Class _ 
8eok__ 
Copyright^ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Cfje BSeictoeti &on 




THE CHILD CHRIST. 



f?ne, Av*<si H*s 



Z$t Ibtltfott* §bou 



By M. RYE 




New York • DODD, MEAD 
AND COMPANY ■ Mdcccci 



THE LIBRARY OF 

CONGRESS, 
Two Copies Received 

APR. 25 1901 

Copyright entry 
CLASS 0, X*c. N». 

2L<Z 9// 

COPY B. 






Copyright, 1900 
Dodd, Mead and Company 

All rights reserved 



John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U. S. A. 



PREAMBLE 



FOR many hundreds of years before 
Jesus was born into the world, God 
had taught the Jews, a people dwelling 
in Asia, by making Kings and Prophets 
His Messengers to instruct them in His 
ways and to bid them keep His laws, and 
they became a special nation set apart 
from others and worshipping God in their 
Temple at Jerusalem, which was their 
chief city. 

But in the course of time their hearts 
grew cold to God, and though they fol- 
lowed the teaching of their priests, and 
remembered all the forms and ceremonies 
of their ancient religion and insisted on 



PREAMBLE 



their observance, they forgot to be just 
and loving and merciful, and to worship 
God as they had done at first. 

And then, too, they lost their freedom 
and had to submit to the rule of the pow- 
erful Romans and be governed by them. 

So God in His great love for the world, 
and for its salvation, sent His Son Jesus 
Christ to be born into it just as human 
people are born ; to live a human life, 
and to teach the poor, who had been left 
untaught ; to heal the sick, who in their 
misery and pain had no one to go to ; to 
give hope to the wicked and tell them 
plainly what was the result of sin, and 
to give comfort and courage to all who 
desired to follow him and be like 
him. 

He came a New Teacher into the world 

to make religion a living thing instead of 
vi 



PREAMBLE 



its being a dead creed of forms and ob- 
servances as taught by the priests. But 
his life and teaching displeased the priests, 
and roused their anger and jealousy, until 
in the end they wrought his death. 



vu 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Christmas Day 3 

The Wonderful Things He Did ... 33 
The Beautiful Stories He Told ... 55 

His Ways with Children 73 

Some of the Things Jesus Taught the 

People 87 

The Last Days of Jesus 101 

The Painful Death He Died .... 121 
How in the End He Won 139 



CHRISTMAS DAY 



The STORY OF JESUS CHRIST 

^TCHEISTMAS DAY 

THE story of Jesus begins with 
Christmas Day, because that is 
the day on which he was born 
into our world. 

Ever since his birth, Christmas has been 
made a time of great rejoicing and glad- 
ness, for it celebrates the coming of the 
very best and noblest; the most truth- 
ful and loving man who ever lived on 
this earth. And this man, Jesus Christ, 
was God's own son in human form, and 
his life and teaching so changed and 
lifted up the ways and thoughts of men, 
that we cannot be glad enough on his 
birthday or be too grateful to God for 
the gift. 

3 



the BELOVED SON 

Jesus did not begin his life here as if 
he were coming to rule and govern as a 
sovereign. He was born in the midst 
of very simple surroundings, and at the 
time very, very few people thought or 
cared about him. For the most part his 
countrymen went their own busy ways as 
usual, not knowing what great event, full 
of meaning for the whole world, was tak- 
ing place in their midst; but there were 
one or two strange things that happened 
at his birth that, in spite of their indiffer- 
ence, forced themselves upon the notice 
of many and gave them much to talk 
over and think about, both then and long 
afterwards. 

The first of these strange things was: 
Some shepherds, looking after their sheep 
in the fields one night, suddenly saw a 
great and most brilliant light. 

When the shepherds saw this light, 
which was quite unlike any they had 
4 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

ever seen before, they were very much 
frightened and wondered what its mean- 
ing could be, and they were more sur- 
prised still when there appeared in the 
sky a white and shining Angel. But the 
Angel, who was most beautiful to look 
upon, gently told them not to be afraid ; 
that there was no need of fear, for that 
instead of coming to alarm them he was 
there to say something that would make 
them gloriously happy, and then he told 
them that he had been sent from God in 
Heaven to bring them the good news, 
that at that very instant the most won- 
derful and holy child had been born into 
the world, a child of Heaven and of the 
Holy Spirit, who would bring to them 
— the poor shepherds — and to all who 
lived on the earth, Hope, Help, and Sal- 
vation in life and in death. 

And while the glistening Angel was 
thus speaking other Angels came, flying 
5 



The BELOVED SON 

from Heaven, nearer and nearer to the 
earth, and the whole company of them 
broke out rapturously into a glorious 
hymn of praise, and peace, and divine love. 
Such heavenly music amazed the simple 
shepherds and they felt that for ever they 
could have stood there under the starry sky 
listening to the singing of that Choir of 
Holy ones. And in their hearts, too, there 
was singing at the news brought by the 
Angels. 

The Angel who first spoke had told the 
shepherds where to find the babe and its 
mother, so when the heavenly song had 
ceased, and the divine Singers had gone 
from those quiet fields and returned to 
their own bright home, the shepherds left 
their flocks and, obeying the directions 
given them, found the little child and his 
young mother Mary. They told of the 
visit of the Angels and of the words that 
had been spoken to them; of the bright 
6 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

light and of the sweet singing of the white- 
winged, angelic chorus. And Mary and 
her husband Joseph, and every one who 
listened to the shepherds' story, were 
astonished and surprised at the wonder 
of it. 

And at the birth of Jesus a new star 
was seen in the sky. Perhaps only those 
people who cared very much for stars, 
who knew their names and their position 
in the sky, would have noticed a new one 
where there are such vast numbers; but 
this new star was discovered by wise men, 
who lived far away from Judea, and who 
for long years had watched the stars at 
night. And their books told them that 
this new star had appeared in the sky as a 
sign of the birth of Jesus ; that they were 
to visit and worship the new-born child 
who was the long-expected Christ, the 
Saviour of the world. 

So [obediently] they travelled to Judea 



The BELOVED SON 

from their far away homes, and as by 
their reading they were led to believe that 
the babe was a royal babe, they came 
bringing- presents fit for a king, beautiful 
ornaments of gold and valuable spices and 
perfumes. 

But Jesus, the king they had come to 
adore, was not born in a palace among 
splendid surroundings. He, whom God 
was sending with his message to the poor 
and sinful, began his life among the lowly 
in a stable; his cradle was a manger of 
straw and sweet-scented clover, and about 
him were the animals whose home it was. 
Cows with their dear kind eyes looked 
down upon the Christ Child, wondering at 
his presence there, and horses ate their 
food beside him, lifting up their heads to 
gaze at him. 

Now I will tell you how it came about 
that Jesus was born in a stable, and not 
in his own mother's home. It was a very 
8 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

busy time just then at Jerusalem, the 
great city of the Jews, for all the people 
of Judea had been ordered by their rulers 
to come up from all parts of the country 
with their wives and families, that their 
names and all particulars concerning them 
might be taken down and carefully written 
out, so that it would be exactly known 
how many families there were in the land. 
With the rest came Mary and her husband 
Joseph. The people came travelling up 
to Jerusalem in such numbers that every 
inn and house was full, not only in the 
city of Jerusalem itself, but in all the vil- 
lages near. Many found it difficult, and 
some impossible, to get shelter anywhere. 
Fortunately, as I told you, it was so warm 
and sunny in that land that people could 
be quite happy out of doors, and were 
contented if they could but find some 
sleeping-place for the women and children 
when night came on. So it happened 
9 



tht BELOVED SON 

that Mary and her family could only get 
a stable to rest in ; every other place was 
occupied. And there in that stable, the 
very night they arrived, Jesus was born, 
and there he was found by the wise men. 
But not directly, for these wise men met 
some difficulties by the way. 

When they arrived at Jerusalem they 
inquired where the king lived, and, being 
taken to Herod, who, under the Roman 
Governor, ruled over the Jews, they told 
him they wanted to find the " King of 
the Jews." 

This made Herod very angry and jeal- 
ous, and frightened him, because he con- 
sidered that he himself was the king of 
the Jews; and he knew nothing about 
this wonderful new child whom these wise 
men called king, and, knowing nothing, 
he could not tell them where to find 
Jesus. So they left him, and, looking up, 
they saw their star — the very star that 
10 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

had appeared in the sky to tell them of 
the coming of the Christ Child — and it 
was moving before them to guide them ; 
and, following it, they were led to the 
village of Bethlehem, where the infant 
Jesus and his mother were. And they 
went right into the stable, and there 
knelt down and worshipped and pre- 
sented their royal offerings, for they 
were so wise that it made no sort of 
difference to them whether the Christ 
they had found was born in poverty or 
in splendour. They knew in their wis- 
dom that he was the King of Kings. 
When they had given their birthday 
presents and had prayed and wondered 
in that lowly stable, they went quietly 
home to their own country, having done 
what they came to do, and we hear of 
them no more. 

But King Herod was expecting them 
again, and when they did not return to 
11 



The BELOVED SON 

him his anxiety and suspicion increased, 
and in his anger he was very cruel and 
very wicked, for he ordered that every 
child that was two years old or younger 
should be put to death, thinking that the 
new-born king would thus be killed, and 
that afterwards he might feel perfectly 
sure there was no other living being who 
could claim to be king of the Jews but 
himself. 

But though he had all these little 
children killed, and caused so many 
fathers and mothers to be heart-broken 
by his wicked deed, he did not succeed 
in putting Jesus to death. For Joseph 
one night in a dream heard a voice tell- 
ing him to rise up quickly, and to take 
Jesus and his mother Mary with all haste 
into another country where Herod had 
no power, and to stay there for a long 
time until it was safe to return to his 
own land. Joseph obeyed the voice in 
12 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

the dream and they all three went with 
speed to Egypt, and remained there away 
from their friends till the death of Herod. 
Then they came back and lived at a place 
called Nazareth, and there it was that 
Jesus spent the years of his childhood. 

Nazareth was a quiet country place, 
and here the child Jesus lived a simple 
home-life with Mary and Joseph. Joseph 
was a carpenter, and Jesus must often 
have watched him at his work, and picked 
up the curly shavings to play with, as 
children love to do. Sometimes, too, 
Mary would show him the golden orna- 
ments presented to him by the wise men 
and tell him of the star that was their 
guide, and how the Angels sang together, 
and of the other strange things that hap- 
pened at his birth. 

It was a peaceful, gentle life, and we 
can imagine that the greatest excitement 
in the family was the journey to Jeru- 
13 



The BELOVED SON 

salem every year; for Joseph and Mary 
always attended the great feast of their 
religion. Then the family would have 
a glimpse of the stirring city life, with 
its gay and crowded streets, and the hot, 
noisy, bustling people, all busy buying 
and selling at this season of the year. 
Then, too, at Jerusalem they would 
see the Temple, the great Church of the 
Jews, the building that they all loved so 
dearly, and of which they were so proud. 
Within the Church people were also buy- 
ing and selling, just as if they had for- 
gotten the story of their great Temple, 
and how it had been built of old by 
faithful Jews for God to dwell in. 

When Jesus was taken here as a boy 
he noticed how Grod's temple was dis- 
honoured by the noise and confusion 
made by those trading in it, and you will 
see later what he did to change all this 
when he became a man. 
14 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

Once during one of these visits to the 
city, when Jesus was walking through 
the Temple and looking at the beauty of 
the building and thinking about it, he saw 
a group of old men, very learned and 
serious, who were earnestly discussing 
deep questions concerning their religion. 
He listened to their talk and asked them 
many questions. 

And the learned men were astonished 
at his questions and at his gracious bear- 
ing. And because the more men know 
the humbler they become, these doctors, 
who had so much knowledge, were able 
at once to see the wisdom of the Holy 
Child, and they talked to him with interest 
and delight. 

But while he was spending his time in 
this way, and getting fresh thoughts and 
ideas from this visit to the Temple, Joseph 
and Mary thought that he had joined a 
party of friends, and had already left 
15 



The BELOVED SON 

Jerusalem for home. For at these great 
Festivals the crowd was so great, and 
there was so much confusion and bustle 
in getting away from the city when the 
feast was over, that families were often 
separated and travelled home as best they 
could. So Joseph and Mary went towards 
home without Jesus, expecting he would 
arrive there before them, and only found 
out their mistake at the end of the first 
day's journey. 

