Jesus knew that the time of his work in Galilee was nearly ended. There were other parts of the land of Israel where he had not yet preached, and he wished to visit them. He knew, too, what none but himself knew, that in a year he would be taken away from the earth, and his disciples would be left alone to carry on his work and preach to all the people the news of G.o.d"s kingdom. He made up his mind to send out his twelve disciples, whom he named "the apostles," and to let them begin their work by preaching in the villages of Galilee which he had not found time to visit.
So he called together his twelve disciples, and divided them into pairs, sending two men together, that they might help each other. He poured upon them some of his own power to cure diseases and to cast out evil spirits from men. He gave them commands about their work, to whom they should go and how they should act. He said:
"Do not go to any city of the Gentiles, the foreigners; and keep away from the villages of the Samaritan people. Your work just now is to be among the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Go to the Jews throughout the land, and tell them that the kingdom of G.o.d has come, and that they may enter it. Cure the sick, raise the dead to life, cleanse the lepers, cast out the evil spirits from men. Give freely, without being paid; for you have received the gift of G.o.d freely.
"Do not take with you any money of gold or silver or copper in your girdle; nor a bag to carry food for the road; nor two shirts, nor a pair of shoes; but go wearing only sandals on your feet. For G.o.d"s workman deserves his food, and it will be given to him.
"When you come to a village, ask for some good man, go to his house, and stay there while you are in that village. Do not go visiting from one house to another. When you come to a house say, "Peace be to this house." If the people dwelling in that house are worthy of your peace, then peace shall be given to them; if they are not worthy, your peace shall come back to you. And if in any place the people will not hear you nor give you welcome, then as you go out of that house or that city, take off your sandals and shake the dust of that place from them as a sign. I say to you in truth that in the day of judgment it shall be worse for the cities that have refused you than for Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities upon which G.o.d rained down fire.
"You are sent forth like sheep among wolves; so be wise like serpents, yet harmless like doves. But you must watch against evil men, for they will seize you and hand you over to courts to be judged; you will be beaten in their court-rooms; you will be brought before governors and kings, because you are my followers. Now, when they bring you up for trial, do not be anxious about what you shall speak or how you shall say it; for what to speak shall be given you when you need it. For it is not you that speak, but the spirit of your Father in heaven that speaks in you."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is my disciple, he will not lose his reward"]
Many more words Jesus spoke to his twelve disciples; and at the end of his charge he said this:
"Whoever receives you and listens to you, it is the same as though he received me, your teacher; and whoever receives me, receives my Father who sent me. He that receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet"s reward. He who receives a good man because he is a good man shall receive a good man"s reward. And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple of mine, I tell you truly, he will not lose his reward."
After giving his commands to the twelve disciples, Jesus sent them out to preach, while he himself went to other places telling the people the good news of the Kingdom of G.o.d.
[Ill.u.s.tration: The great mosque at Damascus]
A Dance; and How It Was Paid For
CHAPTER 40
DURING NEARLY all the year of Jesus" teaching and preaching in Galilee, John the Baptist was in Herod"s prison at a lonely place called Machaerus, on the east of the river Jordan, near the Dead Sea. You remember that John was put into prison because King Herod"s queen, Herodias, became angry against him, when John said to Herod that it was not right for him to take away his brother"s wife and have her as his own. Herodias hated John and tried many times to have him killed, but Herod held John in high respect and would not suffer him to be slain.
But at last the chance came for Herodias to carry out her purpose. On King Herod"s birthday, he held at Machaerus, which was not only a prison but a palace, a great feast to his lords, the captains of his army, and the chief men of his kingdom. At this feast the daughter of Herodias, a young girl, came in and danced before the company. Herod and the guests with him were so delighted with the girl"s dancing that the king made her a very foolish promise. He said to her:
"You may ask for anything that you please, and I will give it to you."
He went further and even swore with an oath to her, "I will give you whatever you choose, even to half of my kingdom."
The girl went to her mother and said to her, "What shall I ask?"
And Herodias hissed out the words, "You ask for the head of John the Baptist."
The girl went in haste to the king, and said, "I want you to give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."
The king was greatly displeased and very angry. He knew that his wife Herodias had led the girl to make this choice, and he would have liked to break his promise. But because he had given his word and was ashamed to call it back before all the n.o.bles at his feast, he gave orders, very unwillingly, to his guards to have her will carried out. They went into the prison, and with a sharp sword cut off the head of John the Baptist, the best and n.o.blest man in all his kingdom. The head was laid on a platter and given to the young girl, who carried it to her mother. So the man whom Jesus called "a prophet and more than a prophet" was slain to satisfy the whim of a dancing girl and her wicked mother!
