In Jerusalem Mary would visit with some friend. All the families in the land had friends in Jerusalem with whom they stayed while attending the great feasts, of which three were held each year; and the dwellers in Jerusalem opened their houses to the same families year after year.
After the feast, Mary would find another caravan or party going home to Hebron and the villages near it, and she would travel the rest of her journey, about twenty miles, with this party. Altogether, Mary"s journey, from Nazareth to Hebron, was nearly one hundred and twenty miles long. Although many people were with her all the way, she was alone in spirit, for she could speak to no one of the great thoughts which burdened her mind and her heart.
At last her long journey was over. She stopped at the door of the house of Zacharias; and in a moment was clasped in the arms of Elizabeth. In some strange way G.o.d had given to Elizabeth to know all that had come to Mary. In a loud voice she said:
"Blessed, most blessed are you among women! And blessed among men shall be the son born to you! High indeed is the honor mine today when the mother of my Lord comes to my home! Blessed is she that believed the angel"s word, for that word shall surely come true!"
In that moment Mary"s feelings, long held in, broke out into song. For this young woman"s soul was not only pure and tender and devout, it was the soul of a poet whose thoughts shape themselves into verse. Mary spoke and sung a song which has become famous. Someone wrote it down, and Saint Luke, who wrote the gospel, found a copy of it and gave it to the world. Everyone should read it. We give it here.
MARY"S SONG
My soul beholds the greatness of the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in G.o.d my Saviour.
For he hath looked upon his servant in my lowly state; And from this time people in all ages shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name.
And his mercy is from age to age On those who fear him.
He hath showed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the vain thoughts of their heart.
He hath put down princes from their thrones, And hath lifted up those of humble state.
The hungry he hath filled with good things; And the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath given help to Israel his servant That he might remember mercy As he spoke to our fathers, Toward Abraham and his children forever.
For three months Mary stayed with Elizabeth in that quiet home, the old woman and the young woman, both soon to be mothers, talked together day after day. Perhaps by this time people were going to another feast in Jerusalem, and Mary found again a party of pilgrims--for that was the name that they gave to people going to Jerusalem to worship--who were returning to Galilee. She went home, comforted in spirit and made strong by her visit with Elizabeth.
It was either while Mary was visiting with Elizabeth, or soon after her return to her home, that Joseph, her promised husband, began to question in his mind whether he ought to marry her. There was a strange look in her face, and he saw that she had thoughts in her mind of which she could not speak to him. He loved her deeply, and it was with sorrow that he asked himself whether they would be happy together.
But one night, while he was sleeping, a dream came to Joseph. In his dream he saw an angel standing by his side. The angel said to him:
"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary for your wife. She shall have a son; and his name shall be Jesus, for it is he that shall save his people from their sins."
The word Jesus, in the language of that people, means "Saviour," and often Jesus is spoken of as "Our Saviour" because he came to take away our sins.
After this message, Joseph hesitated no longer. He did as the angel had bidden him. He was married to Mary, and led her to his own home, in which was also the shop where he followed his trade as a carpenter.
The Boy Who Never Tasted Wine
CHAPTER 6
NOT LONG after Mary"s visit, the child promised to Zacharias and Elizabeth was born. In Jewish families the coming of a child into the home was always the cause of great gladness; and the gladness was greater at the birth of this baby, because this was the first child, and the father and mother were old. All the friends of Zacharias and Elizabeth came to see them and to rejoice with them over the boy whom G.o.d had given them.
"He must be named Zacharias after his father," said the visitors.
"Not so," answered the mother; "he shall be named John."
"Why should you give him that name?" they said. "None of your family has ever been called John."
But Elizabeth insisted that her boy should bear the name John.
You remember that Zacharias had been stricken dumb at the time when the angel spoke to him in the Temple. In all the months since he had not spoken a word. Nor could he hear what was said; for now they made signs, to ask him what should be the child"s name. They brought him a writing table, and on it he wrote, "His name is John." So that was the name of this child of promise, just as the angel Gabriel had said.
