Hurlbut's Story of the Bible Part Six by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut

1 01 - The Angel by the Altar 9:28

The angel by the altar. Luke one, one, 280. At the time when the story of the New Testament began, the land of Israel, called also the land of Judea, was ruled by a king named Herod.

He was the first of several Herods who at different times ruled either the whole of the land or parts of it. But Herod was not the highest ruler. Many years before this time, the Romans, who came from the city of Rome in Italy, had won all the land around the great sea, the sea which we call the Mediterranean. And above King Herod of Judea was the great king at Rome, who was called Emperor, ruling over all the lands, and over the land of Judea among them. So Herod, though king of Judea, obeyed his overlord, the Emperor at Rome, At the time when this story began, the emperor of Rome was named Augustus Caesar. At this time, the land where the Jews lived was full of people. Jerusalem was its largest city, and in Jerusalem was standing the Temple of the Lord, which King Herod had begun to build anew, taking the place of the old temple built in the time of Zerubbabel.

See story, a hundred and five. which had long needed repair. There were also many other large cities besides Jerusalem. In the south was Hebron, among the mountains. On the shore of the great sea were Gaza and Joppa and Caesarea. In the middle of the land were Shechem and Samaria, and in the north were Nazareth and Cana. Down by the shore of the Sea of Galilee were Tiberias and Capernaum and Bethsaida. Far up in the north, at the foot of snowy Mount Hebron, was another Caesarea, but so that it might not be confused with Caesarea upon the sea-coast, this city was called Caesarea Philippi, or Philip's Caesarea, from the name of one of Herod's sons. One day, an old priest named Zacharias was leading the service of worship in the temple.

He was standing in front of the holy altar of incense in the holy place, and was holding in his hand a censer, or cupful of burning coals and incense, while all the people were worshipping in the court of the temple, outside the court of the priests, where the great altar of burnt offering stood. See stories, twenty-seven and twenty-eight.

Suddenly Zacharias saw an angel from the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. He felt a great fear when he saw this strange being with shining face, but the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for I have come from the Lord to bring you good news. Your wife Elizabeth shall have a son, and you shall name him John. You shall be made glad, for your son John shall bring joy and gladness to many. He shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall never taste wine nor strong drink as long as he lives, but he shall be filled with God's Holy Spirit. He shall lead many of the people of Israel to the Lord, for he shall go before the Lord in the power of Elijah the prophet, as was promised by Malachi, the last of the old prophets.

See the last story. He shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and those who are disobeying the Lord to do his will. As Zacharias heard these words, he was filled with wonder, and could hardly believe them true. He was now an old man, and his wife Elizabeth was also old, so that they could not expect to have a child. He said to the angel, How shall I know that your words are true? For I am an old man, and my wife is old. I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God, said the angel, and I was sent from the Lord to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But because you did not believe my words, you shall become dumb, and shall not be able to speak until this which I have said comes to pass.

All this time the people outside in the court were wondering why the priest stayed so long in the temple. When at last he came out, they found that he could not speak a word, but made signs to them to tell them that he had seen a vision in the temple. After the days of his service were over, Zacharias went to his own home, which was near Hebron, a city of the priests among the mountains in the south of Judea. When his wife Elizabeth found that God was soon to give her a child, she was very happy and praised the Lord. About six months after Zacharias saw the vision in the temple, the same angel Gabriel was sent from the Lord to a city in the part of the land called Galilee, which was in the north.

The city to which the angel was sent was Nazareth. There the angel found a young girl named Mary. who was a cousin to Elizabeth. Mary was soon to be married to a good man who had sprung from the line of King David, though he himself was not a king or a rich man. He was a carpenter or woodworker living in Nazareth, and his name was Joseph. The angel came into the room where Mary was and said to her, Hail, woman, favored by the Lord. The Lord is with you. Mary was surprised at the angel's words, and wondered what they could mean. Then the angel spoke again and said, Do not be afraid, Mary. The Lord has given to you his favour, and has chosen you to be the mother of a son whose name shall be Jesus, which means salvation, because he shall save his people from their sins.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of God, And the Lord shall give to him the throne of his father David. He shall be a king, and shall reign over the people of God forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. But Mary could not see how all this was to come to pass, and the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall be over you, and the Holy Child which you shall have shall be called the Son of God. Then the angel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was soon to have a child through the power of the Lord, and when Mary heard all this she said, I am the servant of the Lord, to do his will. Let it be to me as you have said. When the angel had given his message and had gone away, Mary rose up in haste and made a journey to the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth, eighty miles away in the South Country.

When Elizabeth saw Mary, she was filled with the Spirit of the Lord and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed among men shall be your son. And why is it that the mother of my Lord comes to visit me? Blessed is the woman who believed that the promise of the Lord to her shall be made true. Then Mary was filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and broke into a song of praise. She stayed with Elizabeth for nearly three months, and then went again to her own home at Nazareth. As the angel had said to the aged woman, Elizabeth was given a son. They were going to name him Zacharias after his father, but his mother said, No, his name shall be John. Why, they said, none of your family has ever been named John.

They asked his father Zacharias by signs what name he wished to be given to the child. He asked for something to write upon, and when they brought it he wrote, His name is John. Then, all at once, the power to hear and to speak came back to Zacharias. He spoke, praising and blessing God, and he sang a song of thanks to God, in which he said, "'You, O child, shall be called a prophet of the Most High, to go before the Lord and to make ready his ways.' When John was growing up, they sent him out into the desert on the south of the land, and there he stayed until the time come for him to preach to the people, For this child became the prophet, John the Baptist.

2 02 - The Manger of Bethlehem 8:08

The Major of Bethlehem Matthew 1, 18-25, and Luke 2, 1-39. Soon after the time when John the Baptist was born, Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, the husband of Mary, had a dream. In his dream he saw an angel from the Lord standing beside him. The angel said to him, Joseph. I have come to tell you that Mary, the young woman whom you are to marry, will have a son, sent by the Lord God. You shall call his name Jesus, which means salvation, because he shall save his people from their sins. Joseph knew from this that this coming child was to be the king of Israel, of whom the prophets of the Old Testament had spoken so many times. Soon after Joseph and Mary were married in Nazareth, A command went forth from the emperor, Augustus Caesar, through all the lands of the Roman Empire, for all the people to go to the cities and towns from which their families had come, and there to have their names written down upon a list, for the emperor wished a list to be made of the people under his rule.

As both Joseph and Mary had come from the family of David the king, they went together from Nazareth to Bethlehem, there to have their names written upon the list. For you remember that Bethlehem, in Judea, six miles south of Jerusalem, was the place where David was born, and where his father's family had lived for many years. It was a long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, down the mountains to the river Jordan, then following the Jordan almost to its end, and then climbing the mountains of Judah to the town of Bethlehem. When Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem, they found the city full of people who, like themselves, had come to have their names enrolled or written upon the list. The inn or hotel was full, and there was no room for them.

For no one but themselves knew that this young woman was soon to be the mother of the Lord of all the earth. The best that they could do was to go to a stable, where the cattle were kept. There the little baby was born, and was laid in a manger, where the cattle were fed. On that night some shepherds were tending their sheep in a field near Bethlehem. Suddenly a great light shone upon them, and they saw an angel of the Lord standing before them. They were filled with fear, as they saw how glorious the angel was. But the angel said to them, Be not afraid, for behold, I bring you news of great joy, which shall be to all the people. For there is born to you this day in Bethlehem, the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord, the anointed King.

You may see him there, and may know him by this sign. He is a newborn baby lying in a manger at the inn. And then they saw that the air around and the sky above them were filled with angels, praising God and singing, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men in whom God is well pleased. While they looked with wonder, and listened, the angels went out of sight as suddenly as they had come. Then the shepherds said one to another, Let us go at once to Bethlehem, and see this wonderful thing that is come to pass, and which the Lord has made known to us.

Then as quickly as they could go to Bethlehem, they went and found Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, and his young wife Mary, and the little baby lying in the manger. They told Mary and Joseph, and others also, how they had seen the angels, and what they had heard about this baby. All who heard their story wondered at it, but Mary, the mother of the child, said nothing. She thought over all these things, and silently kept them in her heart. After their visit, the shepherds went back to their flocks, praising God for the good news that he had sent to them. When the little one was eight days old, they gave him a name, and the name given was Jesus, a word which means salvation, as the angel had told both Mary and Joseph that he should be named.

So the very name of this child told what he should do for men, for he was to bring salvation to the world. It was the law among the Jews that after the first child was born in a family he should be brought to the temple, and there an offering should be made for him to the Lord to show that this child was the Lord's. A rich man would offer a lamb, But a poor man might give a pair of young pigeons for the sacrifice. On the day when Jesus was forty days old, Joseph and Mary brought him to the temple, and as Joseph the carpenter was not a rich man, they gave for the child as an offering a pair of young pigeons. At that time there was living in Jerusalem a man of God named Simeon. The Lord had spoken to Simeon, and had said to him that he should not die until the anointed king should come, whom they called the Christ.

For the word Christ means anointed.

On a certain day the Spirit of the Lord told Simeon to go to the temple. He went, and was there when Joseph and Mary brought the little child Jesus. The Spirit of the Lord said to Simeon, This little one is the promised Christ. Then Simeon took the baby in his arms, and praised the Lord, and said, Now, O Lord, thou mayest let thy servant depart, according to thy word, in peace. For my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast given before all the peoples, a light to give light to the nations, and the glory of thy people Israel.

When Joseph and Mary heard this, they wondered greatly. Simeon gave to them a blessing in the name of the Lord, and he said to Mary, This little one shall cause many in Israel to fall, and to rise again. Many shall speak against him, and sorrow like a sword shall pierce your heart also. You know how this came to pass afterward, when Mary saw her son dying on the cross. While Simeon was speaking, a very old woman came in. Her name was Anna, and God spoke to her as to a prophet. She stayed almost all the time in the temple, worshipping God day and night. She, too, saw through the Spirit of the Lord that this little child was Christ the Lord, and gave thanks to God for His grace. Thus, early in the life of Jesus, God showed to a few that this little child should become the savior of his people and of the world.

3 03 - The Star and the Wise Men 6:44

The Star and the Wise Men. For some time after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary stayed with him in Bethlehem. The little baby was not kept long in the stable, sleeping in the manger, for after a few days they found room in a house, and there another visit was made to Jesus by strange men from a land far away. In a country east of Judea, and many miles distant, were living some very wise men who studied the stars. One night they saw a strange star shining in the sky, and in some way they learned that the coming of this star meant that a king was soon to be born in the land of Judea. These men felt a call of God to go to Judea, far to the west of their own home, and there to see this new-born king.

They took a long journey with camels and horses, and at last they came to the land of Judea, just at the time when Jesus was born at Bethlehem. As soon as they were in Judea, they supposed that everyone would know all about the king, and they said, Where is he that is born the king of the Jews? In the east we have seen his star, and we have come to worship him. But no one of whom they asked had ever seen this king or had heard of him. The news of their coming was sent to Herod, the king, who was now a very old man. He ruled the land of Judea, as you know, under the Emperor at Rome, Augustus Caesar.

Herod was a very wicked man, and when he heard of someone born to be a king, he feared that he might lose his own kingdom. He made up his mind to kill this new king, and thus to keep his own power. He sent for the priests and scribes, the men who studied and taught the books of the Old Testament, and asked them about this Christ, for whom all the people were looking. He said, Can you tell me where Christ, the King of Israel, is to be born? They looked at the books of the prophets, and then they said, He is to be born in Bethlehem of Judea. For thus it is written by the prophet, And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah. For out of thee shall come forth one who shall rule my people Israel.

Then Herod sent for the wise men from the east and met them alone, and found from them at what time the star was first seen. Then he said to them, Go to Bethlehem, and there search carefully for the little child, and when you have found him, bring me word again, so that I may come and worship him. Then the wise men went on their way toward Bethlehem. And suddenly they saw the star again shining upon the road before them. At this they were glad, and followed the star until it led them to the very house where the child was. They came in, and there they saw the little one with Mary its mother. They knew at once that this was the king, and they fell down on their faces and worshipped him as the Lord.

Then they brought out gifts of gold and precious perfumes, frankincense and myrrh. which were used in offering sacrifices, and they gave them as presents to the royal child. That night God sent a dream to the wise men, telling them not to go back to Herod, but to go home at once to their own land by another way. They obeyed the Lord, and found another road to their own country without passing through Jerusalem, where Herod was living. So Herod could not learn from these men who the child was that was born to be a king. And very soon after these wise men had gone away, the Lord sent another dream to Joseph, the husband of Mary. He saw an angel who spoke to him, saying, Rise up quickly, take the child and his mother, and go down to the land of Egypt, for Herod will try to find the little child to kill him.

Then at once Joseph rose up in the night, without waiting even for the morning. He took his wife and her baby, and quietly and quickly went with them down to Egypt, which was on the southwest of Judea. There they all stayed in safety as long as the wicked King Herod lived, which was not many months. King Herod waited for the wise men to come back to him from their visit to Bethlehem, but he soon found that they had gone to their home without bringing to him any word. Then Herod was very angry. He sent out his soldiers to Bethlehem. They came, and by the cruel king's command they seized all the little children in Bethlehem, who were three years old or younger, and killed them all. What a cry went up to God from the mothers of Bethlehem, as their children were torn from their arms and slain!

But all this time the child Jesus, whom they were seeking, was safe with his mother in the land of Egypt. Soon after this King Herod died, a very old man, Cruel to the last. Then the angel of the Lord came again and spoke to Joseph in a dream, saying, You may now take the young child back to his own land, for the king who sought to kill him is dead. Then Joseph took his wife and the little child Jesus, and started to go again to the land of Judea. Perhaps it was his thought to go again to Bethlehem, the city of David, and there bring up the child. But he heard that in that part of the land Archelaus was now ruling, who was a son of Herod, and as wicked and cruel as his father. He feared to go under his rule, and instead took his wife and child to Nazareth, which had been his own home, and that of Mary his wife, before the child was born.

Nazareth was in the part of the land called Galilee. which at that time was ruled by another son of King Herod, a king named Herod Antipas. He was not a good man, but was not so cruel nor bloody as his wicked father had been. So again Joseph the carpenter and Mary his wife were living in Nazareth, and there they stayed for many years while Jesus was growing up. Jesus was not the only child in their house, for other sons and daughters were given to them.

4 04 - The Boy in his Father's House 5:36

The Bible is a good morning. Hulbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hulbert. Story Four. The Boy in His Father's House. Luke Chapter Two, Verses Forty to Fifty-two. Jesus was brought to Nazareth when he was a little child, not more than three years old. There he grew up to be a boy and a young man, and there he lived until he was thirty years of age. We should like to know many things about his boyhood, but the Bible tells us very little. As Joseph was a working man, it is likely that he lived in a house with only one room, with no floor except the earth, no window except a hole in the wall, No pictures upon the walls, and neither bedstead nor cushions. They slept upon rolls of matting, and their meals were taken from a low table, not much larger than a stool.

Jesus may have learned to read at the village school, which was generally held in the house used for worship, called the synagogue. The lessons were from rolls on which were written parts of the Old Testament, but Jesus never had a Bible of his own. From the time when he was a child, he went with Joseph to the worship in the synagogue twice every week. There they sat on the floor, and heard the Old Testament read and explained, while Mary and the younger sisters of Jesus listened from a gallery behind a lattice screen. The Jewish boys of that time were taught to know almost the whole of the Old Testament by heart. It was the custom of the Jews from all parts of the land to go up to Jerusalem to worship at least once every year at the Feast of the Passover, which was held in the spring.

Some families also stayed to the Feast of Pentecost, which was fifty days after Passover, and some went again in the fall to the Feast of Tabernacles, when for a week all families slept out of doors under roofs made of green twigs and bushes. See, story 23 and 28. When Jesus was a boy twelve years old, he was taken up to the feast of the Passover, and then for the first time he saw the holy city, Jerusalem, and the temple of the Lord on Mount Moriah. Young as he was, his soul was stirred as he walked among the courts of the temple, and saw the altar with its smoking sacrifice, the priests in their white robes, and the Levites with their silver trumpets. Though a boy, Jesus began to feel that he was the Son of God, and that this was his Father's house.

His heart was so filled with the worship of the temple, with the words of the scribes or teachers whom he heard in the courts, and with his own thoughts, that when it was time to go home to Nazareth, he stayed behind, held fast by his love for the house of the Lord. The company of people who were traveling together was large, and at first he was not missed. But when night came and the boy, Jesus, could not be found, his mother was alarmed. The next day Joseph and Mary left their company and hastened back to Jerusalem. They did not at first think to go to the temple. They sought him among their friends and kindred who were living in the city, but could not find him. On the third day they went up to the temple with heavy hearts, still looking for their boy.

And there they found him, sitting in a company of the teachers of the law, listening to their words and asking them questions. Everybody who stood near was surprised to find how deep was the knowledge of this boy in the word of the Lord. His mother spoke to him a little sharply, for she felt that her son had not been thoughtful of his duty. She said, Child, why have you treated us in this way? Do you not know that your father and I have been looking for you with troubled hearts? Why did you seek for me? said Jesus. Did you not know I must be in my father's house? They did not understand these words, but Mary thought often about them afterwards, for she felt that her son was no common child, and that his words had a deep meaning.

Though Jesus was wise beyond his ears, he obeyed Joseph and his mother in all things. He went with them to Nazareth, and lived contented with the plain life of their country home. As the years went on, Jesus grew from a boy to a young man. He grew, too, in knowledge, and in wisdom, and in the favor of God. He won the love of all who knew him, for there was something in his nature that drew all hearts, both young and old. Jesus learned the trade of a carpenter, or worker in wood, with Joseph. And when Joseph died, while Jesus was still a young man, Jesus, as the oldest son, took up the care of his mother and his younger brothers and sisters. And so, in the work of the carpenter's shop, and the quiet life of a country village, and the worship of the synagogue, the years passed until Jesus was thirty years of age.

End of story four. Read by T. Wellington.

5 05 - The Prophet in the Wilderness 5:44

V. Hulbert's Story of the Bible.

Holbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Holbert. Story V. The Prophet in the Wilderness. Matthew, chapter 3, verses 1 through 17, Mark, chapter 1, verses 1 to 11, and Luke, chapter 3, verses 1 to 22. We now turn to a time when Jesus, the son of Mary, was a young man about 30 years of age. John, the son of the priest Zacharias, was six months older, but these two young men had never met For one was in the north of Nazareth, and the other was living in the desert on the south of Judea. Suddenly the news went through all the land of Israel that a prophet had risen up, and was giving to the people the work of the Lord. It was more than four hundred years since God had sent a prophet to his people, and when it was known that again a man was speaking what God had told him, and not what he had learned by studying the old writings, A thrill went through the hearts of all the people.

From all parts of the land, out of cities and villages, people poured forth to the wild region beside the river Jordan, where the new prophet was preaching the word of God. This prophet was John, the son of Zacharias. He lived in the wilderness, where he was alone with God and listened to God's voice. In his looks and dress, John was not like other men. His garment was made of rough cloth woven from camel's hair, around his waist was a girdle of skin, and the food which he ate was dried locusts and the wild honey from the trees. And this was his message. Turn from sin to doing right, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the king is soon to come. The people came to hear his words, and when they asked him, What shall we do?

John said to them, He that has two coats, let him give to him that has none, and he that has food, more than he needs, let him give to him that is hungry. The men who gathered the taxes, and were called publicans, asked of John, Master, what shall we do? And John answered them, Do not cheat the people, nor rob them, nor take more money than the law tells you to take from them. And when the soldiers came to him, he said to them, Do not harm anyone, nor bring false charges against any, and be content with the wages that are paid to you. There came to John some people who were called Pharisees. These men made a great show of being good, and of worshipping often, and of keeping the law of Moses. But in their hearts they were evil, and their goodness was not real.

John said to these men, when he saw them, O ye brood of vipers, who has told you to escape from the wrath of God, and is soon to come? Turn from your sins to God, and do right, and do not say to yourselves, Abraham is our father, for God is able, out of these stones, to raise up children to Abraham. When men who heard the words of John wished to give themselves up to serve God and to do His will, John baptized them in the river Jordan, as a sign that their sins were washed away, and because of this he was called John the Baptist. Some of the people began to ask, Is not this man the Christ whom God promised long ago to send to rule over the people? John heard this, and he said, I baptize you with water, but there is one coming after me who is greater than I.

He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is so high above me that I am not worthy even to stoop down and untie the strings of his shoes. This mighty One who is coming shall sift out the wheat from the chaff among the people. The wheat he will gather into his garner, but the chaff he will burn up with fire that no man can put out. Nearly all the people in the land came to hear John in the wilderness and were baptized by him. Among the last who came was Jesus, the young carpenter from Nazareth. When John saw Jesus, something within told John that here was one greater and holier than himself. He said to Jesus, I have need to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me? Jesus answered him, Let it be so now, for it is fitting that I should do all things that are right.

Then John baptized Jesus, as he had baptized others. And as Jesus came up out of the water and was praying, John saw above the head of Jesus the heavens opening, and the Holy Spirit coming down like a dove and lighting upon him. And John heard from heaven a voice saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And then John knew, and told to others that this was the Son of God, the Christ, whom God had promised to send to the people.

6 06 - Jesus in the Desert, and beside the River 9:19

Wellington. Hulbert's Story of the Bible, by Jesse Lyman Hulbert. Story Six. Jesus in the Desert and Beside the River. Matthew Chapter Four, Verses One to Eleven, Mark Chapter One, Verses Twelve and Thirteen, Luke Chapter Four, Verses One to Thirteen, and John Chapter One, Verses Twenty Nine to Fifty One. From the earliest years of Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God was with him, growing as he grew. And in the hour when he was baptized, and the form of a dove was seen hovering over him. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, as no man before him had been filled, for he was the Son of God. At that hour he knew more fully than he had ever known before that work that he should do to save men. The Spirit of God sent Jesus into the desert, there to be for a time alone with God, and to plan out His work for men.

So earnest was the thought of Jesus in the desert, so full was his union with God, that for forty days he never once ate anything, or felt any wish for food. But when the forty days were ended, then suddenly hunger came upon him, and he felt faint and starving, as any other man would feel who had fasted for so long a time. At that moment Satan, the evil spirit, came to Jesus as he comes to us, and put a thought into his mind. It was this thought, If you are the Son of God, you can do whatever you please, and can have whatever you wish. Why do you not command that these stones be turned into loaves of bread for you to eat? Jesus knew that he could do this, but he knew also that this power had been given to him, not for himself, but that he might help others.

He said to the evil spirit, It is written in God's book, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that cometh out of the mouth of God. Then the evil spirit led Jesus to Jerusalem, the holy city, and brought him to the top of a high tower on the temple, and said to him, Now show all the people that you are the Son of God by throwing yourself down to the ground. You know that it is written in the book of Psalms, He shall give his angels charge over thee. And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. But Jesus knew that this would not be right, for it would be done not to please God, but to show himself before men, and as a trial of God's power, when God himself had not commanded it.

He answered, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the evil spirit tried to lead Jesus into doing wrong. as he leads us all. He led him to the top of a high mountain, and caused a vision of all the kingdoms of the world and their glory to stand before the eyes of Jesus. Then he said, All these shall be yours. You shall be the king of all the earth, if you will only fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, Leave me, Satan, thou evil spirit. For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. When Satan found that Jesus would not listen to him, he left him, and then the angels of God came to Jesus in the desert and gave him the food that he needed.

After this victory over the evil spirit, Jesus went again from the desert to the place at the river Jordan, where he had been baptized. It was near a city sometimes called Bethabera, a word which means A place of crossing, because it was one of the places where the river Jordan was so shallow that the people could walk across it. The city was also called Bethany beyond Jordan, so that it would not be mistaken for another Bethany on the Mount of Olives, very near Jerusalem. There John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said, "'Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one of whom I spoke, saying, There is one coming after me who is greater than I. This is the Son of God.

And again, the next morning, John the Baptist was standing with two young men, his followers. They were fishermen who had come from the Sea of Galilee to hear him. One was named Andrew, and the other John. John the Baptist saw Jesus walking nearby, and he said again, Behold the Lamb of God. When the two young men heard this, they left John and went to speak with Jesus, although they had not known him before. Jesus saw that they were following him, and he said, What is it that you wish from me? And they said to him, Master, we would like to know where you are staying, so that we can see you and talk with you. Jesus said to them, Come and see. They went with Jesus and saw where he was staying, and stayed and talked with them.

and listened to his words all the rest of that day, for it was about ten o'clock in the morning when they first saw Jesus. And these two young men went away from the meeting with Jesus, believing that Jesus was the Savior and the King of Israel. These two, Andrew and John, were the first two men, after John the Baptist, to believe in Jesus. Each of these two men had a brother, whom he wished might know Jesus. Andrew's brother was named Simon, and John's brother was named James. These four men were all fishermen together upon the Sea of Galilee. Andrew found his brother first, and he said to him, We have found the Anointed One, the Christ, who is to be the King of Israel. And Andrew brought his brother to meet Jesus.

Jesus saw him coming, and without waiting to hear his name, he said, Your name is Simon, and you are the son of Jonas. But I will give you a new name. You shall be called the Rock. The word of Rock in Hebrew, the language of the Jews, was Cephas, and in Greek, the language in which the New Testament was written, it is Petros, or Peter. So from that time, Simon was called Simon Peter. That is, Simon the Rock. So now Jesus had three followers, Andrew, John, and Simon Peter. The next day he was going back to Galilee, the part of the land where was his home. He met another man named Philip, who had also come from Galilee. He said to Philip, Follow me. And Philip went with Jesus as the fourth of his followers.

Philip found a friend, whose name was Nathanael. He came from a place in Galilee called Cana. Philip said to Nathanael, We have found the one whom Moses wrote in the law, and of whom the prophet spoke, the anointed Christ. It is Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael lived not many miles from Nazareth, and he did not think that such a place as Nazareth could have in it one so great as the Christ, whom the Jews looked for as their king. He said to Philip, rather in scorn, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip knew that if Nathanael could only meet Jesus and hear his words, he would believe in him, as the others believed. He said to Nathanael, Come, and see him for yourself. And he brought Nathanael to Jesus.

As soon as Jesus saw him, he said, Here is an Israelite indeed, a man without evil. Nathanael was surprised at this, and he said to Jesus, Master, how do you know me? Before Philip called you, When you were standing under the fig tree, I saw you, said Jesus. At this Nathanael wondered all the more, and he saw that Jesus knew what no man could know. He said, Master, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Jesus said to Nathanael, Do you believe in me because I tell you that I saw you under the fig tree? You shall see greater things than these. The time shall come when you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God going up and down through me, the Son of God. Jesus had now five followers.

These men and others who walked with him and listened to his words were called disciples, a word which means learners.

7 07 - The Water Jars at the Wedding Feast 7:22

Story of the Bible.

The Water Jars at the Wedding Feast John Chapter Two Verse One To chapter three, verse 21. A few days after Jesus met his first followers, or disciples, at the river Jordan, he came with these men to a town in Galilee called Cana, to be present at a wedding. In those lands, a feast was always held at a wedding, and often the friends of those who were married stayed several days, eating and drinking together. The mother of Jesus was at this wedding as a friend of the family, for Nazareth, where she lived, was quite near to Cana. Before the wedding feast was over, all the wine had been used, and there was no more for the guests to drink. The mother of Jesus knew that her son had power to do whatever he chose, and she said to him, They have no wine.

Jesus said to her, O woman, what have I to do with thee? My hour is not yet come. But his mother knew that Jesus would in some way help the people in their need. And she said to the servants who were waiting at the table, "'Whatever he tells you to do, be sure to do it.' In the dining-hall were standing six large stone jars, each about as large as a barrel, holding twenty-five gallons. These jars held water for washing as the Jews washed their hands before every meal, and washed their feet as often as they came from walking in the street, since they wore no shoes, but only sandals. Jesus said to the servants, Fill the water-jars with water. The servants obeyed Jesus and filled the jars up to the brim.

Then Jesus spoke to them again and said, Now draw out some of the water and take it to the ruler of the feast. They drew out water from the jars and saw that it had been turned into wine. The ruler did not know from what place the wine had come, but he said to the young men who had just been married, the bridegroom, At a feast, everybody gives his best wine at the beginning, and afterward, when his guests have drunk freely, he brings on wine that is not so good. But you have kept the good wine until now. This was the first time that Jesus used the power that God had given him, to do what no other man could do. Such works as these were called miracles, and Jesus did them as signs of his power as the Son of God.

When the disciples saw this miracle, they believed in Jesus more fully than before. After this, Jesus went with his mother and his younger brothers to a place called Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. But they stayed there only a few days, for the Feast of the Passover was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem to attend it. You remember that the Feast of the Passover was held every year to keep in mind how God had led the people of Israel out of Egypt long before. When Jesus came to Jerusalem, He found in the courts of the temple men who were selling oxen and sheep and doves for the sacrifices, and other men sitting at tables changing the money of Jews who came from other lands into the money of Judea.

All this made the courts around the temple seem like a market, and not a place for the worship of God. Jesus picked up some cord, and made it into a little whip. With it he began to drive out of the temple all the buyers and sellers. He was but one, and they were many. But such power was in his look that they ran before him. He drove the men, and the sheep, and the oxen. He overturned the tables, and threw on the floor the money, and to those who were selling the doves he said, Take these things away. Make not my father's house. A house for selling and buying. These acts of Jesus were not pleasing to the rulers of the Jews, for many of them were getting rich by this selling of sacrifices and changing of money.

Some of the rulers came to Jesus and said to Him, What right have you to come here and do such things as these? What sign can you show that God has given you power to rule in this place? Jesus said to them, I will give you a sign. Destroy this house of God, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and it is not finished yet. Will you raise it up in three days? But Jesus did not mean the temple on Mount Moriah. He was speaking of himself, for in him God was dwelling as in a temple, and he meant that when they should put him to death, He would rise again in three days. Afterward, when Jesus had died and risen again, his followers, the disciples, thought of what he had said and understood these words.

While Jesus was in Jerusalem, one of the rulers of the Jews, a man named Nicodemus, came to see him. He came in the night, perhaps because he was afraid to be seen coming in the daytime. He said to Jesus, Master, We know that you are a teacher come from God, for no man can do these wonderful things that you do unless God is with him. Jesus said to Nicodemus, I say to you in truth, that unless a man is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus did not know that this meant that to be saved we must have new hearts given to us by the Lord. He said, Why, how can a man be born twice? How can one be born again after he has grown up? Jesus said to him, I tell you the truth, that unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

By this he meant that we must be baptized, and that God must put His Spirit in us if we are to become God's children. Jesus said also, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that every one who believes in Him may have everlasting life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn, that is, to judge, the world, But that the world through him might be saved. We have already read in story thirty-two how Moses lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, and how that serpent pointed to Christ.

8 08 - The Stranger at the Well 8:32

VIII. The Stranger at the Well.

Matthew, chapter 14, verses 3 to 5. Mark 6, 17-20. Luke 3, 19-20. John 3, 22-4, 42. While Jesus was teaching in Jerusalem and in the country places near it, John the Baptist was still preaching and baptizing. But already the people were leaving John and going to hear Jesus. Some of the followers of John the Baptist were not pleased. as they saw that fewer people came to their master, and that the crowds were seeking Jesus. But John said to them, I told you that I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. Jesus is the Christ, the King. He must grow greater, while I must grow less, and I am glad it is so. Soon after this, Herod Antipas, the king of the province or land of Galilee, put John in prison.

Herod had taken for his wife a woman named Herodias, who had left her husband to live with Herod, which was very wicked. John sent word to Herod that it was not right for him to have this woman as his wife. These words of John made Herodias very angry. She hated John, and tried to kill him. Herod himself did not hate John so greatly, for he knew that John had spoken the truth. But he was weak, and yielded to his wife, Herodias. Please her, he sent John the Baptist to a lonely prison among the mountains east of the Dead Sea, for the land in that region, as well as Galilee, was under Herod's rule. There in prison, Herod hoped to keep John safe from the hate of his wife, Herodias. Soon after John the Baptist was thrown into prison, Jesus left the country near Jerusalem with his disciples and went toward Galilee, the province in the north.

Between Judea in the south and Galilee in the north lay the land of Samaria, where the Samaritans lived, who hated the Jews. They worshipped the Lord as the Jews worshipped Him, but they had their own temple and their own priests, and they had their own Bible, which was only the five books of Moses, for they would not read the other books of the Old Testament. The Jews and the Samaritans would scarcely ever speak to each other. So great was the hate between them. When Jews went from Galilee to Jerusalem, or from Jerusalem to Galilee, they would not pass through Samaria, but went down the mountains to the river Jordan, and walked beside the river, in order to go around Samaria. But Jesus, when He would go from Jerusalem to Galilee, walked over the mountains, straight through Samaria.

One morning, while He was on His journey, He stopped to rest beside an old well at the foot of Mount Gerizim, not far from the city of Shechem. but nearer to a little village that was called Sychar. This well had been dug by Jacob, the great father or ancestor of the Israelites, many hundreds of years before. It was an old well then in the days of Jesus, and it is much older now, for the same well may be seen in that place still. Even now travelers may have a drink from Jacob's well, as we read in story 14. It was early in the morning, about sunrise, when Jesus was sitting by Jacob's well. He was very tired, for he had walked a long journey. He was hungry, and his disciples had gone to the village near at hand to buy food.

He was thirsty, too, and as he looked into the well he could see the water a hundred feet below, but he had no rope with which to let down a cup or a jar and to draw up some water to drink. Just at this moment a Samaritan woman came to the well with her water-jar upon her head and her rope in her hand, Jesus looked at her, and in one glance read her soul, and saw all of her life. He knew that Jews did not often speak to Samaritans, but he said to her, Please, to give me a drink. The woman saw from his looks and his dress that he was a Jew, and she said to him, How is it that you, who are a Jew, ask drink of me, a Samaritan woman? Jesus answered her, If you knew what God's free gift is, and if you knew who it is that says to you, Give me a drink.

You would ask him to give you living water, and he would give it to you. There was something in the words and the looks of Jesus which made the woman feel that he was not a common man. She said to him, Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where can you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who drank from this well, and who gave it to us? Whoever drinks of this water, said Jesus, shall thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. Sir, said the woman, give me some of this water of yours, so that I will not thirst any more, nor come all the way to this well.

Jesus looked at the woman, and said to her, Go home and bring your husband, and come here. I have no husband, answered the woman. Yes," said Jesus, you have spoken the truth. You have no husband, but you have had five husbands, and the man whom you now have is not your husband. The woman was filled with wonder as she heard this. She saw that here was a man who knew what a stranger could not know. She felt that God had spoken to him, and she said, Sir, I see that you are a prophet of God. Tell me, whether our people or the Jews are right. Our fathers have worshipped on this mountain. The Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where men should go to worship. Now, which of these is the right place?

Woman, believe me, said Jesus. There is coming a time when men shall worship God in other places besides on this mountain and in Jerusalem. The time is near. It is even now come when the true worshippers everywhere shall pray to God in spirit and in truth, for God himself is a spirit. The woman said, "'I know that the Anointed One is coming, the Christ. When He comes, He will teach us all things.' Jesus said to her, "'I that speak to you now am He, the Christ.' Just at this time the disciples of Jesus came back from the village. They wondered to see Jesus talking with this Samaritan woman, but they said nothing. The woman had come to draw water, but in her interest in this wonderful stranger she forgot her errand.

Leaving her water-jar, she ran back to her village, and said to the people, "'Come, see a man who told me everything I have done in my life. Is not this man the Christ whom we are looking for?' When the woman was gone away, the disciples urged Jesus to eat some of the food which they had brought. A little while before, Jesus had been hungry, but now he had forgotten his own needs of food and drink. He said to them, "'I have food to eat that you know nothing of.' the food of the soul, and that food is to do the will of God and to work for Him. Do you say to me that there are four months before the harvest? You shall reap, and shall have a rich reward, gathering fruit to everlasting life. Jesus meant that as this woman, bad though she may have been before, was now ready to hear His words, so they would find the hearts of men everywhere, like a field of ripe grain, ready to be won and to be saved.

Soon the woman came back to the well with many of her people. They asked Jesus to come to their town, and to stay there and teach them. He went with them and stayed there two days, teaching the people who were Samaritans. And many of the people in that place believed in Jesus, and said, We have heard for ourselves. Now we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.

9 09 - The Story of a Boy in Capernaum and a Riot 6:55

Story of the Bible. Holbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Holbert. Story Nine. The Story of a Boy in Capernaum and of a Riot in Nazareth. John Chapter Four. verses 46 to 54 and Luke chapter four verses 16 to 31. From Sychar, the village near Jacob's well, Jesus went northward into Galilee, to Cana, the place where he had made the water into wine, as we read in story 116. The news that Jesus had come back from Jerusalem and was again in Galilee went through all the part of the land, and everybody wished to see the prophet who had wrought such wonders. There was one man living in Capernaum, a town beside the Sea of Galilee, who heard with great joy that Jesus was again at Cana. He was a man of high rank, a nobleman at the court of King Herod, but he was in deep trouble over his son, who was very sick and in danger of dying.

This nobleman went up the mountain in great haste from Capernaum to Cana to see Jesus. He wrote all night, and in the morning, when he found Jesus, He begged him to come down to Capernaum and cure his son. Jesus said to him, "'You people will not believe on me as a saviour unless you continually see signs and wonders.' "'O my Lord,' said the father, "'do come down quickly, or my child will die.' "'You may go home,' said Jesus, "'for your son will live.' The man believed the words of Jesus and went home, but he did not hurry, nor did he ask Jesus to go with him. The next morning, as he was going down the mountain, his servants met him and said, "'Master, your son is living and is better.' "'At what hour did he begin to grow better?' asked the nobleman.

"'It was yesterday, at seven o'clock in the morning, when the fever left him,' they answered. "'That was the very hour when Jesus had said to him, "'Your son will live.' And after that the nobleman believed in Jesus, and so did all who were living in his house.' Jesus had come to Galilee to preach to the people, and to tell them of his gospel. He thought that he would begin his preaching in the town of Nazareth, where he had lived so many years, where his brothers and sisters were still living, and where all the people had known him. He loved the men who had played with him when he and they were boys together, and he longed to give them the first news of his gospel. So Jesus went to Nazareth.

And, as on the sabbath days he had always worshipped in the synagogue, he went to that place once more. He was no longer the carpenter, but the teacher, the prophet, of whom all in the land were talking, and the synagogue was filled with people eager to hear him, and especially hoping to see him do some wonderful works. Seated on the floor before him were men who had known him since he was a little boy, and perhaps some of his own sisters who were looking down from the gallery behind the lattice screen. Jesus stood up to show that he wished to read from the scriptures, and the officer who had the care of the books handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus turned to the sixty-first chapter, and from it read, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor.

He hath sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are bruised, and to proclaim the year of God's grace to men. When Jesus had read these words, he rolled up the book, and gave it again to the keeper of the rolls, and sat down. For in the synagogue a man stood up to read the Bible, and sat down to speak to the people. He began by saying, This day this word of the Lord has come to pass before you. And then he showed how he had been sent to preach to the poor, to set the captives free, to give sight to the blind, to comfort those in trouble, and to tell men the good news of God's grace. At first the people listened with the deepest interest, and they were touched with the kind and tender words that he spoke.

But soon they began to whisper among themselves. One said, Why should this carpenter try to teach us? And another, This man is no teacher. He is only the son of Joseph. We know his brothers and his sisters are living here. And some began to say, Why does he not do here the wonders that they say he has done in other places? We want to see some of his miracles. Jesus knew their thoughts, and he said, I know that you will say to me, Let us see a miracle like that on the nobleman's son at Capernaum. Of a truth, I say to you, no prophet has honor among his own people. You remember what is told of Elijah the prophet, when the heavens were shut up and there was no rain for three years and six months.

There were many widows in the land of Israel at that time, but Elijah was not sent by the Lord to see any one of them. The Lord sent him out of the land to Zarephath, a town near Zidon, to a widow there, and there he wrought his miracles. And in the time of Elisha, the prophet, there were many lepers in Israel that Elisha might have cured, but the only leopard that Elisha made well was Naaman, the Syrian. All this made the people in the synagogue very angry, for they cared only to see some wonderful work, and not to hear the words of Jesus. They would not listen to him. They leaped up from their seats upon the floor. They laid hold of Jesus and dragged him outdoors. They then took him up to the top of a hill above the city, and they would have thrown him down to his death.

But Jesus, by the power of God, slipped quietly out of their hands and went away, for the time for him to die had not yet come. Very sadly, Jesus went away from Nazareth, for he had longed to bring God's blessings to his own people. He walked down the mountains to the city of Capernaum by the sea-shore, And there, on the Sabbath days, he taught the people in the synagogues. You can read the story of Elijah, the prophet, and the woman of Zarephath, in story 76, and the story of Elisha, he and Naaman, the Syrian, in story 86. These were the stories of which Jesus spoke to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth.

10 10 - A Net Full of Fishes 5:23

T. WELLINGTON. Hulbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Hulbert. Story 10. A net full of fishes. Matthew Chapter 4, Verses 18 to 22. Mark 1, 16, 34, and Luke 4, 33, 5, 11. You remember that when Jesus was by the river of Jordan, a few young men came to him as followers or disciples. We have read of these men, Andrew and John, Peter and Philip, and Nathanael, in story 115. While Jesus was teaching near Jerusalem and in Samaria, these men stayed with Jesus. But when He came to Galilee, they went again to their homes and their work, for most of them were fishermen from the Sea of Galilee. One morning, soon after Jesus came to Capernaum, He went out of the city, by the sea, followed by a great throng of people, who had come together to see Him and to hear Him.

On the shore were lying two fishing-boats, One of which belonged to Simon and Andrew, the other to James and John, and their father Zebedee. The men themselves were not in the boats, but were washing their nets nearby. Jesus stepped into the boat that belonged to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, and asked them to push it out a little into the lake, so that he could talk to the people from it without being crowded too closely. They pushed it out, And then Jesus sat in the boat, and spoke to the people as they stood upon the beach. After he had finished speaking to the people, and he had sent them away, he said to Simon Peter, Put out into the water, and let down your nets to catch some fish.

Master, said Simon, we have been fishing all night, and have caught nothing. But if it is your will, I will let down the net again. They did as Jesus bade them. And now the net caught so many fishes that Simon and Andrew could not pull it up, and it was in danger of breaking. They made signs to their two brothers, James and John, who were in the other boat, for them to come and help them. They came and lifted the net, and poured out the fish. There were so many of them that both the boats were filled and began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he was struck with wonder, and felt that it was by the power of God. He fell down at the feet of Jesus, saying, O Lord, I am full of sin, and I am not worthy of all this.

Leave me, O Lord. But Jesus said to Simon and to the others, Fear not, but follow me, and I will make you from this time fishers of men. From that time these four men, Simon and Andrew, James and John, gave up their nets and their work, and walked with Jesus as his disciples. On the Sabbath after this, Jesus and his disciples went together to the synagogue and spoke to the people. They listened to him and were surprised at his teachings, for while the scribes always repeated what the other scribes had said before, Jesus never spoke of what the men of old time had taught, but spoke in his own name and by his own power, saying, I say unto you, as one who had the right to speak, men felt that Jesus was speaking to them On one sabbath, while Jesus was preaching, a man came into the synagogue who had in him an evil spirit.

For sometimes evil spirits came into men, and lived in them, and spoke out from them. The evil spirit in this man cried out, saying, Let us alone, thou Jesus of Nazareth. What have we to do with thee? Hast thou come to destroy us? I know thee, and I know who thou art. The Holy One of God. Then Jesus spoke to the evil spirit in the man, Be still, and come out of this man. Then the evil spirit threw the man down, and seemed as if he would tear him apart. But he came out, and left the man lying on the ground, without harm. Then wonder filled all the people. They were filled with fear, and said, What mighty word is this? This man speaks even to the evil spirits, and they obey him. After the meeting in the synagogue, Jesus went into the house where Simon Peter lived.

There he saw lying upon a bed the mother of Simon's wife, who was very ill with a burning fever. He stood over her and touched her hand. At once the fever left her. She rose up from her bed and waited upon them. At sunset the sabbath day was over, and then they brought to Jesus from all parts of the city those who were sick, and some who had evil spirits in them. Jesus laid his hands upon the sick, and they became well. He drove out the evil spirits by a word and would not allow them to speak.

11 11 - The Leper and the Man Let Down through the Roof 8:37

Story number 11 of Halbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Halbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman, Halbert. Part 6. The leper and the man let down through the roof. Matthew, chapter 8, verses 2 to 4. Chapter 9, verses 2 to 8. Mark, chapter 1, verses 40 to 45. Chapter 2, verses 1 to 12. Luke, chapter 1, verses 1 to 12. Chapter 5, verses 12 to 26. After the great day of teaching and healing, of which we read in the last story, Jesus lay down to rest in the house of Simon Peter. But very early the next morning, before it was light, he rose up and went out of the house, to a place where he could be alone.

And there, for a long time, he prayed to God. Soon Simon and the other disciples missed him and sought for him until they found him. They said, Everybody is looking for you. Come back to the city. But Jesus said, No, I cannot stay in Capernaum. There are other places where I must preach the kingdom of God. For this is the walk to which I am sent. And Jesus went out through all the towns in that part of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues, and healing all kinds of sickness, and casting out the evil spirits. His disciples were with him, and great crowds followed him from all the land. They came to hear his wonderful words, and to see his wonderful works. While he was on this journey of preaching in Galilee, a leper came to him.

You remember from the story of Naaman the Syrian, what a terrible disease leprosy was, and still is, in those lands, and that no man could cure the leper. This poor leper fell down before the feet of Jesus, and cried out, O Lord, If you are willing, I know that you can make me well and clean. Jesus was full of pity for this poor man. He reached out his hand and touched him, and said, I am willing. Be clean. And in a moment all the scales of leprosy fell away. His skin became pure, and the leper stood up, a well man. Jesus said to him, Do not tell anyone. But go to the priests and offer the gift that the law commands, and let them see that you have been cured. Jesus said this because he knew that if the man should tell everyone whom he met how he had been cured, such crowds would come to him for healing, that he would find no time for preaching the word of God.

And preaching God's work and not healing the sick was the great work of Jesus. But this leper who had been healed did not obey the command of Jesus. He could not keep still, and told everybody whom he knew that Jesus, the great prophet, had taken away his leprosy. And it came to pass, as Jesus had expected, such great crowds gathered in all the towns and villages to see Jesus, and to ask him to heal their sick. that Jesus could not enter the cities to preach the gospel. He went out to the fields and the open country, and there the people followed him in great trunks. After a time, Jesus came again to Capernaum, which was now his home. As soon as the people heard that he was there, they came in great crowds to see him, and to hear him.

They filled the house and the courtyard inside its walls. and even the streets around it, while Jesus sat in the open court of the house and taught them. It was the springtime, and warm, and a roof had been placed over the court as a shelter from the sun. In the crowd listening to Jesus were not only his friends, but some that were his enemies, Pharisees, men making a great show of serving God, But wicked in their hearts, and scribes who thought the law, but were jealous of this new teacher, whose words were so far above theirs. These men were watching to find some evil in Jesus, so that they might lead the people away from him. While Jesus was teaching, and these men were listening, the roof was suddenly taken away above their heads.

They looked up, and saw that a man was being let down in a bed by four men on the walls above. This man had a sickness called palsy, which made his limbs shake all the time, and kept him helpless, so that he could neither walk nor stand. He was so eager to come to Jesus that these men, finding that they could not carry him through the crowd, had lifted him up to the top of the house, and had opened the roof, and were now letting him down in his bed before Jesus. This showed that they believed in Jesus, without any doubt, whether he could cure this man from his palsy. Jesus said to the man, My son, be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven. The enemies of Jesus who were sitting near heard these words, and they thought in their own minds, though they did not speak it aloud.

What wicked things this man speaks! He claims to forgive saints. Who except God himself has power to say, Your sins are forgiven? Jesus knew their thoughts, for he knew all things. And he said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? Which is the easier to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise up and walk. But I will show you that while I am on earth, as a son of man, I have the power to forgive sins. Then he spoke to the palsied man on his couch before them, Rise up, take up your bed, and go to your house. At once, A new life and power came to the palsied man. He stood upon his feet, rolled up the bed on which he had been lying helpless, placed it on his shoulders, and walked out through the crowd, which opened to make a way for him.

The man went, strong and well, to his own house, praising God as he walked. By this, Jesus had shown that, As a son of God, he had the right to forgive the sins of men. These enemies of Jesus could say nothing, but in their hearts they hated him more than ever, for they saw that the people believed on Jesus. They praised the Lord God, and felt fear toward one who could do such mighty works. And they said, We have seen strange things today.

12 12 - The Cripple at the Pool and the Withered Hand 9:08

Story number 12 of Halbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Halbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Halbert. Part VI. The Cripple at the Pool and the Withered Hand in the Synagogue. Matthew, chapter 12, verses 1 to 14. Mark, chapter 2, verse 23, to verse 6 of chapter 3. Luke, chapter 6, from verses 1 to 11. John, chapter 5. 1-18 While Jesus was living in Capernaum, the time for the Passover of the Jews drew near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem to keep the feast, as he had kept it a year before. You remember that at that time he drove out of the temple the people that were buying and selling.

We read this in Story 1-1-6. The feast which Jesus now kept was the second Passover, in the three years while Jesus was preaching. While Jesus was at Jerusalem, he saw in the city, not far from the temple, a pool called Bethsaida. Beside this pool were five arches, or porches, and in these porches were lying a great crowd of sick and blind, helpless and crippled people. At certain times, the water rose and bubbled up in the pool, and it was believed that at these times it had power to cure diseases. We know that there are springs of water that will cure many kinds of sickness, and this may have been one of these. On the Sabbath day, Jesus walked among these poor, helpless, and suffering people, who were waiting for the water to rise.

Jesus looked at one man, and though no one told him, he knew that this man had been a cripple, without power to walk, for almost forty years. He said to this man, Do you wish to be made well? The man did not know who Jesus was. He answered, Sir, I cannot walk, and I have no man to carry me down to the water when it rises in the pool. But while I am trying to crawl down, others crowd in before me, and the place is full, so that I cannot reach the water and be cured. Jesus said to the man, Rise, take up your bed, and walk. The cripple had never heard words like these before, but as they were spoken, he felt a new power shoot through his limbs. He rose up, took the piece of matten on which he had been lying, rolled it up, and walked away toward his home.

Some one who saw him said, Stop! This is the Sabbath day, and it is against the law for you to carry your bed. The man did not lay down his load. He only said, "'The one who made me well said to me, "'Take up your bed and walk.' The Jews said, "'Who was this man that told you to carry your bed on the Sabbath day?' The man who had been cured did not know who it was that had cured him, for there were many standing near. And Jesus, after healing the man, had walked away without being noticed. But after this, Jesus met this man in the temple and said to him, You have been made well. Do not sin against God any more, or something worse than disease will come upon you. The man went away from the temple and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

The Jews were very angry at Jesus because he had killed this man on the Sabbath. But Jesus said to them, My Father works on all days to do good to men, and I work also. These words made the Jews ready to kill Jesus, not only because, as they said, he had broken the Sabbath, but because he had spoken of God as his Father, as though he were the Son of God. He was indeed the Son of God, although they would not believe it. After the feast of the Passover, Jesus went again to Capernaum in Galilee, beside the lake. One Sabbath day, he was walking with his disciples through the fields of ripe grain, and the disciples, as they walked, picked the heads of the grain, rubbed them in their hands, Blew away the chaff, and ate the carnals of wheat.

The law of the Jew allowed anyone walking through the field to eat what he could gather with his hands, though it did not allow him to take any of the grain home. But the Pharisees, whose goodness was all for show, said that it was a breaking of the Sabbath, to pick the ears and to rub them in the hands on the Sabbath day. They said to Jesus, Do you see how your disciples are doing on the Sabbath? What is against the law? Jesus answered them, Have you never read what David did when he was hungry? He went into the house of God, and took the holy bread from the table, and ate some of it, and gave some to his men. Though the law said that only the priests might eat this bread, and do you not know that on the Sabbath day the priests in the temple do work in killing and offering the sacrifices, yet they do no wrong?

I say to you that one greater than the temple is here, for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus meant them to understand. that he was the Son of God, that God lived in him even more fully than he lived in the temple, and that he spoke as Lord of all. We have read this about David and the Holy Bread in the tabernacle, of which Jesus spoke to the Jews, in story 60. On another Sabbath day, Jesus went to the synagogue. A man was there whose hand was withered. The Pharisees watched Jesus to see whether on the Sabbath day he would make his hand well. Not that they felt for the poor man. They only wished to find some chance to speak evil against Jesus. Jesus knew all their thoughts, and he spoke to the man, "'Rise up and stand where all can see you.' The man rose up from the mat where he had been sitting, and stood before all the people.

Then Jesus looked around upon them sternly, being sad because their hearts were so hard and cruel. And he said, Is it against the law to do good on the Sabbath day, or to do evil, to heal a man or to try to kill a man, as you are doing? If any one of you owns a sheep and he falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, Will he not take hold of it and lift it out? Is not a man worth more than a sheep? I say unto you that it is right to do good to men on the Sabbath day. And then turning to the man, he said, Stretch out your hand. The man obeyed the word of Jesus, and held out his hand. At once it became strong and well, like his other hand. Many of the people were glad as they saw this, but the Pharisees, who hated Jesus, went out very angry, and they met together to find some plan for putting Jesus to death.

13 13 - The Twelve Disciples and the Sermon on the Mount 13:22

Story number 13 of Halbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Halbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Halbert. Part 6. The Twelve Disciples and the Salmon on the Mount. Matthew, Chapter 9, from verse 9 to 13, Chapter 5 to Chapter 8. Luke 2, verse 13 to 17. Luke 5, verse 27 to 32. Chapter 6, verse 12 to 49. Among the Jews there was one class of men hated and despised by the people more than any other. That was the publicans. These were the men who took from the people the tax which the Roman rulers had laid upon the land. Many of these publicans were selfish, grasping, and cruel.

They robbed the people, taking more than was right. Some of them were honest men, dealing fairly and taking no more for the tax than was needful. But because so many were wicked, all the publicans were hated alike, and they were called sinners by the people. One day, when Jesus was going out of Capernaum to the seaside, followed by a great crowd of people, he passed a publican or tax-gatherer, who was seated at his table, taking money from the people who came to pay their taxes. This man was named Matthew, or Levi, for many Jews had two names. Jesus could look into the hearts of men, and he saw that Matthew was one who might help him as one of his disciples. He looked upon Matthew and said, Follow me.

At once, The publican rose up from his table and left it to go with Jesus. All the people wondered as they saw one of the hated publicans among the disciples with Peter and John and the rest. But Jesus knew that Matthew would long afterward do a work that would bless the world forever. It was this same Matthew the publican who many years after this wrote the Gospel According to Matthew, the book which tells us so much about Jesus, and more than any other book, gives us the words that Jesus spoke to the people. Jesus chose Matthew, knowing that he would write this book. A little while after Jesus called him, Matthew made a great feast for Jesus at his house, and to the feast he invited many publicans.

and others whom the Jews called sinners. The Pharisees saw Jesus sitting among these people, and they said with scorn to his disciples, Why does your master sit at the table with publicans and sinners? Jesus heard of what these men had said, and he said, Those that are well due do not need a doctor to cure them, but those that are sick do need one. I go to these people because they know that they are sinners and need to be saved. I came not to call those who think themselves to be good, but those who wish to be made better. One evening, Jesus went alone to a mountain not far from Capernaum. A crowd of people and his disciples followed him. But Jesus left them all and went up to the top of the mountain where he could be alone.

There he stayed all night, praying to God his Father, and our Father. In the morning, out of all his followers, he chose twelve men who should walk with him and listen to his words, so that they might be able to teach others in turn. Some of these men he had called before, but now he called them again, and others with them. They were called the Twelve, or the disciples. And after Jesus went to heaven, they were called the Apostles, a word which means those who were sent out, because Jesus sent them out to preach the gospel to the world. The names of the Twelve disciples, or apostles, were these, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. Philip of Bethsaida and Nathanael, who was also called Barthlome, a name which means the son of Ptolemy.

Thomas, who was also called Didymus, a name which means a twin. And Matthew, the publican of Taxcadra. Another James, the son of Alphaeus, who was called James the Less, to keep his name apart from the first James, the brother of John, and Labios, who was also called Thaddeus. Labios was also called Judas, but he was a different man from another Judas, whose name is always given last. The eleventh name was another Simon, who was called the Canian, or Simon Zelotz, and the last name was Judas Iscariot, who was afterward the traitor. We know very little about most of these men, but some of them in later days did a great work. Simon Peter was a leader among them, and John, long after those times, when he was a very old man, wrote one of the most wonderful books in all the world.

The Gospel according to John, the fourth among the Gospels. In the sight of all the people who had come to hear Jesus, Jesus called these twelve men to stand by His side. Then, on the mountain, He preached to these disciples, and to the great company of people. Jesus sat down. The disciples stood beside Him. And the great crowd of people stood in front while Jesus spoke. What he said on that day is called the Salmon on the Mount. Matthew wrote it down, and you can read it in his Gospel, in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters. Jesus began with these words to his disciples, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice! And be exceeding glad. For great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost his savour, where which shall it be salted?

It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Here are some more of the words of Jesus in this sermon. I say unto you, Do not be anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on you. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the birds of the air, for they sow not, Neither do they reap, nor gather into bands.

Yet our heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so cloth the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink? Or wherewithal shall we be cluttered? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no anxious thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. This is what Jesus said about prayer to our Heavenly Father. Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth. And he that seeketh, findeth. And to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you? Whom, if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?

Therefore, all things, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, Do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets. And this was the end of the sermon. Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not. For it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these things of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

14 14 - The Captain's Servant, the Widow's Son, and a Sinner 10:45

Story number 14 of Halbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Halbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Halbert. Part 6. The captain's servant, the widow's son, and the woman who was a sinner. Matthew 8, 5-13. Luke 7, 1-17. Luke 7, 36-50. There was at Capernaum an officer of the Roman army, a man who had under him A company of a hundred men. They called him a centurion, a word which means having a hundred. But we should call him a captain. This man was not a Jew, but was what the Jews called a Gentile, a foreigner, a name which the Jews gave to all people outside of their own race.

All the world except the Jews themselves. were Gentiles. This Roman centurion was a good man, and he loved the Jews, because through them he had heard of God, and had learned how to worship God. Out of his love for the Jews, he had built for them with his own money a synagogue, which may have been the very synagogue in which Jesus taught on the Sabbath days. The centurion had a young servant. A boy whom he loved greatly, and this boy was very sick with a palsy, and near to death. The centurion had heard that Jesus could cure those who were sick, and he asked the chief men of the synagogue, who were called its elders, to go to Jesus and ask him to come and cure his young servant. The elders spoke to Jesus just as he came again to Capernaum.

After the salmon on the mount, they asked Jesus to go with them to the centurion's house, and they said, He is a worthy man, and it is fitting that you should help him. For though a gentile, he loves our people, and he has built for us our synagogue. Then Jesus said, I will go and heal him. But while he was on his way, And with him were the elders and his disciples, and a great crowd of people who hoped to see the walk of healing. The centurion sent some other friends to Jesus with this message. Lord, do not take the trouble to come to my house, for I am not worthy that one so high as thou art should come under my roof. And I did not think that I was worthy to go and speak to thee. But speak only a word where you are, and my servant shall be made well.

For I also am a man under rule, and I have soldiers under me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. You too have power to speak and to be obeyed. Speak the word. and my servant will be cured. When Jesus heard this, he wondered at this man's fate. He turned to the people floy him and said, In truth, I say to you, I have not found such fate as this in all Israel. Then he spoke to the friends of the centurion, who had brought word from him, Go and say to this man, As you have believed in me, So shall it be done to you? Then those who had been sent went again to the centurion's house, and found that in that very hour his servant had been made perfectly well.

On the day after this, Jesus, with his disciples and many people, went out from Capernaum, and turned southward, and came to a city called Nain. Just as Jesus and his disciples came near to the gate of the city, they were met by a company who were carrying out the body of a dead man to be buried. He was a young man, and the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. All the people felt sad for this woman, who had lost her only son. When the Lord Jesus saw the mother in her grief, He pitied her and said, Do not weep. He drew near and touched the frame on which they were carrying the body, wrapped round and round with long strips of linen. The bearers looked with wonder on the stranger and set down the frame with its body and stood still.

Standing beside the body, Jesus said, Young man, I say to you, rise up. And in a moment, the young man sat up and began to speak. Jesus gave him to his mother, who now saw that her son, who had been dead, was alive again. A great fear came upon all who had looked upon this wonderful work of Jesus. They praised God and said, God has indeed come to his people, and he has given us a great prophet. And the news that Jesus had raised a dead man to life again went through all the land. While Jesus was on this journey through Southern Galilee, at one place, a Pharisee, whose name was Simon, asked Jesus to come and dine at his house. This man did not believe in Jesus, but he wanted to watch Him, and, if possible, to find some fault in Him.

He did not show Jesus the respect due to a guest, did not welcome him, nor did he bring water to wash Jesus' feet, as was done to people when they came in from walking. For in that land there wore no shoes or stockings, but only sandals, covering the soles of their feet, and they often washed their feet when they came into the house. At Mills, They did not sit up around the table, but leaned on couches, with their heads toward the table, and their feet away from it. While Jesus was leaning in this manner upon his couch at the table, a woman came into the dining room, bringing a flask of ointment, such as was used to anoint people of high rank. She knelt down at the feet of Jesus, weeping. and began to wet his feet with her tears, and then to wipe them with her long hair.

She anointed his feet with the ointment, and kissed them over and over again. This woman had not been a good woman. She had led a wicked life. But by her act, she showed that in her heart she was truly sorry for her sins. When Simon the Pharisee, saw her at the Savior's feet. He thought within himself, though he did not say it. If this man were truly a prophet coming from God, he would have known how wicked this woman is, and he would not have allowed her to touch him. Jesus knew this man's thought, and he said, Simon, I have something to say to you. And Simon said, Master, Then Jesus said, There was a certain lender of money to whom two men were owing. One man owed him five hundred shillings, and the other owed him fifty.

When he found that they could not pay their debts, he freely forgave them, and let them both go free. Which of these two will love that man most? Why? said Simon. I suppose that the one to whom he forgave the most will love him the most. You are right," said Jesus. Then he turned toward the woman and added, Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wetted my feet with her tears and has wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss of welcome. But she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head even with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. You have acted as though you owed me little, and you have loved me little. But she feels that she owes me much, and she loves me greatly.

I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven. Then he spoke to the woman, Your sins are forgiven. Those who were around the table whispered to each other, Who is this man that dares to act as God, and even to forgive saints? But Jesus said to the woman, Your fate has saved you. Go in peace. And Jesus went through all that part of Galilee, preaching to the Lord. and teaching in all the villages, telling the people everywhere he went of the good news of the kingdom of God.

15 15 - Some Stories Jesus Told by the Sea 10:55

Story number 15 of Herbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Herbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lehman Herbert. Story 15 Some stories Jesus told by the sea.

After Jesus had journeyed through the southern parts of Galilee, teaching and healing the sick, He came again to Capernaum, and one day went out of the city, to a place where the beach rose up gently from the water. There he sat, in Simon Peter's boat, as he had sat before, and spoke to a great crowd of people who stood on the beach. At this time Jesus began teaching the people by parables. that is, by a story which showed the truths of the gospel. Everybody liked to hear a story, and the story would often lead people to think and to find out the truth for themselves. The first of these parables or stories that Jesus gave was called the Parable of the Sower. "'Listen to me,' said Jesus. A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, where the ground was hard, where some of the seed was trodden down, and other seeds were picked up by the birds.

Some of the seed fell where the soil was thin, because rocks were under it. These seeds grew up quickly. But when the sun became hot, they were scorched and dried up, because they did not have enough soil and moisture for their roots. Other seeds fell among briars and thorns, and the thorns kept them from growing. And some seeds fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, thirty times as many as were sown. Sixty times, and even a hundred times. Whoever has ears to hear this, let him hear. When Jesus was alone with his disciples, they said to him, Why do you speak to the people in parables? What does this parable about the man sowing his seed mean? And Jesus said to them, To you it is given to know the deep things of the kingdom of God, because you seek to find them out.

But to many these things are spoken in parables, for they hear the story, but do not try to find out what it means. They have eyes, but they do not see, and they have ears, but they do not hear. For they do not wish to understand with the heart, and turn to the Lord, and have their sins forgiven them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Listen now to the meaning of the parable of the sower. The sower is the one who speaks the word of God, and the seed is the word which He speaks. The seed by the roadside are those who hear, but the evil one comes and snatches away the truth so that they forget it. The seed on the rock are those who hear the word with joy, but have no root in themselves.

Their goodness lasts only for a little time. That which is sown among the thorns Are they who hear but the cares of the world, and seeking after riches, and the enjoyments of this life, crowd out the gospel from their lives, so that it does them but little good. But that which is shown on the good ground, are they who take the world into an honest and good heart, and keep it. and bring forth fruit in their lives. Another parable or story given by Jesus to the people was the parable of the tares. The kingdom of God is as a man sowing good seed in his field. But while people were asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares, or weeds among the wheat, and then went away. When the shoots of grain began to have heads of wheat, then the tares were seen among them.

The servants of the farmer came to him and said, "'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?' How did the tares come and do it?" he said to them. "'An enemy has done this.' "'Shall we go and pick out the tares from among the wheat?' asked the servants. "'No,' answered the farmer, "'for while you are pulling up the tares, "'you will root up also the wheat with them. "'Let both grow together until the harvest, "'and in the time of the harvest "'I will say to the reapers, "'Take out the tares first "'and bind them in bundles to be burned, "'but gather wheat into my barns. Another parable was that of the master seed. He said, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of master seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.

This is the smallest of all seeds, but it grows up to be a large bush, almost a tree, so that the birds of the air light upon its branches and rest. under its chateau. Another parable was the leaven of yeast. The kingdom of heaven is like a little leaven or yeast that a woman mixed with dough when she was making bread. It worked through all the dough and changed it into good, light bread. These parables Jesus told to the people as he sat in the boat And the people stood on the shore, but he did not tell them what the parables meant, for he wished them to think out the meaning for themselves. After giving the parables, he sent the people away, and came back to the house in the city. There his disciples said to him, Tell us the meaning of the parable of the tares growing in the field.

Jesus said to them, The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the Word. The good seed are those who belong to the kingdom of God, but the tares, the weeds, are the children of the evil one. The enemy that sowed them is Satan, the devil, and the reapers are the angels. Just as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of Man shall send out his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all that do evil and cause harm, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But the people of God in that day shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their father. And in the house Jesus gave to his disciples some more parables for them to think upon.

He said, The kingdom of heaven is like treasure which a man found hidden in a field. He was glad when he saw it, but hid it again, and then went home and sold all that he had, and bought that field with the treasure in it. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who was seeking precious pearls. This man found one pearl of great price. He went. And sold all that he had, and bought the pair. Once more the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and took in fish of all kinds. When it was full, they drew the net to the shore. Then they sat down and picked out the good fish from among the bad. The good fish They put away for safekeeping, but the bad fish they threw away. So shall it be at the end of the world.

The angels shall come, and shall place the wicked apart from the good, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

16 16 - Peace, Be Still 6:05

Story 16 of Herlbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Herlbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lyman Herlbert. Part 6. Peace, be still. Matthew, Chapter 8, Verses 18 to 34. Mark, Chapter 4, Verse 35. to chapter five, verse twenty one, Luke, chapter eight, verses twenty two to forty.

When the evening came, after teaching all day by the sea and in the house, Jesus saw that the crowds of people were still pressing around him, and there was no time for him to rest. Jesus said, Let us go over to the other side of the lake. So they took Jesus into the boat, and began to roar across the Sea of Galilee. Other little boats were with them, for many wished to go with Jesus. While they were rowing, Jesus fell asleep, resting on a cushion of the boat. Suddenly, a storm arose, and drove great waves of water into the boat, so that it was in danger of sinking. But Jesus leapt on. The disciples awoke him, saying, Master, Master, we are lost. Help us, or we shall perish. Jesus awaked, and rose up, and looked out upon the sea.

He said to the waves, Peace, be still. And at once the wind ceased, the waves were quiet, and there was a great calm. Jesus said to his disciples, Why are you afraid? How is it that you have so little faith in me?

They all wondered at Jesus' power, and said to each other, Who is this man whom even the winds and the sea obey?

They came to the land on the eastern side of the lake, which was sometimes called the country of the Gadarenes, from the people who lived in the large city of Gadara, which was not far away, and sometimes Decapolis. As they were landing, a man came running down to meet them. He was one of those poor men in whose body evil spirits were living. He would not stay in any house, but slept in the graveyard among the dead. Nor did he wear any clothes. They had often chained him. But he had broken loose from his chains, and no one was able to bind him. When this man saw Jesus afar off, he ran towards him and fell down on his face before him. Jesus saw what was the trouble with this man, and he spoke to the evil spirit in him.

"'Come out of this man, vile spirit of evil!' The spirit within the man cried with a loud voice, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of the Most High God? I call upon thee in the name of the Lord. Do not make me to suffer.

Jesus saw that this man was troubled more even than most men who had evil spirits in them. He said to the evil one, What is your name? And the spirit said, My name is Legion. Because there are many of us. A legion was a name given to an army, and in this man was a whole army of evil spirits. There was on the mountain side a great drove of hogs feeding. The Jews were not allowed to keep hogs, nor to eat their flesh. And the evil spirit said to Jesus, If we must leave this man, will you let us go into the drove of hogs? Jesus gave them leave, and the evil spirits went out of the men and went into the hogs. The whole drove, two thousand in number, became at once wild. They rushed down a steep place on the mountain and into the sea, and were all drowned.

The man who kept the hogs ran into the city nearby, and told all the people how the man had been made well. And what had come to the drove of hogs, how they had been drowned. They saw the man who had been filled with evil spirits, now sitting at the feet of Jesus, no longer naked, but clothed, and in his right mind. But they did not think of what Jesus had done to this man. They thought only of the hogs that they had lost. And they begged Jesus to go away from their land. Jesus turned away from these people, and went again to the boat on the shore. And then the man who had been set free from the evil spirits pleaded with Jesus that he might go with him. But Jesus would not take him into the boat.

He said, Go home to your friends, and tell them how the Lord has had mercy on you and has done great things for you. The man went home and told all the people in the land of Decapolis the great things that Jesus had done for him. And Jesus went on board the boat, and crossed over the lake, and came again to his own city of Capernaum.

17 17 - The Little Girl Who Was Raised to Life 5:52

VI.

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS RAISED TO LIFE. Matthew 9, 18, 38, 10, 1, 42, Mark 5, 22, 43, Luke Eight, Forty One, to Fifty Six, Nine, One, to Five. When Jesus and his disciples landed at Capernaum, after their sail across the lake, they found a crowd of people on the shore waiting for them. And a man came forward from the throng, and fell down at the feet of Jesus. He was one of the chief men in the synagogue, and his name was Jairus. He said, O master, come to my house at once. My little daughter is dying, but if you will come and lay your hands upon her, she will live. And Jesus went with Jairus, and his disciples followed him, and also many people, who thronged around Jesus. In the crowd was a poor woman, who had been ill for very many years from a sore out of which her blood ran, so that she was very weak.

Many doctors had tried to help her, but they could not, and she had spent all her money, so that she was now very poor. This woman had heard of Jesus, and she tried to come to him, but she could not reach him in the throng of people. She said to herself, If I can only touch his garment, I know that the touch will make me well. And as Jesus passed by, she reached out her hand and touched the hem of his robe. At that instant she felt in her body that she was cured. Jesus himself felt her touch, and turning round, said, Who touched me? Peter said unto him, Master, the crowd throngs around you and pressed upon you. How can you ask, Who touched me? But Jesus said, Some one has touched me, for I feel that power has gone out from me.

And he looked around to see who it was. Then the woman came forward, fearing and trembling over what she had done. She fell down before Jesus, and told how she had touched him, and had been made well. But Jesus said to her, Daughter, be of good comfort. Your faith has made you well. Rise up, and go in peace. And from that hour the woman was free from her disease. All this time, while Jesus was waiting, Jairus, the father of the dying child, stood beside Jesus in great trouble, for he feared that his child would die before Jesus could come to his house. And at that moment some one came to him and said, "'It is too late. Your daughter is dead. You need not trouble the master any more.' But Jesus said to him, "'Do not be afraid, only believe, and she will yet be saved to you.' So they came to the house where Jairus lived, and they could hear the people weeping and crying aloud.

Jesus said to them, Why do you make such a noise? The little girl is not dead, but only asleep. Jesus meant by this that we need not be filled with sorrow when our friends die, for death is only asleep for a time until God shall awake them. But they did not understand this, and they would not be comforted, for they knew that the child was dead. Jesus would not allow any of the crowd of people to go into the room where the dead child was. He took with him three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the child, and shut out all the rest of the people. On the couch was lying the dead body of a girl, twelve years old. Taking the hand of the child into his own, he said to her, "'Little girl, rise up!' And the life of the little girl came again.

She opened her eyes and sat up. Jesus told them to give her something to eat, and he said to them, Do not tell anyone how the little girl was brought to life. Already the crowds following him were so great that he could not teach the people in the city, and if it became known that he could raise the dead to life, the throng and the press of the multitudes would be greater. His great work was to teach and to bring life to the souls of men, rather than to heal or to raise the dead. And he went out once more among the villages of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, and healing the sick people who were brought to him. He pitied the people, because there was no one to give them the gospel, and they were like sheep, wandering and lost without a shepherd.

He said to his disciples, "'The harvest truly is great, but the workers to gather the harvest are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out reapers into these harvest-fields.'" And after this Jesus sent out his twelve disciples to different places to preach his name to the people. He sent them forth in pairs, two of them together, so that they could help each other. And he gave them power to heal the sick, and to cast out evil spirits from men. He said to them, Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and as you go preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out the evil spirits, Freely you have received, freely give.

Do not take any money with you, but at every place ask for some good man and stay at his house. And if any people will not listen to your words, when you go out of that house or out of that city, shake off the dust from your sandals, as a sign, and God will judge that house or that city. He that hears you hears me, and he that hears me hears him who sent me. And if any one will give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, he shall not lose his reward. The twelve disciples went out in pairs, as Jesus had commanded them, and preached in all the cities of Galilee that men should cease from their sins and turn to God.

18 18 - A Dancing Girl and What Was Given Her 5:22

A dancing girl, and what was given her. Matthew 11, 2, 19, 14, 1, 12, Mark 6, 14, 29, Luke 7, 18, 35. You remember that just before Jesus went from Jerusalem to Galilee, as we read in story 117, John the Baptist was put in prison by the king, Herod Antipas. Jesus stayed in Galilee for a year, and nearly all that time John the Baptist was alone in his prison near the Dead Sea. His followers, who were now very few, came to see him, and told him of the works that Jesus was doing. These were wonderful, but they were not what John had expected Jesus to do, and in his prison, with no one to explain what Jesus was saying and doing, John began to doubt a little whether Jesus were the Savior who had been promised so long.

Then, too, John's followers were inclined to feel jealous, because their master was now left alone, and all the people were seeking Jesus. John sent two of his followers to Jesus to ask him this question. Are you really the Saviour who is to come, or are we to look for some other as the promised Christ? But when these men came with this message from John the Baptist, they found Jesus in the midst of a great company of suffering people. They saw him making the sick well by his touch, giving sight to the blind, and casting out the evil spirits, and they listened to the words of Jesus as he taught the people. When his work for the time was done, Jesus turned to the men who had come from John, and said to them, "'Go and tell John what you have seen and heard, how the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the poor have good news preached to them.

And blessed is that man who believes in me without doubting.' After these men had gone to bear the words of Jesus to John, Jesus spoke to the people about John the Baptist. He said, What was it that you went out into the wilderness to see? Was it a reed shaken by the wind? Was it a man dressed in rich robes? Those who are clad in splendid garments and sit at feasts are in the houses of kings. Who was the man whom you went out to see? Was he a prophet of God? I tell you that he was a prophet, and more than a prophet, for he was the one who came to make men ready for the coming of the king. And I say to you, that among those who are born on the earth, there has never arisen a greater man than John the Baptist.

Yet he who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John, for he can see with his own eyes what John can only hear of from others, the works of the gospel. All the common people who heard this were glad, for they believed that John was a prophet, and they had been baptized by him. But the Pharisees and the rulers were not pleased, because they had refused to listen to John the Baptist or to be baptized by him. Not long after this the end came to the noble life of John the Baptist. A great feast was held on King Herod's birthday, and all the princes and nobles of his kingdom were in the palace, eating and drinking together. While they were making merry, the young daughter of the woman, Herodias, who lived with Herod as his wife, came into the supper-room and danced before the guests, Herod was so greatly pleased with her dancing that he said to her, Ask whatever you please, and I will give it to you.

He swore a solemn oath that he would give her whatever she might ask, even to the half of his kingdom. The girl went to her mother and said to her, Tell me, what shall I ask? Her mother told her what to ask, and she came back with haste to the king, and said, I will ask that you give me here upon a plate the head of John the Baptist. The king was very sorry that he had made the promise, but he was ashamed to break his word in the presence of his princes. He sent a man to the prison, with orders that the head of John the Baptist should be cut off, and brought. It was done, and the young girl took it upon a plate, and gave it to her mother, Herodias. So, as Herod's father, thirty years before, had caused all the little children of Bethlehem to be killed, as we read in story One hundred and twelve, This king Herod, the son, caused John the Baptist, one of the best of men and a great prophet, to be put to death.

The followers of John the Baptist went to the prison, and took away his body and buried it, and then they went and told Jesus of all that had been done. After this they were among the followers of Jesus. Herod the king heard of what Jesus was doing, the sick healed, the blind made to see, and the dead raised to life. Everybody by this time was talking of Jesus and wondering who he was. Some said, This is the prophet Elijah come again to earth. Others said, If he is not Elijah, he is surely one of the prophets of the old time who has come to life. But Herod said, I know who this is. It is John the Baptist whom I killed. He has come back to life, and by him all these great works are wrought. And Herod was in great alarm, for he was afraid of the man whom he had slain.

19 19 - The Feast beside the Sea and What Followed It 7:26

THE FEAST BESIDE THE SEA AND WHAT FOLLOWED IT. Matthew 14, 13-36. Mark 6, 30-56. Luke 9, 10, 17, John 6, 1, to 71. When the twelve disciples came back to Jesus, after preaching in his name among the villages of Galilee, they told him of all that they had done, and of what they had said to the people. The multitude, seeking after Jesus, were now greater than ever before, for it was again near the time of the Passover, and very many on their way to Jerusalem turned aside to see and to hear the great Teacher. So many people were coming and going that they could scarcely find time even to eat. Jesus said to the twelve, "'Come with me apart into a quiet place, away from the crowds, and let us rest for a time.' They went into the boat and rowed across the lake to an open place, where no one lived, not far from the city of Bethsaida.

But they could not be alone, for the people saw them going, and watched them from the shore, and went on foot around the northern end of the lake, and found them. When Jesus saw how eager the crowds were to hear him, he took pity on them, and taught them, and healed such among them as were sick. As it began to grow toward evening, the disciples said to Jesus, This is a lonely place, and there is nothing here for such a crowd of people to eat. Send them away before it is too late, and tell them to go to the towns and get food. But Jesus said to them, They need not go away. You can give them food to eat. They said to him, Shall we go into the town and buy two hundred shillings'worth of bread, so that each one of them may have a little?

Jesus turned to Philip, one of his disciples, and said to him, Philip, where shall we find bread, that all these may eat? Jesus said this to try Philip's faith, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip looked at the great crowd, full five thousand men, besides women and children, and he said, Two hundred shillings'worth of bread would not be enough to give every one even a little piece. Just then another of the disciples, Andrew, the brother of Peter, said to Jesus, There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two little fishes, but what use would they be among so many people? Jesus said to the disciples, Go out among the people, and divide them into companies of fifty and a hundred, and tell them to sit down in order.

So the people all sat down, and upon the green grass, arranged in rows and squares, and their garments of different colors, they looked like beds of flowers. Then Jesus took into his hands the five loaves and the two fishes, which the boy had brought. He looked up to the heaven, and blessed the food, and broke the loaves and the dried fishes, and gave the pieces to the disciples. They went among the companies of people, and gave to every one bread and fish, as much as each needed. So they all ate, and had enough. Then Jesus said, Gather up the pieces of food that are left, so that nothing may be lost. Each of the disciples carried a basket among the people, and when they came to Jesus, all the twelve baskets were filled with pieces that were left over of the five loaves and the two fishes.

When the people saw that here was one who could give them food, they were ready at once to make Jesus their king, and to break away from the rule of the Romans. Jesus was a king, but he would not be such a king as they wished. His kingdom was to be in the hearts of men who loved him, not a kingdom set up by the swords of soldiers. He found that his disciples were ready to help the people to make him a king, even against his own will. So Jesus first compelled his disciples to go on board the boat, though they were not willing to do so, and to row across the lake to Capernaum. Then he sent away the great crowd of people who were still eager that he should be their king. And when all had gone away, and while he was left alone, he went up into the mountain to pray.

While he was praying in the night, a great storm arose upon the lake, and from the mountain Jesus could see his disciples working hard with their oars against the waves, although they could not see him. A little after midnight, when the storm was the highest, Jesus went to his disciples, walking upon the water, just as though the sea was dry land. The man in the boat saw a strange figure coming near them upon the sea, and cried out with fear, for they thought that it must be a spirit. But Jesus called out to them, "'Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid.' And then they knew that it was their Lord. Peter spoke to Jesus, and said, "'Lord, if it be thou, let me come to thee walking upon the water.' And Jesus said to Peter, "'Come.' Then Simon Peter leapt overboard from the ship, and he, too, walked on the water to go to Jesus.

But when he saw how great was the storm on the sea, he began to be afraid, and, forgetting to trust in the word of Jesus, he began to sink. He cried out, Lord, save me! And Jesus reached out his hand, and caught hold of him, and lifted him up, saying, O man of little faith, why did you doubt my word? When Jesus came on board the boat with Peter, at once the wind ceased, and the sea was calm. The disciples wondered greatly as they saw the power of Jesus. They fell down before him, and said, In truth, thou art the Son of God. When they came to the shore, and the daylight arose, they saw that they were at the land of Gennesaret, a plain a little to the south of Capernaum. They went ashore, and as soon as the people saw Jesus, and knew who he was, they brought their sick to him, and begged that they might only touch the border of his garment, and as many as touched him were made well.

Soon after this Jesus came again to Capernaum, and went into the synagogue, which was full of people, some of whom had eaten of the five loaves a few days before. These people wished Jesus to feed them in the same way again, but Jesus said to them, Seek not for food that passes away, but for the food that gives everlasting life, such as the Son of Man can give you. They said to him, What sign can you show that God has sent you? Moses gave our fathers bread from heaven, the manna in the desert. What can you do? You have read of the story of the manna which fed the Israelites in the wilderness, in story 24. Then Jesus said to them, It was not Moses, but God, who gave your father's bread, and God gives you now the true bread from heaven, in his Son, who came down from heaven, to give life to the world.

As soon as the people found that Jesus would not work wonders to please them, they turned away from him and left him, although a few days before they would have made him a king. When Jesus saw that the great crowds of people were with him no longer, Jesus said to his twelve disciples, Will you also go away and leave me? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom else can we go? For thou only hast the words that will give us everlasting life.

20 20 - The Answer to a Mother's Prayer 6:21

XXX. The answer to a mother's prayer. Matthew, Fifteen, Twenty One, to Thirty Nine, Mark, Seven, Twenty Four, to Eight, Twenty Six. After the feeding of the five thousand, and the talk which followed it in the synagogue of Capernaum, Jesus no longer sought to preach to the people in crowds, as he had preached before. He had spoken his last words to the people of Galilee, and now he sought to be alone with his disciples, that he might teach them many things which they needed. Jesus knew that in a few months, less than a year, he would leave his disciples to carry on the work of preaching his gospel to the world. Before that time should come, Jesus wished to teach and train his disciples, so he tried to be apart from the people and alone with these twelve men.

With this purpose in his mind, Jesus led his disciples away from Capernaum, across Galilee westward, to the land of Tyre and Sidon, near the great sea. On the border of this land he came to a village, and in it went with his disciples to a house. Jesus did not wish the people of the place to know that he was there, but he could not be hid. A woman of that place, who was not of the Jewish race, but belonged to the old Canaanite people, heard of Jesus' coming. She sought out Jesus, and fell down before Him, and begged Him to come to her house and cure her daughter, in whom was an evil spirit. At first Jesus would not answer her, for He had not come to that place to do works of healing. But she kept on crying and calling upon Jesus to help her daughter, until the disciples said, "'Master, send this woman away, for she is a trouble to us, crying out after us.' They thought that a Gentile woman, one who did not belong to the race of Israel, was not worthy of the Lord's care.

But Jesus wished to teach His disciples that He did care for this woman, though she was a Gentile and a stranger. To show them how strong was her faith, he said to her, "'I am not sent to the Gentiles, but only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' But the woman would not be discouraged. She kept on saying, "'Lord, help me!' Jesus said to her again, "'It is not fitting to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' Then the woman said, "'It is true, Lord, yet the little dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.' And Jesus said to her, "'O woman, your faith is great.' It shall be done even as you ask. Go your way, the evil spirit is sent out of your daughter. The woman believed the words that Jesus spoke.

She went to her home, and there found her daughter resting upon the bed, freed from the evil spirit. So many people sought to see Jesus in that place, that he left that land with his disciples, and went around Galilee, and came again to the country called Decapolis, on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. You remember that Jesus had visited this country before, when he cast the army of evil spirits out of a man into the hogs, as we read in story One hundred and twenty-five. At that time the people almost drove Jesus away from their land, but now they were glad to see him, and brought their sick to him to be healed. Perhaps they had heard from the man out of whom the evil spirits had gone, how kind and good and helpful Jesus was.

They led to Jesus a man who was deaf, and could not speak plainly. He was what we would call tongue-tied. They asked Jesus to cure him, but Jesus would not do his work as a sight for men to look upon. He took the man away from the crowd, and when he was alone with him, he put his fingers into the man's ears and touched his tongue. Then he looked up to heaven, and gave a sigh, and said to the man, "'Be opened.' Then the man's ears were opened, and his tongue was set free, so that he heard and spoke plainly. Jesus told the man and those with him not to let others know what he had done, but they could not keep from telling the good news to everybody. They were full of wonder, for they had not before seen the works of Jesus, and they said, He has done all things well, he makes even the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.

And in the land of Decapolis, as before in Galilee, great crowds of people came to see and hear Jesus. They followed him, without thinking that they would need any food to eat, and Jesus said to his disciples, "'I feel a pity for this people, for they have now been with me three days, and they have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint by the way, for many of them came from far.' The disciples answered him, "'How can we find bread for such a great crowd of people here in a desert place so far from the villages?' "'How many loaves of bread have you?' asked Jesus. They said, We have seven loaves and a few small fishes. Then he told all the people to sit down on the ground.

When they were seated, Jesus took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks to God, and broke them, and gave them to his disciples, and they gave them to the people. Then, as before, he caused them to gather up the food that was left, and they filled seven large baskets with the pieces. At this time four thousand men were fed, besides women and children. And at once after the meal he sent the people to their homes, and with his disciples went on board a boat, and sailed across the lake to a place on the western shore. There he stayed only a short time, and then sailed northward to Bethsaida at the head of the lake. At Bethsaida they brought to him a blind man, and asked him to touch his eyes.

But Jesus would not heal the man while a crowd was looking on. He led the man by his hand out of the village alone. Then he spat on the man's eyes and touched them with his hands, and said to him, Can you see anything? The man looked up and said, I see men, but they look like trees walking. Then again Jesus laid his hands upon the man's eyes. He looked once more, and now could see all things clearly. Jesus sent him to his home, and said to him, Do not even go into the village, nor tell it to anyone in the village. For Jesus wished not to have crowds of people coming to him, but to be alone with his disciples, for he had many things to teach them.

21 21 - The Glory of Jesus on the Mountain 8:01

THE GLORY OF JESUS ON THE MOUNTAIN. Matthew 16, 13-17, 23. Mark 8, 27-9, 32. 9.18-45. From Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus led his disciples still further north to Caesarea Philippi, at the foot of the great Mount Hermon. The name of this place means Philip's Caesarea, and it was so called because it was under the rule of King Herod Philip, a brother of King Herod Antipas, who ruled in Galilee, and there was another Caesarea on the shores of the great sea, south of Mount Carmel. At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples this question, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? The Son of Man was the name by which Jesus often spoke of himself. They answered him, Some men say that you are John the Baptist, risen from the dead.

Some say that you are the prophet Elijah or the prophet Jeremiah, come to earth again. Then said Jesus, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered for them all, saying, Thou art the Anointed One, the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus said to Peter, Simon, this has come to you not from men, but from my Father who is in heaven. You are Peter, the Rock, and on this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of earth shall not overcome it. For the church of Christ is made of those who believe what Peter said, that Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour of the world, and who obey Jesus as their Lord and King. After this, Jesus began to tell his disciples what things were to come upon him before many months.

He said, "'We are going up to Jerusalem, and there the people will refuse to own the Son of Man, and he shall suffer many wrongs from the rulers and chief priests, and shall be killed, and on the third day he shall be raised to life.' But the disciples could not believe that such sad things would come to pass with Jesus. They thought that he would reign as a king, and that high places in his kingdom would be given to themselves. Peter took Jesus apart from the rest, and said to him, Master, do not speak of such things. You will not suffer and die. You shall be a king. But Jesus saw that under Peter's words was the evil one tempting him, and he said to Peter, Go from me, Satan, evil one. You would be a stumbling-block to me, to make me fall.

You are seeking not that which is of God, but that which is of men. For Jesus knew that while all men wished him to be a king, ruling over a kingdom on the earth, it was God's will for him to die upon the cross to save the world from sin. Then Jesus called the people to come near with his disciples, and he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him give up his own will, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever has a will to save his life here shall lose it hereafter. And whoever is willing to give up his life for my sake shall find it again in the life everlasting. What gain will it be to a man to have the whole world, and to lose his own soul? For the Son of Man will come in His glory with all the holy angels, and then He will give to every man according to his acts.

And if a man is ashamed to own the Lord now, the Lord will not own him in that day. One night, about a week after saying those words, Jesus called three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, and with them climbed up the side of Mount Hermon. At a high place on the mountain, the three disciples lay down to sleep, but Jesus sought his Father in prayer. While Jesus was praying, a great change came over him. His face began to shine as bright as the sun, and his garments became whiter than snow. The three disciples awoke, and saw their Lord with all this glory beaming from him. And they saw two men talking with Jesus. These were Moses and Elijah, who had come down from heaven to meet Jesus, and they spoke with him of the death that he was to die in Jerusalem.

As these men were passing from the side of the disciples, Peter spoke, scarcely knowing what he was saying. Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While Peter was speaking, a bright and glorious cloud came over them all, and the three disciples felt a great fear as they found themselves in the cloud, and no longer able to see their master. Out of the cloud came the voice of God, saying these words, "'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him.' As the disciples heard this voice, they fell upon their faces on the ground in great fear, and Jesus came and touched them, saying, Rise up, and do not be afraid.

Then they looked up, and lo, the bright cloud had passed away, the two men were no more in sight, and Jesus was standing alone. They walked together down the mountain, and Jesus said to them very earnestly, Do not tell to any man which you have seen, until the Son of Man is risen from the dead. They wondered what this rising from the dead could mean, for even yet they could not believe that Jesus would die. But they said nothing to any one, not even to the other disciples, of what they had seen upon the mountain. When Jesus and the three disciples came down the mountain, they found many people around the other nine disciples. As the people saw Jesus, they were filled with wonder, for some of the glory still remained upon his face, and they bowed before him.

One man came to Jesus and said, Master, look upon my son, my only child, and have mercy upon him, for he is terribly troubled by an evil spirit. At times he cannot speak, and then he will cry out suddenly. The spirit almost tears him in pieces and makes him fall into the fire and into the water. He foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and pines away. And I spoke to your disciples, but they could not cast out the evil spirit. And Jesus said, O ye people without faith and wandering from God. "'How long must I be with you? How long must I bear with you? Bring your child to me.' While they were bringing the boy to Jesus, the evil spirit in him threw him down, and seemed to tear him apart, and he lay suffering and rolling on the ground.

Jesus said to the boy's father, "'How long is it since this came to him?' The father said, "'Ever since he was a little child, but if you can do anything, have mercy on us and help him.' "'If I can,' said Jesus, "'do you not know that all things are possible to the one that believes in me?' At once the father of the child cried out, "'Lord, I believe, help my lack of faith.' Then Jesus spoke to the evil spirit in the boy, "'Dumb and deaf spirit, come out of this child, and never again enter into him.' Then the spirit gave a cry, and came out, and left the child as one dead on the ground. Indeed, many who looked at him said, "'He is dead!' But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up, and the boys stood up well, set free from the evil spirit, and Jesus gave him to his father.

And all who saw it wondered at the mighty power of the Lord. When Jesus was in the house, his disciples asked him, Why could not we cast out the evil spirit? And Jesus said to them, Because you were wanting in faith. But this kind of evil spirits can be sent out only through prayer and fasting. While all were wondering at the great things which Jesus did, he said again to his disciples, Let what I say to you sink down into your hearts. The time is coming when the Son of Man shall be given to the hands of men, and they shall kill him, and after he is killed, on the third day he shall rise again. But they could not understand what he meant by these words, and they were afraid to ask him.

22 22 - The Little Child in the Arms of Jesus 4:37

The Little Child in the Arms of Jesus. Matthew, 17, 24, to 18, 35. Mark, 9, 33, to 48. Luke Nine, Forty Six to Fifty. From Caesarea Philippi in the far north, Jesus went with his disciples through Galilee, but not as at other times with a great multitude following him. At this time Jesus wished no one to know of his coming, for he had already preached to this people, and now he sought to be alone with his disciples. They came to Capernaum, and while they were there, the officer to whom the Jews paid the tax of half a shekel, or about thirty cents for each man, said to Peter, Does not your master pay the half shekel? Peter said, Yes. But when Peter came into the house, Jesus said to Peter, Simon, do the kings of the earth take taxes of their own children, or of strangers?

Peter said to him, Of strangers, not of their own children. And Jesus said, Then the children of the king should be free from the tax. But that we may not cause trouble, do you go to the lake, and cast in a hook, and pull up the first fish that comes, and when you have opened his mouth you shall find in it a piece of money. Take that, and pay it to them for you and for me." While Jesus was in the house, he said to his disciples, What was it that you were talking about among yourselves while you were on the way? They looked at one another, and said nothing, for on the way they had been disputing as to who of them should have the highest places in their Lord's kingdom. Then Jesus said to them, If any one among you wishes to be first, let him be willing to be the last of all, and to be a servant of all.

And Jesus took a little child in his arms, and held him up before all his disciples, and said to them, Unless you turn from your ways, and become like little children in spirit, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever shall be gentle and lowly and willing to be taught, like this little child, he shall be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whosoever shall receive one such little child for my sake, he receives me. Take care not to despise one of these little ones, for I say unto you that in heaven their angels do always look upon the face of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost, and it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, how many times should I forgive a brother when he ascended against me, till seven times? Jesus said to Peter, I do not say that you should forgive him seven times only, but seventy times seven. Then Jesus gave to his disciples the parable, or story, of the unkind servant. There was once a king who had an account made with his servants of how much money they owed him. One servant was brought before the king, and he owed the king a great sum of money—ten millions of dollars. The man had nothing with which to pay his debt, and the king commanded that the man and his wife and his children should be sold as slaves for the debt. Then the servant fell down before the king, and said, "'Be patient with me, give me time, and I will pay all that I owe.' Then the king felt a pity for his servant, set him free, and let him go without any payment, giving him all that he owed.

But that servant went out and found another servant who owed him a small sum, only ten dollars. He came to this man, and he took hold of him by the throat, and said, "'Pay what you owe me.' The man fell down before him, and said, "'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He would not wait for the man to earn the money, but threw the man into prison, to stay there until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-servants heard of what he had done, they were sorry for the poor debtor in prison, and came and told the king all that had been done. Then the king sent for the servant, and said to him, "'You wicked servant! I forgave you all your debt when you asked me to give you time, and you should have had mercy on your fellow-servant, just as I had mercy on you.' And the king was angry against the unkind servant, and sent him to prison, and ordered that he should be made to suffer until he should pay all his debt.

So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if from your hearts you do not forgive your brothers who have sinned against you.

23 23 - At the Feast of Tabernacles 4:55

The Bible is a good way to get the word of the Bible. At the Feast of the Tabernacles, Matthew, Eight, Nineteen, to Twenty-two, Luke, Nine, Fifty-seven, to Sixty-two, Ten, Thirty-eight, to Forty-two, 17, 11, 19, John, 7, 2, 52. In the fall of every year, there was held at Jerusalem the Feast of the Tabernacles. It was kept to remind the people of the time when the Israelites came out of Egypt and lived for forty years in the wilderness, more than a thousand years before the days when Jesus was on the earth. At this feast, the people from all parts of the land came up to Jerusalem and worshipped in the temple. And as the Israelites had lived in tents in the wilderness, the people during the feast did not sleep indoors, but made arbors and huts from green boughs on the roofs of the houses, and on the hills around the city, and slept in them at night.

Jesus and his disciples went from Galilee to Jerusalem to attend this feast. Just as Jesus was leaving, a man who had heard Jesus said to him, Master, I will follow thee wherever thou goest. And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has not a place where he can lay his head. There was another man to whom Jesus had said, Follow me. This man said, Lord, let me go and bury my father, who is very old, and must die very soon, and then I will follow thee. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but do you go and preach the kingdom of God. And another said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go home and say good-bye to those who are in my house.

Jesus said to him, No man who has put his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus went through the country of Samaria, where the people hated the Jews. In one place the Samaritans would not let Jesus and his disciples come into their village, because they saw that they were Jews going up to Jerusalem. The disciples were very angry at such treatment of their master, and James and John said to him, Lord, shall we call down fire from heaven to destroy this village, as Elijah the prophet did once? But Jesus would not allow them to do this to their enemies. He said to them, Your spirit is not the spirit of my kingdom. The Son of Man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

And they went to another village to find a resting-place. At one town they met outside the gate ten men with the dreadful disease of leprosy, of which we read in the story of Naaman. These men had heard of Jesus and his power to heal, and when they saw him, they cried out aloud, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. Jesus said to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. If ever a leper became well, he went to the priest, and offered his sacrifice, and then was allowed to go to his home. These men obeyed the word of Jesus, believing that he would cure them, and as soon as they started to go to the priests, they found that they were already well. All but one of the men went on their way, but one turned and came back to Jesus and fell at his feet, giving praise to God, and this man was not a Jew, but a Samaritan.

Jesus said as he saw him, "'Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there none who came back to give glory to God, except this stranger?' Then he said to the man, "'Rise up, and go your way. Your faith has saved you.' Jesus came to Jerusalem not on the first day of the feast, but in the middle, for the feast was held for a week. He stood in the temple, and taught the people, and all wondered at his words. On the last and greatest day of the feast, when they were bringing water and pouring it out in the temple, Jesus cried aloud, "'If any man thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He that believes on me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water.' While Jesus was teaching in Jerusalem, he often went out of the city to the village of Bethany, on the Mount of Olives.

There he stayed with the family of Martha, her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus. These were friends of Jesus, and he loved to be with them. One day, while Jesus was at the house, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to his words, but Martha was busy with work, and full of cares. Martha came to Jesus, and said, Master, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to come to help me. But Jesus said to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. Only one thing is needful, for Mary has chosen the good part which shall not be taken away from her.

24 24 - The Man with Clay on His Face 7:41

Story Twenty-four of Herbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org.

The Man with Clay on His Face, John, Chapter Nine, Verses One to Forty-One.

One Sabbath day. As Jesus and his disciples were walking in Jerusalem, they met a blind man begging. This man, in all his life, had never seen, for he had been born blind. The disciples said to Jesus, as they were passing him, Master, whose fault was it that this man was born blind? Was it because he had sinned, or did his parents sin? For the Jews, thought that when any evil came, it was caused by someone's sin. But Jesus said, This man was born blind, not because of his parents' sin, nor because of his own, but so that God might show his power in him. We must do God's work while it is day, for the night is coming when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

When Jesus had said this, he spat on the ground and mixed up the spittle with earth, making a little lump of clay. This clay Jesus spread on the eyes of the blind man, and then he said to him, Go, and wash in the pool of Siloam. The pool of Siloam was a large cistern or reservoir on the southeast of Jerusalem, outside the wall, where the valley of Gihon and the valley of the Kedrum come together. To go to this pool, the blind man, with two great blotches of mud on his face, must walk through the streets of the city, out of the gate, and into the valley. He went, and felt his way down the steps into the pool of Siloam. There he washed, and then at once his lifelong blindness passed away, and he could see.

When the man came back to the part of the city where he lived, his neighbors could scarcely believe that he was the same man. They said, Is not this the man who used to sit on the street begging? This must be the same man, said some, but others said, No, it is someone who looks like him. But the man said, I am the very same man who was blind. Why, how did this come to pass? they asked him. How were your eyes opened? The man called Jesus, he answered, mixed clay, and put it on my eyes, and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash. And I went and washed, and then I could see. Where is this man? they asked him. I do not know, said the man. Some of the Pharisees, The man who made a show of always obeying the law, asked the man how he had been made to see.

He said to them, as he had said before, A man put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and my sight came to me. Some of the Pharisees said, The man who did this is not a man of God, because he does not keep the Sabbath. He makes clay and puts it on men's eyes, working on a Sabbath day. He is a sinner. Others said, How can a man who is a sinner do such wonderful works? And thus the people were divided in what they thought of Jesus. They asked the man who had been blind, What do you think of this man who has opened your eyes? He is a prophet of God, said the man. But the leading Jews, would not believe that this man had gained his sight until they had sent for his father and his mother. The Jews asked them, Is this your son, who you say was born blind?

How is it that he can now see? His parents were afraid to tell all they knew, for the Jews had agreed that if any man should say that Jesus was the Christ, the Savior, he should be turned out of the synagogue, and not be allowed to worship any more with the people. So his parents said to the Jews, We know that this is our son, and we know that he was born blind. But how he was made to see, we do not know, or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age. Ask him, and let him speak for himself. Then again the rulers of the Jews called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, Give God the praise for your sight. We know that this man who made clay on the Sabbath day is a sinner.

Whether that man is a sinner or not, I do not know, answered the man. But one thing I do know, that once I was blind, and now I see. They said to him again, What did this man do to you? How did he open your eyes? I have told you already, and you would not listen. said the man. Why do you wish to hear it again? Do you intend to believe in him and be his followers? This made them very angry, and they said to the man, You are his follower, but we are followers of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we do not even know from what place he comes. The man said, Why? That is a very wonderful thing. You, who are teachers of the people, do not know who this man is, or from what place he comes.

And yet he has had power to open my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners, but God hears only those who worship Him and do His will. Never before has anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could not do such works as these. The rulers of the Jews, these Pharisees, then said to the man, You were born in sin, and you tried to teach us. And they turned him out of the synagogue, and would not let him worship with them. Jesus heard of this, and when Jesus found him, he said to him, Do you believe on the Son of God? The man said, And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him? You have seen him, said Jesus, and it is he who now talks with you. The man said, Lord, I believe.

And he fell down before Jesus and worshipped him. in July 2008.

25 25 - The Good Shepherd and the Good Samaritan 6:42

Story number 25, A Pearl But Story of the Bible. The story of the Good Shepherd and the Good Samaritan. John, chapter 10, verses 1 to 41, and Luke, chapter 10, verses 1 to 37. After the cure of the man born blind, Jesus gave to the people in Jerusalem the parable or story of the good shepherd. Verily, verily, that is, in truth, in truth, I say to you, if anyone does not go into the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, it is a sign that he is a thief and a robber. But the one who comes in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The porter opens the door to him, and the sheep know him, and listened to his call, for he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out to the pasture field.

And when he has let out his sheep, he goes in front of them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. The sheep will not follow a stranger, for they do not know the stranger's voice. The people did not understand what all this meant, and as Jesus explained it to them, he said, Verily, verily, I say to you, I am the door that leads to the sheepfold. If anyone comes to the sheep in any other way than through me and in my name, he is a thief and a robber. But those who are the true sheep will not hear such. I am the door. If any man goes into the fold through me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes to the fold that he may steal, and rob the sheep and kill them.

But I come to the fold that they may have life, and they have all that they need. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd will give up his own life to save his sheep, and I will give up my life that my sheep may be saved. I am the good shepherd, and just as a true shepherd knows all the sheep in his flock, so I know my own, and my own know me, even as I know the Father, and the Father knows me, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must lead, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one flock, and one shepherd. The Jews could not understand these words of Jesus, but they became very angry with him, because he spoke of God as his Father.

They took up stones to throw them at him, and tried to seize him, intending to kill him. But Jesus escaped from their hands, and went away to the land beyond Jordan, at the place called Bethabera, or Bethany beyond Jordan, the same place where he had been baptized by John the Baptist more than two years before, as we read in Story 114. From this place Jesus wished to go out through the land on the east of the Jordan, a land which was called Perea, a word that means beyond. But before going out himself through this land, Jesus sent out seventy chosen men from among his followers to go to all the villages, and to make the people ready for his own coming afterward. He gave to these seventy the same commands that he had given to the twelve disciples when he sent them through Galilee, of which we read in Story One hundred and twenty-six, and sent them out in pairs, Two men to travel and to preach together.

He said, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no bag for food, no shoes except those that you are wearing. Do not stop to talk with people by the way, but go through the towns and the villages, healing the sick, and preaching to the people. The kingdom of God is coming. He that hears you hears me, and he that refuses you refuses me, and he that will not hear me will not hear him that sent me. And after a time the seventy men came again to Jesus, saying, Lord, even the evil spirits obey our words in thy name. And Jesus said to them, I saw Satan, the king of the evil spirits, falling down like lightning from heaven. I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and nothing shall harm you.

Still, do not rejoice because the evil spirits obey you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. And at that time One of the scribes, man who wrote copies of the books of the Old Testament, and studied them and taught them, came to Jesus and asked him a question, to see what answer he would give. He said, Master, what shall I do to have everlasting life? Jesus said to the scribe, What is written in the law? You are a reader of God's law. Tell me what it says. Then the man gave this answer. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Jesus said to the man, You have answered right.

Do this, and you shall have everlasting life. But the man was not satisfied. He asked another question, And who is my neighbor? To answer this question, Jesus gave the parable or story of the Good Samaritan. He said, A certain man was going down the lonely road from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him of all that he had, and beat him, and then went away, leaving him almost dead. It happened that a certain priest was going down that road, and when he saw the man lying there, he passed by on the other side. And the Levite also, when he came to the place and saw the man, he too went by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan As he was going down, came where this man was, and as soon as he saw him he felt a pity for him.

He came to the man, and dressed his wounds, pouring oil and wine into them. Then he lifted him up, and set him on his own beast of burden, and walked beside him to an inn. There he took care of him all night, and the next morning he took out from his purse two shillings, and gave them to the keeper of the inn, and said, Take care of him, and if you need to spend more than this, do so. And when I come again, I will pay it to you. Which one of these three do you think showed himself a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? The scribe said, The one who showed mercy on him. Then Jesus said to him, Go, and do thou likewise. By this parable Jesus showed that our neighbor is the one who needs the help that we can give him, whoever he may be.

26 26 - Lazarus Raised to Life 6:05

XXXIV. Lazarus raised to life. John 11, verses 1 to 55. While Jesus was at Bethabeira beyond Jordan and ready to begin preaching in the land of Perea, he was suddenly called back to the village of Bethany on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. You remember that Martha and Mary and Lazarus, the friends of Jesus, were living in this place. The word came to Jesus that Lazarus was very ill, but Jesus did not hurry away from Bethabeira to go to Bethany. He stayed two days, and then he said to his disciples, Let us go again into Judea, near Jerusalem. The disciples said to Jesus, Master, when we were in Judea last, the people tried to stone you and to kill you, and now you would go there again? Jesus said, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go that I may wake him out of his sleep.

The disciples said, Master, if he has fallen asleep, he may be well. For they thought that Jesus was speaking of taking rest in sleep. But Jesus meant that Lazarus was dead. Then Jesus said to them, Lazarus is dead, and I am glad that I was not there to keep him alive, for now you will be led to believe in me all the more fully. But let us go now to him. Then one of the disciples, named Thomas, said to the others, Let us also go and die with our master. So Jesus left Bethabera with his disciples and came to Bethany. and then he found Lazarus had been buried four days. Many of the Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary in the loss of their brother. They told Martha that Jesus was coming, and she went to meet him, but Mary sat still in the house.

As soon as Martha saw Jesus, she said to him very sadly, Lord, if you had been here, my brother need not have died, and even now I know that God will give you whatever you may ask. Jesus said to her, Your brother shall rise again. I know that he shall rise, said Martha, when the last day comes, and all the dead are raised. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, the raising from the dead, and I am the life. Whoever believes on me, even though he may die, he shall live, and whoever lives and believes on me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to him, Yes, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, the One who comes into the world. Then Martha went to her home and said to her sister Mary, but quietly, so that no other person heard her, The Master is here, and he asks for you.

At once Mary rose up to go to Jesus. Her friends thought that she was going to her brother's tomb, and they went with her. Jesus was still at the place where Martha had met him, near the village. When Mary came to him, she fell down at his feet, and said, as her sister had said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother need not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping with her, he also was touched, and groaned in his spirit, and was filled with sorrow. He said, Where have you laid him? They showed him the place where Lazarus was buried, a cave with a stone laid upon the door. Jesus wept as he stood near it. And the Jews said, See how he loved Lazarus. But some of them said, If this man could open the eyes of the blind, why is it that he could not keep this man whom he loved from dying?

Jesus, standing before the cave and still groaning within, said, Take away this stone. Martha said, Lord, by this time his body has begun to decay, for he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you should see the glory of God? They took away the stone as Jesus had commanded. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes towards heaven and said, Father, I thank thee that thou didst hear me. I know that thou dost hear me always, but because of those who are standing here I spoke, so that they may believe, and that thou hast sent me. Then, with a loud voice, Jesus called out, Lazarus, come forth. And the man who had been four days dead came out of the tomb. His body and hands and feet were wrapped round and round with grave bands, and over his face was bound a napkin.

Jesus said to those standing near, Loose him and let him go. When they saw the wonderful power of Jesus in raising Lazarus to life, many of the people believed in Jesus. But others went away and told the Pharisees and rulers what Jesus had done. They called a meeting of all the rulers, the great council of the Jews, and they said, What shall we do? For this man is doing many works of wonder. If we let him alone, everyone will believe on him, and will try to make him the king. And then the Romans will make war upon us and destroy our nation and our people. But the high priest Caiaphas said, It is better for us that one man should die for the people than that our whole nation should be destroyed.

Let us put this man to death. And to this they agreed, and from that day all the rulers found plans to have Jesus slain. But Jesus knew their purpose, for he knew all things. His time to die had not yet come, and he went away with his disciples to a city near the wilderness and not far from Bethabera, where he had been before. And from this place he went forth to preach in the land of Perea, into which he had sent the seventy disciples, as we read in the last story.

27 27 - Some Parables in Perea 16:09

Story number 27 of Herbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Herbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Laman Herbert. Part Six. Some parables in Perea. Luke, Chapter 12, Verses 1, to Chapter 15, Verse 32. Jesus went with His disciples through the land of Perea on the east of the Jordan, the only part of the Israelite country That he had not already visited. The people had heard of Jesus from the seventy disciples whom he had sent through the land, as we read in story 134. And in every place, great multitudes of people came to see him and to hear him. At one time, one man called out of the crowd and said to Jesus, Master, speak to my brother and tell him to give me my share of what our father left us.

Jesus said, Man, who made me a judge over you to settle your disputes? Let both of you And all of you, take care and keep from being covetous, seeking what is not yours. Then Jesus gave to the people the parable or story of the rich fool. He said, There was a rich farmer whose fields brought great harvests. Until the rich man said to himself, What shall I do? For I have no place where I can store up the fruits of my fields. This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns and will build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have goods laid up enough to last for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to the rich man, Thou foolish one, this night thou shalt die, and thy soul "'Shall be taken away from thee, and the things which thou hast laid up, who shall they be?' And Jesus said, "'Such is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.' On one Sabbath day, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, and a woman came in, who, for eighteen years, had been bent forward and could not stand up straight.

When Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, Woman, you are set free from your trouble of body. He laid his hands upon her, and she stood up straight and praised God for His mercy. But the chief man in the synagogue was not pleased to see Jesus healing on the Sabbath. He spoke to the people and said, There are six days when men ought to work, in them you should come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day. But Jesus said to him and to the others, Does not each one of you on the Sabbath day lose his ox or his ears from the stall and lead him away to give him water? And should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, who has been bound for eighteen years, be set free from her bones, On the Sabbath day, the enemies of Jesus could say nothing, while all the people were glad at the glorious works which He did.

At one place, Jesus was invited to a dinner. He said to the one who had invited Him, Do not invite your friends or your rich neighbors, for they will invite you in return.

But when you make a feast, invite the poor, the helpless, the lame, and the blind, for they cannot invite you again. But God will give you a reward in His own time. And there went with Jesus great multitudes of people, and he turned and said to them, If any man comes after me, he must love me more than he loves his own father and his mother and wife and children, yes, and his own life also, or else he cannot be my disciple. For who of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he will be able to finish? For if after he has laid the foundation and then leave it at finished, everyone who passes by will laugh at him and say, "'This man began to build.' and was not able to finish.

Or, what king going out to meet another king in war will not sit down first and find whether he is able, with ten thousand men, to meet the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if he finds that he cannot meet him, While he is yet a great way off, he sends his messengers and asks for peace.

Even so, every one of you must give up all that he has if you will be my disciple.

While Jesus was teaching, many of the publicans Those who took up the taxes from the people came to hear him, and many others who were called sinners by the Pharisees and the scribes, the enemies of Jesus, said, This man likes to save sinners. Come to see him, and he eats with them. Then Jesus spoke a parable. Called The Lost Sheep. To show why he was willing to talk with sinners, he said, What man of you who has a hundred sheep, if one of them is lost, does not leave his ninety-and-nine sheep in the field and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, He lays it up on his shoulders, glad to see his lost sheep again. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and say to them, Be glad with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.

Even so, said Jesus, there is joy in heaven over one sinner Who has turned to God more than over ninety and nine good men who do not need to turn from their sins. Jesus gave to the people also the parable of the lost piece of money. He said, If any woman has ten pieces of silver and loses one piece, will she not light a lamp and sweep her house carefully until she finds it. And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and her neighbors, saying, Be glad with me, for I have found the piece of silver that I had lost. Even so, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner that turns Then Jesus told another parable, that one called the parable of the prodigal son. The prodigal is one who spends everything that he has, as did the young man in this parable, Jesus said.

There was one, a man, who had two sons. The younger of his sons said to his father, Father, give to me the share that will come to me of what you own. Then the father divided all that he had between his two sons, and not many days after, the younger son took his share and went away into a far country, and there He wasted all in wild and wicked living, and when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine of food in that country, and he began to be in want. He went to work for one of the men in that land, and this man sent him into the fields to feed his hogs. The young man was so hungry that he would have filled himself with the husks that were fed to the hogs, and no one gave anything to him.

At last, the young man began to think of his father's house, and he said to himself, "'How many hired servants of my father's Have bread enough and to spare, while I'm dying here with hunger. I will arise, and will go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Let me be one of your hired servants. He rose up to go back to his father's house, but while he was yet afar off, his father saw him and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him, and the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven And in your sight, I'm no more worthy to be called your son. But before he could say any more, his father called to the servants and said, Bring out quickly the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.

"'And bring the gaff-fatted gulf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing, And he called to him one of the servants and asked what these things might be. The servants said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf and is having a feast, because he is at home, safe and sound. But the elder brother was angry. and will not go in, and his father came out and urged him. But he answered his father and said, I have served you for these many years, and I have never disobeyed your commands, and yet you never gave me even a kit that I might make merry with my friends.

But when this your son has come, Who has wasted your living with wicked people? You kill for him the fatted calf. And the father said to him, My son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. But it was fitting that we should make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead. And is alive again. He was lost and is found. By these parables, Jesus showed that He came not to speak those who thought themselves so good that they did not need Him, but those who were the sinful and the needy.

28 28 - The Poor Rich Man and the Rich Poor Man 11:08

The poor rich man and the rich poor man.

Another parable that Jesus gave was that of the rich man and Lazarus. He said, There was a rich man, and he was dressed in garments of purple and fine linen, living every day in splendor, and at the gate leading to his house was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores, and seeking for his food the crumbs that fell off of the rich man's table. Even the dogs of the streets came and licked his sores. After a time the beggar died, and his soul was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and his body was buried. And in the world of the dead he lifted up his eyes, being in misery, and far away he saw Abraham and Lazarus resting in his bosom, and he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, And cool, my tongue, for I am suffering in this flame.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that you had your good things in your lifetime, and that Lazarus had his evil things. But now here he is comforted, and you are in sufferings. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, So that no one may cross over from us to you, and none can come from your place to us. And he said, I pray, O father Abraham, if Lazarus cannot come to me, command that he be sent to my father's house, for I have five brothers, and let him speak to them, so that they will not come to this place of torment. But Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. And he said, O father Abraham, if one should go to them from the dead, they will turn to God.

And Abraham said, If they will not hear Moses and the prophets, they will not believe, even though one should rise from the dead. And this was true. For as the people would not listen to the words of Moses and the prophets about Christ, they would not believe, even after Jesus himself arose from the dead. There was another parable of Jesus called the unjust steward. A certain rich man had a steward, a man who took the care of all his possessions. He heard that his steward was wasting his property, and he sent for him and said, What is this that I hear about you? You shall soon give up your place, and be my steward no longer. Then the steward said to himself, "'Hm! In a few days I shall lose my place, and what shall I do?

I cannot work in the fields, and I am ashamed to go begging from door to door. But I have thought of a plan that will give me friends, so that when I am put out of my place some people will... Take me into their houses, because of what I have done for them. And this was his plan. He sent for the men who were in debt to his master, and said to the first one, How much do you owe to my master? The man said, I owe him a thousand gallons of oil. Then said the steward, You need only pay five hundred gallons. Then to another he said, How much do you owe? The man answered, "'I owe fifteen hundred bushels of wheat,' and the steward said to him, "'You need pay only twelve hundred bushels.' When his master heard of this which his steward had done, he said, "'That is a sharp, shrewd man who takes care of himself.' And Jesus said, "'Be as earnest and as thoughtful for the eternal life as men are for this present life.' Jesus did not approve the actions of this unjust steward, but he told his disciples to learn some good lessons, even from his wrong deeds.

Jesus spoke another parable, to show that people should pray always, and not be discouraged. It was the parable of the unjust judge and the widow. Jesus said, There was in a city a judge who did not fear God. Nor seek to do right, nor did he care for man. And there was a poor widow in that city who had suffered wrong. She came to him over and over again, crying out, Do justice for me against my enemy who has done me wrong. And for a time the judge, because he did not care for the right, would do nothing. But as the widow kept on crying, at last he said to himself, Even though I do not fear God, nor care for man, yet because this widow troubles me and will not be still, I will give her justice, or else she will wear me out by her continual crying.

And the Lord said, Hear what this unjust judge says. And will not a just God do right for his own who cry to him by night and day? Even though he may seem to wait long, I tell you that he will answer their prayer, and will answer it soon. And Jesus spoke another parable to some who thought that they were righteous and holy, and set others at naught. This was the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.

Two men went up into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee, The other Republican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are. I do not rob. I do not deal unjustly. I am free from wickedness. I am not even like this publican. I fast twice in each week. I give to God one tenth of all that I have. But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I say unto you, said Jesus, this man went down to his house, having his sins forgiven, rather than the other. For every man that lifteth up himself shall be brought low, and he that is humble shall be lifted up.

At this time the mothers brought to Jesus their little children, that he might lay their hands on them and bless them. The disciples were not pleased at this, and told them to take their children away. But Jesus called them to him, and said, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God is a little child. He shall not enter into it. And he put his hands on them and blessed them. And a certain young man, a ruler, came running to Jesus and said, Good Master, what shall I do that I may have everlasting life? Why do you call me good? said Jesus. No one is good except one, that is God. You know the commandments.

Keep them. What commandments? asked the young man. Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor thy father and mother. The young man said, All these I have kept from my youth up. What do I need more than these? One thing more you need to do, said Jesus. Go sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.

But when he heard this, he turned and went away very sad, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw this, he said, How hard it is for those that are rich to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

At this the disciples were filled with wonder. They said, If that be so, then who can be saved? And Jesus said, The things that are impossible with men are possible with God. And Peter said, Lord, we have left our homes and all that we have, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered him, Verily I say to you, there is no man who has left house, or wife for brothers, or parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not have given to him many more times in his life, and in the world to come, life everlasting. Then Jesus again told his twelve disciples of what was soon to come to pass. Even in a few weeks, he said, We are going up to Jerusalem, and there all the things written by the prophets about the Son of Man shall come true.

He shall be made a prisoner, and shall be mocked and treated shamefully, and shall be spit upon and beaten, and shall be killed, and then the third day he shall rise again. But they could not understand these things. And they did not believe that their master was to die.

29 29 - Jesus at Jericho 7:38

JESUS at Jericho. Matthew 20, verses 20-34. Mark 10, 35-52. Luke 18, 35, 19, verse 28. Jesus was passing through the land of Perea on his way to Jerusalem. His disciples were with him, and a great multitude of people, for again the feast of the Passover was near, and the people from all parts of the land were going up to Jerusalem to take part in the feast. And although Jesus had said over and over again that he was to die in Jerusalem, still many believed that in Jerusalem he would make himself a king, and would reign over all the land. One day James and John, two of the disciples of Jesus, who were brothers, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with their mother. She knelt before Jesus, and her two sons knelt beside her.

Jesus said to her, What is it that you would ask of me? She said to him, Lord, grant to me that my two sons may be allowed to sit beside thy throne, one on the right hand, and the other on thy left in thy kingdom. You do not know what you are asking, answered Jesus. Are you able to drink of the cup that I am about to drink? By the cup he meant the suffering that he was soon to endure. But this they did not understand, and they said to him, We are able. He said to them, My cup indeed you shall drink, but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it shall be given to those for whom God has made it ready. When the other disciples heard that James and John had tried to get the promise of the highest places in the Lord's kingdom, they were very angry against these two brothers.

But Jesus called them to him, and he said, You know that the rulers of nations lord it over them, and their great ones are those who bear rule. But not so shall it be among you. For whoever among you would be great, let him serve the rest. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served, but to serve others, and to give up his life that he might save many. Jesus, with his disciples, and a great multitude, drew nigh to Jericho, which was at the foot of the mountains, near the head of the Dead Sea. Just outside the city, at the gate, was sitting a blind man begging. His name was Bartimaeus. which means the son of Timaeus. This man heard the noise of a crowd, and he asked what it meant. They said to him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.

As soon as he heard this, he began to cry aloud, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Many people told him not to make so great a noise, but he cried all the louder, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus heard his cry, and stood still, and said, Call the man to me. Then they came to the blind man, and said, Be of good cheer. Rise up. He calls you. The blind man sprung up from the ground, and threw away his garment, and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, What do you wish me to do to you? Lord, that I might have my sight given to me. Answered blind Bartimaeus. Then Jesus touched his eyes and said, Go your way, your faith has made you well. Then immediately sight came to his eyes, and he followed Jesus, while all the people who saw it gave thanks to God.

There was another man in Jericho who had heard of Jesus and greatly longed to see him. This was a man named Zacchaeus. He was the chief man among the publicans, the man who gathered the taxes from the people, and whom all the people hated greatly. Zacchaeus was a rich man, for many of the publicans made great gains. Wishing to see Jesus, and being little in size, Zacchaeus ran on before the crowd, and climbed up into a sycamore tree by the road, so that he might see Jesus as he passed by. When Jesus came to the tree, he stopped and looked up, and called Zacchaeus by name, saying, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for to-day I must stop in your house. At this Zacchaeus was glad. He came down at once, and took Jesus into his house.

But at this many of the people found fault. They said, He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner. Because he was a publican, they counted him as a sinner. But Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have wrongly taken anything from any man, I give him four times as much. And Jesus said, To-day salvation has come into this house, for this man also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which is lost. Jesus was now drawing nigh to Jerusalem, and all the people were expecting the kingdom of God to begin at once, with Jesus as its king. On this account Jesus gave to the people. The Parable of the Pounds Saying, A certain nobleman went into a far country, expecting there to be made a king, and thence to return to his own land.

Before going away he called ten servants of his, and gave to each one a pound of money, and said to them, Take care of this, and trade with it until I come back. But the people of his own land hated this nobleman, and sent messengers to the place where he had gone, to say, We are not willing that this man should be king over us. But in the face of this message from the people, the nobleman received the crown in the kingdom, and then went back to his own land. When he had come home, he called his servants, to whom he had given the pounds, so that he might know how much each had gained by trading. The first servant came before him and said, Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more. The king said to him, Well done, my good servant, because you have been found faithful in a very little.

You shall bear rule over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Your pound, Lord, has made five pounds. And his lord said to him, You shall be over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, here is your pound, which I have kept wrapped up in a napkin, for I feared you, because you are a harsh master. You take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow. He said to the servant, Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you unfaithful servant. If you knew that I was a harsh master, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow, then why did you not put my money into the bank, so that when I came I should have had my own money and its gains? And he said to those who were standing by, Take away from him the pound, and give it to him that has the ten pounds.

They said to him, Lord, he hath ten pounds already. But the king said, Unto every one who cares for what he has, more shall be given. But the one who cares not for it, what he has shall be taken away from him. And the king added, Those my enemies, who would not have me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me. And after giving this parable, Jesus went before his disciples up the mountain toward Jerusalem.

30 30 - Palm Sunday 6:59

VI.

PALM SUNDAY. MATTHEW XXI. 26, 6, 16, Mark 2, 1, to 11, 14, 3, to 11, Luke, 19, 29, to 41, Twenty-two, three to six, John, twelve, one to nineteen from Jericho, Jesus and his disciples went up from the mountains and came to Bethany, where his friends Martha and Mary lived. And where he had raised Lazarus to life, as we read in story One Hundred Thirty Five. Many people in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was there, and they all went out of the city to see him, for Bethany was only two miles from Jerusalem. Some came also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. But the rulers of the Jews said to each other, We must not only kill Jesus, but Lazarus also, because on his account so many of the people are going after Jesus and are believing on him.

The friends of Jesus in Bethany made a supper for Jesus at the home of a man called Simon. He was called Simon the leper, and perhaps he was one whom Jesus had cured of leprosy. Jesus and his disciples, with Lazarus, leaned upon the couches around the table as the guests, and Martha was one of those who waited upon them. While they were at supper, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, came into the room carrying a sealed jar of very precious perfume. She opened the jar and poured some of the perfume upon the head of Jesus and some upon his feet, and she wiped his feet with her long hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of the disciples of Jesus, Judas Iscariot, was not pleased at this.

He said, Why was such a waste of the perfume made? This might have been sold for more than forty-five dollars and the money given to the poor. This he said not because he cared for the poor. Judas was the one of the twelve who kept the bag of money for Jesus and the twelve, and he was a thief, and took away for his own use all the money that he could steal. But Jesus said, "'Let her alone. Why do you find fault with the woman? She has done a good work for me. You have the poor always with you, and whenever you wish you can give to them, but you will have me with you only a little while. She has done what she could, For she has come to perfume my body for its burial, and truly I say to you that wherever the gospel shall be preached throughout the world, what this woman has done shall be told in memory of her.

Perhaps Mary knew what others did not believe, that Jesus was soon to die, and she showed her love for him and her sorrow for his coming death by this rich gift. But Judas, the disciple who carried the bag, was very angry at Jesus, and from that time he was looking for a chance to betray Jesus or to give him up to his enemies. He went to the chief priests and said, What will you give me if I will put Jesus into your hands? They said, We will give you thirty pieces of silver. And for thirty pieces of silver Judas promised to help them take Jesus and make him their prisoner.

On the morning after the supper at Bethany, Jesus called two of his disciples and said to them, Go into the next village, and at a place where two roads cross, and there you will find an ass tied in a colt with it. Loose them, and bring them to me. And if anyone says to you, Why do you do this? Say, The Lord has need of them, and they will let them go.

They went to the place and found the ass and the colt and were loosing them, when the owner said, What are you doing untying the ass? And they said, as Jesus had told them to say, The Lord has need of it.

Then the owner gave them the ass and the colt for the use of Jesus. They brought them to Jesus on the Mount of Olives, and they laid some of their own clothes on the colt for a cushion and set Jesus upon it. Then all the disciples and a very great multitude threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus to ride upon. Others cut down branches from the trees and laid them on the ground. And as Jesus rode over the mountain toward Jerusalem, many walked before him, waving branches of palm trees, and they all cried together, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

These things they said because they believed Jesus was the Christ, the anointed King, and they hoped that he would now set up his throne in Jerusalem. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd who did not believe in Jesus said to him, Master, stop your disciples.

But Jesus said, I tell you that if these should be still, the very stones would cry out. And when he came into Jerusalem with all his multitude, all the city was filled with wonder. They said, Who is this? And the multitude answered, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee.

And Jesus went into the temple and looked around it, but he did not stay, because the hour was late. He went again to Bethany, and there stayed at night with his friends. These things took place on Sunday, the first day of the week, and that Sunday in the year is called Palm Sunday, because of the palm branches which the people carried before Jesus.

31 31 - The Last Vistis of Jesus to the Temple 9:09

The Last Visits of Jesus to the Temple On Monday morning, the second day of the week, Jesus rose very early in the morning, and without waiting to take his breakfast, went with his disciples from Bethany over the Mount of Olives toward Jerusalem. On the mountain he saw at a distance a fig-tree covered with leaves, and although it was early for figs to be ripe, he hoped that he might find upon it some figs to be eaten. Among the Jews, and by their law, any one passing a tree could eat of its fruit, even though he were not the owner. But he would not be allowed to carry any away. But when Jesus came near to this tree, he saw that there was no fruit upon it, neither ripe nor green, but leaves only.

Then a thought came into the mind of Jesus, and he spoke to the tree, while his disciples heard his words. No fruit shall grow on thee from this time forever. And then he walked on his way to Jerusalem. We shall see later why Jesus spoke those words, and what came from them. You remember that when Jesus came to Jerusalem the first time after he began to preach, he found the courts of the temple filled with people buying and selling and changing money, and he drove them all out. This we read in story One. But that had been three years before, and now when Jesus came into the temple on the Monday morning before the Passover, he found all the traders there once more, selling the oxen and sheep and doves for sacrifices, and changing money at the tables.

And again Jesus rose up against these people who would make his father's house a shop and a place of gain. He drove them all out. He turned over the tables of the money-changers, scattering their money on the floor. He cleared away the seats of those that were selling doves, and whenever he saw any one even carrying a jar or a basket or any load through the temple, he stopped him and made him go back. He said to all the people, It is written in the prophets, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers. The Jews had made it a rule that no blind man, nor any lame man, could go into the temple, for they thought only those perfect in body should come before the Lord.

But they forgot that God looks at hearts and not at bodies. And when Jesus found that many blind and lame people were at the doors of the temple, he allowed them to come in, and made them all well. And the little children, who always loved Jesus, saw him in the temple, and they cried out, as they heard others crying, Hosanna to the Son of David. The chief priests and scribes were greatly displeased as they heard the voices of these children, and they said to Jesus, Do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said, Yes. And have you never read what is written in the Psalms? Out of the mouths of babes and little ones, thou hast made thy praise perfect. And all the common people came to hear Jesus as he taught in the temple, and they listened to him gladly, for he gave them plain and simple teachings, with many parables or stories.

But the rulers and chief priests grew more and more angry as they saw the courts of the temple filled with people eager to hear Jesus. They tried to find some way to lay hands on Jesus and to kill him, but they dared not while all the crowds were around him. All that day Jesus taught the people, and when night came he went out of the city, over the Mount of Olives, to Bethany, where he was safe among his friends. And on the next morning, which was Tuesday of the week before the Passover, Jesus again went over the Mount of Olives with his disciples. They passed the fig-tree to which Jesus had spoken such strange words on the day before, and now the disciples saw that the tree was standing, withered and dried, with its leaves dry and rustling in the wind.

"'Look, master,' said Peter. "'The fig-tree to which you spoke yesterday is withered.' And Jesus said to them all, "'Have faith in God, for in truth I say to you, that if you have faith, you shall not only do this which has been done to the fig-tree, but But also, if you shall say to this mountain, Be moved away and thrown into the sea, it shall be done. And all things, whatever they may be, that you ask in prayer, if you have faith, shall be given to you. Again Jesus went into the temple and taught the people. And Jesus gave another parable or story, that of the wedding feast. He said, There was a certain king who made a great feast at the wedding of his son. And he sent out his servants to call those whom he had invited to the feast.

But they would not come. Then he sent forth other servants, and said, Tell those who were invited that my dinner is all ready. My oxen are killed, and the dishes are on the table. Say to them, All things are ready. Come to the marriage feast. But the men who had been sent for would not come. One went to his farm, another to his shop, and some of them seized the servants whom he sent, and beat them, and treated them roughly. And some of them they killed. This made the king very angry. He sent his armies, and killed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, The wedding feast is ready, but those that were invited were not worthy of such honor. Go out into the streets, and call in everybody that you can find, high and low, rich and poor, good and bad, and tell them that they are welcome.

The servants went out and invited all the people of every kind, and brought them to the feast, so that all the places were filled. And to all who came they gave a wedding garment, so that every one might be dressed as was fitting before the king. But when the king came in to meet his guests, he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. He said to him, Friend, why have you come to the feast without a wedding garment? The man had nothing to say. He stood as one dumb. Then the king said to his officers, Bind him, hand and foot, and throw him out into the darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for in the kingdom of God many are called, but few are chosen. The enemies of Jesus thought that they had found a way to bring him into trouble, either with the people or with the Romans, who were the rulers over the land.

So they sent to him some men, who acted as though they were honest and true, but were in their hearts seeking to destroy Jesus. These men came, and they said, Master, we know that you teach the truth, and that you are not afraid of any man. Now tell what is right, and what we should do. Ought our people, the Jews, to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor Caesar or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay? And they watched for his answer. If he should say, It is right to pay the tax, then these men could tell the people, Jesus is the friend of the Romans and the enemy of the Jews. And then they would turn away from him. But if he should say, It is not right to pay the tax, refuse to pay it. Then they might say to the Roman governor that Jesus would not obey the laws, and the governor might put him in prison or kill him.

So whatever answer Jesus might give, they hoped he might make trouble for himself. But Jesus knew their hate, and the thoughts of their hearts, and he said, Let me see a piece of the money that is given for the tax. They brought him a silver piece, and he looked at it and said, "'Whose head is this on the coin? Whose name is written over it?' They answered him, "'That is Caesar, the Roman Emperor.' "'Well, then,' said Jesus, "'give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and give to God the things that are God's.' They wondered at his answer, for it was so wise that they could speak nothing against it. They tried him with other questions, but he answered them all, and left his enemies with nothing to say."

Then Jesus turned upon his enemies, and spoke to them his last words. He told them of their wickedness, and warned them that they would bring down the wrath of God upon them. Jesus was in the part of the temple called the Treasury, because around the wall were boxes in which the people dropped their gifts when they came to worship. Some that were rich gave much money, but a poor widow came by and dropped in two little coins, the very smallest, the two together worth only a quarter of a cent, Jesus said, "'I tell you in truth that this poor widow has dropped into the treasury more than all the rest, for the others gave out of their plenty, but she, in her need, has given all that she had.' And with these words Jesus rose up and went out of the temple for the last time.

Never again was the voice of Jesus heard within those walls."

End of story 31. Recording by Janelle Parham. www.plantsgrownup.blogspot.com

32 32 - The Parables on the Mount of Olives 7:50

The Parables on the Mount of Olives. Matthew, chapter 24, verse 1, to chapter 25, verse 46. Mark, chapter 13, verses 1 to 37, Luke, chapter 21, verses 5 to 38. After Jesus had spoken his last words to the people and their rulers, he walked out of the temple with his disciples. As they were passing through the great gates on the east of the temple, the disciples said to Jesus, Master, What a splendid building this is! Look at these great stones in the foundation. Jesus answered his disciples, Do you see these great walls? The time is coming when these buildings shall be thrown down, when not one stone that you are looking upon shall be left in its place, when the very foundations of this house and this city shall be torn up.

These words filled the followers of Jesus with the deepest sorrow, for they loved the temple and the city of Jerusalem, as all Jews loved it, and to them it all seemed the ruin of the whole world. Yet they believed the words of their master, for they knew that he was a prophet, whose words were sure to come to pass, and that he was more than a prophet, even the Son of God. They walked with Jesus down into the valley of the brook of Cedron, and up the slopes of the Mount of Olives. On the top of the mountain, they looked down upon the temple and the city. And then some of the disciples said to Jesus, Master, tell us, when shall these dreadful things be? Give us some sign, that we may know when they are coming.

Then Jesus sat down with his disciples on the mountain, and told them of many things that were to come upon the city and the world, how wars should arise, and earthquakes and diseases should break forth, how enemies were to come and fight against Jerusalem, and destroy it, and scatter its people, and how trouble should arise upon all the earth. And he told them that he would sometime come again, as the Lord of all, and that all who believe in him should watch and be ready to meet him. Then he gave the parable of the ten young women. This was the story. There were ten young women who were going out one night, with their lamps in their hands, to meet a wedding party. Five of these young women were wise, and five were foolish.

Those that were foolish took with them their lighted lamps, but had no more oil than that which was in the lamps. But each of the wise young women carried also a bottle of oil. It was night, and while they were waiting for the bridal party, they all fell asleep. At midnight they were all awaked by the sudden cry, "'The bridegroom is coming! Go out to meet him!' Then all the young women rose up and trimmed their lamps, And the foolish one said, Let us have some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the other young woman said, Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you too. Go to those who sell, and buy oil for yourselves. The young woman, who had no oil, went away to buy. And while they were away, the bridal party came, and those that were ready went in with them to the feast.

And then the door was shut. And afterward, the other young woman came, knocking on the door, and calling out, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he said, I do not know you. And he would not open the door. Watch, therefore, for you do not know the day nor the hour when your Lord will come. Jesus also gave to his disciples another parable or picture of what shall come to pass at the end of the world. He said, When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the angels of God shall come with him, then he shall sit on his glorious throne as king. And before him shall be brought together all the people of the world, and he shall divide them, and make them stand apart, Just as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats, and he shall put his sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left.

Then the king shall say to those on his right hand, Come ye, whom my father hath blessed, come, and take the kingdom which God has made ready for you. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, And you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothes. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me. Then all those on the right of the king will say, Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and gave thee clothes? And when did we see thee sick, or in prison, and come to thee? And then the king shall answer, and shall say to them, Inasmuch as you did it to one of these my brothers, you did it to me.

Then the king shall turn to those on his left hand, and shall say to them, Go away from me, ye cursed ones, into the everlasting fire which has been made ready for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and you did not open your doors to me. I was naked, and you gave me no clothes. I was sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then shall they answer him, Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not help thee? And the king shall say to them, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of these the least of my brothers, you did it not to me. And the wicked shall go away to be punished for ever.

But the righteous unto everlasting life. After these words, Jesus went with his disciples again to Bethany.

33 33 - The Last Supper 9:52

VI.

THE LAST SUPPER. Matthew 26, verses 17 to 35. Mark 14, 12, 31, Luke 22, 7, 38, John 8, 1, to John 17, verse 26. On one of the days in the week before the Passover, the disciples came to Jesus at Bethany and said, Master, where shall we make ready the Passover for you to eat? Then Jesus called to himself the two disciples, Peter and John, and said to them, Go into the city, and a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him, and go into the house where he goes, and say to the head of the house, The master says, Where is my guest room, where I can eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will himself show you a large upper room, furnished. There make ready for us. Peter and John went into Jerusalem, and soon in the street they saw a man walking toward them carrying a pitcher of water.

They followed him, went into the house where he took the pitcher, and spoke to the man who seemed to be its head. The master says, Where is the guestroom for me, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? The man led them upstairs, and showed them a larger upper room, with the table and the couches around it, all ready for the guests at dinner. Then the disciples went out, and brought a lamb, and roasted it, and made ready the vegetables and the thin wafers of bread made without yeast for the meal. On Thursday afternoon, Jesus and his disciples walked out of Bethany together, and over the Mount of Olives, and into the city. Only Jesus, who could read the thoughts of men, knew that one of these disciples, Judas, had made a promise to the chief priests to lead them and their servants to Jesus when the hour should come to seize him.

And Judas was watching for the best time to do this dreadful deed. They came into the house, and went upstairs to the large room, where they found the supper all ready. The meal was spread upon a table, and around the table were couches for the company, where each one lay down with his head toward the table, so near that he could help himself to the food, while his feet were at the foot of the couch, toward the wall of the room. Their feet were bare, for they had all taken off their sandals as they came in.

Jesus was leaning at the head of the table, and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved most, was lying next to him. While they were eating, Jesus took bread and gave thanks. Then he broke it and passed a piece to each one of the twelve, saying, Take and eat. This is my body which is broken for you. Do this and remember me. Afterward he took the cup of wine, and passed it to each one with the words, This cup is my blood, shed for you, and for many, that their sins may be taken away. As often as you drink this, remember me. While they were still leaning on the couches around the table, Jesus rose up, and took off his outer robe, and then tied around his waist a long towel. He poured water into a basin, and while the disciples were wondering, he carried the water to the feet of one of the disciples, and began to wash them, just as though he himself were a servant.

Then he washed the feet of another disciple, and then of still another. When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, Dost thou, O Lord, wash my feet? Jesus said to him, What I do you cannot understand now, but you will understand it after a time. Lord, thou shalt never wash my feet, said Peter. If I do not wash you, said Jesus, then you are none of mine. Then Peter said, O Lord, wash not only my feet, but my hands and my head, too. But Jesus said to him, No, Peter. One who has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and then he is clean. And you are clean, but not all of you. For he knew that among those whose feet he was washing was one, the traitor, who would soon give him up to his enemies.

After he had washed their feet, he put on his garments again, and leaned once more on his couch, and looked around and said, Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Master, and Lord, and you speak rightly, for so I am. If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash each other's feet, for I have given you an example that you should do to each other as I have done to you. By this Jesus meant that all who follow him should help and serve each other, instead of seeking great things for themselves. While Jesus was talking, he became very sad and sorrowful, and said, Verily, verily, I say to you, that one of you that are eating with me shall betray me, and give me up to those who will kill me.

Then all the disciples looked around on each other, wondering who was the one that Jesus meant. One said, and another said, Am I the one, Lord? And Jesus said, It is one of you twelve men who are dipping your hands into the same dish and eating with me. The Son of Man goes, as it is written of him. But woe to that man who betrays him and gives him up to die! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born. While Jesus was speaking, Simon Peter made signs to John across the table that he, leaning next to Jesus, should ask him who his traitor was. So John whispered to Jesus as he was lying close to him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, But so low that none else heard. It is the one to whom I will give a piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish.

Then Jesus dipped into the dish a piece of bread and gave it to Judas Iscariot, who was lying near him. And as he gave it, he said, Do quickly what you are going to do. No one except John knew what this meant. Not all heard what Jesus said to Judas, and those who heard thought that Jesus was telling him to do something belonging to the feast, or, perhaps, as Judas carried the money, that he should make some gift to the poor. But Judas at once went out, for he saw now that his plan was known, and it must be carried out now or never. He knew that after the supper Jesus would go back to Bethany, And he went to the rulers, told them where they might watch for Jesus on his way back to Bethany, and went with a band of men to a place at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where he was sure Jesus would pass.

As soon as Judas had gone out, Jesus said to the eleven disciples, Little children, I shall be with you only a little while. I am going away, and where I go you cannot come now. But when I am gone, away from you. Remember this new commandment that I give you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. Simon Peter said to Jesus, Lord, where are you going? Jesus answered, Where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterward. Peter said to him, Lord, what, cannot I follow you even now? I will lay down my life for your sake. Jesus said, Will you lay down your life for me? I tell you, Peter, that before the cock crows tomorrow morning you will three times deny that you have ever known me.

But Peter said, Though I die, I will never deny you, Lord. And so said all the other disciples. But Jesus said to them, Before morning comes, every one of you will leave me alone. Yet I will not be alone, for the Father will be with me. Jesus saw that Peter and all his disciples were full of sorrow at his words, and he said, Let not your hearts be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many houses. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I am going to make ready a place for you. And when it is ready, I will come again, and take you to myself. That, Where I am, there you may be also. Then Jesus talked with the disciples a long time, and prayed for them.

And about midnight they left the supper-room together, and came to the Mount of Olives.

34 34 - The Olive Orchard and the High Priests Hall 9:26

The Olive Orchard and the High Priest's Hall Matthew, Twenty Six, Verses Thirty Six to Seventy Five, Mark, Fourteen, Verses Thirty Two to Seventy Two, Luke, Twenty Two, Verses Forty to Sixty Two, and John, Eighteen, Verses One to Twenty Seven. At the foot of the Mount of Olives, near the path over the hill toward Bethany, there was an orchard of olive trees called the Garden of Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane means oil press. Jesus often went to this place with his disciples because of its quiet shade. At this garden he stopped, and outside he left eight of his disciples, saying to them, Sit here while I go inside and pray. He took with him the three chosen ones, Peter, James, and John, and went within the orchard.

Jesus knew that in a little while Judas would be there with a band of men to seize him, that within a few hours he would be beaten and stripped and let out to die. The thought of what he was to suffer came upon him and filled his soul with grief. He said to Peter, James, and John, My soul is filled with sorrow, a sorrow that almost kills me. Stay here and watch while I am praying. He went a little further among the trees, and flung himself down upon the ground, and cried out, "'Oh, my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou willest.' So earnest was his feeling, and so great his suffering, that there came upon his face great drops of sweat, like blood, falling upon the ground.

And after praying for a time, he rose up from the earth, and went to his three disciples, and found them all asleep. He awakened them, and said to Peter, What, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that you may not go into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He left them, and went a second time into the woods, and fell on his knees, and prayed again, saying, O my father, if this cup cannot pass away, and I must drink it, then thy will be done. He came again to the three disciples, and found them sleeping. But this time he did not wake them. He went once more into the woods, and prayed, using the same words, And an angel from heaven came to him and gave him strength.

He was now ready for the fate that was soon to come, and his heart was strong. Once more he went to the three disciples and said to them, You may as well sleep on now, and take your rest, for the hour is at hand, and already the Son of Man is given by the traitor into the hands of sinners. But rise up, and let us be going. See, the traitor is here. The disciples awoke. They heard the noise of a crowd, and saw the flashing of torches, and the gleaming of swords and spears. In the throng they saw Judas standing, and they knew now that he was the traitor of whom Jesus had spoken the night before. Judas came rushing forward, and kissed Jesus as though he were glad to see him. This was a signal that he had given beforehand to the band, for the men of the guard did not know Jesus.

And Judas had said to them, The one that I shall kiss is the man that you are to take. Seize him and hold him fast. Jesus said to Judas, Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? Then he turned to the crowd and said, Whom do you seek? They answered, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said, I am he. When Jesus said this, a sudden fear came upon his enemies. They drew back and fell upon the ground. After a moment Jesus said again, Whom do you seek? And again they answered, Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus said, pointing to his disciples, I told you that I am he. If you were seeking me, let these disciples go their own way. But as they came forward to seize Jesus, Peter drew his sword, and struck it one of the men in front, and cut off his right ear.

The man was a servant of the high priest, and his name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, Put up the sword into its sheath. The cup which my father has given me, shall I not drink it? Do you not know that I could call upon my father, and he would send to me armies upon armies of angels?" Then he spoke to the crowd. Let me do this. And he touched the place where the ear had been cut off, and it came on again, and was well. Jesus said to the rulers and leaders of the armed men, Do you come against me with swords and clubs, as though I were a robber? I was with you every day in the temple, and you did not lift your hands against me. But the words in the scriptures must come to pass, and this is your hour.

When the disciples of Jesus saw that he would not allow them to fight for him, they did not know what to do. In their sudden alarm they all ran away, and left their master alone with his enemies. These men laid their hands on Jesus, and bound him, and led him away to the house of the high priest. There were at that time two men called high priests by the Jews. One was Annas. Who had been high priest until his office had been taken away from him by the Romans and given to Caiaphas, his son-in-law. But Annas still had great power among the people, and they brought Jesus, all bound as he was, first before Annas. Simon Peter and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, had followed after the crowd of those who carried Jesus away, and they came to the door of the high priest's house.

John knew the high priest and went in, but Peter at first stayed outside, until John went out and brought him in. He came in, but did not dare to go into the room where Jesus stood before the high priest Annas. In the courtyard of the house they had made a fire of charcoal, and Peter stood among those who were warming themselves at the fire. Annas, in the inner room, asked Jesus about his disciples and teaching. Jesus answered him, What I have taught has been open in the synagogues and in the temple. Why do you ask me? Ask those that heard me. They know what I said." Then one of the officers struck Jesus on the mouth, saying to him, "'Is this the way that you answer the high priest?' Jesus answered the officer calmly and quietly, "'If I have said anything evil, tell what the evil is.

But if I have spoken the truth, Why do you strike me? While Annas and his men were thus showing their hate toward Jesus, who stood bound and alone among his enemies, Peter was still in the courtyard, warming himself at the fire. A woman, who was a serving-maid in the house, looked at Peter sharply, and finally said to him, You were one of those men with this Jesus of Nazareth. Peter was afraid to tell the truth, and he answered her, Woman, I do not know the man, and I do not know what you are talking about. And to get away from her he went out into the porch of the house. There another woman-servant saw him and said, This man was one of those with Jesus. And Peter swore with an oath that he did not know Jesus at all.

Soon a man came by who was of kin to Malchus, whose ear Peter had cut off. He looked at Peter, and heard him speak, and said, You are surely one of this man's disciples, for your speech shows that you came from Galilee. Then Peter began, again, to curse and to swear, declaring that he did not know the man of whom they were speaking. Just at that moment the loud, shrill crowing of a cock startled Peter, and at the same time he saw Jesus, who was being dragged through the hall from Annas to the council-room of Caiaphas, the other high priest. And the Lord turned as he was passing, and looked at Peter. Then there flashed into Peter's mind what Jesus had said on the evening before. Before the cock crows to-morrow morning, you will three times deny that you have ever known me.

Then Peter went out of the high priest's house into the street, and he wept bitterly because he had denied his lord.

35 35 - The Crown of Thorns 14:43

Story number 35 of Herbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Herbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lehmann Herbert. Number 35. Matthew, chapter 26, verse 57, to chapter 27, verse 26. Mark, chapter 15, verses 1 to 15. Luke, chapter 22, verse 66, to chapter 23, verse 25. John, Chapter 18, verse 19, to Chapter 19, verse 16. The Crown of Thorns From the house of Enas, the enemies of Jesus, led him away bound to the house of Caiaphas, whom the Romans had lately made high priest. There all the rulers of the Jews were called together. And they tried to find men who would swear that they had heard Jesus say some wicked thing.

This would give the rulers an excuse for putting Jesus to death, but they could find nothing. Some men swore one thing, and some swore another, but their words did not agree. Finally, the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, Who stood bound in the middle of the hall, have you nothing to say? What is it that these men are speaking against you? But Jesus stood silent, answering nothing. Then the high priest spoke again. Are you the Christ, the Son of God? And Jesus said, I am. And the time shall come when you will see the Son of Man. Sitting on the throne of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. These words made the high priest very angry. He said to the rulers, Do you hear these dreadful words?

He says that he is the Son of God. What do you think of words like these? They all said with one voice, He deserves to be put to death. Then the servants of the high priest and the soldiers that held Jesus began to mock him. They spat on him, and they covered his face, and struck him with their hands, and said, If you are a prophet, tell who it is that is striking you. The rulers of the Jews, and the priests, and the scribes, Passed a vote that Jesus should be put to death. But the land of the Jews was then ruled by the Romans, and no man could be put to death unless the Roman governor commanded it. The Roman governor at that time was a man named Pontius Pilate, and he was then in the city. So all the rulers, and a great crowd of people, came to Pilate's castle, bringing with them Jesus, who was still bound with cords.

Up to this time Judas Iscariot, although he had betrayed Jesus, did not believe that he would be put to death. Perhaps he thought that Jesus would save himself from death, as he had saved others. By some wonderful work, But when he saw Jesus bound and beaten, and doing nothing to protect himself, and when he heard the ruler's vote that Jesus should be put to death, Judas knew how wicked was the deed that he had wrote. He brought back the thirty pieces of silver that had been given to him as the reward for betraying his lord, and he said, I have seen in betraying one who has done no wrong. But they answered him, What is that to us? You look after that. When Judas saw that they would not take back the money and let Jesus go free, he carried the third pieces to the temple and threw them down on the floor.

Then he went away and hung to himself. And thus the treyor died. After that, the rulers scarcely knew what to do with the money. They said, We cannot put it into the treasury of the temple, because it is the price paid for a man's blood. And when they had talked together, they used it in buying a piece of ground called the potter's field. This they set apart as a place for burying strangers who died in the city and had no friends. But everyone in Jerusalem spoke of that place as the field of blood. It was very early in the morning when the rulers of the Jews brought Jesus to Pilate. They would not go into Pilate's hall, because Pilate was not of their nation, and Pilate came out to them and asked them, "'What charge do you bring against this man?' They answered, "'If he were not an evil-doer, we will not have brought him to you.' Pilate did not wish to be troubled, and he said, "'Take him away, and judge him by your own law.' The Jews said to Pilate, We are not allowed to put any man to death, and we have brought him to you.

