"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he hath set me apart to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent me to say that the prisoners shall be set free, That the blind shall have their sight again, That the poor and suffering shall be given freedom, That the time of favor from G.o.d has come."
While Jesus was reading from the Bible, he stood up, and all who were present also stood, for the Jews showed their respect for the Bible by standing whenever it was read. When he had finished the reading, he folded up the roll, handed it back to the officer, and sat down, and the people also sat down likewise. Often the man who preached in the synagogue or church was seated while speaking. Jesus began by saying:
"Today this word of the prophet has come to pa.s.s in your hearing."
And he went on to tell in simple, gentle words how he had been sent to preach to the poor, to set the prisoners free, to give sight to the blind and to bring the news of G.o.d"s goodness to men. At first the people listened with the deepest interest, and their hearts were touched by his kind and tender words.
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 the carpenter! We know his brothers, and his sisters are living here." And some began to say, "Why does he not do here some of the wonderful things that they say he has done in other places? We want to see some of his marvelous cures with sick people!"
Jesus knew their thoughts, but he would not do wonders merely to be seen by men. He said to them:
"I know that you are saying, "Let us see some wonderful work, like that on the n.o.bleman"s son in Capernaum." I tell you in truth, that no prophet or teacher has honor among his own people.
"You remember that in the days of Elijah the prophet, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, and no rain fell, there was a great famine in the land and a need of bread. At that time there were many widows in the land of Israel, yet Elijah was not sent to any of these, but to a widow woman in Zarephath of Zidon, a foreigner and a Gentile. And in the time of Elisha the prophet after Elijah, there were many lepers in the land of Israel, yet none of these was made clean of his leprosy, but only Naaman the Syrian."
These words, telling how G.o.d had chosen foreigners instead of Israelites for his works of wonder, made the people in the church very angry, for they did not care for the words of Jesus; they only wished to see him do some miracle or wonderful act. They would not listen to him; in their rage and fury, they leaped from their seats; they rushed upon the platform; they seized hold of Jesus and dragged him out of doors. They took him up to the top of the hill above the city, and would have thrown him down its steep side to his death. But the time for Jesus to die had not yet come. By the power of G.o.d, Jesus slipped quietly out of their hands and went away. He walked away very sadly from Nazareth, for he had longed to bring the good news of G.o.d"s blessings first of all to his own people.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Approach to Jerusalem, from the railroad station on the southwest]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Jewish fishermen by the Sea of Galilee]
Four Fishermen Called
CHAPTER 23
THE PLACE which Jesus chose for his home, after being driven away from Nazareth, was Capernaum. This was a large city on the northwestern sh.o.r.e of the Sea of Galilee. Only one city beside the lake was larger--Tiberias. That was a new city, built by Herod, the ruler of Galilee, and named after the Emperor Tiberius at Rome. But Tiberias was not a Jewish city. It contained temples to idols, its people were foreigners, and very few Jews were willing to live within its walls.
Then, too, Herod Antipas lived there in a palace which he had built, and Jesus did not wish to be near Herod.
But Capernaum was a Jewish city, and Jesus felt that his work was to be among the Jews. At least four of the early followers of Jesus lived in Capernaum; two pair of brothers, Simon and Andrew, the sons of Jonas; and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. These four men were partners with Zebedee in the fishing trade. They owned a number of fishing boats and had men working for them. The lake was full of fish, and many people all around it lived by fishing. The fish in the Sea of Galilee were good food, and were sent to all the nearby cities. It is said that one emperor at Rome, not long after this time, had sent to him every week a barrel full of fish from the Sea of Galilee, for his table in the palace.
The people of Capernaum had heard of Jesus, for all those who went up to the feasts in Jerusalem brought home reports of this wonderful teacher and healer of the sick. Wherever Jesus went, crowds gathered around him to listen to his words, and especially eager to see if he would do any of his wonderful works.
[Ill.u.s.tration: LOWER GALILEE]
One morning while Jesus was walking on the beach, he met some of his followers. Having now come to their own home, these men had gone back to their old work, as fishermen, and their boats were lying upon the sh.o.r.e. The men had been fishing in the night before, and they were now washing their nets upon the beach. Jesus spoke to one of his followers, Simon Peter, to push his boat a little way out into the water. He did so, and then Jesus sat down in the boat, while a great crowd stood on the sh.o.r.e, but within reach of his voice. Then from the boat as a pulpit he talked to the people on the sh.o.r.e. What he said at that time was not written down; but it was very much like his teachings as given in the Sermon on the Mount, which may be read in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of the gospel by Matthew. There is no doubt that in his talks in many places to different crowds, Jesus often gave the same teachings over and over again.
After Jesus had ended his speaking to the people, he said to Simon, who with the other fishermen was standing beside him:
"Push out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch of fish."
