Two Parables Upon Prayer
CHAPTER 67
JESUS TOLD his disciples a parable to show that they should always keep on praying and never be discouraged. This parable is named "The Parable of the Unjust Judge."
"In a certain city," he said, "there was a judge who in his rule did not try to do right, but was often unjust and wicked; for he had no fear of G.o.d and no care for what men said about him. And in that city there was a widow who came many times to this judge, crying over and over again, "Do for me what is right against the man who has done me wrong!"
"For some time the judge paid no attention to her, for right and wrong were both the same to him. But after a while the judge said to himself:
""Although I have no fear of G.o.d and no care for man, yet as this widow is so troublesome to me, and gives me no rest, I will do what she asks, for I am tired of her coming and of her calling out for her right every day."
"Listen," said the Lord Jesus, "to what this unjust judge says. And if a man who does not care for right or wrong will at last answer a prayer, how much more will your heavenly Father listen to his own children when they call upon him day and night, even though he seems to make them wait long for the answer to their prayers? I tell you that G.o.d will do right by them and answer their prayers, and that very soon! Yet when the Son of Man comes, will he find on earth those who are looking for him and who believe in him?"
Jesus also told a parable to some people who were sure of their own goodness and looked down upon others. This parable is that of "The Pharisee and the Tax-Gatherer."
"Two men," said Jesus, "went up to the Temple to pray. One of these men was a Pharisee; and the other was a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood up and began praying to himself, not to G.o.d, in words like these:
""O G.o.d, I thank thee that I am not like other men--thieves, wrongdoers, and wicked--or even like this tax-gatherer. Twice in every week I eat no food, to show that I am worshipping G.o.d; I give to G.o.d"s house one-tenth of all that I get."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Two men went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer"]
"But the tax-gatherer stood far away, and would not raise his eyes toward heaven. He beat his breast, saying:
""O G.o.d, have mercy on me and forgive my sins!"
"I tell you," said Jesus, "this tax-gatherer went to his house with his sins forgiven, instead of the Pharisee. For every one who uplifts himself will be brought low; and every one who humbles himself will be lifted up."
The Little Children; and the Rich Young Man
Chapter 68
WHILE JESUS was still pa.s.sing through the land of Perea, on his way to Jerusalem, at one place the fathers and mothers brought their babies to him, asking him to place his hands on their heads and speak upon them a blessing. When the disciples saw them doing this, they were not pleased.
"Take these babies away!" they said. "The Lord is too busy with greater things to attend to them!"
But Jesus heard them, and he was displeased, not with the parents and their children, but with his disciples.
"Let the little ones come to me," he said, "and do not stop them; for the kingdom of G.o.d comes only to those who are child-like. I tell you, whoever will not give himself up to the kingdom of G.o.d as a little child shall never come into the kingdom."
Then he took the little ones up into his arms, laid his hands upon them and gave them his blessing. After that he went away from that place.
Soon afterward a young man who was one of the leaders in the church of his town came running, and bowed low before Jesus. "Good Teacher," said the young man, "tell me what to do if I am to be saved and have life everlasting."
"Why do you call me "good"?" answered Jesus. "There is only one who is really good; that is G.o.d. To be saved, you have only to do G.o.d"s will.
You know what his commandments are; keep them."
[Ill.u.s.tration: Jesus and the rich young man. "Sell everything that you have, and give all the money to the poor."]
"Why, what commands do you mean?" asked the young man. He supposed that Jesus, like many of the scribes, who were the teachers of G.o.d"s law, had given some special rules of his own.
Jesus said to him, "I mean the ten commandments of G.o.d, such as, "Thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not say what is false; honor thy father and thy mother," and so on."
[Ill.u.s.tration: Jesus laid his hands upon the little ones and gave them his blessing]
The young man said, "Teacher, all these I have kept ever since I was a child. What more do I need?"
As Jesus looked at this young man, so eager in his wish to please G.o.d, he loved him, and felt a special longing to have him among his disciples.
"If you really wish to be perfect," he said to the young man, "you do need one thing more. Sell everything that you have, and give all the money to the poor, and you will have your treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, and be one of my disciples."
When the young man heard those words, he felt greatly disappointed, and turned away, unwilling to do what Jesus asked, for he was very rich, and he loved his money. After he had left them, Jesus turned to his disciples:
"How hard it is," said Jesus, "for a rich man to come into the kingdom of G.o.d!"
As the disciples heard this, they were greatly surprised, for all the Jews thought that to have riches was a sign of G.o.d"s special favor. As they stood silent, not knowing how to answer these words, Jesus said again:
"Children, how hard it is for those who trust in their riches to enter into the kingdom of G.o.d! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of G.o.d!"
They were amazed at this, and said, "Then who can be saved?"
"What is impossible with men," answered Jesus, "is possible with G.o.d."
"But we," said Simon Peter, "have left everything, and have followed you. What shall we have in the kingdom for all this?"
Peter thought, as did all the crowds who were going up to Jerusalem with Jesus, that there he would set up his kingdom and give rich rewards to his disciples.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Let the little ones come to me," said Jesus, "for the kingdom of G.o.d comes only to those who are childlike."]
"In truth I say to you," answered Jesus, "that you who have followed me, in the new kingdom when the Son of Man shall sit upon his throne, you twelve men, my disciples, shall sit upon twelve thrones, ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one who has left home, or wife, or children, or parents, or brothers, or sisters on my account, and for the sake of G.o.d"s kingdom, shall receive in this life a hundred times as much as he has lost, and in the world to come, life everlasting. But many that are first in this world shall be last in the kingdom; and some that are the lowest here will be the highest there."
[Ill.u.s.tration: The Bay of Acre and the modern town Haifa]
The Workers in the Vineyard
CHAPTER 69
JESUS EXPLAINED by a parable what he meant in saying, "Many that are first shall be last, and some that are lowest here will be the highest in G.o.d"s kingdom." This parable was "The Workers in the Vineyard."
"There was a man," said Jesus, "who owned a vineyard. He needed men to work in his vineyard; and one day, early in the morning, went out to hire them. Some men met him and agreed to work for him at fifteen cents for each day"s work; so he sent them out to his vineyard. At about nine o"clock he was walking through the market place, and seeing some other men standing around, waiting for work, he said to them: