Section 3

JE>IS IN' THE TEMPLE, READING THE BIBLE. Luke iv. l6.

Elijah was sent only to one at Sa-
repta, a city of Sidon. And there
were many lepers in Israel while the
prophet Elisha lived there ; but Na-
aman, the Syrian, was the only one
that was cured."

This preaching made the people
angry, and they started up in wrath
and thrust him out of their city, and
wanted to push him headlong down
the hill on the top of which Naza-
reth was built. But just there he
showed his power, in passing quietly
through the crowd of angry people,
holding them back by the power of
his gaze, and went away.

THE DRAUGHT OF FISHES.

Jesus stood by the shore of Lake
Geimesaret, and the people pressed
about him, to hear him talk about
God. He saw two ships near the
water ; they were empty, for the fish-
ermen to whom they belonged were
gone to wash their nets. One of the
ships belonged to a man named Si-
mon. Jesus stepped into it, and
when Simon came asked him to push
out a little from the shore ; then he
sat down in the ship and taught the
people. When the sermon was over
he said to Simon : " Push out now
where it is deep, and let down your
net." Simon answered: "We have
been at work all night, Master, and
have caught no fish; but we will do

as you say." So they let down the
net into the water, and at once it be-
came so full of fish that it began to
break. Then Simon and the other
fisherman called to their partners,
who were in the other ship, to come
and help. They came and filled both
the ships with fish; then the ships
began to sink. Simon Peter, seeing
that, fell on his knees and began to
pray; he said: "Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man, O Lord." He
meant that he was not worthy to be
near the Lord. He was astonished
and frightened, and so were the
others — James and John, and they
were the sons of Zebedee. Jesus
spoke kindly and tenderly to Simon ;
he said: "Fear not; after this you
shall catch men."

THE CENTURION'S FAITH.

Next we find Jesus at Capernaum.
A certain Roman military officer
lived there, who had a servant lying
very sick. The officer loved his
faithful servant. He saw that he
was going to die. He had heard of
Jesus, and he sent some of the elders
to him, begging that he would
come and cure the sick man. The
messengers came to Jesus and urged
him to go at once to the sick one ;
they told him how kind the officer
had been to their people. He went
with them. When they were near
the house, other friends came out to
meet the Saviour, and presently the
officer came himself. He told Jesus
that he did not feel himself worthy

THE CENTURION. — Matt. viii. R.

to have so great a man in his house;
that he did not want to trouble him
to go there, and at first he thought
he ought not even to come to him,
troubling him. He begged that
Jesus would just then and there
speak a word that should cure his
servant. He said that he was a man
in authority, having servants who
obeyed orders. Jesus, he believed,
had but to give orders, and his invis-
ible servants would obey him. Jesus
wondered at his faith.

He turned, and said to the people
who were following : " I haven't
found such great faith as this in all
Israel." Some of those who had been
sent to Jesus, now reached the house
where the sick man had lain, and
behold he was well ! This story is
also told in Matthew viii. 5-13.

THE WIDOW OF NAIN.

Once Jesus went to the city of
Nain. His disciples went with him.
Many people followed him. As he
reached the city gate he met a
funeral procession. It was a long
procession, for the young man who
Avas dead had been his mother's only
son, and she was a widow. The
people were very sorry for her.
Jesus, when he saw her, felt very
sorry for her, too. He spoke to her.
He said, "Weep not." Then he
went towards the frame on which
the dead body was laid, and touched
it; and the men who were carrying-
it stood still, and Jesus spoke to the
dead. He said, "Young: man, I say
unto thee, arise." Immediately the

dead man sat up and spoke to Jesus;
and Jesus called his mother to him.
This wonderful thing made the peo-
ple afraid ; they said, " A great
prophet has come among us." And
they praised God for sending him.
This story was told all over the coun-
try, and for many miles around.
When the people came together they
said, " Have you heard how that
poor widow who lives in Nain had
her son given back to her after he
was dead ? "

JESUS RAISETH THE WIDOW'S SON. — Luke vii. 14-15.

THE FRIEND OF SINNERS.

Jesus was invited to dine with a
man named Simon. While at table,
a poor woman came in and poured
sweet -smelling- ointment over the
feet of Jesus, weeping so that she
washed his feet with her tears.
Simon did not like this, for the
woman was very wicked. He
thought if Jesus were a prophet
he would know what sort of a
woman this was, and would not
allow her to touch him. Jesus saw
these thoughts in his heart, and told
him he had something to say to him.
Then he told him this story : " There
was once a man who was owed by
two men ; one owed him five hun-
dred pence, and the other fifty.

Both were poor, having nothing with
which to pay their debt. The good
man knowing this, forgave them
both. Tell me, which of them will
love him most ? "

"Why," said Simon, "I suppose
the one who owed the most."

"Yes," said Jesus, "that is true.
Simon, do you see this poor woman ?
You gave me no water to wash my
feet, but she has washed them with
her tears, and wiped them with her
hair. You gave me no kiss, but she
continues to kiss my feet. You did
not even anoint my head, but she
has anointed my feet. Now I tell
you this : her sins which are many,
are forgiven, for she loves me very
much. If people feel that they have
but little to be forgiven, they have

but little love." Then lie spoke to
the woman ; he said : " Your sins
are forgiven." Those who were sit-
ting with him at table began to say
among themselves, " Why, who is
this man who can forgive sins ? "
Jesus spoke again to the woman ; he
said : " Thy faith hath saved thee ;
go in peace.

RETURN OF THE SEVENTY.

Seventy people were sent out in
many directions to tell the people of
the Lord Jesus. They had blessed
meetings. They came back filled
with joy. They told Jesus that they
had found even devils who had to
obey their words when they spoke in
his name. Jesus told them that he
had long known that Satan would
be subject to him. Also he promised
them that nothing should hurt them
in their work, neither that serpent
Satan, nor any of his helpers. But
he reminded them, that though the>
had such great power given them,
there was something better than that
for them to rejoice over forever: that
their names were written in heaven.

AND WHEX YE COME INTO AX HOUSE, SALUTE IT. Matt. X. 12.

Then Jesus, with great joy in his
heart, thanked God that he had hid-
den many things from the worldly-

* CD 9.

wise and the selfishly prudent, and
had made them known to the hum-
ble-hearted who were willing* to be
like little children and learn of him.
He reminded his diseiples that no
man knew about the mysteries of
God, but that all things were deliv-
ered to him, and that no one could
understand the Father unless he
made him plain to their hearts.
And he said to those disciples aside,
" Blessed are the eyes which see the
things that you see; many prophets
and kings desired to see them, but
were not permitted."

THE GOOD SAMARITAN.

A lawyer once asked Jesus avIio
was his neighbor, and Jesus told him
this story : — " Once a man went from
Jerusalem to Jericho, and on the
road he met a party of thieves.
They stripped his clothes from him ;
they wounded him, and at last went
away, leaving' him lying half dead.
A little while after a certain minis-
ter passed that way ; he saw the man,
but he crossed the street and went
on. Then there came a Levite ; he
stopped and looked at the poor man,
and then he too crossed the street
ami went on his way. Then there
came a Samaritan; he stopped and
looked at the poor man, and his
heart was filled with pity. The man

was nothing' to him, not even one of
his own nation ; but he bound up his
wounds, pouring oil and wine on
them to soothe the pain; then he
lifted the man to his own horse and
took him to a place where he could
be cared for. In the morning- before
he went on his journey, he took from
his pocket some money, and gave it
to the host, and asked him to have the
sick man taken care of. If he had
to spend money, when he came that
way again he would pay the bill."

" Now," said Jesus, " which of these
three people do you think treated the
poor man like a neighbor ? "

" Why," said the lawyer, " the one
who took care of him."

" Then," said Jesus, " see that you
follow his example."

IMPORTUNITY IN PRAYER.

At one time when Jesus was with
his disciples they asked him to teach
them to pray. Having talked with
them about the Lord's Prayer, he il-
lustrated prayer by the following*:

Said he: "Suppose you had a
friend to whom you should go one
night at midnight, and ask him to
lend you three loaves of bread, for a
friend had arrived unexpectedly, and
you had nothing for him. Suppose
he should answer, 'Don't trouble me;
I've shut my house for the night, and
my children and I are in bed ; I can't
get up and attend to you.' Now I
tell you, though he wouldn't attend
to you on account of friendship, yet
if you persist in urging your need he

SECRET PRAYER. Matt. VI. 6.

will get up and give you what you
want. Now I say to you : ask and
it shall he given you; seek and ye
shall find; knock and it shall he
opened unto you. Every one that
asks shall receive; he who seeks
shall find; to him who knocks it
shall be opened. Suppose your son
asks for a piece of bread, would you
give him a stone? Suppose he asks
for a fish, would you give him a ser-
pent? If he ask for an egg, would
you give him a scorpion? Now, if
you with evil hearts and ignorant
minds, yet know enough to take
care of your children and give them
proper things, don't you suppose that
your Heavenly Father knows what
you need, and will give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask him ?

WARNING
AGAINST COYETOUSNESS.

Jesus had been talking about the
loving care of the Heavenly Father,
and one of the listeners interrupted
him with a request that he would
talk to his brother and get him to
divide equally between them the
property that had been left. Jesus
asked him who he thought made him
a judge, or a divider over them; and
then, by the story he told them, he
showed the covetous thought that
was in the man's heart. He reminded
them that the important thing in a
man's life was not to have a great
deal of property. Said he: "There
was a certain man who grew rich;
his harvests were so great that he

wondered what he should do with
all his grain. At last he decided to
pull down his barns and build larger
ones, and then say to his soul, ' Soul,
you have plenty of food, enough to
last you many years ; take your ease,
eat, drink and be merry.' But just
then God spoke to him ; He said,
'Foolish man, this night your soul
shall be called to leave the body;
then who will have all these thing's
which you have provided ? ' — Now,"
said Jesus, "the man who plans for
himself, laying up treasures for him-
self, and has none of the riches that
God could give him, is like this poor,
foolish man in the story." Then He
turned to His disciples and told them
that living meant more than simply
keeping the body alive and clothed.

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WARNING
AGAINST FORMALISM.

Jesus was traveling through the
cities and villages on his way to
Jerusalem, teaching as he went. One
day a man asked him if many would
he saved. He said all must strive
to enter in at the straight gate, for
many would try some other way and
would not get in. He said, "It was
like a feast spread for guests ; and
when once the master of the house
had closed the door, no more could
get in. Those who stood outside
saying, ' Lord, Lord, open the door
for us,' would only be answered with
'I don't know you.' They might
answer, ' We have eaten and drank
with you, and you have taught in

our streets,' for some of these people
who would not follow Jesus had sat
at table with him and heard his
teachings. But he said the answer
to any such would be, ' I don't know
you ; go away, you are wicked peo-
ple.'— Then," said Jesus, "there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth ; "
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob
would be inside, but those who
would not come to him by the right
way would be thrust out. People
from every quarter shall come to-
gether and sit down in God's king-
dom. The Gentiles, who were the
last to hear the good news, shall be
among the first in heaven, and some
of the Jews (God's dear people who
would not love Him) will not get in.

THE GOSPEL FEAST.

One Sabbath-day Jesus was taking
dinner at the house of a Pharisee.
He talked with the people at the
table about humility of manner at the
great feasts which were given in
those days. Then one of the com-
pany said to him, " Blessed is he that
shall eat bread in the kingdom of
God." I do not think he meant
heaven, but rather the kingdom that
he hoped the Messiah would set up
on the earth. Jesus answered him
in the form of a story about a man
who made a great supper, sending
out many invitations. When eAd*y-
thing was ready he sent for his
guests to come, and every one of
them sent an excuse. One said he

had bought a piece of ground and
must go and see it, and begged to
be excused ; another said he had
bought five yoke of oxen., and was
going to prove them; another said he
had just been married and couldn't
come. When the servant came back
and told his master he was angry.
He told his servants to go out quickly
through the streets and bring all the
lame people, and the blind people,
and the poor people of every sort.
So the servant did as he was told;
but he said to his master, " There is
room yet." So the master told him to
go out in the highways and hedges,
and coax people to come to the sup-
per, and fill the house, for none of
those who were first invited should
be allowed to taste of the supper.

THE PRODIGAL SON.

Jesus once, in teaching the people,
told this story: "A man had two
sons ; the younger of them asked his
father to give him the part of the
property that would finally belong
to him. So the father divided his
wealth between them. A few days
after that the younger son went a
long journey, taking all his monej
with him ; but he wasted it in wild
and foolish living. When it was all
gone there came a great famine to
that country, and the foolish young
man had nothing to live on. He
went looking for work, and a man
hired him to take care of swine. He
was so hungry that he was willing to
eat the husks that the swine had for

food; and no one gave anything* to
him. Then he began to think of his
home, and to remember how his
father's servants had plenty to eat,
and here he was starving! Then he
said, 'I will arise and go to my
father, and I Avill say to him, Father,
I have sinned against heaven and
before yon. I am not worthy to be
called your son; let me be one of
your hired servants.' So he went on
his journey home. When he was
yet a great Avay from the house, his
father saw him and ran out to meet
him, and put his arms around him
and kissed him. Then the son said,
'Father, I have sinned against heaven
and against you; I am not worthy to
be called your son.' But the father
said, bring the best clothes in the