You may ask, what was a writing table? In those times paper was very scarce and high in its cost. It was used only for writing down matters that were important. For common uses, each family had a writing table, which was a board over which was spread a thin layer of wax. On this wax they marked what they wished to write, with a sharp-pointed pen of iron or steel. This kind of a pen was called a stylus. The other end of the pen was flat, like an ivory paper-cutter. After writing, they could smooth it all out again; and the wax was then ready to be used once more.
Just as soon as Zacharias had written the words "His name is John," the power to hear and to speak came back to him. He began to praise G.o.d in a loud voice, and gave forth a song of rejoicing. This song was afterward written, and may be read in the gospel by St. Luke, near the end of the first chapter.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Writing tablets]
In this song, Zacharias gave thanks to G.o.d for having blessed his people and kept the promises that had been made in G.o.d"s name by all the prophets of old time. The prophets, as you may know, were the good men who listened to G.o.d"s words and then gave them to the people, speaking with G.o.d"s power; and sometimes telling, long before the time, of great events that were to take place. They were men like Moses, who saw G.o.d face to face, and Samuel the wise ruler, and Elijah the prophet of fire, and Isaiah, who declared Christ"s coming long before his day. In the Old Testament times there was always a prophet to tell the people the will of G.o.d. But since the Old Testament had been finished, almost five hundred years before this time, no prophet had stood up in Israel with the word of the Lord.
Zacharias knew that this newly-born child should grow up to give G.o.d"s message to the people. He said in his song:
"And you, O child, shall be called the prophet of G.o.d; For you shall go before the Lord Christ, to make ready a way for him; You shall give to his people the good news of a Saviour, And the forgiveness of their sins Because of the tender mercy of G.o.d."
[Ill.u.s.tration: John the Baptist in the desert]
In the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth the baby John grew up a strong, n.o.ble boy. Very early they told him of the angel"s visit, and of the command that throughout his life he was not to taste wine nor any strong drink. He was under a vow or pledge of special service for G.o.d; and one sign of his pledge was to be his not tasting wine nor even eating grapes. Another sign was in leaving his hair to grow long and never cutting it. Everyone who saw him would know by these signs that he was pledged to a life of peculiar service to G.o.d.
When John became a young man he went away from his home and lived in the desert, alone with his own thoughts and with G.o.d. Very likely, his father and mother died before he went to live alone, for at the time of his birth they were old people and could not live many years.
John lived upon the plainest of food, the locusts that could be gathered in the field, and were boiled, to be eaten by the poorest people. He ate also the honey made by the wild bees and stored by them in hollow trees and holes in the rocks. All those years of his young manhood, John was thinking upon the work to which G.o.d had called him, talking with G.o.d and learning G.o.d"s will; so that when the time came, he could give G.o.d"s message to the people.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Plowing in Bible time]
[Ill.u.s.tration: They sought out the inn at Bethlehem but Joseph found within its walls no place where his wife could rest after her long and wearisome ride.]
The Child-King in His Cradle
CHAPTER 7
FOR A FEW months after their marriage, Joseph and Mary lived in their little house at Nazareth. Joseph worked at his trade as a carpenter, while Mary cared for the home and carried the water for the needs of the house from the well in the middle of the village, walking with her jar full of water on her head.
One day Joseph came home and told his wife that he had been called to go on a journey to Bethlehem, which was the town from which their family had come. Both Joseph and Mary, as we have seen, had sprung from the line of the great King David, who had been born in Bethlehem more than a thousand years before. Every one who belonged to the line of David, wherever he might be living, looked upon Bethlehem as the home-town of his family.
The Emperor Augustus at Rome, who ruled over all the lands and was above Herod, the king of Judea, had given orders that a list should be made of all the families in his wide empire. He wished to lay a tax upon every family; that is, to call upon every family to pay money for the support of his officers, his army, his court; and in order to fix this tax, he must have written down the names of all the people.
In our land such a list is made every ten years, and is called a census.
With us, men are chosen in every city and town to go to the people where they live and make the list of their names. From all the states throughout the land, these lists are sent to one office, and there the names are arranged in order.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, said to enclose the birthplace of the Saviour]