw this,they went at once to the man of the house, and said to him, Didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Where then have these tares come from?
He said to them, A foe has done this.
The work-men said, Shall we go out, then, and pull them up by the roots?
And he said, No, lest while you pull up the tares you pull up the wheat with them. Let both grow till it is time to reap the grain; and then I will say to the reap-ers, Pull up the tares first and bind them in stacks to burn. But put the wheat in my barn.
Je-sus told the twelve what he meant by this talk of the tares of the field.
The field is the world. He who owns the field and sows the seed, is Je-sus him-self. The wheat that grows up means those who hear his words, and do as he has taught them.
The tares are bad men, who have no love for Je-sus.
The foe that sows them is Sa-tan.
The time to reap the grain is on the last great day. The reap-ers are the an-gels.
Je-sus will let the good and the bad live in the world till the last great day. Then he will send his an-gels to take the good to their home on high, but the bad will be cast out in-to the fire that is to burn up the world.
looking for pearlsSEEK-ING GREAT PEARLS.
Then Je-sus spoke of a man who went out to buy pearls. He went from place to place, and those who had pearls to sell brought them out for him to look at, but he was hard to suit, and bought but few. At last he found one that was worth more than all the rest that he had seen. But its price was so great that he could not buy it. What did he do? Why, he went and sold all that he had, and came back and bought this pearl of great price.
So will it be with those who wish to be rid of their sins, and to be as pure as a pearl with-in. Je-sus in us is the pearl of great price. Gold can-not buy it. But when we learn its cost we should make haste to get rid of all that keeps Christ out of our hearts, and make room for this one pearl, which is worth more than all else in the world.
Then Je-sus spoke of those who took their net, and went out in a boat to catch fish. They cast thenet out of the boat and threw it in-to the sea, and when it was full drew it back to shore. Then they sat down to sort the fish; the good ones were put in their boats, and the bad ones were thrown a-way.
fishermenPAR-A-BLE OF THE NETS.
So it would be at the last day. The an-gels would come forth and sort the good from the bad. And the good would be borne to their home on high, but the bad would be thrown in-to a fire that would make them cry out with pain.
Je-sus said, Have I made these things plain to thee? And they said, Yes, Lord.
One of the Scribes came to Je-sus, and said, I will not leave thee; but where thou dost go I will go. Je-sus said to him, The fox-es have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but I have not where to lay my head. He meant by this that he was poor, and had no place wherehe could go and lie down when he had need of rest.
calming the stormSTILL-ING THE TEM-PEST.
Night drew near, and the crowd was so great that Je-sus and the twelve went in a boat to cross the Sea of Gal-i-lee. And there came up a great storm, and the winds blew fierce, and the waves rose high and came with a great dash in-to the boat.
And Je-sus slept, for he was quite worn out. The twelve were full of fear; and at last they woke Je-sus, and said, Lord, save us, or we shall sink.
Then he rose and spoke to the winds and the waves, and said to them, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased to blow, and soon all was still and calm.
And Je-sus said to the twelve, Why are ye in such fear? How is it that ye have no faith?
As Je-sus left the boat a mad-man came out of the tombs to meet him. He was so fierce that no mancould bind him, or tame him. He broke loose from all the ropes and chains, and no house could hold him. So night and day he would roam on the hills and in the caves or tombs, where graves had been dug, and cry out and cut him-self with bits of stones.
And while Je-sus was still far off, the mad-man saw him and ran and fell down at his feet. And he cried out, What have I to do with thee, Je-sus, thou Son of God? Harm me not, I pray thee.
Now there was there, close by the hills, a great herd of swine. And the fiends that were in the man begged Je-sus to send them in-to the swine. And Je-sus said, Go. And when they came out of the man they went in the swine, and the herd ran down a steep place and were drowned in the sea.
And they that fed the swine went and told what had been done, and great crowds came to the place where Je-sus was.
And when they saw that the mad-man sat with his clothes on and in his right mind, they were in great fear. And they prayed Je-sus to leave the place at once.
When Je-sus was come in-to the boat, he that had been out of his mind begged that he might go with him. But Je-sus would not let him, and said to him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them what great things the Lord hath done for thee.
And the man went and told how he had been made well, and those who heard him felt that Je-sus must have been sent from God, for no mere man could do such strange things.
JESUS BRINGS THE DEAD TO LIFE.—FEEDS FIVE THOUSAND.
Je-suswent back to Ca-per-na-um. And as he stood by the sea-shore, one of the chief men of the church came to him, whose name was Ja-i-rus.
He was in deep grief, for he had but one child, a girl twelve years of age, and she lay sick at his home and there was no help for her. And he said to Je-sus, My child lies at the point of death. I pray thee come and lay thy hands on her that she may live.
And Je-sus went with him, and so did the twelve, and all the crowd that had come up to hear Je-sus preach. And in the throng was a wo-man who had been sick for twelve years. She had spent all she had to try to be made well; but all the drugs she took did her no good, and no one could seem to help her case. So she went on from bad to worse.
When she heard of Je-sus she came up with the crowd at his back, and put out her hand and touched the hem of his robe. For, she said, if I may touch but his clothes I shall be made well. And as soon as she had done this she felt that she was cured.
All this was known to Je-sus, and yet he faced the crowd and said, Who touched me?
Pe-ter said that some one in the throng had been pushed up close to him and thought it strange that Je-sus did not know it.
Je-sus said, Someone touched me, and he looked round to see who had done it.
When the wo-man saw that Je-sus knew all, and that she could not hide from him, she shook with fear, and fell down at his feet, and told him why she had touched him, and how that touch had made her well.
Je-sus said to her, Be of good cheer. Thy faith in me hath made thee well.
While he yet spoke to her, there came one from the house of Ja-i-rus, who said to him, Thy child is dead.
When Je-sus heard it he said, Fear not. Trust in me and she shall be made well. And when he came to the house, he found a great crowd there, who wept and mourned the loss of the young child.
Je-sus said to them, Why do you weep? She sleeps; she is not dead.
He meant that she would soon rise from the dead, as one who wakes out of his sleep.
ill womanCUR-ED BY TOUCH-ING HIS GAR-MENT.
But they saw that she was dead, and as they had no faith in his words they laughed him to scorn.
Then he put them all out of the room save three of the twelve—Pe-ter, James, and John—and the fa-ther and mo-ther of the young girl. Then he took the child by the hand and said, I say to thee a-rise. And she rose from her bed, and had strength to walk, and Je-sus bade them bring her some food that she might eat.
And her fa-ther and mo-ther knew not what to think of these strange things. Je-sus bade them tell no one of what he had done, and there was no need for them to speak. For there was their child, well and strong,once more the light and joy of their house, and their hearts must have been full of thanks and praise to God!
Jairus daughterTHE DAU-GHTER OF JA-I-RUS.
When Je-sus went from the house of Ja-i-rus two blind men came near him and cried out, Thou Son of Da-vid have mer-cy on us. They said this be-cause they knew that he was of King Da-vid's race.
Je-sus said to them, Do you think that I can make you well? They said to him, Yes, Lord.
Then he touched their eyes, and at once their sight came back to them. And he said to them, Tell no man what I have done to you. But when they left him they went from place to place and told all whom they met how Je-sus had brought back their sight.
And they brought to him a dumb man who could not speak be-cause of the fiend that was in him. Andas soon as Je-sus cast out the fiend the man spoke. And all those who saw it were in a maze, and said, Such things as these have not been done be-fore in the land of Is-ra-el.
blind menTHE TWO BLIND MEN.
But the Phar-i-sees felt such hate for Je-sus that they said that he could cast out fiends be-cause he had the help of Sa-tan, the prince of all fiends.
Je-sus said to the twelve, Come, let us go to some lone place and rest a while. For the crowds were so great that they had no time to eat. And they went in a boat quiet-ly to cross the Sea of Gal-i-lee, where they might rest and take the food they were so much in need of. But as soon as the folks heard of it they set out on foot and went round by the shore till they came to the place where Je-sus was.
And when Je-sus went out and saw them, his heart was moved, and he taught them, and made the sick ones well.
When night came on, the twelve said to Je-sus, Send these off that they may go to the towns and buy food for them-selves, for they have nought to eat.
Je-sus said, They need not go. Give you them some-thing to eat.
They said, Shall we go out and buy bread and give it to them?
Je-sus said, How much have you? Go and see.
When they knew they said, We have five loaves and two small fish-es.
Je-sus bade the twelve have the crowd seat them-selves in rows on the green grass. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish-es, and gave thanks to God for them. And he broke the loaves, and the fish-es, and the twelve gave them piece by piece to the crowd, till all had had their fill.
When the feast was at an end there was e-nough bread and fish left to fill twelve bas-kets.
Then Je-sus bade the twelve dis-ci-ples get in-to the boat and go back to Ca-per-na-um.
And when the crowd had left him he went up on a high hill to pray. And when night came on he was there with none but God near him.
FEED-ING THE MUL-TI-TUDE.
The twelve were in the boat, out in the midst of the sea.
Their oars were of no use, for the wind blew hard the wrong way, and drove them back from their course, and made the waves toss the boat here and there.
Je-sus could see it all from his high place on the hill, and in the night he went down to the shore and walked out on the sea.
When the twelve saw him they were in a great fright, for they thought it was a ghost, and they cried out in their fear.
Je-sus said, Be of good cheer. It is I.
Pe-ter spoke from the boat, and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee on the sea. Je-sus said to him, Come, and Pe-ter came out of the boat and walked on the waves to go to Je-sus. But when he heard the noise ofthe wind, and saw the waves dash all round him, he was in great fear; and as he felt him-self sink he cried out, Lord, save me.
walking on waterPE-TER WALK-ING ON THE WA-TER.
Je-sus put forth his hand and caught him, and said to him, O thou of lit-tle faith, why didst thou doubt me?
When Je-sus and Pe-ter came in-to the boat the wind was still, and the twelve were soon on the shore they had set out to reach. Then they fell at his feet, and said, It is true that thou art the Son of God.
Jesus on waterCHRIST WALK-ING ON THE SEA.
As soon as it was known where Je-sus was, crowds came from all the towns that were near, and brought their sick in their beds that he might makethem well. And when he went through the large and small towns they laid the sick in the streets, and begged that they might touch but the hem of his robe. And at a touch they were all made well.
JESUS HEALS THE SICK.—HIS FORM CHANGED ON THE MOUNT.
Je-suswent to Ca-per-na-um and taught the Jews there. But all that he said made them hate him the more, and their chief priests did all they could to prove that he was not the Christ who was to save them. They thought that he who was to be the King of the Jews would come in rich robes, and with all the signs of high rank. So they would have naught to do with a poor man like Je-sus.
It made Je-sus sad to have the Jews turn from him, and he left them, and went out to the towns of Tyre and Si-don, which were on the sea-coast. And no Jews dwelt there.
Yet a wo-man, as soon as she heard he was there, came out and cried to him, O Lord, thou Son of Da-vid, come and heal my child, for she has gone mad.
The AscensionTHE AS-CEN-SION.
Je-sus said he was sent to none but the Jews. This he did to try her faith, for she was not a Jew.
But she fell at his feet, and cried out, Lord help me!
SidonSI-DON.
Je-sus said to her, Great is thy faith; thy child is made well.
And when she went back to her house she found her child had been made well at the same hour that she spoke to Je-sus.
Then Je-sus and the twelve went down near theSea of Gal-i-lee once more. And they brought to Je-sus a man that was deaf, and who could not speak plain, that he might lay his hands on him and heal him.
Je-sus took him out of the crowd, and touched his ears and tongue, and at once the man was made well, so that he could both hear and speak.
And crowds came to him, and brought those that were lame, blind, and dumb, and laid them down at the feet of Je-sus, that he might heal them. And Je-sus healed them all, so that the crowds were in a maze when they saw the dumb speak, the lame walk, and the blind see; and they gave praise and thanks to God for what he had done.
At the end of six days Je-sus took Pe-ter, James, and John, and went up on a high mount to pray. And while he was there a great change took place in him. His face shone as the sun, and his clothes were as white as snow, and the light shone through them.
And Mo-ses and E-li-jah came to him, and spoke with him.
Pe-ter said, Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents, one for thee, and one for Mo-ses, and one for E-li-jah.
While he yet spoke there came a bright cloud, out of which a voice spoke and said, This is my dear Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him.
When Pe-ter, James, and John heard it, they bowed down to the ground, and were in great fear.
Je-sus came and touched them, and said, Rise. Fear not. And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Je-sus.
As they came down from the mount, Je-sus bade them tell no one what they had seen till he rose from the dead.
PeterPE-TER AND THE TRIB-UTE MON-EY.
The next day, when they had come down from the mount, there was a great crowd to see Je-sus. And one man knelt at his feet and said, Lord, help my son, for he has fits, and the fiends in him vex him so that he falls in the fire and in the wa-ter. I took him to those whom thou hast taught to heal, to see if they could cure him; and they could not.
Je-sus said, Bring him to me. And they brought him; and he fell on the ground and foamed at the mouth.
Je-sus said to the fiend that was in the young man, Come out of him and vex him no more.
And the fiend cried with a loud voice, and shook the young man, and came out of him, but left him weak, like one dead. And those who stood near thought he was dead. But Je-sus took him by the hand and raised him, and he stood on his feet and was well from that hour.
Then Je-sus and the twelve went to Ca-per-na-um. And when they were in the house Je-sus said, Why were ye at such strife in your talk on the way?
And for shame they held their peace, for their talk had been as to which should have the high-est place in the realm where Je-sus was to reign as King of the Jews.
When they had sat down Je-sus said to the twelve, He who seeks to be first shall be last of all.
And he took a child and set it in the midst of them, and told them that they must put pride out of their hearts and be as meek as a child. For he who thought not of him-self, but did God's will as a child does the will of its fa-ther, the same should be great in the realm which Je-sus was to set up.
Je-sus taught there for some time, and then setout for Je-ru-sa-lem. And the twelve went with him.
When they were come to Ca-per-na-um, those that took in the trib-ute mon-ey came to Pe-ter and said, Doth not your mas-ter pay trib-ute.
This was the tax the Jews had to pay to Ce-sar as the price of peace.
Pe-ter said, Yes. And when he came in-to the house Je-sus met him and said.
Of whom do the kings of the earth take cus-tom or trib-ute? of their own chil-dren or of stran-gers?
Pe-ter said, Of stran-gers.
Je-sus said, Then are the chil-dren free. But lest we should give cause for blame, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first comes up. In its mouth thou shalt find a piece of mon-ey. Take that and give it to them for me and thee.