We have found this man teaching evil, and telling men not to pay taxes to the emperor Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king. Then Pilate went into his courtroom and sent for Jesus. And when he looked at Jesus, he said, Are you the king of the Jews? Your own people have brought you to me. What have you done? Jesus said to him, My kingdom is not of this world. If it were of this world, then those who served me would fight to save me from my enemies. But now my kingdom is not here, Pilate said. Are you a king, then? Jesus answered him. You have spoken it. I am a king. For this was I born, and for this I came into the world, that I may speak the truth of God to men. Truth? said Pilate.

What is truth? Then, without waiting for an answer, Pilate went out to the rulers and the crowd and said, I find no evil in this man. Pilate thought that Jesus was a harmless man, but perhaps one whose mind was weak, and she could see no reason why the rulers and the people should be so bitter against him. But they cry out all the more, saying, He stirs up the people everywhere. From Galilee even to this place. When Pilate heard the word Galilee, he asked if this man had come from that land. They told him that he had, and then Pilate said, Galilee and its people are under the lure of Herod. He has come up to Jerusalem, and I will send this man to him. So From Pilate's courtroom, Jesus was sent still bound to Herod's palace.

This was the Herods who had put John the Baptist in prison, and had given his head to a dancing girl, as we read in story 127. Herod was very glad to see Jesus, for he had heard many things about him. And he hoped to see him do some wonderful thing. But Jesus would not work wonders as a show to be looked at. And when Herod asked him many questions, Jesus would not speak a word. Herod would not judge Jesus, for he knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong. So he and his soldiers mocked Jesus. and dressed him in a gay robe, as though he were a make-believe king, and sent him back to Pilate. So Pilate, much against his will, was compelled to decide, either for Jesus or against him. And just as Jesus was standing bound before him, a message came to Pilate from his wife, saying, Do nothing against that good man, for in this night I have suffered many things in a dream on account of him.

Pilate said to the Jews, "'You have brought this man to me, as one who is leading the people to evil, and I have seen that there is no evil in him, nor has Herod. Now I will order that he be beaten with rods, and then set free. For you know that it is the custom to set a prisoner free at the time of the feast. They set some prisoners free as a sign of the joy at the feast, and at that time there was in the prison a man named Barabbas, who was a robber and a murderer. Pilate said to the people, Shall I set free Jesus, who is called the King of the Jews? But the rulers went among the people and urged them to ask for Barabbas to be set free. And the crowd cried out, Not this man, but Barabbas. Then Pilate said, What then shall I do with Jesus?

They all cried out, Crucify him! Let him die on the cross! Pilate wished greatly to spare the life of Jesus. To show how he felt, he sent for water, and he washed his hands before all the people, saying, My hands. are clean from the blood of this good man. And they cried out, Let his blood be on us and on our children after us. Crucify him! Send him to the cross! Then Pilate, to please the people, gave them what they asked. He set free Barabbas, the man of their choice. Though he was a robber and a murderer, but before giving way to the cry that he should send Jesus to the cross, he tried once more to save his life. He caused Jesus to be beaten until the blood came upon him, hoping that this might satisfy the people.

As Jesus was spoken of as a king, The soldiers who beat Jesus made a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, such as was worn by kings. And bowing down before him, they called out to him, Hail, King of the Jews! Then, hoping to awaken some pity for Jesus, Pilate brought him out to the people with the crown of thorns and the purple robe upon him, and Pilate said, Look on this man. But again the cry arose, Crucify him! Send him to the cross! And at last Pilate yielded to the voice of the people. He sat down on the judgment seat, and gave commands that Jesus, whom he knew to be a good man, one who had done nothing evil, should be put to death upon the cross.

36 36 - The Darkest Day of All the World 14:25

Story number 36 of Herbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Herbott's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lehmann-Helbert. Story The darkest day of all the world. Matthew, chapter 27, verses 31 to 66. Mark, chapter 15, verses 20 to 47. Luke, chapter 23, verses 26 to 56. John, chapter 19. Verses 16 to 42, and so Pontius Pilate, the Roman Covenant, gave order that Jesus should die by the cross. The Roman soldiers then took Jesus and beat him again, most cruelly, and then led him out of the city to the place of death. This was a place called Golgotha, in the Jewish language, Calvary, in that of the Romans, both words meaning, the skull place.

With the soldiers went out of the city a great crowd of people, some of them enemies of Jesus, glad to see him suffer, others of them friends of Jesus, and the women who had helped him. Now, Weeping as they saw him, all covered with his blood, and going out to die. But Jesus turned to them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are coming when they shall count those happy who have no little ones to be slain. When they shall wish that the mountains might fall on them, and the hills might cover them and hide them from their enemies. They had tried to make Jesus bear his own cross, but soon found that he was too weak from his sufferings and could not carry it.

They seized on a man who was coming out of the country into the city, a man named Simon. They made him carry the cross to its place at Calvary. It was a custom among the Jews to give to men about to die by the cross some medicine, to deaden their feelings, so that they would not suffer so greatly. They offered this to Jesus. But when he had tasted it and found what it was, he would not take it. He knew that he would die, but he wished to have his mind clear and to understand what was done and what was said, even though his sufferings might be greater. At the plain scalvary they let the cross down and stretched Jesus upon it. and draw nails through his hands and feet to fasten him to the cross.

And then they stood it upright with Jesus upon it. While the soldiers were doing this dreadful work, Jesus prayed for them to God, saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing. The soldiers also took the clothes that Jesus had worn, giving to each one a garment, but when they came to his undergarment, they found that it was woven and had no seams. So they said, Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who shall have it. So at the foot of the cross The soldiers drew lots for the garment of Christ. Two men who had been robbers and had been sentenced to die by the cross were let out to die at the same time with Jesus. One was placed on a cross at his right side and the other at his left.

And to make Jesus appear as the worst His cross stood in the middle. Over the head of Jesus on his cross they placed, by Pilate's order, a sign on which was written. This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. This was written in three languages. In Hebrew, which was the language of the Jews, In Latin, the language of the Romans, and in Greek, many of the people read this writing. The chief priests were not pleased with it. They urged Pilate to have it changed from the king of the Jews to, he said, I am king of the Jews. But Pilate would not change it. He said, What I have written, I have written. And the people who passed by on the road, as they looked at Jesus on the cross, mocked at him.

Some called out to him, You that will destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. And the priest, And scribes said, He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Come down from the cross, and we will believe in you. And one of the robbers, who was on his own cross, beside that of Jesus, joined in the cry, and said, If you are the Christ, save yourself, and save us. But the other robber said to him, Have you not fear of God, to speak thus, while you are suffering the same fate with this man? And we deserve to die, but this man has done nothing wrong. Then this man said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

And Jesus answered him, as they were both hanging on their crosses, "'To-day you shall be with me in heaven.' Before the cross of Jesus his mother was standing, filled with sorrow for her son, and beside her was one of the disciples, John, the disciple whom he loved best. Other women besides his mother were there. His mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Cleopas, and a woman named Mary Magdalene, out of whom a year before Jesus had sent an evil spirit. Jesus wished to give his mother, now that he was leaving her, into the care of John, And he said to her, as he looked from her to John, Woman, see your son. And then to John he said, Son, see your mother. And on that day John took the mother of Jesus home to his own house, and cared for her as his own mother.

At about noon a sudden darkness came over the land, and lasted for three hours. And in the middle of the afternoon, when Jesus had been on the cross six hours of terrible pain, he cried out aloud words which meant, My Lord, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Words which are the beginning of the twenty-second psalm, a psalm which long before had spoken of many of Christ's sufferings. After this he spoke again, saying, "'I thirst.' And some one tipped a sponge into a cup of vinegar, and put it upon a reed, and gave him to drink of it. Then Jesus spoke his last word upon the cross. It is finished. Father, into thy hands I give my spirit. And then Jesus died. At that moment The veil in the temple between the holy place and the holy of holies was torn apart by unseen hands, from the top to the bottom.

And the Roman officer who had charge of the soldiers around the cross saw what had taken place, and how Jesus died, and he said, Truly This was a righteous man. He was the Son of God. After Jesus was dead, one of the soldiers, to be sure that he was no longer living, ran his spear into the side of his dead body, and out of the wound came pouring both water and blood. There were even among the rulers of the Jews a few who were friends of Jesus, though they did not dare to follow Jesus openly. One of them was Nicodemus, the ruler who came to Jesus at night, as we read in story 116. Another was a rich man who came from the town of Erematia. and was named Joseph. Joseph of Erymatea went badly into the Pilate and asked that the body of Jesus might be given to him.

Pilate wondered that he had died so soon, for often men lived on the cross two or three days. But when he found that Jesus was really dead, He gave his body to Joseph. Then Joseph and his friends took down the body of Jesus from the cross and wrapped it in fine linen. Nicodemus brought some precious spices, myrrh and aloes, which they wrapped up with the body. Then they placed the body in Joseph's own new tomb, which was a cave dug out of the rock in a garden near the place of the cross. Before the opening of the cave they rolled a great stone. And Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, and some other women, saw the tomb, and watched why they laid the body of Jesus in it. On the next morning some of the rulers of the Jews came to Pilate and said, Sir, we remember that that man, Jesus of Nazareth, who deceived the people, said while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

Give orders that the tomb shall be watched and made sure for three days, or else his disciples may steal his body. and then say he is risen from the dead, and that even after his death he may do more harm than he did while he was alive. Pilate said to them, Set a watch and make it as sure as you can. Then they placed a seal upon the stone so that no one might break it, and they set a watch of soldiers at the door. And in the tomb the body of Jesus lay from the evening of Friday, the day when he died on the cross, to the dawn of Sunday, the first day of the week.

37 37 - The Brightest Day of All the World 16:35

Story number 37 of Herbert's Story of the Bible. Herbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lehmann Herbert Story number 37. The Brightest Day of All the World. Matthew chapter 28 verses 1 to 10. Mark chapter 16 verses 1 to 13. Luke chapter 24 verses 1 to 49. John chapter 20 verses 1 to 23. On Sunday morning, two days after the death and burial of Jesus, some women went very early, as soon as it was light, to the tomb in the garden. One of these women was Mary Magdalene, another was also named Mary, and another was named Salome. They were bringing some more fragrant Gums and spices to place in the wrappings upon the body of Jesus. And as they went, they said to each other, Who will roll away for us the great stone at the door of the cave?

But when they came to the cave, they saw that the seal was broken, the stone was rolled away, and the soldiers who had been on guard were gone. There stood the tomb of Jesus, all open. They did not know that before they came to the tomb there had been an earthquake, and that an angel had come down from heaven and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. When the soldiers on guard saw the angel with his flashing face and his dazzling garments, They fell to the ground as though they were dead, and as soon as they could rise up, they fled away from the spot in terror. So, when the women came, there was no man in sight. As soon as Mary Magdalene saw that the tomb was opened, without stopping to look into it, she ran quickly to tell the disciples.

A moment after she had gone, the other women looked into the tomb, and they saw that the body of Jesus was not there, but they saw sitting at each end of the tomb a young man, clothed in a long white garment. Their faces shone like angels, and when the women saw, they were filled with fear, One of the angels said to them, "'Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here. He is risen, as he said that he would rise from the dead. Come, see the place where the Lord lay, and then go and tell his disciples, and tell Peter too, that Jesus will go before you into Galilee, and you shall see him there. Then the women went away in mingled joy and fear. They ran in haste to bring this word of the angel to the disciples.

But while these women were looking into the tomb, and were listening to the angel, Mary Magdalene was seeking the disciples to tell them that the tomb was open and the body of Jesus was not there, for she did not know that he had risen. She found Peter and John and said to them, "'They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have led him.' Then Peter and John, at once, went as quickly as they could go to the tomb. John outran Peter, and came first to the tomb, perhaps because he was the youngest. But when he saw the open door, and the broken seal, and the stone lying at one side, he stood still for a moment. John stooped and looked into the cave, and he could see the linen clothes that had been wrapped around the body of Jesus lying together.

But when Peter came up, he did not wait, but pressed at once into the tomb. And then John followed him, and he too walked into the cave. Now he could see not only the long strips of linen rolled up, but in another place carefully folded the napkin that had been tied over the face of Jesus. Then suddenly it flashed upon the mind of John. Jesus has risen from the dead. For he had not seen the angel nor heard his words. From that moment John believed that Jesus was once more living. Both Peter and John went away to think of the strange things they had seen, and very soon Mary Magdalene came back to the tomb. No one was there, for both the women and the disciples had gone away. Mary Magdalene did not know that Jesus had risen.

For she had not heard the angel's message. She wept as she thought of her lord, slain by wicked men, and not even allowed to rest in his grave. And still weeping, he stooped and looked into the tomb. There he saw two men in white garments sitting, one at the head, the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They were the two angels whom the other women had seen, but Mary Magdalene did not know this. One of them said to her, Woman, why do you weep? She answered, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have led him. Something caused her to turn around, and she saw a man standing behind her. It was Jesus. But her eyes were held for a moment from knowing him.

He said to her, Woman, why do you weep? She supposed that she was the gardener, and said, Hartley looking at him, Sir, if you have carried him out of this place, tell me. Where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Then the stranger spoke her name, Mary, and she knew that he was Jesus, no longer dead, but living. She turned around and fell down before him, and was about to seize his feet as he said, My master. But Jesus said to her, Do not take hold of me. I am not yet going away to my father, but go to my brothers, and say to them, I go up to my father, and to your father, to my God, and to your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples how she had seen the Lord, and how she had spoken these things to her.

So this was the first time that anyone saw Jesus after he rose from the dead. You remember that the other women, and other Mary and Salome, and the rest, had not seen the risen Christ, but they had seen an angel who told them that he had risen, and would meet his disciples in Galilee. They went into the city, and were looking for disciples, when suddenly Jesus himself stood before them and said, "'All hail!' that means a welcome to all of you." They fell down before him and worshipped him. And Jesus said to them, as he had said to Mary Magdalene only a few moments before, "'Do not be afraid, but find my brothers, and tell them to go into Galilee, and they shall see me there. And this was the second time that Jesus showed himself living on the day when he arose.

On that same day, two of the followers of Jesus were walking out of Jerusalem to a village called Emias, about seven miles away. While they were talking over the strange happenings of the day, They saw that a stranger was walking beside them. It was Jesus, the risen Lord, but they were held back from knowing him. The stranger said to them, What words are these that you are speaking with each other, which seem to make you so sad? One of the two men, named Cleopas, answered, Are you even a stranger in Jerusalem? And have not heard of what things have taken place there in the last few days? The stranger said, What things? And they said, The things with regard to Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in his acts and words before God and all the people.

How the chief priests and our rulers caused him to be sentenced to death, and how he died on the cross. But we hope that he was the promised one who was to save Israel, and now it is the third day since he was put to death. And today some women of our company who were early at the tomb surprised us with the news that the tomb was empty, his body was not there, And they had seen a vision of angels who said that Jesus was alive. Then some of us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him. Then the stranger said to them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe what the prophets had said. Was it not needful for the Christ to suffer these things, and then to enter in his glory?

Then he began with the books of Moises, and went through the prophets, and showed them in all the scriptures the meaning of all that was told about Christ. And as they went on, they came to the village to which they were going, And he acted as though he would go on beyond it. Then they urged and persuade him to stay with them. They said, Abide with us, for it is now almost evening, and the day is at its close. And he went in with them and sat down with them to a supper. As they were about to eat, He took the loaf of bread into his hands and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them. And at that moment their eyes were opened, and they knew that he was the Lord, and he passed out of their sight.

They said to each other, Was not our heart burning within us while he talked to us on the road, and while he opened to us the words of the Scriptures? This was the third time that Jesus showed himself on that day. These two men hastened to Jerusalem that night to tell what they had seen, and they found ten of the disciples met together, and saying, The Lord has risen indeed, and has been seen by Simon Peter. We do not know what Jesus said to Peter, but this was the fourth time that he was seen living on that day when he arose. The ten disciples and other followers of Jesus were together in a room on that night, and the doors were shut. Suddenly Jesus himself was seen standing among them. He said, Peace be unto you.

Some of them were alarmed when they saw him and thought that he must be a spirit. But he said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do fears come to you? Look at the wounds in my hands and my feet. Handle me and see, and spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. And he saw them, his hands and his sight. They could scarcely believe for the joy of seeing him again. He said, Have you here anything to eat? They gave him a piece of broiled fish and of a honeycomb, and he ate before them. And he said, This is what I told you while I was with you, that everything written of me in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, must come to pass. It was needful that Christ should suffer that, and should rise from the dead, and that everywhere the gospel should be preached in his name.

I will send the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in Jerusalem after I leave you until power shall come upon you from on high. Then, when the disciples saw that it was really the Lord and that he was alive from the dead, they were glad. And Jesus said to them again, Peace be to you. As my Father has sent me, even so I send you. May the Spirit of God come upon you. And this was the fifth time that Jesus showed himself alive on that day. This Sunday was the brightest day in all the world, because on it Jesus rose from the dead, and that Sunday in every year is called Easter Sunday.

Story number 37.

38 38 - The Stranger on the Shore 12:51

Story number 38 of Herbert's Story of the Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Herbert's Story of the Bible by Jesse Lehmann Herbert. Part VI. The Stranger on the Shore. Matthew, Chapter 28, Verses 16 to 20. Mark, Chapter 16, Verses 14 to 20. Luke, Chapter 14, Verses 50 to 53. John, Chapter 20, Verse 26 to Chapter 21, Verse 25. Acts. Chapter One, verses one to eleven, first Corinthians, chapter 15, verses three to eight. The Stranger on the Shore When Jesus showed himself to the disciples on the evening of the day of his rising from the dead, only ten of the disciples saw him. For Judas, was no longer among them, and Thomas, the twin, which is the meaning of his other name, Didymus, was absent.

The other disciples said to Thomas, We have seen the Lord. But Thomas said, I will not believe that he has risen unless I can see in his hands the marks of the nails on the cross. I must see them with my own eyes, and put my hand into the wound in his sight before I will believe. A week passed away, and on the next Sunday evening the disciples were together again, and at this time Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but suddenly Jesus was seen again, standing In the middle of the room, he said, as before, Peace be with you. Then he turned to Thomas, and said to him, Thomas, come here, and touch my hands with your finger. Put your hand into my sight, and no longer refuse to believe that I am living, but have faith in me.

And Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God. Then Jesus said to him, Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. You remember that the angels had said to the women at the tomb of Jesus that his disciples should go into Galilee and there They would see the risen Lord. They went to Galilee and waited for some days without seeing Jesus. Finally, Peter said, I am going fishing. We will go with you, said the others. There were with Peter the two brothers, James and John, Thomas and Nathaniel, and two other disciples. They went out upon the lake in the fishing boat and worked all night, but found no fish. Just as the day was breaking, they saw some one standing on the beach.

It was Jesus, but they did not know him. He called out to them as one friend calls to another.

"'Have you caught anything?' They answered him. "'No,' he said to them. "'Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you will find some fish.' "'I may have thought that, standing on the shore, he could see the signs of a show of fish, which they from the boat could not see.' But the quick eyes of John, the beloved disciple, were the first to see who was this stranger on the shore. He said to Peter, "'It is the Lord!' When Peter heard this, he flung around him his fisherman's coat, and leaped into the water, and swam to the shore to meet his Lord." But the other six disciples, Stayed in the boat and rowed to the shore, dragging after them the net full of fishes. When they came to the land, they found burning a fire of charcoal and a fish broiling upon it, and a loaf of bread beside it.

They all knew now that it was the Lord Jesus. And he said to them, "'Pring some of the fish that you have now caught.' Simon Peter weighed it out to where the net was lying, filled with fish, and drew it to the shore. Afterward he counted the fish that were in it, and found them one hundred and fifty-three large fishes, besides small ones. Yet the net was not broken, with all this fish in it. Jesus said to them, Come now, and breakfast. He took the bread, and gave it to them, and gave them fish also. And the seven disciples ate a breakfast with their risen Lord. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples in a company after rising from the tomb the seventh of the times that he was seen.

After the breakfast, Jesus turned to Simon Peter, the one who three times had denied that he knew Jesus, and he said to him, Simon, son of Jonas. "'Lovest thou me?' Peter answered him, "'Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,' Jesus said to him, "'Feed my lambs.' Then, after a time, Jesus said again, "'Simon, son of Jonas, dost thou love me?' Peter answered him, as before. Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And Jesus said to him, Tend my sheep. A third time Jesus said to him, Simon, son of Jonas, loves thou me? Peter was troubled to have this question asked again and again, and he answered, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. Then Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep.

And Jesus added, Follow me. And thus Peter, after his fall, three times declared his love to Christ, and was again called to his place among the disciples. After this, the followers of Jesus met on a mountain in Galilee, perhaps the same mountain where Jesus had before given the teachings called the Sermon on the Mount, of which we read in story 122. More than 500 people were gathered at this time, and there Jesus showed himself to them all. He said to them, "'All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and preach my gospel to all the nations of the earth, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all the commands that I have given you, and I am with you always, even to the end of the world.

This was the eighth time that Jesus was seen after He rose from the dead. The ninth was when he showed himself to James, not the apostle of that name, but another James, who was called the Lord's brother, and may have been a son of Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, and Mary his wife. We do not know what was said at this meeting, but from this time James was a strong believer in Jesus. Once more, the tenth time, the risen Savior showed himself to all his eleven disciples. It may have been in Jerusalem, for he told them not to leave the city, but to wait until God should send down upon them his Spirit as he had promised. And Jesus said to them, When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you shall have a new power, and you shall speak in my name in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and in the farthest parts of the earth.

Jesus led his disciples out of the city and over the Mount of Olives, Near to the village of Bethany, he lifted up his hands in blessing upon them, and while he was blessing them, he began to rise in the earth, higher and higher, until a cloud covered him, and the disciples saw him no more. While they were looking up toward heaven, they found two men, Like angels with shiny garments standing by them. These men said, O ye men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you, shall come again from heaven to earth, as you have seen him go up from earth to heaven. Then, The disciples were glad. They worshipped the risen Lord Jesus, now gone up to heaven, and they went again to Jerusalem, and they were constantly in the temple, praising and giving thanks to God.

queue_music Chapters 38