From Bethlehem to Calvary
'»b V* ' :- t^o« •', 4 o o ♦ . , • ■•• 4*' ** • rvi» .v'v '■4- "^ ^^~ Kf '••""' «^ ^ * • < *w* ^*-..' « • • • V A^V 4 o :^. ••^^^V ^ ' "-^. '^ FROM Bethlehem to Calvary. / BY FAITH LATIMER./^vO^i^^^^ FIVE ILL.USTRATIONS, -^•^ OF CO/V<J-. NEW YORK : NELSON & PHILLIPS, CINCINN-ATI : HITCHCOCK & WA"LDEN. SUNDAY-bClIOOL D5':PAKTArE:>T. ^'^t^ Entered accoruing to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by NELSON & PHILLIPS, in the Ollice of the Librarian of Congress at Wabhington. Tm L 1 MY FATHER, WHOSE LOVLN-a CAEE IMPLAls^TED A LOVE FOR SACRED READIIfG ; ■WHOSE "WISE COUNSEL FOSTERED HABITS OF THOUGHTFUL STUDY ; "WHOSE HOPEFUL, TRUSTLN-G, UNSELFISH LIFE FURNISHED CONSTANT EXAMPLE FOR PATIENT INDUSTRY ; TO "WHOiT, "WHATEVER OF USEFULNESS IN LITERATURE OR IN LIFE IS DUE TO HIS MEMORY, THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED. PREFACE. T N the following pages will be found a simple and continuous rendering of the Evangelist^s story of the Life began in Bethlehem and ended upon Calvary ; and woven through the narra- tive, we trust, will be found gleams of that Divine Nature revealed through the vail of human flesh. Perhaps these pages^ may awaken in some more thought and love for Christ's works and words, and more trustful reliance on him as an ever-present Lord. The authorities used in its preparation have been the Holy Scriptures, Lange, Kitto, Trench, Ellicott, Alexander, Barnes, and many other works upon sacred literature ; in questions of Chronology, Robin- son's "Harmony" and Mimpriss's "Treasury" 8 PREFACE have been, mainly relied upon. The places of Scripture reference are not usually given, for it is hoped it may stimulate, not substitute, Bible study, and that it may find a place in homes and hearts where the Master is a wel- come guest. OONTE]N^TS. INTEODUCTION. Lives of Christ — Birth in Bethlehem — Shepherds Page 13 CHAPTEE I. THE CHILD JESUS. Wise Men— Herod— The Star — Offerings 21 CHAPTEE n. FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. Angel Message — Sorrow in Bethlehem — Herod — Called out of Egypt 26 CHAPTEE in. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. In the Temple — In the house — At the Jordan — The Dove — The Voice 32 CHAPTEE IV. THE TEMPTATION — POWER OVER SATAN. In the Desert — Satan Conquered — Angels Minister 40 CHAPTEE V. FOLLOWING THE LAMB. Philip Called — First Miracle — Cana — First Passover — Jerusa- lem— At the Well — Samaria — ^Eejected — Nazareth 45 CHAPTEE YI. POWER OVER DISEASE. Nobleman's Son — Capernaum — Centurion's Servant — ^In the Synagogue— First Circuit of Galilee 51 lo Contents. CHAPTER VII. POWER TO FORGIVE SIN. The Paralytic— Scribes at Capernaum Page 58 CHAPTER VIII. THE TWELVE CALLED. After the Second Passover. 66 CHAPTER IX. THE BEATITUDES. On the Mount , 72 CHAPTER X. TEAOHING TO PRAY. "Where, when, how, and to whom 77 CHAPTER XI. THE. TWO FOUNDATIONS. On the rock, safety — On the sand, ruin 82 CHAPTER XII. POWER OVER DEATH. Son of Widow, Nain — Daughter of Jairus, Capernaum — Laza- rus, Bethany 88 CHAPTER XIII. MARTYRDOM OF THE BAPTIST. Second Circuit of Galilee — John in Prison — Sends Disciples to Jesus 96 CHAPTER XIV. THE GRACIOUS CALL. As rendered in an old Bible 103 CHAPTER XV. PARABLE OF THE SOWER. Shore of Lake Tiberias 108 Contents. i i chaptek xyi. THE BEE AD OF LIEE — POWER OYER NATURE. Third Circuit of Galilee — Five Thousand Fed — Walking on the Sea — Peter — The third Passover, to which Jesus did not go Page 114 CHAPTER XVII. THE CROSS FORETOLD. The Great Question 121 CHAPTEPv XYIII. THE TRANSFIGURATION. While He prayed on the Mount , 126 CHAPTER XIX. THE MIND OF CHRIST. A Little Child — Capernaum — Feasts in Jerusalem — In Perea — Children— Rich Young Man 132 CHAPTER XX. JESUS THE CHRIST — THE MODEL TEACHER. Final Circuit of Galilee — Through Samaria — Ten Lepers — Luke's Writings — At a Pharisee's Table — His Parables — Great Supper — Prodigal Son — Rich Man and Lazarus — The Pounds — Anointed at Bethany 137 CHAPTER XXI. JESUS THE KING. Mount Olivet — On the Way to Jerusalem — In the Temple 144 CHAPTER XXII. THE LORD'S SUPPER. Days of Passion Week— Judas — The Upper Room 150 CHAPTER XXIII. JESUS IN GETHSEMANE. Under the Shade of Olives praying 155 12 Contents. chapter xxiv. JESUS BEFORE THE HIG H-P R I E S T. The Betrayal Pag^ 160 CHAPTER XXV. JESUS BEFORE THE GOVERNOR. Pilate's Judgment Hall — Herod — Claudia — Procula — Ba- rabbas 164 CHAPTER XXVI. JESUS ON THE cross'. Simon of Cyrene 171 CHAPTER XXVII. THERISENLORD. Joseph— Nicodemus— The Tomb Sealed — The Women — An- gels— The Lord is Risen 178 CHAPTER XXVIII. THE EVE R-P RESENT LORD. Mountain in Galilee 184 ■♦•» ^lluBixnixouB. The Strange Star and the Magi 2 Nazareth 80 Baptism of Jesus 36 Roof of Oriental House 60 The Reed and the Thorns 170 FROM BETHLEHEM TO CALVARY. INTRODUCTION. OINCE the angelic choir chanted over Beth- ^ lehem's plain there never has been a time when the knowledge of the Lord Jesus has been so wide-spread as now. Is it not matter of re- joicing to devout hearts that a course of univers- al Scripture study has been cordially adopted whereby, year after year, in many lands and many languages, the same life — its prophetic pictures in the Old Testament, and the fulfill- ment in the New — shall be the theme of study in home, school, and sanctuary ? Now, more than ever before, scholars will study and write of the words and deeds of Christ, our Lord ; wise Christians, ripe in their experience of faith, will bow their silver heads over the inspired page. 14 From Bethlehem to Calvary. They saw no man, save Jesus. and find new beauties there ; teachers will un- fold immortal truth from scenes of Gospel record ; and little ones, just beginning to lisp His name, will, for the first time, hear the won- derful story, and so, from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord's name shall " be praised.*' Is it not a forthcoming beam of the brightness of millen- nial glory .'^ But why another Life of Christ ? From the days of Chrysostom and the early Fathers there have been countless Lives of our Lord ; some mixed with traditions that time has laid by, like a threadbare garment ; some deep, scholarly, profound, in varied ages and languages. Nor has the literature of our own time lacked num- bers of such volumes ; some, alas ! fitted only to swell the tide of infidelity and doubt ; some, true in conception and correct in faith, as well as brilliant in descriptive scenes, glow with the writer's intellect rather than with the form and likeness of the " One altogether lovely ; " as though the artist seems to stand at the entrance Introduction, 1 5 He is altogether lovely. of his Studio, pointing to his subject and say- ing, " See how I have painted him ! " Others are reverential and devout, but so profoundly classical they do not vibrate on the popular heart and daily sphere of ordinary common- place lives. Is it inappropriate that an artless pen, busy in service for Christ's " little ones," should strive to trace the living lineaments of his presence on earth t The glorious sun shines alike on the magnifi- cent tree towering in emerald green high toward the clouds, and on the prairie blossom that can only hold one drop of dew ; yet the flower's heart as truly reflects his rays, and gleams as brightly in rainbow colors, as the dancing leaves on the tree-top ; the shading of a wild-wood violet as truly shows our Father's divine hand as the matchless exotic unfolding in regal palace gardens. In John's vision he saw not only the four and twenty elders who cast their crowns before the throne, but every creature in heaven, and earth, and sea joined in the ever-resounding anthem i6 From Bethlehem to Calvary. Out of thee shall . . . come forth ... the Euler. of praise — " Worthy is the Lamb/' Let us, then, reverently join the " great multitude which no man could number/V in careful study of the life of Jesus on earth. Where did that earthly life begin ? In a poor, lowly stable,* in the town of Bethlehem, a child AN ORIENTAL OARAVANSERA. * Generally thought to have been a building termed, in the East, a caravansera, erected for the accommodation of travel- ers, there being at that time and among that people no public inns, as we have. Some of these caravanseras had in the center small apartments with raised floors. The cattle of the travelers stood usually behind the cells ; the flooring of Introduction. 17 Sing, O heavens ; and be joyful, 0 earth. lay in a manger. The scanty bed of straw, and the poor wrappings around Him, were more honored than any kingly cradle with curtains of lace and pillows of down. When the fair world was created in all its fresh beauty of sunlight and of sparkling blossom, and two pure, immor- tal human beings were placed therein, "the morning stars sang together," and above the high arches of heaven "all the Sons of God shouted for joy." But at this more wonderful birth, when He who shared the everlasting throne of the Father put on the robe of infant flesh, heaven itself came down to earth ; glory shone around, while " a multitude of the heaven- ly host" sang together over the grassy plains of Bethlehem. which, projecting beyond the cells proper, made a resting- place for their corn bags, where they were fed. This is what is here termed " a manger," and here, probably, Mary had made her couch. Some authors of great celebrity, however, are of opinion that Mary was at this time in a grotto or cave. This was an early tradition in the Church. Though the word *' stable " is often used to describe the place of our Lord's birth, it is not so used in the scriptural narrative. i8 From Bethlehem to Calvary. Glory to God in the highest I WHO HEARD THE MUSIC? Out in the open fields of Bethlehem, under the starlit sky, shepherds were watching their flocks, when, suddenly, a bright light shone upon them, and an angel appeared, telling them he brought *' tidings of great joy." It was news of a glo- rious gift to the world; "of a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord ; " and they were informed they should find him in ''Bethlehem, lying in a Introduction, 19 God reveals himself to humble faith. manger." Thus came the glorious announce- ment ; and while the unbelieving may scoff that it was revealed to humble shepherds, the soul which faith makes broad enough to take in the unity of all revelation, and see all inspired lines gather like a halo of glory around the Re- deemer, can recall the picture of the dead shep- herd, Abel — earliest type of the coming, dying Saviour ; the shepherd days of Jacob, Moses, David — and seeing the wondrous fitness of the tidings given the pastoral night-watchers, would fain join in songs of praise with the heavenly chorus. ^A;'HY WAS THE BABE IN A MANGER? The mother, Mary, was poor ; so was Joseph, her husband. All people had been ordered by the Roman emperor to go to the town where they belonged to be enrolled, that they might pay tribute. There was a great crowd in Beth- lehem, where Joseph's family belonged, and in consequence '' there was no room for them in the inn." 20 From Bethlehem to Calvary. If any man . . . open the door, I will come in. There are many hearts like that inn — crowded with busy thoughts, plans, desires, all for self ; no room for memories and hopes to cluster close around Him who was once the Babe of Beth- lehem. FIELDS NEAR BKTBLEHBM. The Child jFesus. '21 The Star of Jacob — the Scepter of Israel. CHAPTER I. THE CHILD JESUS. - There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel. — Num. xxiv, 17. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. — Rev. xxii, 16. 'nr^HE humble shepherds who heard the ^ heavenly music were not the only ones that were interested in the birth of Jesus. In far-off countries in those days there were scholarly men who studied old writings on skins — solemn-looking, ancient parchment rolls — men skilled in astronomy, philosophy, astrology, and every known science, who gave counsel to kings, and no great question could be ansv/ered without their assistance. They pretended to understand signs and wonders, and to interpret dreams. Do you remember the great king who was once so furious because none of his wise men could tell the dream he had foro-otten 1 22 From Bethlehem to Calvary. Gentiles shall come to thy light. But now the wise men themselves came to ask an important question. They had learned, probably from the Scriptures, that there was to come one who would be the King of the Jews, according to prophecy. In the far East they had seen a new star in the sky, and they were sure it was a token of the birth of tlie expected Prince, who, it was believed, would bring earth- ly blessings to all people. It is thought there were but three of these wise men, and as they were men of rank, perhaps, it was with a retinue of servants they entered into the city of Jeru- salem, inquiring as they came : "Where is he that is born King of the Jews ? '' The busy people did not know how to answer ; perhaps they looked into the eager eyes and at the long, white beards of the travelers, coming- in their dusty sandals and their flowing robes, as though they would say, '' Why do you ask ? " The reply was ready : '* For we have seen his star in the East, and are come to wor- ship him." * * See Frontispiece. The Child yestis, 23 The priests' lips should keep knowledge. The news of their coming reached the palace, where the wicked king, Herod, lived. He was greatly troubled, lest he should lose his throne ; so were the princes who waited on him and lived in his smile, because his gold paid the price of their obeying his wicked orders. So Herod sent for the chief priests and scribes, probably the Sanhedrin, and ordered them to tell him where Christ should be born ; for he knew they had read all which the prophets had written. Just as the angels told the shepherds came the answer: "In Bethlehem of Judea." Then the unhappy king sent secretly for the wise men, and asked when they first saw the star ; for, perhaps, they had been for months on their journey, and he wanted to know exactly the age of the child. Then he sent them to Bethlehem. " Go," he said, "and search diligently for the young Child ; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also." They started again — and how they rejoiced when they saw that the same " star, which they saw 24 From Bethlehem to Calvary. King's shall minister unto