After many inquiries they began to fear 
he was lost, and at once returned to Jeru- 
salem seeking him, for they were very 
anxious, and wondering greatly what 
could have happened to him. 

He was then only twelve years old, but 
being a child of the Spirit he knew that 
his work in the world would be unlike 
that of the grown-up people he saw around 
him, and that he must prepare for this 
work carefully and be ever learning from 
16 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

all things and in every way. Joseph and 
Mary had watched the Christ Child in his 
home and knew him to be different from 
other children, but they did not quite 
understand what kind of difference it was 
or know how sacred and divine was his 
mission. They saw him every day, and 
had perhaps become used to the beauty 
and goodness of his young life. 

When on their return to Jerusalem in 
their search for him they arrived at the 
Temple, they rejoiced, indeed, to find him 
there in safety, and were amazed to see 
him in the midst of those learned Doctors 
of the Law talking so freely to them. 

They told him how anxious they had 
been and how they had been looking 
everywhere for him, and he explained to 
them that Grod having given him a great 
work to do he was learning how to do it. 

But though deep down in his young 

heart he felt intensely the responsibility 
2 17 



The BELOVED SON 

of his life, he did not keep himself apart 
from other children, or behave as if he 
thought himself above them. When he 
was home again with Joseph and Mary in 
quiet Nazareth, simply and obediently he 
shared their life. The world that God 
his Father had made was very dear and 
lovely to him, and he rejoiced when learn- 
ing its secrets. The lilies growing in the 
fields of his home were more beautiful to 
him than kings in their diadems and robes 
of glory. The birds, happy in each day's 
sunshine, building their nests while in full 
song, were flying messengers to him, tell- 
ing of the sweet peace wrought by an 
abiding confidence in God's love. 

He observed, too, all the creatures of 
the fields and woods. He saw with in- 
terest the foxes creeping into their holes 
for safety when they were frightened by 
unusual sounds, and years after, when he 
had no home of his own, and, spending 
18 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

his blessed life in doing kind and beauti- 
ful things for other people, had often no- 
where to sleep, he remembered the nests 
of the birds and the homes of the foxes 
that he had watched so often as a boy. 

So, too, the wind blowing strongly and 
bearing away in its raging might disease 
and many evil things, or wafting gently 
over the country the fragrance of fields 
and blossoming trees, spoke to him of that 
Holy and mysterious Spirit that moves 
the hearts of men, stirring them up to 
noble deeds or melting them to love or 
pity. A Spirit,, too, coming and going 
like the wind, none can say whence or 
whither. 

And the gold and red and purple of the 
morning and the evening — those burning 
colours right out of God's Treasure House 
that make such radiant pictures in the sky 
for all to love and wonder at — these were 
to him treasures that he also owned, and 
19 



The BELOVED SON 

that later on he used to awaken into life 
the hearts of sinful men. 

And he watched, too, in the spring the 
corn growing from green to the white of 
harvest, and the trees first coming into 
leaf and bud, and to the fulness of the 
ripened fruit. 

All these he loved to see and to con- 
sider, and was ever in tender sympathy 
with living, growing things. 

And he watched people in their every- 
day lives, and saw that some were led 
by God's Spirit into sweet, true ways, and 
that others fell away from what was good, 
and grew cold, cruel, and selfish. 

And when people took pains to appear 
good, when all the time their hearts were 
proud and evil, it seemed to him strange 
and sad that they should do so. For, 
more than anything else, he hated false- 
hood and pretence of goodness. He loved 
whatever was truthful and honest and sin- 
20 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

cere, and by his own life and teaching- 
made good things beautiful. Children 
were very dear to him, he loved their sim- 
plicity and obedience, and you will see 
all through his life how he drew them 
to him. 

And all his childhood he felt within him 
that God had sent him into the world to 
find out and teach the weak and wicked, 
and that the time would come when he 
must leave Mary his mother and his 
peaceful home to go out into the world 
to tell to worldly men those wonderful 
thoughts of his that were ever growing 
stronger and clearer within him. He 
knew that his thoughts were different 
from the thoughts of other people, and 
his ways from their ways, and that very 
many would be angry at his teaching. 
For they would say : " We have lived 
long enough in the world to know quite 
well for ourselves what is best, and we 
21 



The BELOVED SON 

have in many long writings the teaching 
and laws left to us by our fathers and 
grandfathers. These are enough for us." 

Jesus knew they would say this, and 
many other things like it, and that their 
chief priests, who thought more of words 
than of deeds, would hate him and try to 
harm him. But the more he thought it 
over, and the older he grew, the surer he 
felt that whatever might happen he must 
fulfil his life by delivering the Message 
which God had entrusted to him. 

And he must go forth alone, without 
money or friends or any possessions. 
Alone he must set out to make sound and 
well the souls and bodies of his fellow- 
men, by healing them and by teaching 
them to love all that was holy and lovable 
and true, and to hate what was cruel and 
unworthy and mean and degrading. 

So Jesus went away from Nazareth and 
from his own people. But before he 
22 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

began his work as a teacher, two events 
happened in his life of which I must tell 
you. And the first of these was his bap- 
tism ; for from Nazareth he went straight 
to his cousin John, who was called the 
Baptist, to be baptised by him. John 
was a great preacher, and he preached in 
wild and savage places to the people who 
came to hear him. And he sternly bade 
them to repent of their sins, and to give 
up their wicked ways and live new lives. 
And if at his words they truly repented, 
and promised to be good, he poured 
pure clean water over their heads as 
they stood in the river near to where he 
was preaching, and that was their bap- 
tism. Water, you know, makes things 
clean, and so it was used by John 
as a sign that they must be inwardly 
pure. 

Jesus had never done anything to be 
sorry for, yet still he came to John as did 
23 



The BELOVED SON 

those who were violent and sinful. John 
at first did not wish to baptise Jesus, 
thinking himself unworthy of such an 
office, and knowing him to be wholly 
good and without fault; but when he 
saw Jesus earnestly desired it, he obeyed 
him. And as he was pouring the water 
over him, in the act of baptising him, 
Heaven opened right above them, and a 
dove flew down and rested on Jesus, and 
every one wondered at the sight. And the 
dove was the Spirit of God, blessing this 
baptism and showing to all that God was 
present. Then God the Father spoke to 
His Son, that all might know by whom 
he had been sent into the world, and 
called him the a Beloved Son." 

And Jesus, who loved God with adora- 
tion, now heard His very voice from 
Heaven, and received His Spirit in visible 
form, and knew that the life of service 
he was dedicating to his fellow-men was 
24 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

accepted by God his Father, and the gift 
made holy by these signs. 

How amazed and awed John and those 
with him must have been ! 

This was a beautiful beginning for the 
work Jesus had to do, was it not? 

The second preparation for his work 
was of a very different kind. 

Full of happiness that he had heard the 
voice of God, had been visited by His 
Holy Spirit, Jesus left the scene of his 
baptism, and those who had gathered 
together to behold it, and wandered away 
by himself for a time of quiet meditation. 
And the place he chose for his retreat 
was a desolate and solitary spot far away 
from houses and people. So far away 
and lonely was it that wild and savage 
beasts dwelt there, and no one else came 
near. But though these animals prowled 
around they did not hurt him, nor was 
he afraid of them. But a far greater 
25 



The BELOVED SON 

danger was near. Jesus had come there 
to pray — to be long hours alone with 
God, so that he might know Him better 
and love Him more. You know when 
we love people very dearly we want to 
speak to them very often, and make sure 
they think of us and are near us in 
thought. So it is in our friendship with 
God. If we love Him we like to speak 
to Him and pray to Him, and to be con- 
scious by day and by night of His love 
and nearness to us. Very holy persons 
love to pray to God for long, long hours, 
and never get weary ; and they are able 
to do this because their love is so great 
and their desire so intense to be closer 
to God. 

So for forty days and nights Jesus was 
able to live in this desert place among 
the untamed beasts wholly wrapt in 
prayer and in communion with his Father. 
And at the end of that time, his strength 
26 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

being spent from want of food and long 
nights of watching, the Great Tempter, 
always at hand in moments of weakness, 
appeared to him. 

And what the Great Tempter is like I 
cannot tell you, only I know that his com- 
ing fills all good people with horror and 
dismay, and that even to Jesus he brought 
strife, darkness, and temptation. 

And the Tempter tried by evil and cun- 
ning ways to change the thoughts and 
wishes of Jesus. 

God sent Jesus into the world to seek 
out the miserable and sinful, and He gave 
him great gifts so that he had powers un- 
known to mortal man ; also he was God's 
Love-bearer, that all that he might do and 
all that he would be should bring love 
into the lives of his fellow-men. 

The Tempter, therefore, urged him to 
use these wonderful powers that he pos- 
sessed to satisfy his own wants and needs, 
27 



The BELOVED SON 

and in that great moment of his life tried 
to make him think of his own hunger, and 
to turn stones into bread that he might eat 
in that desolate spot where no food was to 
be had ; but Jesus would not listen, for 
his heart was full of God and Heaven and 
he had no thoughts for himself. 

God sent Jesus into the world to teach 
people to be meek in spirit and lowly in 
heart. So the Tempter placed Jesus on 
the highest point of the Temple in Jeru- 
salem, the same Temple he had wandered 
in when a boy, and, with mocking words, 
bade him throw himself down and show 
his belief in God by trusting to his Angels 
to save him. But again Jesus would not 
listen. That would be tempting God, and 
his faith in his Father's Love and Power 
were perfect. 

God sent his Son into the world to be 
poor amongst the poor ; to be born amongst 
gentle animals in a stable ; to be known as 
28 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

the carpenter's son ; to be often without 
food or shelter ; and never to know what 
wealth and luxury were like. 

The Tempter in one view showed Jesus 
the riches of the world ; showed him gold 
in the mines, pearls in the sea, treasures 
beyond count, all the possessions of kings, 
with the glory and splendour and honour 
such possessions bring. And all that he 
saw should be his, said the Tempter, if 
only Jesus would turn from God his 
Father, would give up his Mission to his 
unhappy fellow-men, and worship him, 
the Great Tempter. 

But Jesus was true to God and to his 
purpose, and he would not bow his head 
to that Evil Spirit to be sovereign of the 
mightiest empire in the world. 

And so the Tempter having tried every 
means in his power to turn Jesus from his 
faith, defeated and vanquished at every 
point, departed from him. 
29 



The BELOVED SON 

Then in his loneliness and weariness 
after the strife God sent a ministering 
Angel to serve him, and the message that 
he brought so comforted Jesus that the 
savage mountain place no longer seemed 
desolate and terrible, but full of light and 
greenness and of sweet sound. 

And when the Angel had gone away, 
Jesus, conqueror in that great Spiritual 
combat, was ready to begin his work 
amongst the people. 



30 



THE WONDERFUL 
THINGS HE DID 



THE WONDERFUL THINGS 
HE DID 

JESUS, being now prepared by his 
baptism and his triumph over temp- 
tation for his divine Mission of lead- 
ing the people back to the ways of faith 
and love, spent all his days healing and 
teaching. He had only three years in 
which to work and to show the world 
by word and deed what love and faith 
could do. 

He began his work in the country, 
walking from village to village, and di- 
rectly he met anyone in distress, or 
needing him in any way, he would listen 
to the tale of misery or sin and give 
comfort or help. 

Sometimes he came across men who 

were busy at their own work, earning 
3 33 



<The BELOVED SON 

their living, and seemingly quite ab- 
sorbed in their employment; any ordi- 
nary looker-on might suppose them to 
be quite contented, but Jesus, who knew 
what was in the hearts of men, knew that 
such persons often went about their work 
feeling friendless and unhappy, and long- 
ing for a religion that brought them a 
clearer understanding of God and of 
eternal things. To such as these Jesus 
was indeed a friend, and walking and 
talking with him they learnt something 
of his faith and of the light that illumined 
his life. 