"Master," answered Simon, "we worked all last night and caught not a single fish. However, if you tell us to try again, I will let down the nets."
They did so, and now their nets took in a great shoal of fish, so large a number that the nets began to break. Then they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came, and helped to pull up the nets and to empty the fish into the boats. So many were the fish that they filled both the boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw all this, he was struck with wonder and with fear, for he felt that this had been done by the power of G.o.d. He fell upon his knees in the boat to Jesus, saying:
"O Lord, I am full of sin, and am not worthy of all this! Leave me, O Lord!"
But Jesus said to him and to the other three men with him:
"Do not be afraid; come after me; and from this time you shall be fishers of men."
He meant that they were now to leave their nets and their boats, to stay with him; and after learning from him, they were to go out and show men the way out of sin into the Kingdom of G.o.d.
As soon, therefore, as they had brought their nets and their fishes to the land, they left them with Zebedee, the father of James and John, and with the hired men.
From that day these four men stayed with Jesus and went with him on all his journeys, listening to his words, until from hearing them often, they learned them and could repeat them to others.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Pool of Hezekiah at Jerusalem]
[Ill.u.s.tration: The disciples let down their nets and took in a great shoal of fish, so large a number that the nets began to break.]
Jesus in the Church, in the House, and in the Street
CHAPTER 24
THE STORY of the great catch of fish was told abroad, for many saw the boats loaded with the fish brought to the sh.o.r.e, and we may be sure that all who ate a breakfast of those fish spoke of the wonder. Partly as a result of this report, when the Sabbath day came, the church in Capernaum was crowded with people to see and hear this new Rabbi.
"Rabbi" was the name that Jews gave to men who taught the law in their churches. Although Jesus had never taken the course of study at Jerusalem which would give him that t.i.tle, he was generally called "Rabbi" by the people. The people listened with wonder to the words of Jesus, for his teaching was very different from that of the scribes who taught the law. He spoke on great things--the kingdom which G.o.d was soon to set up, and how the people were to be made ready for his coming.
Then, too, he spoke with power, as Lord of all; and the listeners felt that these were the words of one who had been sent by G.o.d.
[Ill.u.s.tration: From all parts of the city of Capernaum they brought those that were sick, or had evil spirits, and Jesus healed them all.]
While Jesus was speaking in the church, the service was stopped by the loud screaming of a furious man who had come in. This man was suffering with a terrible evil, worse than any disease. Into his body had come in some way an evil spirit, a demon. This demon controlled the man and drove him to wild acts and words. The words which were spoken by this man"s tongue were not his own, but the words of the wicked spirit within him. The spirit, using the man"s voice, shrieked aloud:
"Ha, you Jesus of Nazareth, let us alone! What business have you with us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are; you are G.o.d"s Holy One!"
But Jesus at once said to the wicked spirit in the man, "Be still, and come out of him!"
At these words the demon threw the man down upon the floor, as if to kill him; and then went out of the man suddenly, leaving him almost dead. Soon they found that the man, whom everybody had feared before, so fierce had he been, was now perfectly well and quite free from the evil spirit.
Then surprise and wonder came upon all. They talked about it to one another, saying:
"What does all this mean? What new teaching is this? Why, this man speaks to the evil spirits with power, and they obey him and come out."
As the people left the church they told everyone whom they met of this mighty act of Jesus. These men and women told others, and soon the news of Jesus" power went through all the towns and villages in that part of the land.
After the service in the church was over, Jesus went home to dine in the house of Simon and Andrew, and with him went also the two brothers, James and John. In the house they told him that Simon"s mother-in-law, the mother of his wife, was very ill, having a high fever. He came, stood by her bed, leaned over her and took her by the hand as if to raise her up. As he touched her, she felt a new power shoot through her body. Instantly the fever left her; she rose up from her bed, perfectly well, and helped to make ready the dinner and serve it.
Jesus stayed in Simon"s house that afternoon. When the sun went down and the Sabbath was ended, they found a crowd of people filling the street in front of the house. From all parts of the city they had brought people that were sick, or had evil spirits, like the man whom Jesus had cured in the church. As he came out of the house he laid his hands upon these sick people, one by one; and as soon as he touched them, they rose up well. The evil spirits in some of the men tried to speak to him. But he would not allow them, and gave them command at once to come out of the men in whom they were. They dared not to disobey Jesus, came out and went away.
On that night, while everybody was sleeping, Jesus rose up long before day, while it was still dark, and went out of the city. He found a quiet place, with no houses or people near, and there for hours he prayed to his Father. In the morning he was missed, and Simon Peter, with the others, went out to look for him. They found him and said to him, "Master, come back to the city, for everybody is looking for you!"