thee. in the East, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was." By this time mother and Child had left the stable and the manger— for, " when they were come into the house^ they saw the young Child with Mary his mother." It was the custom in coming into the presence of a king to prostrate one's self, and frequently to present some offer- ing. So the wise men fell down and worshiped this holy infant, and then, opening their treas- ures, gave him gold, and sweet smelling and precious spices. These were rich and costly gifts — offerings — because they believed he was a king who should rule the earth. How much more homage should we give him now that we know that the child Jesus was also the King of heaven, who will reign with love and blessing in every heart which will give to him its love and service ? The wise men were sages, and yet more igno- rant than a Christian child. They did not know that they were fulfilling a prophecy uttered seven hundred years before, when an inspired The Child ycsus. 25 Angels . . . fhinistered unto Him. one, who loved to sing of the coming glory of the I.ord, wrote : " They shall bring gold and incense ; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord." The same good Father in heaven who sent his only Son to sleep in the manger, who sent the angels to sing to the shepherds, who held the star in his hand and guided the wise men, sent angels to them as they slept, and warned them not to return to Herod. They had found the one they sought, had offered their gifts and their worship ; so they again put on their pil- grim robes and their sandals, and went into their own country by another way. 26 From Bethlehem to Calvary. Man proposes ; God disposes. CHAPTER II. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. — PsA. xxx, 7. O OON after the wise men had departed God ^^ sent, by night, an angel to Joseph with a special message. The message must be quickly obeyed, even before the morning. He who knows the purposes of every heart knew what King Herod intended to do, not- withstanding he had said to the wise men, in respect to the young Child, " That I may come and worship him also.'' Hence the message by the angel to Joseph, ^^ Arise, and take the young Child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word : for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy him." Quickly and silently, with little preparation, the parents started on their long journey, foi The Flight into Egypt. 27 Eachel weeping for her children. it was probably more than one hundred miles from Bethlehem to Egypt. No doubt the gifts of the wise men enabled the parents — who had little gold before — to purchase what was need- ful for their journey ; an instance, perchance, of His providential care. We know not exactly how they went ; per- haps, as was the custom of the country, Mary, with the child before her, rode upon an ass, while Joseph walked behind or beside it. But we are certain that, while each day the happy mother rejoiced in the safety of her child, either on the way or resting in Egypt, in the little houses and the narrow streets of Bethlehem there were sounds of weeping and bitter cries of sorrow. The angry king, when he found the wise men had disappointed him, became more furious than ever, and also more determined than before to kill the Child he sought. So to make sure of His destruction, Herod sent soldiers to every house in Bethlehem, and to all the homes in the bor- ders of the town, and ordered them to kill every 28 From Bethlehem to Calvary. No hope in his death. child they could find under two years old. No tears, no piteous pleading, could save them from his cruel wrath. What cared he, a wicked old man who had sinned for well-nigh seventy years, who had murdered his wife and two of his own sons, what cared he for mothers' tears, or the suffering of little children ? He was then a dreadful sufferer himself, hav- ing a fearful and loathsome disease of which he soon after died. Only five days before his death he ordered the execution of his eldest son. Such was the man from whose anger God saved the child Jesus. Herod had rebuilt the temple for the worship of God, spent much money on it, and restored much of its old splendor and beauty ; but when the Lord of the temple came, in the person of a little Child, he sought to take his life. He was hated of the people for his cruelty ; but with mocking pomp, while there was neither love nor grief at his death, five hundred slaves car- ried the spices to be used at his funeral. In the far-off land of Egypt, where the Jews The Flight into Egypt, 31 Out of Egypt have I called my Son. were once slaves, the Child Jesus dwelt in safety ; there beneath the palm-trees the little feet learned to walk about, and the lips to speak the sweet prattle of childhood. Again the angel of the Lord came to Joseph — again he said, " Arise, and take the young Child and his mother." This time it was to go into the land of Israel : '' for they are dead which sought the young Child's life." Ever ready to obey, Joseph returned with them ; yet he feared lest Herod's son might be as cruel as his father ; but God directed him to go and live in a city called Nazareth. There Joseph had lived be- fore, and probably his friends and relations lived there. In Nazareth he had worked at his trade as a carpenter, and after his journeying he again lived in his old home, and engaged in his daily work as before. 