[Ill.u.s.tration: The daughter of Herodias dancing before Herod]
The few followers who had still clung to John the Baptist, and visited him in his prison, took up his headless body and buried it. Then they went to Jesus and told him all the sad story of John"s death.
But Herod was not yet done with John the Baptist. Soon he began to hear wonderful stories of the new prophet, Jesus the Nazarene, who had risen up in John"s place. He heard that amazing powers were shown by Jesus, that the sick were cured, the lepers were made clean, the blind were made to see, and, most wonderful of all, the dead were raised to life.
People were saying to each other, "Who is this great Prophet that is working all these wonders?"
Some said, "This is the old prophet Elijah, who has come to earth again."
Others said, "If he is not Elijah, it may be Jeremiah or some other prophet of the old times."
But Herod was filled with a terrible fear, for his conscience troubled him on account of his wicked deeds. He said:
"I know who this is. It is John the Baptist, whose head I had cut off.
He has come to life again. It is on his account that all these wonderful things are taking place!"
Thus the b.l.o.o.d.y head of John the Baptist, like a terrible ghost, rose before the sight of Herod the king!
[Ill.u.s.tration: After he had blessed the food and broken it, Jesus gave a portion to each of his disciples, who went among the people and fed them. As the loaves and fishes were broken they grew in their hands until every one had enough to eat.]
The Boy with His Five Loaves
CHAPTER 41
THE NEWS that King Herod had slain the holy prophet John the Baptist sent a thrill of horror to all who heard it. It came to the twelve disciples, who were just completing their work of preaching in the villages of Galilee. They feared that Herod might seize them and put them in prison; but they were more alarmed for their Master. Having slain John who had made Jesus known to the people, they feared that Herod might now try to kill Jesus himself.
They all hastened to Capernaum, where they found Jesus, and gave him the report of the places which they had visited, the work which they had done in healing and helping people and the message which they had given everywhere about the Kingdom of G.o.d. The disciples found the crowds around Jesus greater than ever before; for not only had the preaching of these disciples aroused an interest in Jesus and led many to leave their homes and seek him, but the Pa.s.sover, the greatest of all Jewish feasts, was to be held soon, and the city of Capernaum was thronged with people who were on their way to Jerusalem; for as you know, this feast was held only in that city, and from every part of the land people went up to Jerusalem to attend it.
So many were the people coming and going and those who were looking for Jesus and seeking his power to cure their diseases, that Jesus and his disciples could scarcely find a chance to eat. The crowds were constantly pressing upon them. He said to his disciples:
"Come, let us take the boat and go across the lake to some quiet place, away from the crowds, and there rest for a time."
They went into the boat and started to row over the lake. But the people saw them going and many tried to follow them. Those who had boats sailed in them after the course in which they saw the boat with Jesus and his disciples. And the others, a great mult.i.tude, walked and ran around the head of the lake, waded across the river Jordan where it enters the Sea of Galilee, still keeping Jesus" boat in sight, and were at the beach to meet Jesus when he landed near the town of Bethsaida, which was on the northeastern sh.o.r.e. Here Jesus was safe, for Bethsaida was outside the rule of King Herod and in the land governed by Herod"s brother Philip.
When Jesus stepped out of his boat on the sh.o.r.e near Bethsaida, there he found a great throng of people, more than five thousand men, besides some women and children. When Jesus saw how eager they were and how glad to meet him, his heart of love and pity went out toward them. He cured some sick people that they had brought and he spoke to them about the kingdom of G.o.d.
The day began to draw to its close and the sun was almost sinking below the hills of Galilee, when the disciples said to Jesus:
"It is getting late and will soon be night. These crowds of people came so suddenly that they have brought with them nothing to eat. Send them away, so that they may go to the city of Bethsaida and the villages around and buy food and find places to stay through the night. We are here, you see, in a desert place, where there is neither food nor lodging for them."
But Jesus said to his disciples, "There is no need for them to go away; you give them something to eat."
They said to him, "Shall we go into the town and buy thirty dollars"
worth of bread, so that each one of them may have a little?"
Jesus turned to Philip, one of his disciples, and asked him, "Philip, where shall we find bread that all these people may eat?"
Jesus said this to try Philip"s faith, for he himself knew already what he would do. Philip looked over the crowd gathered upon the level ground, and he answered, "Thirty dollars" worth of bread would not be enough to give to each one even a little piece."