Many of those who thus met him left 
everything for him, and became through 
the whole of his life his devoted followers, 
and were therefore called his disciples. 
There were twelve especially dear and 
close to him; they were friends of his 
own choosing, and of some of them you 
will hear again before this story is ended. 
34 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

I will tell you the names of them when 
I come to speak about them more par- 
ticularly by-and-bye. But these twelve 
were very intimately connected with 
Jesus, and are known as the twelve 
apostles. 

And often as he walked with his friends 
on quiet country roads, or by fields of 
grass and corn, teaching them heavenly 
truths and helping them to understand 
his " new Commandment " to " Love one 
another," men who were crippled or blind 
or deaf came up to him imploring his pity, 
and others would bring their sick begging 
him to heal them ; and his power and 
mercy were so great that he was as a 
great physician to them all. For at his 
word and touch the deaf heard, the blind 
saw, the lame walked, and the sick were 
restored to health. 

And besides these afflictions of the 
body healed by Jesus, there were terrible 
35 



The BELOVED SON 

diseases of the mind that he also cured. 
There was one dreadful disease of this 
kind that was but little understood, it 
was so strange and awful. The poor 
creatures who suffered from it had all 
their thoughts and feelings twisted and dis- 
torted. A dreadful despondency weighed 
them down, and everything seemed black 
and fearful to them. Everyone they met 
appeared unfriendly and cruel and ready 
to do them harm, so they had no peace 
in their hearts and were at strife with all 
mankind. Nothing that we think beauti- 
ful was beautiful to them, for they saw 
everything through mists of gloom and 
despair. They were miserable in their 
homes and in their beds, and always and 
everywhere. These unhappy, afflicted 
ones at once became more unhappy and 
vexed and feverish at the sight of Jesus 
and at the sound of his voice. For what 
was evil in them could not endure the 
36 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

presence of his holy purity. So when 
they met him they would call out loudly, 
and beg him to go far away from them, 
and leave them for ever alone in their 
wretchedness. But Jesus knew that the 
love he had for them could save them, 
and so powerfully did he use this great 
love that it prevailed, and conquered the 
cruel disease that was overwhelming them, 
making the bad, miserable, dark thoughts 
go, and leaving these poor people healed 
and freed. 

These deeds of healing done by Jesus 
so surprised and astonished those that saw 
them, that they hastened to tell their 
friends and neighbours what they had 
witnessed, and they, of course, wanted to 
see Jesus for themselves. So people 
flocked to him from all the towns and 
villages round about and followed him 
wherever he went, watching his healing 
and listening to his teaching. 



The BELOVED SON 

Crowds often followed him all through 
the long day, each person trying to get as 
near to him as possible that they might 
miss nothing of what he did. For it was 
strange beyond words to the people to see 
men who had always been lame walking 
after him, the deaf attending to his teach- 
ing, and the blind gazing at him with 
gratitude. 

And so eager were the multitudes to go 
where he went that Jesus and his twelve 
apostles had seldom time to be alone 
together, that he might instruct them more 
fully how they were to do his work after 
he had left them. 

Sometimes when the crowd was very 
great, and had all the day been pressing 
round him, he and a few of his disciples, 
leaving the people, would take a little boat 
and cross the lake, hoping for an hour or 
two of quiet and rest. But it often hap- 
pened that when they had rowed to the 
38 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

other side they found the eager multi- 
tude there before them ; for, not bearing 
to lose sight of Jesus, they had, with 
great haste, walked round the end of the 
lake and so had met them on the other 
shore. 

Jesus loved this lake, and enjoyed the 
peace and rest that he and his apostles 
often found there. Not that he was ever 
vexed with the people for following him 
so continually ; he loved them too well 
for that, and was giving his life for them 
that they might be helped and healed. 
And though his own life was so good and 
perfect he had nothing but the greatest 
pity and sympathy for all who were weak 
and sinful. He could not bear to see peo- 
ple scorning others whom they considered 
beneath them, or keeping themselves apart 
from their fellows as if they were better 
than they. To him, the greatest and 
noblest life was the life of Service, and he 
39 



The BELOVED SON 

wished to see his followers ever ready to 
serve others on equal terms, even in hum- 
ble and lowly ways. So he hated to see 
men and women always pushing to the 
front, and each one wanting to be first. 
For he said the man that was really first 
was he who had the smallest thought for 
himself and the largest thought for other 
people, and the man who was really last 
was he who was thinking most of himself 
and least of other people. 

This teaching was very difficult for even 
his own apostles to believe, and I am 
afraid the crowd, that was composed of all 
sorts of people, could not at all understand 
what Jesus meant by the highest being 
lowest and the last first, for this was not 
what had been taught them before by 
those in authority. 

You have seen now how the common 
people followed him everywhere while he 
preached to them and healed them, and 
40 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

you know, too, that often he gave instruc- 
tions of a higher kind to his twelve apostles, 
or most intimate disciples, away from the 
multitude. But you would not get a right 
idea of the life of Jesus if you did not 
realise that he was also very often quite 
alone. He spent whole nights in prayer 
to God on some unfrequented hill, and in 
those hours of sacred communion with his 
Father he found the strength which en- 
abled him to live so bravely, and the Love 
which he gave again to his fellow-men. 

I cannot tell you all the perfectly mar- 
vellous things done by Jesus during the 
three years he lived in this manner among 
the people. Some day you will read about 
them for yourselves in the four lives written 
of Jesus. But I will give you an account 
of two or three of these wonderful deeds 
to show you how great was his power to 
heal and restore. 

Of the twelve friends chosen by Jesus, 
41 



The BELOVED SON 

there was one named Peter. One day, 
not long after Peter had become attached 
to Jesus, his wife's mother was seized 
with a fever and became dangerously ill. 
Peter did not want her to die, so he went 
at once to Jesus to tell him of this great 
trouble. Jesus, ever ready to help, at 
once followed Peter to his home, where 
he found the poor woman in very great 
danger. 

At the sight of Jesus and at the sound 
of his voice the sick woman knew immedi- 
ately that someone was at hand who 
could heal, and the fever that was burning 
in her and the weakness that was draining 
her life away instantly left her, and at 
once she felt strong enough to rise from 
her bed. Filled with gratitude and hap- 
piness at the cure the family besought 
Jesus to be their guest, and so complete 
was the recovery of the sick woman that 
she went about the house as usual, taking 
42 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

a share in the preparations for the little 
feast. 

So the day that had begun in such 
sorrow for all in Peter's house ended in 
thankfulness and rejoicing. 

This woman never forgot what Jesus 
had done for her, and she, with many 
other grateful women who had received 
from him healing or help, gladly offered 
him their homes and services during the 
whole of his life, and at every opportunity 
and in many ways cared for him. 

On another occasion he showed his 
great power in an even more astonishing 
way, doing a deed more wonderful than 
that of suddenly healing a person ill with 
a fever. For one day, he, with many 
others coming to the gates of a city, met 
a funeral procession passing through them, 
that was proceeding from the city to the 
burying place outside the walls. It was 
the funeral of a young man, who, on 
43 



The BELOVED SON 

dying, had left his mother, who was a 
widow, quite alone in the world. She, 
poor thing, distracted with grief, was now 
following him to the grave, weeping bitter 
tears. Jesus marked the bowed figure of 
the weeping woman, and knew how her 
grief was overwhelming her. And it was 
just at the moment when everything was 
at its worst that Jesus was there, at her 
side, speaking to her words of tender 
encouragement. Then he approached the 
bier, and the bearers stopped ; and, amid 
the silence of the wondering crowd, was 
heard the voice of Jesus, saying: " Young 
man, Arise." And even though he had 
been dead, and was prepared for his burial, 
the young man heard those words, the 
spirit returned to its body, and he arose 
as he was bidden. So Jesus gave the son 
back to the amazed and grateful mother, 
and how glad must have been the meeting 
between those two who had so lately said 
44 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

good-bye, never expecting to meet again 
on earth ! 

A great awe and dread fell upon those 
who had witnessed this wonder, but in 
the midst of the fear they were aware that 
God was very near to them that day, just 
as He had been near to their Teachers and 
Prophets in the old, far-off days that their 
fathers had told them of, and they knew 
that it was Jesus that had brought God 
so near to them, and solemnly they lifted 
up their hearts to God in whose great 
presence they felt they stood. 

And not only did sickness and death 
obey the voice of Jesus, but the wild, 
unmanageable waves and the great strong 
tearing winds ; even these became quiet 
and obedient before the force of his pure 
and strong spirit. 

One evening after a long day spent in 
healing the sick and destroying the power 
of evil, Jesus, who with some of his fol- 
45 



the BELOVED SON 

lowers was crossing the lake, weary and 
worn out, fell asleep at one end of the 
boat. He had not slept long* before a 
violent storm began to beat up ; the water 
became suddenly rough ; the waves high 
and covered with foam ; the wind blew 
with all its force ; and there was a mighty 
tempest. It grew very dark and the boats 
were tossed about hither and thither, so 
that it seemed they must upset and those 
in them be drowned. The disciples were 
in despair and believed themselves to be 
lost, and still Jesus slept peacefully, un- 
heeding the fury of the storm ; then in 
their fear they called out to him and im- 
plored him to wake up and come to their 
help. Trembling they asked him : Did lie 
not care for them, and had he no thought 
for the great danger they were in % 

Yes, he did care, only he had perfect 
trust in God's Love and Power, and their 
want of Faith saddened him. But when 
46 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

the disciples called to him in their alarm 
he roused himself from his sleep, and 
standing up in the little boat, with the 
storm wildly raging, amidst thunder, light- 
ning, and torrents of rain, he spoke such 
solemn, calm, commanding words that at 
once all was quiet: the water became still, 
the wind hushed, the rain ceased, and all 
was as peaceful as his own soul. 

These are only one or two of the amaz- 
ing things done by Jesus during the three 
years he taught the people. Every even- 
ing when the sun was setting, and the 
great heat of the day was over, the poor, 
the wretched, and the sick would come to 
him from far and near to be helped and 
healed. The deformed and crippled came 
too, for, in the quiet evening time, at the 
end of the day's work, their friends had 
leisure to carry them or to help them 
along the road to Jesus. And no one 
sought him in vain ; he comforted the sad 
47 



The BELOVED SON 

ones, he gave peace to the troubled, he 
helped the sinner to walk in a better path, 
and he blessed them all. 

You would think, would you not, that 
all those whom he thus healed would at 
least have been grateful ? But sometimes 
they thought only of the relief they had 
obtained, and not at all of Jesus who had 
cured them, and on being restored went 
on their way unheeding. This w^as the 
case once, when on entering a village 
Jesus met ten men, all of whom were ill 
with a very dreadful and incurable dis- 
ease, called leprosy, that made them terri- 
ble to look upon. And this disease was 
such a bad and dangerous one that the 
people who had it were forbidden to go 
near others, and were always driven away 
from inhabited places to live in lonely 
desolation without the pity or care of a 
single human being. 

These ten men seeing Jesus, and know- 
48 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

ing that he had power to heal, at once 
called out loudly to him, begging him to 
have mercy on them and to cure them. 
Jesus listened to their piteous appeal, 
their shocking appearance not causing 
him to turn from them, for the greater 
the need the stronger was his sympathy. 
Deeply moved by their sad state he used 
his gift of healing on their behalf and 
freed them from their cruel disease, send- 
ing them away at once to the priests to 
obtain the necessary permission to live 
again with their fellow-men. Away they 
went happily with never a thought of 
Jesus now that they were cured. At least 
that was true of nine of them ; one there 
was among them who had a better nature. 
In the heart of that one, as he went along, 
there suddenly sprang up a feeling of 
deep gratitude to his healer, and turning 
back he thanked Jesus with humble grati- 
tude for what he had done for him. 
4 49 



The BELOVED SON 

And this man was doubly blessed, for 
he only of them all had come near to 
Jesus and had had his own heart lifted 
up to higher things. 

It did not make any difference to Jesus 
whether the people he healed were rich or 
poor. All were free to come to him. His 
Message was to everyone, for he wanted 
all people to be whole and sound both in 
mind and body that they might worship 
God and serve each other perfectly. 

Amongst all these never-to-be-forgotten 
deeds of his was his care and consideration 
for those who might have to go for long 
periods without food. 

You will remember, just after his bap- 
tism, when God called him the " Beloved 
Son," that he himself had fasted for a long 
time, so that he knew very well how it 
feels to be hungry. Now the crowds who 
followed him often came from long dis- 
tances, and in their eagerness and longing 
50 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

to hear him frequently did not remember 
to supply themselves with anything to eat. 
But Jesus took the greatest care of them 
all — men, women, and children, and after 
he had been teaching them would not 
allow them to walk all the way back to 
their homes hungry and faint. And 
though there were often great numbers 
of them, even many thousands, and he and 
his friends had usually very little food 
with them even for themselves, yet he 
used his wonderful power in such a man- 
ner that in giving freely to the multitude 
all that he had, with a few loaves and 
fishes he fed them all, each one having 
enough and to spare. 

I hope you have not forgotten that 
when Jesus was hungry himself and was 
visited by the Great Tempter, who tried 
to persuade him to turn stones into bread 
that he might eat, that he would not con- 
sent. Yet for these thousands of tired 
51 



The BELOVED SON 

people who had taken long journeys to 
hear him tell them about God, and how 
they might become better men and 
women, he gladly put forth his power so 
that they might be fed. Jesus did not 
love power for its own sake, or desire it 
at all, except when it could be made 
useful and helpful to people in want. 



52 



THE BEAUTIFUL 
STORIES HE TOLD 



THE BEAUTIFUL STOEIES 
HE TOLD 

THE new thoughts and truths that 
Jesus wanted to teach his apos- 
tles and the people were very 
difficult to understand, for they were quite 
different from the old ways of thinking and 
teaching. So to make them simple and 
easy to remember Jesus made up beauti- 
ful little stories, and when the people 
came to think them over they found in 
them the most wonderful truths. And it 
was these wonderful truths that Jesus was 
born into the world to teach, for which 
he lived, and for which, sad to say, he 
afterwards died. 

There are between twenty and thirty 
of these stories in the lives written of 
Jesus, and of these I will tell you two or 
55 



the BELOVED SON 

three. By-and-bye you will read them 
for yourselves and try to discover their 
meaning. 

These tales were told to the people of 
Judea as they followed Jesus in his walks 
by the blue Sea of Galilee, or under the 
shadow of the olive trees in that land of 
hot sunshine. You must imagine the 
people looking up to him. deeply inter- 
ested and unwilling to lose a word, for 
tales have a great fascination for dwellers 
in the East. 

There was one about a man who had 
taken a long journey through a lonely 
part of the country, where robbers were 
often in hiding. This man, as he was 
going along on his solitary way, fell into 
the hands of the robbers, who stole from 
him everything that he had, even his 
clothes, and they were so cruel and 
rough, that, to prevent him from calling 
out and bringing people to his help, they 
m 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

all but killed him, and then ran off, leav- 
ing him wounded and helpless. There he 
lay, suffering great pain, without a soul 
to help him. And then a priest passed 
by and saw him lying there. But he 
did not go to help him as a kind priest 
would have done, but was selfish and 
cruel, and walked past without taking 
the least notice of him. 

The next person who was going that 
way had the same hard nature. Like the 
priest, he thought it was not for him to 
help, and he, too, continued his journey 
without showing any compassion for the 
wounded man. 

After that there came a third traveller 
riding along the road. He came from a 
country called Samaria, and his country- 
men were hated by the Jews and treated 
by them with great contempt. Yet this 
man of Samaria, when he saw the injured 
Jew lying there alone and in pain, did not 
57 



The BELOVED SON 

stop to think to what nation he belonged, 
but sprang from his horse, and in the kind- 
est, tenderest way dressed his wounds and 
wrapped him up, and then lifting him on 
his horse led him to the nearest inn. There 
he put him in charge of the innkeeper, to 
whom he gave money, that he might take 
good care of him and nurse him till he was 
well. 

That is the end of the story, and I think 
Jesus wanted us to understand by it that 
it is not only to our own brothers and 
sisters, to our own personal friends^ or 
even only to those who live in our own 
town, or belong to our own land, that we 
should be ready to show kindness ; but 
that directly anyone is in pain or in dis- 
tress he becomes our brother, and we must 
feel for him and help him. And if we do 
this we get to understand that we in this 
world are one big family, that God is our 
Father, and that Heaven is our true home. 
58 




CHRIST TAKES LEAVE OF HIS MOTHER. (Plockhorst.) 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

Another story that Jesus told the people 
was of a man who had two sons. He was 
rich, and had many servants and much 
land. The younger son, when he grew 
up, wished for change, and begged his 
father to give him money that he might 
travel and see new countries. 

Although it made his father sad that his 
child should wish to leave him, he gave him 
the money that was his inheritance, and 
the son gathering together all his posses- 
sions left his father and his brother and 
his home and went away into a distant 
land. And here at first he was very happy, 
and had many friends to whom he gave 
great feasts. And he forgot his father and 
his old home. And so the time passed 
gaily till a famine arose and the people 
began to die of starvation. And because 
the younger son had wasted all his money 
he had none left now with which to buy 
bread, and was thankful to earn a few 

59 



The BELOVED SON 

pence by the humblest work, so he him- 
self became a swineherd, and he was so 
poor and hungry that many a time as he 
watched them eat he envied his swine 
their food. 

Then, miserable and lonely, he began 
once more to think of his father and of his 
father's house. And when he remembered 
that there the humblest servant shared in 
the abundance he wept and repented, for 
he felt that he had sinned, and he said: 
" I will arise and go to my father, and will 
say unto him, ' Father, I have sinned 
against heaven, and in thy sight : I am no 
more worthy to be called thy son : make 
me as one of thy hired servants. 7 " 

So he left that strange country and the 
people in it, who had only cared for him 
when he was rich, and journeyed home- 
wards, until, ragged and footsore, he 
reached his fathers house. And when 
he was still a long way off his father saw 
GO 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

him, and knew him. And his heart was 
filled with pity and with love. And he 
ran to him and took him into his arms 
and kissed him, and the son said : "Father, 
I have sinned against heaven, and in thy 
sight : I am no more worthy to be called 
thy son." But the father in answer to 
these repentant words bade his servants 
bring him a rich robe, and shoes for his 
feet, and a ring of gold for his hand. Then 
a feast was made for him, and they began 
to be merry. 

There was another story about a wed- 
ding and about ten Maidens who were 
invited to it. And each of them had a 
lamp to trim and fill with oil that it might 
give a brilliant light. With these lamps 
in their hands they were to meet the 
Bridegroom and walk in his procession to 
the Bride's home. The hour of his arrival 
was not known, and therefore they must 
wait and watch for him and light the 
61 



The BELOVED SON 

lamps when he appeared. Now five of 
the Maidens were careful and anxious to 
add to the glory of the bright procession. 
So with their lamps they took a little store 
of oil, but the other five were careless and 
took none. As it grew late and the Bride- 
groom did not come the Maidens lay down 
and slept, and the lamps burnt on beside 
them. At midnight there was a cry that 
the Bridegroom was at hand, and they 
rose up quickly to meet him. And be- 
cause their lamps had been long alight 
they needed fresh oil. And so the five 
who had their store of oil with them, 
quickly filled their lamps and were ready. 
But the other five who had none, begged 
for a share : " Give us some of your oil," 
they implored, " for our lamps are going 
out." But the wise ones said that they 
could not give of their oil because there 
was not enough, and while the others went 
away to buy the Bridegroom came, and 
62 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

the procession, made brighter by the lamps 
of the five wise Maidens, passed on its way 
into the Bride's house, and the doors were 
closed behind it. 

The five foolish Maidens bought oil and 
filled their lamps and lighted them and still 
hoped to be in time. Inside the house the 
Feast had begun ; they could hear the 
music and the happy voices, and through 
the chinks of the great doors they could 
see the bright light that filled the hall 
within. But it was now too late for them, 
the doors were shut and they must stay 
outside, and though they begged that they 
might be let in, as they had not been in 
the procession the Bridegroom said he 
knew them not. 

You will remember that I said last week 
that Jesus taught by means of stories. In 
all of them the people had two ways, from 
which they might choose, set before them 
— a way that was good and noble and a 
63 



The BELOVED SON 

way that was base and selfish, and these 
stories were told to help them in their 
choice. 

At times he spoke with great plainness 
and said many things difficult for us to 
understand ; but his words were for the 
healing of people in great trouble — in 
sickness, sin, and death, and ever since he 
lived in the world the words of Jesus have 
brought untold comfort to many who, 
without them, would have sunk under 
their griefs. They have consoled the old 
and lonely and lightened their last days ; 
they have made strong the despairing,, and 
happy those who have been ill-treated or 
neglected; and they have given such 
mysterious courage to the persecuted that, 
in the name of Jesus, men and women 
have suffered torture and death with joy, 
being upheld by the power of those words 
and that life. 

Now as Jesus spoke to all the world — 
64 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

not only to his twelve apostles and his dis- 
ciples, or even only to the people of Judea, 
but to all the vast number of human beings 
who were born after him, and who have 
been living" and dying in it ever since, for 
all these hundreds and hundreds of years, 
his words were for all time and all people, 
and that is why his teaching is sometimes 
difficult to understand if we apply it to 
one age only. I do hope you will under- 
stand a little even now, and more and 
more as you grow older. 

There was one short story told by Jesus 
that I think you would like to hear — of a 
man who spent his life searching for pearls. 
And he could never find one round enough, 
or of pure enough colour, to satisfy him- 
self, till one day he heard of a pearl that 
was larger and more lovely than any he 
had ever seen, but the price was far more 
than he could give. Therefore he sold 
everything he had in the world that he 
5 65 



The BELOVED SON 

might buy that one beautiful pearl, and, 
having it, wished for nothing else. 

Jesus many times said, when he told 
these stories, that the things he was speak- 
ing about were like the " Kingdom of 
Heaven." He said this great and rare 
pearl was like the " Kingdom of Heaven," 
and the story of the ten Maidens was like 
the " Kingdom of Heaven," and lie said 
the same of many other stories that he 
told the people. 

I think he wanted everyone to under- 
stand and to feel that the things that are 
really good and best in the world make a 
little kingdom all to themselves, and that 
of that Kingdom, unseen and but little 
thought of, Jesus is the King, and to be 
an inmate of that King's land, to belong 
to it, is above all other things holy and 
beautiful. 

Jesus did not desire to rule over any 
country upon earth ; he chose only to be 
66 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

King of this Spiritual Kingdom that no 
eye could see or hand could touch. 

And the people who can belong to this 
land, and who are to be the citizens of it, 
must love it more than all else in the 
world, even more than life itself, just as 
the anxious merchant gave up all to 
obtain that one lovely pearl, and they 
are to help to make it bright and beauti- 
ful as the Maidens with their shining 
lamps at the bridal feast. 

And the kind of people who are to 
dwell in that wonderful, invisible country 
are those who follow their Lord whither- 
soever he leads them, and like him are 
humble, loving, and true. 

These can live for ever in the peace of 
that mysterious, golden land, where they 
find rest and joy unutterable. 

But to people to whom it is not dear it 
seems all misty and far away and impossi- 
ble, and they do not understand its mean- 
67 



The BELOVED SON 

ing or believe that there can be such a 
Kingdom and such a King. 

In one of the stories of Jesus, when he 
was telling about this Kingdom and de- 
scribing it, he said it was as if a tiny seed 
were put into the ground, which grew and 
flourished until it came in time to be a 
great tree, so tall and strong and spread- 
ing that all the birds took shelter in it 
from the heat of the sun, and found refuge 
there in times of storm. You will see, I 
think, what was meant by this. 

It was as if someone, wishing to follow 
Jesus humbly and meekly, had, by his 
love for him, entered into that consecrated 
Land. And dwelling long there had be- 
come so filled with love, so strong to do 
good, so active in work that meant help for 
others, so true and trustworthy, that all 
who knew him loved him and believed in 
him, and, like the birds in the great tree, 
rested in him and were protected by him. 
08 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

Such is the power of those who live 
always in that Kingdom. 