32 From Bethlehem to Calvary. The fairest among ten thousand. CHAPTER III. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. — Mark i, ii. TT T'E know little of the early life of Jesus ; ^ ^ only a few touches of the inspired pens which wrote of his childhood, but each touch is a wonderful picture. " The child grew " — Day by day, year by year, the fair face grew more thoughtful, the clear eyes had a deeper light, the rounded limbs became larger and stronger, the willing hands wrought industriously and helpfully, and the body went on in its growth toward a perfectness such as no human form ever before or since has reached, for it was the perfection of life and beauty. "Strong in spirit" — Brave, fearless of wrong or evil, strong in the right and the true. " Filled with wisdom " — None of the doubts we have as to what is right or best, no half- The Baptism of Jesus, 33 I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. hearted judgments, no mistakes ; unerring wis- dom, and that not the wise learning of earth's scholars, but heavenly wisdom : the grace, the loving favor, the tender, watchful care of God, his heavenly Father, ever rested upon him. One picture is given us of his boyhood. He was twelve years old, and went with his parents to the great feast in Jerusalem, one of a large company who traveled the seventy miles south from Nazareth to Jerusalem. He kept the feast with them, seeing the great temple, and enjoying the sacred festival as no other child could do. The days of the feast were over, the great company were returning, when, at the close of the first day's journey, they stopped to pitch their tents for the night ; then the parents dis- covered that Jesus was not in all the company. Grieving, wondering, that their angel-watched child was lost, vainly searching all the way, they went back mile after mile until they again came in sight of the shining domes of the great city — this time with heavy hearts, and weary. 34 From Bethlehem to Calvary. All that heard him were astonished at his understanding. They re-entered the city, and on the third day they found Him in the court of the great temple, sitting with the wise doctors and law- yers, listening to their learned talk and asking them questions. " Filled with wisdom " — He knew what to re- ply to Mary's sorrowful questioning, and went cheerfully back to the humble home with his parents. "Subject unto them" — An obedient, loving son, whose sayings his mother sacredly '' kept in her heart." Thirty years he spent with that mother- — years of contemplation, watching and working in the privacy of home : no haste to enter public life, no restive restraint at home government ; all those years went by unsung and unknown beyond the hunible family circle. Doubtless in after times, when words of wisdom fell from his Hps in beautiful precepts and pict- ures in parable, the image of the quiet mother rose before his mind, as photographed on his human heart were the scenes of mother-life and mother-work : sweeping the house, mixing the ,1 E r.^^^- 'j^yfr/f^j! The Baptism of yestcs. 37 Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. leaven, mending worn garments — those hum- ble, honest pictures, the tapestry of many boy- ish memories ; and has not his very mention of it sanctified the homely plain work of daily service ? The Jewish priests entered upon their con- secrated w^ork at thirty years of age. When Jesus was at that age he went to the river Jordan, where his cousin, John the Baptist, was preaching and baptizing, to be himself baptized. John was at first unwilling, for he felt himself unworthy to baptize one who had come to be the Saviour of the world ; but Jesus showed him that it was wisest and best — Jesus needed not to repent, for he had never sinned ; he did not need the emblem of cleansing, for he was ever pure — that he, as the great Exemplar, wished to do that which was needful for all others to do, and that this was a fitting way and time to enter upon his public work, so, in the water of the Jordan, John baptized him. It was the same river, near whose banks Lot chose for his home — '' the well-watered plain f through which the 38 From Bethlehem to Calvary. Mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. children of Israel walked on dry ground by a miracle ; v/here Elijah and Elisha went over just before Elijah went up to heaven in a fiery chariot ; and where the great captain sent by the little maid was cleansed from his leprosy. Just as Jesus was baptized, while he was praying, the heavens opened above him, and, descending in the form of a dove, the Holy Spirit rested upon him. The dove has always been an emblem of gentleness and purity ; in- nocent, meek, and peaceful, it was a fitting pict- ure of the gentle influence of the Holy Spirit, and the pure and loving Saviour. A voice came also from the opened heavens, saying, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Surely, the watching people could not doubt that this was the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, well pleasing to his Father in heaven. What are the words spoken in every faith when one is baptized ? " In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Let the words recall this scene : the listening crowd on the river-bank ; the preacher who cried The Baptism of yesus, 39 Here the whole Deity is 8ho\vii. " Repent ye " to the multitudes who came to hear him ; the sinless Jesus — the light from heaven resting on him ; the dove above him ; the voice of love and praise speaking from heaven. Such a group was never on earth be- fore— the ''Three in One:" the Father who sent, the Son who came, the Spirit, whom Jesus has promised, " shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance." In the light of those opened heavens the an- gels, who sang at his birth, must have watched the holy baptism, and hushed their songs of triumph while the Father said, in hearing of the thrilled hearts of heaven and earth, "This is my beloved Son." 40 From Bethlehem to Calvarv. Alone with God. CHAPTER IV. THE TEMPTATION — POWER OVER SATAN. In all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. — Heb. iv, 15. "XT O great mission has ever been effected ■^ ^ without careful, toilsome preparation ; usually in solitude, when the soul may be deep in contemplation and grow strong in purpose and in power. Forty years in the plains of Midian, oft in starlit nights alone with his flock and his thoughts, Moses prepared for his years of leadership ; forty days and nights on Mount Sinai he was alone with God. EUjah, alone on the stony hills of Gilead, and by the lonely brook, was prepared for the triumphant scene on Mount Carmel; then, in the strength of mir- f | aculously-given food, he went to Mount Horeb. I So Jesus, after thirty years of retirement, spent forty days and nights in the wilderness, sus- tained, as Moses and Elijah had been, by the The Temptation — Power Over Satan. 41 Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. power of an ever-watching, ever-present God. Those were desolate days and nights when Jesus was in the desert, alone, except the com- panionship of the " wild beasts," which came about him from their hiding-places in the rocks ; but God watched over him there. Long before this time a good man, cast into a den of wild beasts, said, *' My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths." But there is one who yet goes about '* as a roar- ing lion, seeking whom he may devour," that went to Jesus in the lonely desert to tempt him. Were you ever tempted, tried ? That same evil one who went to the desert first began his work as a "tempter in a lovely garden, amid shadowing foliage, fragrant odors from thorn- less roses, sweet songs of birds, and innocent gambols of harmless animals, caressed by hands unstained with evil deeds. He remembered how he conquered then ; aye, and he well re- membered his own punishment. Now he came to tempt the sinless One. He conquered once in a place of beauty, of 42 From Bethlehem to Calvary. In all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. happiness, where every want was supplied : he now came to Jesus in a time of loneliness, of danger, of hunger, of weariness. Satan tried three times to tempt Jesus to sin. First, he said, " If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread," as if he ^ would either doubt that Jesus was the Son of God, or imply that, if so, he could change the stones lying about into food. But Jesus had an answer in the words of Scripture. He re- minded him that God could preserve life by his own power if he chose, even without the usual daily bread. Thus he had fed the wanderers in the wilderness for forty years. Then Satan took him to so high a point on the temple wall that a mere man might have fallen from the dizzy height to the deep valley below — for the temple was built on Mount Moriah, where, long before, Abraham took his only son to offer as a sacrifice. Satan wished Jesus to cast himself down, in order to test, before the eyes of the people of the city, whether God would save his only Son from danger, and keep The Temptation — Power Over Satan. 43 The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. his own promise : '* He shall give his angels charge concerning thee." But Jesus silenced him with a plain command : '' Thou shalt not tempt the Lord ihy God." The third time Satan took him to a high mountain, from which they could see many countries — ^just as Moses went up on Mount Nebo, and God showed him all the promised land spread out like a picture before him. Per- haps it was the same mountain where God had been with Moses that Satan was with the Son of God. Bold in his last trial, he said: "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Jesus ordered him from his presence, silenc- ing him as he did so with the command : " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." The conqueror in the garden was conquered in the desert. If we meet temptation, as Jesus did, with " the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," we shall always conquer. Then angels " came and ministered unto 44 From Bethlehem to Calvary. Thou slialt guide me with thy counsel. him/' The whole incident furnishes a precious testimony that our Saviour was tempted as we are, yet without sin. We may be comforted by the hope that those who will study and believe the word of God shall be guided, as was He, by the Spirit, even though not waited on by angels. Following the Lamb. 45 Is not this the Christ ? CHAPTER V. FOLLOWING THE LAMB. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. — Matt, xvi, 24. A FTER the days in the wilderness Jesus '^■^ left Nazareth, so long his home, and dwelt in Capernaum, on the shore of the Sea of Gal- ilee, a beautiful inland sea or lake, through which the Jordan flowed. One day, as he walked on the shore of the lake, he saw two young men who had been fol- lowers of John the Baptist. When John saw him he said, " Behold the Lamb of God," and they at once believed that he was the Christ. One of them named Andrew went to his brother Peter, and said joyfully, " We have found the Christ." Welcomed by his gracious words, they went with Jesus and spent the rest of the day with him, the first of many hours when they listened to his teaching. 46 From Bethlehem to Calvary. And he brought him to Jesus. The next day Jesus wished to go back into Galilee, and saw Philip, who belonged in the same town with Andrew and Peter. He had the honor of being the first disciple called, for to him Jesus said, as he afterward did to others, " Follow me " — the first to whom a direct call and command were given. Philip at once went to his friend Nathanael, who at that hour Philip knew was engaged in devotion in his favorite place of retirement, and told him the same glad news, " We have found the Christ," and bade him " Come and see." Peter, and Andrew, and perhaps John, seem not yet to have entirely left their employment as fishermen to be with the new Master ; but Philip and Nathanael) and perhaps others, went with Jesus to Cana of Galilee, where his mother, with a large company, witnessed " the beginning of miracles." Jesus loves to bless our joys as well as our sorrows, for to gladden the hour at a wedding feast he first used his power to work miracles. Then he went to Capernaum, but stayed only Following the Lamb. 47 The common pe^^ple heard him gladly. a few days before he went to keep his first pass- over, as it was time for the great feast at Jeru- salem. There in the temple courts he found men buying, selling, and changing money, in all the din and tumult of a market-place ; he drove them out with a scourge or whip made of small cords, poured out the money, and threw over the tables. This, of course, excited the anger of the priests ; but when the people saw his miracles many believed in him. After several months spent in the country of Judea Jesus set out to return to Galilee ; as he journeyed he passed through the country called Samaria, near to the place where Joseph was buried in the lot of ground which Jacob bought for "a hundred pieces of money." There, by the side of Jacob's well, tired, hungry, thirsty, the Sav- iour rested while he talked with the woman of Samaria, and she, believing on him, brought others to listen, and became herself the first female missionary of Christ. After that Jesus went to his old home, Naza- reth, whither the fame of his miracles had pre- 48 From Bethlehem to Calvary. He opened his mouth, and taught. ceded him, and doubtless the people expected to see some wondrous works. On the Sabbath he went into the synagogue, perhaps the same where he had often listened and worshiped, and there he at this time read and explained the Old Testament Scriptures. The people