It would fill quite a big book if I tried 
to tell you half the lovely stories Jesus 
told. There were stories of the beautiful 
things the world is so full of, and that we 
see every day of our lives and often do 
not heed. As he and his disciples walked 
through the pleasant country he thought 
of stories in which the wheat was used as 
an example, and as for the sheep he him- 
self was the good shepherd and led his 
people like sheep into pleasant pastures. 

All the things that they could not help 
thinking of some day or other he told 
them stories about, that they might be 
reminded by them of what he wanted 
them to love most and to count most dear. 
So that when they worked or eat, when 
they married or built houses or went to 
law, or were engaged in the hundred and 
one things that go to fill a man's life, 
69 



the BELOVED SON 

they might still be remembering his teach- 
ing. Perhaps when he had left them and 
they saw him no more, and no longer 
heard his voice ; when his days of tender 
service to the sick were over, these stories 
of his were remembered and many who 
had followed him must have wished that 
they had listened more carefully and 
loved him more truly. Some of them 
we know did listen very earnestly, and 
recollected them so well that we have 
them written down for us all to read 
now, though they were told so many, 
many hundreds of years ago. 



70 



HIS WAYS WITH 
CHILDREN 



HIS WAYS WITH CHILDREN 

THERE were many children among 
those who followed Jesus, for he 
loved them dearly and understood 
them well. He carried them often in his 
arms, and many a time he stood by their 
little beds when they were ill, and had 
healed them. And tenderly he blessed 
them when they came to him, and though 
he was so great and wonderful, yet he 
never made them feel afraid to climb his 
knee or take his hand. In his love and 
strength they felt at home and safe. 

There was a little girl I will tell you 
of who was once very ill, so ill that every 
one thought she must die. But her father, 
a ruler, whose name was Jairus, could not 
bear to give up all hope, for he dearly 
loved her. In his distress he thought of 
73 



The BELOVED SON 

Jesus, for Jairus was a man of simple 
faith, and he felt sure that Jesus would 
save his little child's life. 

He found Jesus by the sea-shore, for 
he had just crossed the lake. And when 
Jairus saw him he threw himself down 
on the sands at his feet, and told him how 
ill his little girl was, and how he had 
come to him, hoping and believing that 
he would save her. 

And Jesus was sorry for this father 
whose love for his little daughter was so 
strong, and he set out at once to walk to 
the Ruler's house. But the people on all 
sides of him began to press forward and 
to gather closer round him, anxious to 
know where he was going and what new 
wonder was to be seen. And amongst 
them was a poor woman who had been 
ill for many years; she was afraid to 
speak to him, but she thought within 
herself, " If I do but touch him I shall 
74 




SIMEON AND THE INFANT CHRIST. (Fka IUrtolommko) 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

be made well," so she contrived to get 
through the crowd till she was near Jesus, 
and as soon as she succeeded in touching 
him she felt herself healed. But Jesus, 
though Jairus was close at his side and 
the eager people were all round him, 
knew what had happened, and asked : 
" Who touched me % " Peter thought that 
a strange question, seeing that so many 
were there ; but the woman who had 
been healed understood that he meant 
" Who has been healed by me ? " and 
she came forward trembling and confessed, 
and Jesus looked upon her so kindly and 
pitifully, as a parent might look upon an 
unhappy child, and called her " daughter," 
and praised her great faith, and sent her 
away in peace. 

But this miracle and the crowding of 
the people hindered him and made pro- 
gress to the house of Jairus very slow, — 
so slow, in fact, that before it was reached 
75 



The BELOVED SON 

his servants came to Jairus to tell him 
that there was no need now to trouble the 
" Master ; " it was too late, the child was 
dead. Jesus heard these words, but still 
spoke of hope to the poor father, who, 
though greatly distressed, clung to his 
belief in Jesus. 

There inside the house the little girl 
lay still and white. Friends and neigh- 
bours had already been called in to begin 
the sad preparations for the burial. Into 
the midst of their loud weeping and wail- 
ing came Jairus the father and Jesus. 
Those in this house of mourning, who 
were so busy about the funeral cere- 
monies, were much surprised at the com- 
ing of Jesus, for they thought it now too 
late, and, knowing nothing of his great 
powers, said so. Jesus did not heed these 
clamouring people, but when he went into 
the room where the little girl lay dead he 
would not allow anyone to enter with him, 
76 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

except the child's father and mother and 
one or two of his own disciples who were 
always by his side. 

And in that quiet room, anxiously 
watched by the father and mother, Jesus 
went up to the bed where the little girl 
lay, so still and cold. 

And he spoke to her, and his voice 
reached her soul, and her soul obeyed 
that loving call, and she woke from her 
death sleep and came back to life. And 
the happy parents had their own dear 
child once more to hold and love, and in 
their hearts they rejoiced, devoutly thank- 
ing God in awe and amazement. 

This little girl was the daughter of a 
rich man who was great and powerful. 

But there was another little girl healed 
by Jesus who belonged to a people that 
the Jews despised. When this poor child 
was ill the mother in the agony of her 
grief sought out Jesus. But when she 
77 ' 



The BELOVED SON 

found him his followers would have sent 
her away, thinking her not fit to draw 
near to him. But she would not be 
driven off; her mother's heart was full of 
passionate sorrow, for her child was ill 
with a very terrible disease which affected 
her mind as well as her body. Jesus 
heard her cry for mercy and told his dis- 
ciples that it was to help those who were 
poor and lost that he had come into the 
world ; then turning to her he said that 
her love and faith had won for her that 
day all she most longed for; her child 
was saved. 

Home she went with a glad heart, there 
to find how true were the words of Jesus 
and how great was his power, for her little 
girl was completely restored both in mind 
and in body. 

There was a boy, too, whom Jesus 
cured, who was both deaf and dumb and 
at times tormented by an evil spirit so 
78 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

that his father was in despair about him. 
He had heard of the miracles done by 
Jesus, and taking his boy with him sought 
for him to implore his help. At the foot 
of a high hill he found some of the dis- 
ciples and a great crowd of people wait- 
ing for Jesus, who with Peter, James, and 
John was on the heights. The boy's 
father in his eagerness besought the dis- 
ciples to heal his son. But because their 
faith was weak they could not. As soon 
as Jesus had descended the hill the father 
hastened to tell him of his son and that 
the disciples could not help him, and in 
his agony prayed Jesus to heal the child, 
saying, "If thou canst." 

Jesus looked at the father and repeated 
the words "If thou canst," and at the 
sound of that voice a new and solemn 
feeling came over the father and he knew 
himself to be in the presence of one who 
was able to save. 

79 



the BELOVED SON 

The pure, strong feeling of Jesus over- 
came his doubt and weakness and his 
heart changed within him. 

At once Jesus raised the suffering boy ; 
with a word drove out the tormenting 
spirit and healed him perfectly so that he 
could both hear and speak. 

The disciples were so awed by the 
miracles done by Jesus that in their desire 
to show him the utmost reverence they 
would sometimes try to keep him apart, 
thinking him too holy to mix with com- 
mon folk. And when mothers brought 
their little children to him to share his love 
the disciples would have sent them away, 
thinking that the coming of the children 
would hinder and interrupt him while he 
was teaching. But instead of hindering 
they helped him, for he wanted the chil- 
dren near him and would take the little 
ones from their mothers' arms and hold 
them in his own, loving them tenderly. 
80 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

He told those around him that he wished 
them all to be as children — simple, 
humble, obedient, trusting — and he said, 
too, that if they desired to belong to that 
Spiritual Kingdom of which he had so 
often spoken to them, they must first 
become like little children. For if they 
were not trusting and humble the gates 
of that Kingdom would not open to them. 
As children trust their fathers and mothers, 
so must they trust God, for there are 
many things in their little world that 
children do not understand, and they are 
so helpless that they have to trust to 
grown-up people to protect them from 
hurt and harm. 

There is the Darkness, you know. Some 
children wish it would not come just when 
they are in bed and everybody else is far 
away down below, and upstairs it is all so 
quiet. They would rather that it came 
some other time. They do not understand 
6 81 



The BELOVED SON 

the Darkness, so they ask grown-up peo- 
ple to explain it to them, and to sit by 
them and talk to them when it is there, or 
to give them a little light or to leave the 
door open, till by-and-bye, as they grow 
older, they find out that it is best that the 
Darkness should come when they are tired 
and the day's work is over, for people 
sleep better in the Darkness, and find it 
resting ; or, if they do not sleep, through 
the window they see the stars — the 
beautiful bright lamps that God has set 
in the sky. To grown-up people comes 
Darkness of another sort, when they are 
sorry for their sins and first want to enter 
the Kingdom of Christ that I told you of ; 
and, like the other things connected with 
that strange Land, this Darkness can only 
be felt. But it brings with it pain and 
dismay. 

And Jesus taught people that if they 
would feel about that Darkness as the 
82 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

children do about theirs at bed-time ; if 
they would trust God about it though 
they did not understand it ; if they took 
it in the children's way, and asked for little 
lights and open doors, and listened for 
helpful words, they, too, would gradually 
find out that it was a beautiful and resting 
Darkness with stars in it. And if they 
found out that, they would have learnt a 
very great deal, 

And Jesus wished everyone to be very 
tender and kind to children, and not to 
hurt their feelings, and, above all, not to 
teach them wrongly or ever to lead them 
astray ; and. some of the sternest words he 
ever spoke were against those who wronged 
little children, so deeply did he care for 
and love them. 



83 



SOME OF THE THINGS JESUS 
TAUGHT THE PEOPLE 



SOME OF THE THINGS JESUS 
TAUGHT THE PEOPLE 

YOU know some of the stories 
that Jesus told the people, and 
that he constantly healed the 
sick. But sometimes, besides teaching 
them in these two ways, he spoke to them 
quite plainly of those things that would 
help to make them all through life better 
men and women ; and would carry them 
at last without fear through the Valley 
of the Shadow of Death. 

He had a Message from God to the 
world, and he chose many ways of de- 
livering it, so that none need miss receiv- 
ing it, at least in part. But his own perfect 
life, lived in such sweetness, strength, and 
spotlessness, was the best lesson of all, for 
never before or since has there been any 
life so pure and holy as his. 
87 



The BELOVED SON 

But I want you to know something, 
even if only a little, of what Jesus said to 
the people, although you may not under- 
stand very much, yet what you can under- 
stand will guide you in your little life 
now, and will help you greatly as you 
grow older and depend less on other 
people. 

Jesus spoke very often of the Invisible 
Kingdom I have already told you some- 
thing about, and of how it was Ms King- 
dom, and he wanted no other honour than 
to be King of that Kingdom. 

He told them what kind of people he 
would have them be if they would become 
his faithful followers. 

He said that it did not so much matter 
what their outward life was — whether 
they were rich or of noble birth, or were 
poor working people. But that it was of 
very great importance how they felt about 
their position in life. It did matter if the 
88 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

rich looked down upon other people in 
scorn and were proud. It mattered, be- 
cause as we feel, so we think, and so we 
act. And therefore it makes it so necessary 
to have right and true feelings, for if they 
are good our thoughts and actions are 
true and right also. 

If our hearts are filled with love and 
we ourselves are humble, then we shall 
be a little like Jesus and nearer to God, 
and nearness to God means happiness — 
the greatest happiness possible. 

And again, if we are at all like Jesus, 
we shall be full of kindness to everybody, 
and we shall kindly serve our fellow- 
creatures because we love them. 

And Jesus told the people that the more 
they gave the more they would have, for 
that that was one of the rules of his 
Spiritual Kingdom. 

The people who dwell in that Kingdom 
follow God with a single wish, and by 
89 



the BELOVED SON 

their pure thoughts grow to know much 
about its blessedness, and tell many won- 
derful and delightful stories of its pleas- 
antness and peace, and of the strange and 
beautiful things they have seen there, 
which lift the soul and perfect it ; stories 
that it would rejoice you to hear, and that 
would make you long to enter that Land. 
And Jesus taught the people never, 
never to pretend to be what they were 
not. People who pretend to be good, but 
have bad hearts, want everyone to know 
what money they give away, and what 
poor they visit, and what prayers they 
say, and they expect and require much 
praise for these things. Jesus said we 
should wish to do everything for God, 
and not that men should commend us, so 
that it is only important that God should 
know our feelings and hear our prayers 
and see what we give away or do for 
others. 

90 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

Now the priests and teachers of that 
day liked show and the praise of men. 
Vain, careful of their dignity, and de- 
manding great respect, their chief thoughts 
were of the ceremonies of their religion 
and the old ways and customs of their 
forefathers. They desired admiration and 
flattery, but they took no pains to teach 
the ignorant and lowly, nor did they care 
for the poor or try to make the world 
better or brighter. These teachers and 
priests made Jesus feel very indignant, 
for besides being wrong in their own 
hearts and lives, they led the people 
astray and kept them in darkness, far 
from God and His Light. 

And Jesus said — these proud and 
ignorant teachers were like the blind 
leading the blind and both falling into a 
ditch. As none of them knew the way 
to Grod's Kingdom, how could they take 
others there ! They would all — teachers 
91 



The BELOVED SON 

and taught — lose their way and stumble 
and fall as blind men. 

And he told them that those who were 
content to have nothing in this world had 
for their own the Kingdom of Heaven, 
and that those whose lives were meek and 
gentle won their way on earth. That the 
people who were made sad by sin and 
by the sorrow of the world were those 
whom God Himself comforted. That 
the longing to be better and holier was 
a noble feeling and would be fully 
satisfied. 

That to everyone who showed kindness 
and mercy, kindness and mercy would be 
shown. That those would come nearest 
to God whose hearts were pure and 
simple, and that they who made peace 
wherever they went were God's own 
children. 

And I must tell you just a very little 
of what Jesus taught about Death. Be- 
92 



<The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

cause though Death is such a very solemn 
and awful subject, and we do not speak 
much about it lest it should make us all 
too sad, yet it comes into the homes of us 
all, and even children know what it is to 
say a long" good-bye to fathers and 
mothers and little brothers and sisters. 
It is indeed a long, long good-bye that 
we have to say when Death steals into the 
house. And good-byes are very sad, and 
we like children to be glad and gay all 
the day long. But the good-byes we 
have to say when Death comes are very 
like the Darkness at bed-time. Death 
seems so dreadful because we do not 
understand it, but when we do understand 
it, as Jesus did, then we shall no longer 
fear it. Jesus had perfect trust in his 
Father's Love and Power, and knew that 
He cared for all His children, so he could 
not fear Death. To him Death was only 
a change. The dear ones taken away, 
93 



the BELOVED SON 

who used to live with us and be so near, 
have only undergone a change. They can- 
not come back to us to stay, for they could 
not again live our life or do the things 
that we do, or have the same thoughts, 
because of this great change in them. 

You would not expect a butterfly ever 
again to go and live with caterpillars and 
crawl slowly along by them and never, 
never use its wings, even though you 
knew that once upon a time the butterfly 
was a caterpillar, and was quite happy in 
only crawling and creeping. 

So with those we call our Dead. They 
must now use their wings and be true to 
their new changed life ; and, therefore, 
we cannot talk about them or think about 
them as doing the same things we do, for 
in their changed life all is new and differ- 
ent from their old home-life on earth. 

And what that new life is — we cannot 
say. We cannot even imagine it. Many 
94 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

people try very hard, and fancy all sorts 
of things about that change and the new 
life away from here, but all that we really 
know for certain is that in the new life we 
shall be " as Angels in Heaven," because 
Jesus told us that one thing about it. 
And we have this comfort, too, that Death 
is not really a thing to be afraid of, be- 
cause Jesus taught that there are things 
much greater and stronger than Death: 
the Love of God and the Power of God, 
and that, therefore, all must be well. 

So we can console ourselves by think- 
ing of our Dead as Angels, living the 
active, bright, joyous life of Angels, serv- 
ing man and glad in such service, ever- 
more dwelling in the splendour of God's 
Light and in the Satisfaction of His Love. 

You remember, do you not, that at the 

baptism of Jesus before he began his 

work as a Teacher, God spoke to him in 

the presence of many and called him His 

95 



the BELOVED SON 

" Beloved Son ! ■" So now before the end 
of his life, when his work was nearly 
finished, God again spoke to him from 
Heaven, calling him by the same beauti- 
ful name. 

I will tell you about it. One day 
Jesus and three of his apostles, wishing to 
be alone together, climbed up a mountain 
side to a lonely spot where they were by 
themselves. Suddenly, while they were 
there, Jesus became wrapped in a radiant 
light that streamed down from Heaven 
upon him and made a glory all around. 
And as he stood all white and shining, on 
each side of him appeared another form, 
not earthly at all, but bright from God's 
home, and they talked together. The 
apostles, who were with Jesus, gazed 
through the brilliant light in amazement 
and in fear ; and Peter was so moved by 
the presence of the Holy three, that he 
longed that they should all remain there, 
96 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

and, for a time, be dwellers on that hill. 
But, even as he spoke, a cloud came over 
the brightness ; the light grew misty and 
dim, and the Voice of God the Father was 
heard telling the apostles to listen well to 
the words spoken by Jesus, for that he 
was the " Beloved Son." 

And then all was still, and Jesus and 
his three disciples were once more alone 
on the mountain side. 

But you must not suppose that every 
one who heard and knew about Jesus 
loved him and became his disciple. There 
were many who were full of wrath at his 
teaching, and some of the most important 
people were exceedingly jealous of his 
power. The old Teachers were angry 
that he drew the people after him away 
from them and their teaching, and many 
things Jesus did and said gave them great 
offence. 

For they were so tied and bound by 
* 97 



the BELOVED SON 

the old ways of doing things, and so 
blinded by ancient habit, that they could 
not see what was Beautiful and True. 
And they hated Jesus and wished to kill 
him because their own hearts were evil 
and he was good. So at last their one 
wish was for his death, and you will hear 
what they did to bring it about. 



THE LAST DAYS 
OF JESUS 



LofC. 



THE LAST DAYS OF JESUS 

JESUS had long been aware of the 
gathering hatred of the Chief Priests 
and Rulers of the people, and had 
often told his disciples that the time 
would come when they would get him 
into their power and kill him. But his 
disciples could not believe that such a 
thing was possible. They knew that he 
spent all his life for others : how, then, 
they thought, could anyone wish for his 
death ? At times they even imagined 
that his great power in healing must make 
him famous, and bring him great honour, 
and that the day would come when they 
would share that honour and be great 
too. 

But Jesus told them that he would 
never be honoured in his lifetime; that 
101 



The BELOVED SON 

this life of service, hardship, and poverty 
was his own choice, and that he had 
chosen it even though he knew it would 
lead to suffering and to death. 

There was one among his apostles who 
was bitterly disappointed in him. He 
had hoped and expected that the marvel- 
lous powers possessed by Jesus would be 
a means by which he himself could be- 
come great He had watched the wonder- 
ful effect of his look and touch upon 
people; he had noticed that his presence 
and words inspired many ; and he knew 
that the poor loved him. So he thought, 
if Jesus would but use his great influence 
over others to gain profit and advantage 
for himself and his twelve apostles, so that 
they became rich and prosperous, that 
then they would be paid for the life of 
hardship that they had led with him. But 
when Jesus again and again explained to 
them that those who followed him and 
102 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

learnt of him must not care for wealth or 
wish for high position, then, though the 
eleven other apostles loved him just as 
dearly and stayed with him in faith and 
loyalty, this faithless one, whose name 
was Judas, turned against him. For he 
felt it keenly that no worldly gain would 
come to him by giving up all to share the 
life of Jesus, and so he became the enemy 
of Jesus and hated him, for he loved gold 
more than God, and for money sold his 
Lord. 

But still he said nothing and tried to 
deceive Jesus and the other apostles by 
remaining with them and seeming to be 
the same, until one day he was made so 
angry that he could no longer disguise his 
real feelings. 

Jesus was invited with his disciples to 
the house of a friend named Lazarus, 
where a little feast was made in his hon- 
our. Lazarus had been raised from the 
103 



The BELOVED SON 

dead by Jesus, so the hearts of that little 
family were full of love and gratitude. 
Lazarus had two sisters, Martha and 
Mary. During the feast Martha served, 
but Mary stayed away till the end. Then 
she came in, bringing as a gift to Jesus, to 
show her love for him, a very precious 
and rare perfume used only by the rich 
and noble. And this perfume she poured 
over the feet of her Lord kneeling there. 
And with her long hair she wiped his feet, 
and all the house was filled with fra- 
grance. Jesus knew of the great love in 
her heart and accepted the costly gift with 
tenderness and many kind words ; but 
Judas complained of the waste, and said 
that such perfume should have been sold 
and the money given to the poor. But he 
said this, not because he cared for the 
poor but because he had charge of the 
money, and loved it. And from this time 
he began to plot and contrive to deliver 
104 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

Jesus his Master, at the first opportunity, 
into the hands of his enemies. 

The time of year was close at hand 
when the people kept their principal 
Feast. Great preparations were always 
made for it, and during the days of the 
Feast there were many services in the 
Temple, which were attended by all good 
Jews in Jerusalem and also by many wor- 
shippers from the country. I daresay 
you will remember that Jesus used to 
come up from Nazareth to this Feast with 
Joseph and Mary when he was a boy, 
and all through his life he had kept this 
Festival. 

Though he usually lived in the country, 
yet every spring he and his friends came 
to the city, and during the day lived the 
city life, walking out from the noise, con- 
fusion, and bustle when the night came 
on, to stay with friends in some peaceful 
little village. 

105 



The BELOVED SON 

Jesus well knew that this Feast would 
be the last he would ever keep. It grieved 
his heart to think that anyone could hate 
his teaching, because he knew that he 
taught God's truth ; and that they could 
hate the truth showed how far they had 
wandered from God, and nothing made 
Jesus sadder than knowing that God's 
children did not love His presence. For 
himself and his own safety he did not 
fear. He went to Jerusalem this year 
with the same high courage of former 
years, though he knew how the journey 
would end. 

While the High Priests were growing 
every day more and more angry and more 
jealous, the people themselves, those who 
knew him and had followed him, believed 
in him more firmly than ever. When he 
set out for Jerusalem they went with him, 
and they turned his journey into the city 
into a triumphal entry. It was all very 
106 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

simple. Jesus rode on a meek ass, and 
by his side the people ran shouting and 
singing and waving great branches of 
palms in the air. They threw the fresh 
green boughs in front of his path, and 
even took off their garments and spread 
them on the road before him, to show that 
they loved and honoured him. 

The Chief Priests and Rulers would 
have stopped the procession if they had 
not feared to rouse the people's anger, so 
they waited. 

On entering Jerusalem Jesus went al- 
most immediately to the Temple. The 
Temple was to him God's house. It had 
been built in old times by faithful Jews 
that the people might all together, and in 
one spot, offer to God their prayers, and 
for long, long years it had been to them a 
beloved and sacred building. 

Here devout Jews had come to chant 
the Royal Psalms of David the King ; here 
107 



The BELOVED SON 

they had lifted up hands of supplication 
and bowed the head in bitter woe. Jesus 
thought such a sanctuary ought to be a 
holy, solemn place for quiet, peaceful 
thoughts or for secret tears of repentance. 

But what did Jesus find when he entered 
this wonderful and beautiful Temple raised 
for God's Service and dedicated solemnly 
to Him by Kings and Priests ? 

He found in it crowds indeed, but they 
had not come there to worship ; they were 
busy with their own affairs. Some were 
buying, some selling, some chattering 
about their bargains, the money passing 
from hand to hand, and a great trade 
was being done in the sale of doves and 
pigeons that were used for offerings during 
the approaching festival. 

Jesus looked round on the noisy, chaf- 
fering throng, and then sternly bade them 
go w^ith their money and their wares, and 
even drove them out himself, till the House 
108 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

of his Father was left to those who loved 
Him and prayed to Him. 

Instead of buyers and sellers there en- 
tered now the lame, whom he healed ; the 
blind, to whom he gave sight ; the poor, 
whom he taught. Little children sang 
their hymns there, and the great Temple 
was blessed and sanctified. 