listened in astonishment as " the carpenter's son" claimed to be the promised One come to preach good tidings. As he added warn- ing to precept they were angry, and, rushing out of the synagogue, with him in the crowd, they pressed on to the edge of a precipice, on the borders of the town, where they would have cast him headlong, but he passed unharmed through the midst of all by the exercise of Divine power, and went on to Capernaum. Thus by his daily works and words — in con- versation by the way-side, or at night as he taught the timid, inquiring Nicodemus; in the synagogues or the temple worship, by deeds of mercy and works of wonder— during that first year, " Jesus began to preach and to say. Re- pent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Following the Lamb. 49 ■Washing their nets. Capernaum was a beautiful town on the bor- der of the Sea of Galilee ; reaching out from the town were luxuriant fields on the hill sides and in the fruitful valleys. This place was called '' His own city," for here he spent the greater part of his ministry, and here performed many miracles. It was here that Jesus walked by the sea one morning, and the people gathered close about him " to hear the word of God." On the beach he saw two boats drawn up, the fishermen sit- ting close by, washing their nets. His mind and eye took in all the scene : the hearts of the anx- ious people ; the tired fishermen, who, having toiled all night, weary and disappointed, were washing their nets before going home to rest. He stepped into one of the boats and asked the owner to push ofi' a little from the land. There he sat and taught, while the people on the shore listened. When he was done speaking he bade Peter drop the net into the sea. Obeying, the net was so filled with fish that it was breaking, and he called to the partners in the other boat 50 From Bethlehem to Calvary. And they arose and followed Ilim. to assist, for the boat was sinking with the weight of the gathered fish. These four fisher- men were Simon Peter, and Andrew, who had before been with Jesus, and James and John, sons of Zebedee. Jesus said first to those in the boat with him, " Follow me, I will make you fishers of men." They left their nets and went with him. A little farther on were the other brothers, whom he also called. So they, too, gave up all — the boats, the nets, their business — to follow the Christ, to share his work, to hear his words, and, by preaching his Gospel, to gather the souls of men to the kingdom, even as the fish were gathered in the nets. The words did not die away in the morning air of Galilee : they are still sounding to all who will listen to the blessed Master, as he ever says, — "Follow Me." Powei' Over Disease. 51 The Lord . . . who healeth all thy diseases. CHAPTER VI. POWER OVER DISEASE. And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him th:it they might touch if it were but the border of his garment : and as many as touched him were made whole. — Mark vi, 56. T TERY soon after entering upon his public ^ ministry, Jesus became known as the Great Physician. We have abundant testimony that his miracles of healing were very numer- ous, and the great mass of them, it may be, are unrecorded. We know that his all-seeing and sympathetic eye never overlooked a case of suffering or want, and his tender heart and mighty hand never left unrelieved and un- blessed any suppliant. At his first passover, after the commencement of his ministry, John tells us many believed when they saw the miracles which Jesus did. Nicodemus, the timid ruler, was convi7iced by his miracles that God was with him, and, in the 52 From Bethlehem to Calvary. Believe Me for the very works^ sake. secrecy of night and amid the darkness of his own doubts and fears, came to him, to receive in his own shadowed soul " the light " which had **come into the world." The same "beloved disciple" who records the wonderful conversa- tion with Nicodemus, at the close of his Gos- pel, in an oriental and significant mode of ex- pression, says, that if every one of Jesus' deeds had been recorded, '* even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." John, more than any other writer of the Gos- pels, gives us a deep insight into the spiritual meaning of the miracles of healing ; while all the evangelists give some graphic pictures of the wondrous relief of every phase of human suffering. Prominent among these is John's account of a cure which Jesus did when he returned to Cana of Galilee after his first passover at Jerusalem. The Galileans had witnessed his miracles there, and the story preceded Christ's coming, and had reached Capernaum, even to the palace of a no- bleman, whose son was sick. Sadness and still- Power Over Disease. 53 Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst. 