Still more furious grew the Chief Priests, 
and more determined to put an end to his 
teaching and his influence. But they were 
afraid of the people, and could do nothing 
openly, and now it was that Judas became 
of use to them. 

And Judas, forgetting his apostleship, 
became a traitor to Jesus. For he bar- 
gained with his worst enemies, and offered 
for a price to give him quietly and with- 
out disturbance into the hands of those 
who hated him. Lest there should be 
resistance the Chief Priests were to help 
Judas with a body of armed servants, 
109 



The BELOVED SON 

and that no mistake might be made, 
Judas, with a kiss, was to betray Jesus 
to them. 

Jesus was now preparing to keep the 
Feast, as were all his friends and neigh- 
bours, and all the citizens of Jerusalem. 
He called his twelve apostles to him, the 
wicked Judas being among them, and 
told them what he wished them to do, and 
where their last Festival together was to 
be held. And a large upper room was 
made ready for them by a friend who 
was glad to serve Jesus by lending him 
his Guest Chamber. 

Here, when it was evening, came Jesus 
and his twelve apostles. And when they 
were all together Jesus kneeling on the 
ground washed the feet of each. Peter 
wished to refuse this act of tender service, 
but his Lord would not be refused, so all 
were made pure and clean by that sweet 
washing. And Jesus washed the feet of 
110 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

Judas also, but the heart of Judas re- 
mained black. 

And then they sat down to their simple 
meal, and with it there was bread and 
wine. And as they sat, sadly and 
solemnly round the table, Jesus told them 
that one of them — - one of his own chosen 
twelve — was false to him. Then Judas 
kept very still and waited for the others 
to speak. 

But the others were so sorrowful and so 
amazed that they knew not what to say. 
Could it be that in their hearts they were 
false to Jesus, their dear Lord'? Peter 
asked, trembling : Is it I ? — and so did 
John and James and each of them. And 
when they had all spoken Judas, too, 
said: "Lord, is it I?" 

Then John, who was leaning* on his 

beloved Master's breast, said : " Lord, 

who is it % " and Jesus answered by a 

sign that it was Judas. And to Judas he 

111 



The BELOVED SON 

turned, and, looking at him, told him he 
had better do what he had to do quickly. 
Judas rose and without explanation or 
excuse rushed from the room and down 
the stairs and out into the dark night — 
away from Jesus ; away from his old 
friends ; away from light and love ; away 
alone with his own dark unrepentant 
soul ! 

In the room upstairs the little Feast 
went on without him, the eleven apostles 
listening to every word of Jesus, and 
watching each look. 

His last hour was drawing near, a feel- 
ing of awe fell upon the little company. 
Soon his flesh would be hurt, his blood 
would be spilt. All these three years that 
he had been living amongst them he had 
known that what he had to give us could 
only be given at the cost of his life. The 
gift he gave was the example for ever of 
a Man's life spent perfectly, in absolute 
112 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

and unfaltering love — a love that healed 
and blest and saved. 

And at the end of this last sad meal 
Jesus asked his dear friends and fol- 
lowers always to the end of all time to 
meet together and to keep this holy 
supper for his sake. And as he offered 
them bread to eat, and wine to drink, he 
spoke to them mysterious and solemn 
words about his body given for them, and 
his blood shed for them ; showing to them 
that at the Sacramental Feast all who eat 
of the bread and drink of the wine share 
in the life of Jesus Christ. 

And that was the end of the holy Ser- 
vice and of the little Feast, and after they 
had sung a hymn Jesus and his apostles 
went out together into the darkness of the 
night, and climbing a neighbouring hill 
they rested awhile. 

Then Jesus took the three most dear 
to him — Peter, James, and John — and 
s 113 



The BELOVED SON 

went higher up the hill to a quiet garden, 
and there leaving them he went a short 
distance off by himself that he might be 
quite alone with God in his last struggle 
with the powers of evil. 

What strong and noble souls suffer in 
the most awful moments of their lives we 
can but dimly understand. We know 
that so great and deadly was the agony 
of Jesus in this fearful hour, that, before 
the victory, drops of blood fell from his 
brow. It came to an end at last — this 
strange and fearful strife. Jesus won 
and was ready to endure to the end, 
and an Angel from God came to him 
with a message of comfort and peace. 

Immediately on his return to his dis- 
ciples, Judas, with his band of armed 
servants, appeared, for this was the time 
and place he had chosen for the betrayal 
of his Lord. Followed by a large num- 
ber of people, all eager to see what 
114 




KISS OF JUDAS. (Grigek) 



<The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

would happen, Judas went up to Jesus 
and gave him the fatal kiss. And Jesus 
said to him : " Friend, do that for which 
thou art come." Then those armed men 
surrounded Jesus and took him. 

And as he was led away a sudden fear 
seized his disciples, and in the darkness 
of the night they deserted him and fled 
away. They were so few in number, 
and without Jesus they felt so helpless, 
that they became alarmed lest they 
also should be taken prisoners and be 
tried for their lives. 

Afterwards, when it fell to them to 
carry on the work Jesus had left them 
to do, they became as brave as lions, 
and faced every difficulty and all kinds 
of suffering in a way worthy of their 
Master Christ. But that was later, when 
they had learnt more perfectly the mean- 
ing of his holy life and painful death. 

Only a short time before they forsook 
115 



The BELOVED SON 

him they bad all been saying to Jesus 
that nothing would ever persuade them 
to leave him, whatever might happen, 
and Peter especially was determined to 
be faithful to the end. But Jesus knew 
how great their temptation to desert him 
would be, and told them that they were 
promising too much. And in the hour 
of danger Peter, who promised most, 
three times denied that he knew Jesus 
or belonged to him, just as Jesus told 
him he would do. 

For when his Master was made prisoner 
in the garden and led away, Peter sadly 
followed him at a distance to see what 
became of him, and, thinking himself un- 
observed, ventured to enter the hall to 
which Jesus was taken, and there during 
the night three times he was pointed out 
as a follower of Jesus, and each time he 
said positively that he was not ; and the 
last time that he denied knowing him, 
116 



<The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

Jesus, though he was being examined by 
the judge and was closely guarded, turned 
round and gave Peter one look of tender 
reproach. That one look was enough. 
Peter called to mind all his promises and 
boastings, and at the remembrance his 
heart almost broke with sorrow and re- 
morse. He left the hall where Jesus was 
that he might be alone in his misery, and 
then he wept long and bitterly. 



117 



THE PAINFUL 
DEATH HE DIED 



THE PAINFUL DEATH 
HE DIED 

WHEN the band of armed men 
had Jesus safely in their hands, 
they brought him to the house 
of the High Priest of the Jews. Here he 
would be examined in the morning by 
the Priest and other members of the 
Council, that they might find out if he 
had done any wrong, and what was the 
evidence against him. All that night 
Jesus had to wait in the High Priest's 
house, and the men who had brought 
him there, and who knew and cared 
nothing about his gentle life and teaching, 
spent the time in ill-treating him. They 
had heard that the people spoke of him 
as a prophet. A prophet is one who has 
the gift of seeing the meanings of things 
121 



The BELOVED SON 

very readily, and who is so wise that by 
his knowledge he can tell what is going 
to happen before it comes to pass. And 
so the people who loved Jesus called 
him " Prophet," finding him so wise and 
wishing to honour him. But these men 
in whose charge he was had no love for 
Jesus, and only called him " Prophet " 
to mock him. And to amuse themselves 
they blindfolded him, and, striking him, 
asked him to prophesy who it was who 
gave the cruel blow. And in many other 
ways they showed how they despised 
him. 

So passed that dreadful night, and in 
the morning the Court assembled, and the 
High Priest and all his Council were 
ready to try him. But no evil could be 
found in Jesus. The evil was in the 
hearts of those who wished for his death. 

He had led the people to love the truth, 
and for this the false-hearted priests, 
122 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

whom the truth shamed, hated him with 
a fierce hatred, and longed for their 
revenge. 

As they were unable to find anything 
against him, they persuaded some persons 
to declare in the Court of Justice before 
the High Priest that he had said things 
that he had never said ; but the witnesses 
contradicted one another so that their 
evidence was worthless. 

And they tried, by altering words that 
he had used, to give them an entirely 
different meaning; and they asked him 
many questions which they thought he 
could not answer without angering his 
judges. 

Then they dragged him to another 
Court and brought him before the Gov- 
ernor of the city, whose name was Pilate. 
Pilate was a Roman, and had com- 
mand over the Jews in the city. Jesus 
was brought into his palace, and here he 
123 



The BELOVED SON 

was examined by Pilate, who was sur- 
rounded by his Roman soldiers. Pilate 
was not much interested in the matter; 
he thought that it was only some dispute 
connected with the religion of the Jews. 
But after he had spoken to Jesus, and 
observed how noble and calm he was in 
the midst of the excited priests, who were 
half mad with anger, he said plainly that 
he could find no fault at all in him. Then 
the Chief Priests grew more furious, for 
they began to be afraid that Jesus would 
escape them, so they told Pilate that it 
would not be safe to let Jesus go back 
amongst the people, for he might stir 
them up to rebellion. 

Still Pilate could find nothing against 
Jesus. There was a custom amongst the 
Jews by which freedom was given to one 
prisoner during the yearly Feast, Pilate 
therefore suggested that the prisoner to 
be freed this year should be Jesus; but 
124 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

to that the Chief Priests would not agree. 
They urged and persuaded the people, 
using every argument they could think 
of, to ask for the freedom not of Jesus — 
who had spent his life in doing good to 
the people — but of a robber; named 
Barabbas, who was then in prison for his 
crimes. And the crowd who had come 
to the court to watch proceedings listened 
to the Chief Priests and clamoured for 
the death of the Lord Jesus, and the re- 
lease of Barabbas the robber. So Barab- 
bas was set at liberty and the accusers of 
Jesus triumphed. 

Pilate then, though he believed Jesus 
to be innocent, sent him to be tried at 
the court of Herod, a Jew, who had 
power in Galilee, the country where 
Jesus had lived. Herod, like all his 
countrymen and women, had come to 
Jerusalem to take part in the Feast, and 
was much pleased that Pilate had sent 
125 



The BELOVED SON 

Jesus to him, for he had long wanted to 
see him and witness some of the wonder- 
ful acts that he had heard so much about 
in Galilee. These two rulers, Herod the 
Jew and Pilate the Koman, had been at 
enmity one with another, but they became 
reconciled when Pilate sent Jesus to be 
tried anew by Herod. When Jesus was 
brought into the presence of Herod, 
Herod at once desired him to perform 
some miracle for his pleasure. But the 
miracles of Jesus were not done for the 
amusement or surprise of the idle or 
curious, so, faithful to his divine Mission, 
he refused. This refusal of Jesus made 
Herod exceedingly angry, so angry that, 
being wicked, he became at once cruel. 

He knew how the people adored Jesus, 
and how they looked upon him as a great 
teacher. He knew, too, in a confused 
way, that Jesus had often spoken to them 
of a Spiritual Kingdom, and of himself as 
126 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

a Spiritual King, so to hurt and pain him, 
and to hold him up to the contempt of the 
people, he and his brutal soldiers turned 
his Kingdom into a mockery and made 
a jest of his Kingship. They stripped 
him of his clothes and dressed him in 
gorgeous purple and scarlet, to imitate 
the state of a great earthly king. And 
as kings are crowned with diadems of 
gold and gems, so should this divine King 
of Sorrows wear a crown, and the soldiers 
made him one of thorns and pressed it on 
his head till it sharply pierced his fore- 
head and the blood flowed; yet by his 
patience and meekness he showed them 
that he was indeed a king. 

Then, as kings bear sceptres in their 
hands to mark their rule and command, 
these rude men, at Herod's bidding, put 
a long reed in that hand so often stretched 
out to bless, as a further token of the 
royalty they held in such scorn. 
127 



The BELOVED SON 

And now, crowned with his crown of 
thorns and bearing his reed sceptre, Jesus, 
the King, stood before them and they 
shouted loudly in their sport, and mock- 
ing him in derision and contempt they 
bowed their heads and knelt before him. 
But they could wring from Jesus no 
sound or look of fear ; yet his courage 
only made them more brutal and savage, 
for, wearying of their wicked pastime, 
they began to strike him on the head 
and to spit upon him, and to heap insults 
upon him, till, finally, robed still in royal 
scarlet and purple, Herod sent him back 
to Pilate. 

It makes one weep to think of the 
sweet and holy Jesus, so white and 
good, set in the midst of those hard, 
cruel men, ready to torture him even 
to death. 

Pilate, indeed, could not make up his 
mind what to do with Jesus, but when 
128 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

the people, at the bidding of their chief 
priests, shouted out " Crucify him ! Crucify 
him ! " he gave way to them and delivered 
him into their hands, though he " found 
no fault with him." Pilate said if the 
people insisted on his death the people 
must take the blame ; he himself washed 
his hands of the guilt. And so eager 
were the people for the death of Jesus 
Christ, that they took the guilt upon 
themselves at once. And he was con- 
demned to death, and after he had been 
cruelly beaten he was led away to be 
crucified. 

Crucifixion was the Roman way of 
putting to death persons who had com- 
mitted crimes. It was a slow and terri- 
ble death, for the criminal was hung on 
a cross of wood and left there till, worn 
out by exposure, fever, and pain, life 
ebbed away. 

This was the death that Jesus, the 
9 129 



the BELOVED SON 

gentle Son of God, who had come into 
the world to heal and save his fellow- 
men, was to die at their hands. 

He was to be crucified on a hill called 
Calvary, outside the city walls. He was 
to have carried his cross there himself, 
but he had suffered so much that he 
had not strength to bear so heavy a 
load, and he sank under the burden of 
it. It was then given to a passing 
stranger, named Simon. 

Many, many people went with Jesus 
on that last sad journey. The women 
who were his friends, and who through 
his life had loved him tenderly, followed 
him now, sobbing and sorrowing and 
longing to rescue him. He knew they 
were there, and forgetting his own sharp 
pain he turned towards them, bidding 
them not to weep for him but for them- 
selves and their children. 

When at last they came to the spot 
130 




CHRIST BEARING THE CROSS. (Raphael.) 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

where he was to die the soldiers took 
the cross, and Jesus was fastened to the 
wood by nails driven through his hands 
and through his feet, and the cross was 
lifted up high on the hill so that all could 
see the dying Lord. And to show how 
utterly he was despised, two thieves were 
crucified at the same time, one on each 
side of him. These men had been con- 
demned to death on account of the many 
wrong things they had done, but Jesus, 
who hung between them, had " done 
nothing amiss." 

And of these two thieves, one turned 
and mocked him, even from his cross, 
just as did the enemies all around him ; 
but the other, in that dreadful hour when 
he was so near death, thought of his own 
wasted life, and longed for the sympathy 
and love of Jesus. 

And in those last hours it seemed to 
the penitent thief that, after all, there 
131 



The BELOVED SON 

was nothing so beautiful as goodness, 
and worth so much, or so hideous as 
evil, which costs so much. And he felt 
in his heart that Jesus was wholly good, 
and that he himself was wholly bad. 
In his new sorrow and distress of mind 
he turned to Jesus for help and comfort, 
and Jesus, looking upon him with tender 
pity, promised him the great opportunity 
he asked for in words that brought hope 
and peace to that desperate man. 

And a multitude of people stood be- 
neath the cross to gaze at Jesus dying. 
And the more to make a mock of his 
royalty, those who hated him wrote 
above his head, so that all could see it: 
"this is the king of the Jews." And 
because he thirsted they offered him vine- 
gar to drink, and no reverence or pity was 
shown to the dying Christ. 

As he hung so patiently on the cross, 
some shouted out cruel words of scorn 
132 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

and contempt, telling him to use now his 
wonderful powers and save himself, while 
the soldiers on guard beneath him quar- 
relled over the right of possessing his 
garments. And in the midst of these con- 
fusing cries and dreadful sounds, watched 
and stared at by all those cruel, upturned 
faces, Jesus, with his heart only full of 
love for them, prayed to his Father, 
saying: "Father, forgive them, for they 
know not what they do." 

And now came the most awful moment 
in his life. He was called upon to endure 
a suifering worse than the insults, the Block- 
ings, the weakness ; worse than the great 
bodily agony he was bearing. 

A darkness came over the land. A 
darkness came over his pure and holy 
soul. No eye could watch him now. 
Below, the muffled voices of the fright- 
ened people might still be heard, terrified 
at that strange, unnatural darkness. But 
133 



<The BELOVED SON 

though they were so near, and the thieves 
were hanging beside him, yet in that time 
of his greatest anguish Jesus was utterly 
alone. Alone — quite alone ! For now 
alas ! he felt that God his Father was 
no longer near him, that for some mys- 
terious reason He was now beyond his 
reach, and that he was dying, lonely and 
forsaken. 

This is very terrible to think of. Jesus, 
the world's Saviour and Light, dying 
deserted in a dark world. 

It was a dreadful moment, and we can- 
not rightly understand the horror of it; 
it was, however, the last great pain that 
Jesus had to suffer. 

As death drew nearer and nearer, the 
dark dread feeling passed away from his 
soul, and he was folded in the presence 
of God, and rejoiced in knowing once 
more that he was the " Beloved Son." In 
the strength given him by those Divine 
134 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

Words he had worked, and taught, and 
healed. In that strength he had suffered, 
and in that strength he died. 

"Father," in the darkness they heard 
him say, and they knew he was speaking 
alone to God, " into Thy Hands I com- 
mend my Spirit," and so saying he passed 
away. 

The weary, worn-out body still hung 
there on the cross for the people to gaze 
at curiously in the dim returning light, 
but the Spirit was in the care of God his 
Father, into whose Hands he had com- 
mitted it as he died. 

And at his death the earth shook, and 
many strange things happened ; graves 
opened and rocks were split asunder. 
The watching people were filled with fear 
and knew not what to think. The very 
soldiers were amazed and felt the presence 
of a Great Power. The multitude, leav- 
ing the hill of Calvary now that all was 
135 



The BELOVED SON 

over, returned to their own homes trem- 
bling and guilty, with new thoughts and 
feelings and with terror in their hearts. 

What had happened they could not 
understand, but they were filled with won- 
der and dread. What had they wished 
for, what had they done ? They had con- 
sented to the death of a righteous man, 
they had even watched him die, and now, 
too late, the knowledge came to them, 
and they felt " Truly this was the Son 
of God." 

But stranger and more wonderful things 
were to happen yet, as you will hear. 

Jesus was dead. His apostles and all 
who had loved and followed him were 
left to mourn him. They were, indeed, 
desolate. He had been to them Leader, 
Master, and dearest Friend, what comfort 
was there for them? How could they 
live now that he was gone! 



136 



HOW IN THE 
END HE WON 



HOW IN THE END HE WON 

JESUS was buried in a garden be- 
longing to a rich man named Joseph 
of Arimathea, not far from the hill 
where he was crucified. Joseph had loved 
him and been his friend secretly, but now 
that he was dead he went openly to Pilate 
and asked that the body might be taken 
down from the cross and given to him. 
Pilate consented, so, with the help of the 
faithful women, Jesus was laid tenderly 
to rest in a new tomb hewn out of a rock. 
He first saw the light of this earth in a 
country stable, and now his dead body 
lay among flowers and grass and trees 
and sweet out-door scents and sounds. 
All that love could do was done for him 
by his grieving friends who were obliged 
to leave the grave because the Sabbath 
139 



The BELOVED SON 

was near. How sad must have been that 
Sabbath to his lonely apostles and friends ! 
But, in the midst of their sorrow, the 
words Jesus had spoken to them com- 
forted them. For he had told them that 
after his death he would rise again, and, 
though they did not understand what he 
meant by " rising again," yet their hearts 
were filled with hope. And, when the 
Sabbath was over, they returned to the 
tomb to wait and watch there. 

The tomb was guarded by Eoman 
soldiers placed there by Pilate, and a 
great stone was over the entrance. The 
first there were two of the women who 
had served him, both named Mary. 
When these two Maries reached the 
place where their dear Lord had been 
buried they saw that the stone which 
had been over the mouth of the grave 
had been rolled away, and on the stone 
was a mighty angel sent from God, 
140 



The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

blazing like lightning and shining in 
snow-white raiment. And the Maries 
trembled at the great brightness and 
knew not what to say. But the radiant 
messenger told them not to fear, saying 
that Jesus, who had been crucified, was 
no longer resting in the grave, but had 
risen from the dead and would be seen 
of them again. 

Then the glad women made haste to 
tell the good news to the apostles, and on 
their way they met Jesus himself, walking 
in the garden. Jesus welcomed them, but 
they could not speak ; they could only fall 
at his feet and worship him. 

Their beloved Master then bade them go 
and tell his brethren that they had seen him 
and that he would meet them in Galilee. 

The Maries hastened on with the glad 

message to the apostles, who received 

it with joy, and went to meet their Lord. 

He had said that they were to wait for 

141 



The BELOVED SON 

him on a hill where they had often rested 
and prayed together. 

And he came to them there, and his 
first words were: " Peace be unto you." 
These words of comfort gave them cour- 
age, and they no longer feared seeing 
one who had already passed through the 
gates of Death. 

Then he told them what he wanted 
them to do to carry on his work of teach- 
ing and healing among their fellow-men. 
And the living presence of their risen 
Lord, whom they had seen so lately 
hanging dead upon the Cross, consoled 
them for everything, for they knew he 
was their own still, ready to be their 
Friend and Master for evermore. 

And to many of his disciples he ap- 
peared in this way to help and cheer 
them before he ascended into Heaven. 
Once he came to them by the sea, and 
he taught them many things and gave 
142 



the STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

them his parting commands, and said 
many farewell words. 

He told them that they were to go forth 
without fear, trying to make people love 
God their Father, and their fellow-crea- 
tures who were their brothers, that many 
might become members of his Spiritual 
Kingdom, having peace in their hearts 
and ever serving Christ their Lord in 
deep humility. And he blessed them with 
his own great Peace — the Peace of God. 

Jesus had now finished his human life, 
having completed the work given him 
by his Father to do. He was the Man 
of Sorrows no more ; he had conquered 
death and had won the battle of life, 
and was now alive for evermore in God. 
There Jesus the Crucified would reign 
as Jesus the Crowned, the eternal Friend 
and Saviour of Man, and the sharer of 
his griefs. 

It was in the country — where he had 
143 



The BELOVED SON 

always loved to be — that he said fare- 
well to them all. He led the way him- 
self, and his disciples and friends followed 
him reverently and with loving devotion. 

And when they were away from the 
noise of the city and had reached a quiet 
green retreat, once more, and for the last 
time, Jesus prayed to God for them all 
and blessed them, and as he was blessing 
them " he was parted from them " and 
they saw him no more, for a cloud hid 
him from their sight, and when it had 
passed away they were alone. The 
" Beloved Son " had gone home to his 
Father, never more to be seen on earth 
except in visions and in dreams. 

His work on earth was done, but theirs 
was only just beginning. And as God 
had blessed him at his baptism, calling 
him the " Beloved Son," so did Jesus give 
the apostles his loving blessing at his 
Ascension into Heaven. 
144 



<The STORY of JESUS CHRIST 

Jesus was gone ! But they remained 
to remind the people of the words that 
Jesus had spoken ; to tell of his acts of 
healing, and of all his tenderness and 
love to the poor and sick and sad. 

And the apostles proved themselves 
faithful, and taught and suffered and 
even died for Jesus' sake; and it is 
through them — these dear friends of his, 
who were left behind when he died — that 
we know all the story of Jesus — of his 
life of simple service, of his death through 
treachery, of his rising from the grave, 
of his coming to them after his death, 
and of his passing into Heaven to live 
always with God. With God and yet 
with us, too, for he himself said: 

" Lo ! I am with you ahvay, even unto 
the End of the World:' 



10 145 



ja*y-a. 1^01 






Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: July 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Dnve 
Cranberry Township PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



ftr-n>i-. 






till! 



II 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



II I III II I II II llll II HI 

014 22S 010 3